Lady Marie entered the dining hall. Her father, the Baron Luscious stood to welcome her, beside him sat his wife and a finely dressed foreign nobleman with curly brown hair.

“Welcome my daughter, please sit and meet the Sir Art’ur, Knight of the North Star, Lord of black bear vale” The finely dressed man stood to bow. Coming up from his bow their eyes meet. Lady Marie stopped walking and stared as lost memories came flooding back to her. Suddenly she recognized the man standing before her, he was her shining knight. The stranger from the other day that had captured her curiosity so entirely that their first rendezvous had been lost to her until now. A subtle smile crept over her face as she curtsied her husband to be.

“I pray your time in our humble hamlet has been a pleasing one.” Marie tried her hardest to stifle a giggle as she spoke.

“Thank you, yes. I have been meet with such splendid generosity. It will be my personal joy to aid and assist Dubast,” Sir Art’ur turned his attention to his host, Baron Luscious. “I am certain the guild would love to establish an outpost so close to Fomor territories. We Rings have often speculated what treasures have been lost in the ruins of the Red-grass plains.” Lady Marie sat between her father and Sir Art’ur. Bowing her head low, trying to keep a mix of embarrassment and excitement from her father.

“I have heard rumor of something hidden beneath the plains to our West, but alas -” The Baron tossed a quick demeaning glance to his honor guard posted throughout the dinning hall. “I have yet to host a warrior of stout enough spirit to brave the borderlands that safeguard us from those foul barbarians.”

Art’ur raised a glass in salute. “My good Baron, fault not the able men of your barony.” The strong men the baron had singled out nodded, accepting the Knights praise. “I have seen the dangers that lie beyond the borderlands, Fomor are not the only challenge to bravery. In the wee hours of the night, when my guild brothers tell drunken tale of their wildest adventures I have heard whisper of drakes the colors of the hearth and as large as a cottage, sights that would turn any normal mans hairs white.”

The baron let out a hearty chuckle while slapping both hands upon the table before him. “Well, Sir knight I can already see that you will be a fine addition to this family aw well as this territory. After the morning’s meal we should go on a hunt!”

The man-servant that stood behind the baron leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“Quite right Mihai, the hunt will have to wait for another time. We have to prepare for Sir Art’ur and Marie’s wedding -tomorrow.”

Lady Marie dropped her wine flute on the ground. It landed with an uncharacteristic chime that silenced the whole room. The silence was quickly followed with the hissing of whispers as the whole court began to buzz with rumor. One of the hand maidens behind the lady helped her up and ushered her our of the dinning hall.

“I am sorry my baron, good sir and to all others this morning. It appears as if her lady is not feeling well and will retire early to prepare for tomorrows joyous festivities.” Celest l politely curtsied and followed lady Marie and the other attendants out of the room.

“Give my lady my best wishes for a speedy recovery.” The knight said just as Celest ducked out after Marie. “Well baron, it seems we have gotten off to an exciting beginning. Maybe we could discus what is customary during tomorrows proceedings so I don’t cause milady any further distress.”

“Oh yes, you are a Beorian, are you not?” The baron asked.

“Yes, I hail from the northern most territories, along the edge of the Valrossverg clan of Dwarves and the Ice shard plains.”

“Mihai tells me that you have a custom of high chairs?”

“Yes, I would like to uphold a few other traditions as well.”

“I’m told you stand strong with the old gods?” Luscious asked.

“Manenek and Lek to be specific. My father would be honored greatly if the proceedings were six nights long. A fitting homage to the goddess of the night sky. This would also give enough time for my family to participate.” The barons eyes lit up with the prospects of having this knights wealthy family in his barony. This event will be one which the king’s court will whisper about for years to come.

“When can we expect your wedding party?” the baron asked.

“They should be three nights behind me.”

“Wonderful. Tomorrow we will have a small wedding with a priest of Rah and in two nights time we can begin the night ceremonies when your priestess of Lek arrives.”

“That sounds fitting. I am sure this union will bring prosperity and fortune to the King as well as yourself, baron.”

On a braided string, around my neck, you gave me a star to wish upon. ‘Twas a little charm, a pewter castle, giving me a wall when my own was gone.

You brought me luck, I do believe, until that fateful decision.  I believed that if you meant that much to me, you would mean that much more to a friend.

I didn’t know that you would be stowed away, never to be worn.  A useless hunk of metal, you were lost in the mix.  I’ve not seen you in so long, and I’ve seen little in the way of hope.

Little talisman, I keep you alive, burnt in my soul, a memory of happiness that has long since past. 

Hope you all enjoyed a little funny humor from my life!

God Bless!

A warm winter rain falls on the grey patio. The winding tree twists around a white terrace. It was once white, anyway, but now it is stamped with mildewed moss and lichen. Weaving vines cover up the terraces, knotting into a low ceiling of twig and sage. Their leaves droop down like hanging sap. A black wooden table is slick from moisture in the collecting wetness.

There an elephant centerpiece reins as king. In full glory complete with grey stone river rock, his trunk arches up above his forehead, triumphantly in trumpet. His back is saddled with a Persian blanket and a display of silken sunflowers. Blinding yellow, they are his crowns.

Amongst the green and brown, dashes of pink petals shoot from a bush by the weathered fence. They shine proudly, all within eyesight of the tusked king. Each basks in the primo location, their status grappling above the rose bushes. Those August queens are quiet now, preparing their roots for spring. The humble brown stalks finger out like wooden claws reaching for attention but let the bitty petals take the spotlight by the king.

Close by, a young faery lady meditates in rocky blue. She looks at her knees, resting in mid air. Her wings are lifted in silent, slow flutter. Her hair shadows the rest of her face. A crown of it circles her forehead. She misses home and yet that is where she sits right now. On the fence is a pooled mirror. It is a perfect circle. It is a gateway into the next universe. That is where she came from, she and the elephant king. On the other side, they are most welcome. Here they are still and silent. Here they are statues.

This episode and narration took place in the year 1986 in a small village of the coast line in the district  of Andhra Pradesh -Southern India,most villagers here were farmers basically and hence, agricultrually atuned to life they looked up to city entrants as though they were alien, for fewer people from urban areas seldon visit these places, rich in agriculture and thick dense forests it was the home of a rare three some friendship team that was a treat to the human eyes. Tucked away behind the curbing narrow,dusty single lane roadway which rarely saw any passerby vehicles was a small tea stall that catered to the sparse village people and farmers who needed to take a break from the sweltering heat during their daily working chores. Tea, biscuits and few other snacks were available. While sitting and having a cup of tea with a friend of mine, we heard chatter of sorts that laid emphasis on keeping a little something for the 3 sincere friends who have been paying their visit here for over a year now and more so precisely twice a day with timelines in place,curious to know who and when were these guests expected, we were told with added interest and excitement about the Dog,Pig and a Monkey who came out of the thick forest area in rare fashion…The dog would lead,followed by the pig holding the rear of its tail and the monkey in jockey position atop the pig. My friend and myself laughed in disbelief and the villagers were angry at our gestures…They loved their little friends and would go miles to banish anyone from hurting their little sentiment leave alone laugh in the face of amusement ! We took a look at our watches and it was nearing 4pm, we had been told that the three friends were expected any minute and would retun exactly at 6am next morning half an hour after the tea stall opened. I was intrigued to know and witness how these special animals kept their time in tack and so, at the strike of 4 pm we caught the drift in the eyes of the tea stall vendor and a few villagers looking towards a small gap inbetween the thich bushes and shurbs and there came a sight that still remains fresh in the good old memories of my mind. A little brown dog (male), a slightly bigger white and black pig with a mid sized monkey on its back approach the stall -God, I swallowed a gulp in my throat for I missed out on having a camera to shoot this rare and exquisite sight..They came forward and sat down beside and literally went up in arms asking for food..My eys swelled and so did my friends..we got hem some snacks, villagers chipped in with their usual and the vendor never failed to deliver his share,they eat in harmony,gave us look of gratidude and went along their path in similiar fashion only this time the monkey was jockeying the dog…I was curious and impatient to see if their keep up the same time keeping in the morning. So we had an early super and went off to bed only to wake and see that the time on our watch read 6am and our special guests were on time at the usual tea stall up in arms again..The villagers called us and explained that all stray animals in around the village were thus treated with respect and dignity unlike the other villages were animals were illtreated to the extent of death. We were thrilled and happy to take back home a story to tell and as usual nobody believed us…I returned a few years later only to find that the tea stall vendor passed away and that the 3 good friends never showed up ever since..I said a little prayer for them and hoped they did find another point of contact to continue intriguing the tiny world of disbelievers with their bondage of love,togetherness and friendship…from an animal point of view !

Then her dreams stopped. She was sad because she liked him and wanted to see him again. Two years later: The princess is two years older now and a lot happened since but she never forgot HIM. Then one day she was walking along the river on her parents estate and she was not dreaming this time. She sat down on the grass and closed her eyes. “Kate.” She opened her eyes and it was him standing there smiling. “You? I must be dreaming.” “No. No you are not dreaming.”But how…?” “I was in your dreams because i wanted to meet you and that was the only way for me to make contact and find out where to meet you.” “What is your name?” “Daniel.”

Daniel and Kate spent the rest of the day sitting in the grass and chatting. They met up every day after that and two years later, they got married. Daniel helped Kate to overcome her fear and it was with his help that she left the castle for the first time in her life. Years later their kids asked them:”Daddy, how did you meet mummy?” Daniel looked at Kate, smiled and finally replied:

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young princess. She wore the prettiest dresses and had the cutest dog in the world. But there was one thing noone knew. She had a secret not even her parents the king and the queen knew of…

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,Dad”

The short man in dark took his dollars and said good luck to the visitor to the Clifton Falls.

Steadily we paced through following the red eyes.  We could hear screaming in the backgroung of lost souls.

“I’m scared”said his son.

The welshman told him to hold on but his son coudn’t take it”Screamers”.  A shadowy figure cam out and ushered his son out.  The Welshamn noted that he wasn’t scared and carried on.  

A werewolf popped out in front of him with a limb dangling from his jaws with blood and guts over his mouth.  He kept going as he heared footsteps behing him and ghoulish laughs.  The next minute a car camoe out with a ghost driving it, he roled to avoid it in to a tunnel with reptile hands stroking him.  He was nervous now but he kept going while the vampire mutants birds were flying over him.

“Shit” he thought but he kepts going through the coffin doors to the end.

“Everythnign ok” sais the man.

“Yes, not bad”

“was it all right” said the American tourist.

“Nothing to it” he said as his son gingerly followed the welsh challenger with his surviver card.

The eyes of the man rolled as his fork tongue tickled the hairs on the back of his neck.

One time there was a prince named Nasr. He had a best friend named Akbar that he grew up with. As the years went by, Nasr’s father past away and this was a devastating, but exciting moment for Nasr since he was crowned king. Akbar was happy for Nasr and everyone lived happily ever after. Not really though.

Nasr soon began to feel the urged to rule like a dictator and have things go only his way. As his relationship drifted away like a sail boat with Akbar, the more caught up with his power he got. 

Akbar at the age of 28 got married and had his first child at 30. He ended up having 3 boys and 2 girls. Akbar sold apples for a living, so realistically he wasn’t the wealthiest man around. Akbar’s true wealth was his family, he couldn’t ask for more.

Nasr sincerely wanted a wife so he would have children to pass his name down, and crown his son. Nasr envied Akbar’s “pleasurable” life with his wife and kids. Nasr was so upset, he didn’t want to be seen, so he sat under the throne, behind the curtains. Nasr then spotted a wooden box with a letter on it. He read it out loud and the box automatically opened. Nasr saw a lamp, he quickly snatched it and ran to his room. Once Nasr opened the lamp it summoned a genie, just as he expected. 

Akbar and his family went out that same day Nasr found the lamp. They enjoyed the day out as a family and humble as usual they were grateful for what they had, and gratified the day for a short while.

“I am a genie, and by no choice I have to grant your pathetic flesh three wishes. Use them wisely.”

“YES…! Finally I’ve reached the light at the end of the tunnel!” exclaimed Nasr. Nasr was so stoked and had his first wish ready to be granted. “Bring death to Akbar’s children! DO IT!, I wish DEATH to Akbar’s children!” The genie did as Nasr wished. 

“NASR!” Akbar came crying the next day. “I’ve lost my children, please give them each a funeral they deserved!”

“Do I look like a genie to you? DO I LOOK LIKE I DO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY!?” I will not grant you the funerals… Be gone.”

“NASR! What have I done to you, I BEG you, PLEASE do this for me as a friend!”

The guards escorted Akbar as e tried getting fighting them off him. That following night Akbar prayed and mourned for his children.

Nasr woke up the next morning happy to see Akbar suffer and not be happy for once. 

“This is what causes your foolish happiness?” questioned the genie.

“you don’t talk, you only grant as your better one, your king says. Nasr wanted his next wish to be, having a wife so he could have kids and get what he finally wanted. “I wish for a beautiful wife! Grant me as I wish… NOW!”

The genie granted Nasr a wife, so beautiful that it was tough to even look at her face, because it would nearly feel like a light is blinding you. The following night they tried to have kids and anxiously waited, until they saw nothing happen to the wife’s belly over time. So they continuously tried and tried but nothing worked. Finally they concluded they couldn’t have children. 

“Is this what you give me, absurd and cheating genie? A wife, but not having the ability to reproduce?” Raged Nasr at the genie.

“Well , my “Kings,” you wished for a wife and I gave you one, but you never mentioned anything about children,” chuckled the genie.

Nasr was so full with rage that he killed his wife and at night met with the genie for his final wish.

“As time goes on, I’m getting older and have no more to lose. When I die, so be it, I will be gone, but not without my final revenge.” Nasr angrily said.

The genie was atleast happy to only have one wish left to grant.

“Let me not have children, so be it. I will financially destroy Akbar by having a thief every single night steal all his apples and bring them to me, so I can feast with it. Grant me it, you unworthy genie!”

Starting from that night and on there was a thief stealing Akbar’s apples each night. Akbar would wake up confused not knowing where they went. Until the fourteenth night, where Akbar put poison on the apples then went to sleep. He woke up the next morning and they were gone.

Nasr that morning cheerfully saw the apple on his table not knowing it was poisoned, and ate it. “Oh, for I feel unusual, lay me down, servants, I beg you, oh oh oh, help!” cried Nasr. 

Moments later the king’s heart stopped beating and the news went out. The king’s vizier spoke to the crowd, with Akbar and his wife being there to.

“Today we have seen the evil in men, but not the good. Tomorrow will remain a mystery for all of us, for it is not guaranteed. The king’s death was declated this morning due to being poisoned by eating an apple. I will not waste anymore of your time generous people who cared to show up. I’d like to say be careful and cherish all you have.” The vizier said.

                “You knew he was there too! Why didn’t you stop me?” She boomed back, leaning against the door.

                “Because I was too pissed at you to do anything. You screwed me out of another relationship. That’s just one of the reasons why I can’t stand you!” I said even louder. She yanked the door open and pushed me back. 

                “Then why the bloody hell did you kiss me?” She said with a thundering blow.

                “I did it to piss off Nicky. She was watching.” I shot back. “Why? Did you like it? You didn’t want me to stop did you?” I asked, moving closer to her, a cocky smile arched at the corners of my lips. She glared at me and stood her ground.

” Apparently your ego has quadrupled in size over the past twenty years. You’re so full of yourself. It was your idea to kiss me not mine.” She growled.

“And you enjoyed every second of it. You wanted more.” I said with another cocky smile.

                “Yeah sure. That’s funny, seeing as how you were the one who didn’t want to stop kissing me! I’m the one who broke the kiss remember?” She gave me another slight push in the chest.

                “Fuck you!” I blurted, as I pushed her back. Her face lit up with laughter that dripped with sarcasm.

                “Ha! You’d like to, wouldn’t you?”

                “Oh please. You’re nothing but a scared little virgin. You couldn’t handle a man like me.” I said with a proud arrogant smile.

                “Get over yourself. You’re not God’s gift to women. I may still be a virgin, but don’t you dare underestimate me.”

                We were face to face now, our noses almost touching.

                “Whatever! I’d snap you in half in two seconds flat, and you’d be begging for mercy.”

                “Uh-huh, right, and I’m the tooth fairy.” She said sarcastically, and then laughed at the thought. She actually was a fairy now. She was a hybrid fairy.

                “You don’t think so?” I growled.

                “Prove me wrong.” She growled back. The heat between our bodies grew intense. I let out a cocky snort as pure lust filled my eyes. Without a warning, I pinned her against the wall with her arms above her head. I crashed my mouth into hers, sliding my tongue inside her mouth, wrestling her tongue for control. I kissed her with a hungry, aggressive need. She let out a sigh of pleasure, and I felt her body relax. When I slipped my hands under her shirt and grabbed her beautiful, full breasts, she sucked in a sharp breath and pushed me away.

                “How dare you!” She hissed, then grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me back in, kissing me intently. I ripped off her top, desperately wanting to see and feel her bare breasts. she ripped my shirt open in response, sending buttons flying in every direction.

                “That was an expensive shirt!” I snapped.

                “Cry me a river! Then build a bridge and get over it!” She snapped back, as I dove in for another kiss. Suddenly, I pushed myself away from her, glaring at her with disdain. What the hell was I doing? What came over me? I dragged the back of my hand over my mouth still trying to catch my breath. Lust still coursed through my veins, and trying to hide the large erection that was pushing through my jeans, was easier said than done.

                “You put a spell on me!” I said accusingly, backing further away from her. “You’re a flip’ in fairy, you used magic on me!”

                She scowled at me. Her lips were still swollen from my aggressive, deep kisses. “I did nothing of the sort! How do I know you didn’t use magic on me? You’re the Fairy Prince, remember?” She shot back angrily, picking up her top and holding it against her chest. I shot her a disgusted smirk.

                “You’re right. I am a prince.” I said with a snobby tone. “I’m royalty and you’re common. I can do better.” I continued with distaste. She raised her eyebrows in surprise at my insult.

“Did you really just stoop that low?” She scoffed. “Royal? Oh, you’re royal alright. A royal pain in my ass! You used magic on me because you’re on rebound!” She shouted. Her words dripped with disgust. My face turned a deep red and my eyes went from the odd bluish-green to a dark stormy gray. 

                “It appears that this new twist in your life has not only changed your physical appearance, but it’s also given you a new attitude problem. One in which I intend to adjust. Talk to me like that again, and you’ll wish you were born mute!” I said with heavy thunder rolling off my words. I could see the fear in her eyes as She stepped back and swallowed hard. She blinked quickly and shot back an evil glare.

                “Don’t touch me again.” She said with that hellish look in her eyes. It sent an arctic chill through my spine. She slipped out from between me and the wall and headed towards the guest bedroom. I looked over my shoulder at her.

 ”For the record, I didn’t use magic on you.” I said as I watched her disappear into the room and slam the door behind her.