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Ocalan Forest Tales, Book III

Started by Amras Elfwine, May 09, 2008, 11:56:56 PM

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Amras Elfwine

Tears flowed from Calith's eyes as well as the eyes of his archers. Balor's shard device was strong. Their arrows, though skillfully fired, missed the mark more often than not.

Calling to Bonnie, Calith cried, "We must disable the machine, Majesty!"

Balor smiled from the wall. This was going to be easy after all.

Bonnie looked toward the gun pits. Deadbishop directed one gun crew, Tybalt and Blasty the other two.
Each gun seemed to have a small ball of sparkling light hovering over it. If you were close, you could hear giggling.

Bonnie nodded at her gunners.
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

The three fae raced into the gold-colored barrels of the cannons. The three gunners then fired them, pulling all three lanyards as one.

It would be said in the times to come that what happened next was the true renaissance of the Spirit of Ren...

The three cannon roared. Long streams of brilliant light flew from each barrel. Pinks and greens, blues and golds, reds and yellows and all the colores in between, each with a loud, gong-like explosion as the light stream collided with the black walls of Balor's fortress.
The walls shook, rocking Balor and his men. Cracks began to form in the stone.
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

The three fae, laughing and squealing as if at a festival, and each having rode the lightening into the walls with much joy, flew back to the cannons.

"AGAIN!" They cried as one.

Again indeed. The three gun crews reloaded immediately.

"Loose the Devil's Fire," cried Balor.

The trebuchets whistled as they flung their deadly  missiles. The large balls of light exploded when they hit.

One took out the cannon Mr. Blastenkopf had been aiming. Apljx immediately shoved Nyteshade, telling her to move over, she was coming with her.

Fires began everywhere. Thankfully, the pirates were used to putting out fires, mainly due to the fact that they had been responsible for starting so many of them over the years. The fires were soon under control.

The two remaining cannons kept up a steady and sparkly fire, the fae enjoying themselves tremendously as they rode each blast into the castle, soon smashing the trebuchets into sparkly rubble.
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

#33
The bombardment of Balor's castle had been going on for hours. The walls, now somewhat crumbly, were no longer black, but rather glowed with all the colors of the rainbow.

Balor saw movement in one of the trees...a man, dark-clad...The Squirrel Lord! He seemed to be holding a staff, pointing over the remains of the wall. He seemed to be speaking, but to whom? Then, the tops of the trees seemed to start to move.

Amras chittered, and his furry familiars chattered back at him.
Amras shook his head, smiling.
"No, my friend, leave him to me."

Balor's eyes widened as he saw hundred of tiny brown and grey shapes leap from the trees onto the rubble that had been his wall. The shard magic, now muted and powerless against Bonnie's Ren Spirit Spell, no longer stopped them. Indeed, it no longer stopped anything. The squirrel army raced over the wall, easily evading the clumsy humans trying to stop them.


And, they headed straight for the cauldron which held the shard.
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Balor's men screamed in confusion as the furry army poured over them. There was nothing they could do. Those squirrels not taking out the soldiers jumped into the giant cauldron, and, using their tiny, muscular bodies as levers, and working as one, they hefted the shard out of the bowl. Small and dark and slightly cold to the touch, the shard was carried into the forest upon a moving brown and grey carpet of fur.

Balor watched as it disappeared. And, he heard a voice.
"Balor!"
"What now," thought Balor.
Turning, he saw Amras on the wall, walking slowly towards him.
"Balor, you are mine. Now!"
Amras stood before Balor, clad simply in green and brown, holding the falchon he had carried all the way from Glenlivet, freshly returned to him by his old Student, Huor.
Balor own weapons were glorious to behold. His long sword, sharp, was bejeweled as if a crown. He sneered at Amras small sword.
"At least this will be easy." Balor had had more stupid thoughts before, but not by much.

R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Balor swung his long sword. He was fast, and strong. Amras narrowly fended it.
Amras stood before Balor, breathing easily. Balor swing again.
"Come, Balor, is that all you have? And me just a common rat-wrangler?"
Balor swung again and again, just missing each time.
The sweat was pouring down his face, and his arms.
Soon, he could barely hold the sword.
Amras' sword quickly cut Balor's armor from him. The shiny black steel clanged as it hit the ground.
With a blur, Amras' falchon knocked Balor's great sword from his hand.
With his short sword blade pointed at Balor's neck, Amras looked over at his Queen, as if asking her bidding...
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

#36
Bonnie looked at Amras. She knew that she was asking him for her wish. Death or life for Balor...

Bonnie thought of all they had been through. Each adventure proving to them how wonderful it was to live. Life was the most important gift of all. Life, joy, and forgiveness.

"Amras..." She called to her Captain.

Amras looked at her, his usually bemused smile on his face.
"Let it be life this day."
Amras nodded, seeming to shrug at the same time.
"Balor, you will live, thanks to her wisdom and goodness. She knows that life is precious. Its a lesson you need to learn."


At the direction of the Queen, Balor was chained by the Elvish Guards, and taken away to the forests of Ocala, the forests he scorned so much. From his cell he could see squirrels playing in the trees...and occasionally, they seemed to be watching him, as if sharing a joke...














R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

#37
They stayed in their encampment outside the walls that night, much more comfortable there than in the fetid walls of Balor's Fortress. They looked around at each other in the firelight as they drank from foamy mugs, each remembering a summons on a dark, wet night, long ago, from a man none could even now remember.
The Queen, Bonnie, Keeper of the Realm, Lord A. hovering over all of them.
Deadbishop and Nyteshade, laughing and playing at some game near the fire.
Trillium and Apljx, wondering if stuffy old Drummer was EVER going to play again, so they could dance.
Tybalt and Almalora, already planning the building of their next ship.
Blasty, looking at the stars, and wondering if he could indeed get there.
Calith, also looking into the heavens, thinking, "been there, done that...and back again..."
Flidais, singing a calming song to her horse as she brushed it, and thinking, "Flidais?? That Am never could remember my elvish name."

And then, there was Amras. Knowing that most of the scars would heal, his only thoughts were of the quest, and where next it might lead him. Lolly, long lost Lolly, was out there somewhere, and he would find her.
But first, rest. And comradeship around a fire. And dark ales and red, red wine.
The Spirit of Ren was good again. Long may it hold you in its palm my friend.
As always, cheers from the Ocala!!





R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

And so ends Book III. Books 1 and II are lost to the ether net of course, but imagine if you will tales of high adventure, with the love of family and friends the driving force, and you're halfway to being there.

If you have liked this little story, I am happy. No great writer here, it is but a story for the camp fire.
I thank you for your time. Now get out there, and live the adventure!

Love to all!
  8)
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Queen Bonnie

  Dear Amras-Thank you so much for finishing this story with love and pizazz! Well done! Huzzah! It brought tears to my eyes! HUGS!!!
Wingardium Leviosa!
Tis not the length of the staff- but the magick there in!

Trillium

sigh...so adventure has finally ended...tis sad that the beginning and middle, with all the surprises we threw at each other along the way, has been lost but at least we have an ending. (who knew I was a princess?!?!?!)


And Drummer, we're still waiting.... ;D :D ;)
Got faerie dust?

Amras Elfwine

Dear me, but these were fun, heady, glorious days.
Must've been when we were all a bit...younger...
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel