Into the Realm of the Faeries

Sluggish footsteps were pulsing down a red carpet leading to a throne. The armor, worn by Zindel, was causing his steps to be like a coming thunderstorm. He approached the end of the carpet, removed his battle beaten helmet, and knelt at the throne. As he did, so dust and dried blood flew into the air. His blonde hair fell into his blue eyes as he glanced at the king. His pink lips were slightly chapped and formed his words. “King Xavier, you have sent for me?” The King disposed of a chicken bone he was gnawing on, tossing it on to the golden platter at his right. He then wiped his greasy hands and pudgy face with a golden linen napkin. The king had grown quite rotund over the past five years. The doctor explained it as stress from the on-going war, so much so, that his overcoat was bulging at the ruby red buttons. He had just acquired this coat not a fortnight ago and was already in dire need of another. The King reminded Zindel of a gargantuan pig. Upon his head was a crown of gold. His red hair was sticking out of it and was plastered to his skin from his perspiration, for it was the middle of the summer season and for this particular meeting he had dismissed his fanning servants. “Yes Zindel, I have.” He paused to cough, and drank a bit of wine out of his golden goblet. Zindel cringed as he watched the wine dribble down the many chins on his neck. “I’m sure you have heard by now that Princess Mabli has been ill for some time. She has, I’m afraid, taken a turn for the worst.” He said this with bits of food spewing from his mouth. He paused, waiting for a reaction. Zindel stood motionless. The King continued smacking his greasy lips, for he saw another plate of food coming. Zindel finally spoke. “What can I do My Lord? Shall I journey to the next town for their best doctor?” The King wearily took his gaze away from his plate, which was just now arriving at the table in front of him. “No, no. It is not a doctor she needs. What Mabli needs Zindel is The Golden Staff of Enchantment. Have you heard of it?” “No My Lord, I have not.” The King chuckled at this. “It does not surprise me lad. There are few who have. As it is, the Golden Staff was a gift to Princess Mabli from her mother. The last gift she ever received from her. Mabli was out in the woods a few weeks ago and she took it with her. It was stolen from her by the hands of a,” he paused as if what he was about to say was a horrible taste in his mouth, “a…faerie.” Zindel’s eyes widened. He had heard rumors of the King’s obsession with Faeries, he had heard more so of Princess Mabli’s, but he did not believe the King entertained the idea much past stories. “Sir King, what good could a golden staff do for Princess Mabli?” “What good could it do, Zindel?!?” The King exclaimed shifting his elephantine gut from side to side attempting to stand on his short portly legs. After a moment, he began to breathe heavily and his face turned a violent shade of purple. His tantrum subsided and he picked up the grapes on his plate and started to pop one into his mouth at a time while he continued to carry on his conversation. “It was not until a week or so after the Golden Staff was stolen that I started to realize that she was looking paler than I had ever seen her look before. The Golden Staff holds magical powers, healing powers. That is why she has never been sick before.” Zindel was still confused. “My Lord, what could a faerie want with Princess Mabli’s golden staff? They have magical powers of their own, do they not?” “Yes my dear boy, they do. However, the Dark Faeries need human magic. You see, all anybody needs to take over a species is the magic they hold; I can only hope that the faerie that did steal the Golden Staff was attracted to it because it was made of gold and not because it holds human magic.” Zindel knew that the King spoke to truth. “Zindel, I need you to enter the Realm of the Faeries and retrieve the Golden Staff of Enchantment. Though you must not go alone! The world of the Faeries is a dangerous one. They lure many innocent knights, like you, into their world forever.” Zindel looked taken aback slightly. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected his King to ask him this. “I can’t My Lord.” The King erupted in anger. He threw his plate across the room. Then he calmly snapped his fingers and a third plate came out of a side room and was placed in the exact location of the others. This seemed to settle the King. He grabbed a loaf of bread and spoke as calm as could be to Zindel. “Why do you feel that you can not take this mission?” “My Lord, we are in the middle of a war with Stocking! I alone am leading many men out there. How can you expect me to just up and leave them?” “Zindel you are the best knight I have. There is no question in my mind that you are the best knight for this quest. You will leave those men because it is what your King commands! However I cannot spare any other Knights to accompany you. You must recruit men from the village.” Zindel looked into the King’s eyes. “Good King, you want me to bring a bunch of inexperienced men on an extremely dangerous quest? How can I stake my life on them when I know they do not have what it takes?”