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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 29th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 55 > Short Stories > Lileiri

Lileiri

by slack_jawd_yokel

As soon as KiwiBonk the desert Aisha heard there was a new land discovered in Neopia, and that land had a medieval theme, she knew she was going to be spending a lot of time there. Her owner, a lass of fourteen, was really into Princess stuff. Sure enough, the very day a bunch of pets stumbled onto the land of Meridell, Alison brought her four pets there to see what was buzzing.

     Chino the green Aisha wanted to go see Illusen's Glade, because he worked for an Earth Faerie and therefore really liked them. MinxJade the White Aisha wanted to go see Ye Olde Petpets. Rumples_Skin_Skin the speckled Aisha wanted to play Shapeshifter. Alison wanted to go buy some armour and one of those pointy hats. That left KiwiBonk and her petpet Snuffs II all alone. KiwiBonk really didn't want to go to Meridell. She had no great love for people who didn't know what a toilet was.

     A large group of pets were gathered around a platform with a Wocky on it shouting something. "Hear ye, hear ye! Whoever guesses the weight of yonder marrow shall win a great prize!" The Wocky handed out smooth pieces of bark and sticks of charcoal to all the pets, including KiwiBonk. "Usually, the marrow weighs between 200-800 pounds."

     KiwiBonk scribbled down 281 and handed it back to the Wocky. She noticed her paws were black from the piece of charcoal, and looked around for someone to wipe them on. A Lupe wearing a really long cloak strode by. KiwiBonk caught up and was about to clean her hands when he whirled around and bared his long pointy teeth. "Begone, ye mongrel!" he spat.

     She had no idea what a mongrel was, but decided to 'begone' anyway. Wiping the Lupe spit from her eyes, KiwiBonk spotted a white sheet hanging from a clothesline. When she was sure no one was around, she snuck up and began to wipe one of her paws on the already filthy sheet.

     "Noooo!!" someone screamed. A dirty little Blumaroo wearing a threadbare apron appeared and started wringing her hands. "Me best sheet!"

     "Uh...that sheet is full of holes," KiwiBonk said.

     "Begone, ye filthy dwarf, before I washes yer mouth with pig fat!"

     KiwiBonk did know what a dwarf was, and it was something she definitely was not. But she didn't want her mouth washed with pig fat, so she decided to leave.

     "Here you are," someone said. KiwiBonk turned around, and saw that a yellow Quiggle dressed in medieval-looking clothes was holding out a handkerchief to her.

     "Oh, thanks."

     "You're welcome," said the Quiggle. "Is this your first time visiting Meridell?"

     "Uh..yeah...actually, it is."

     "Oh, then you'll want to hear a tale, won't you?"

     "A tale?"

     "Yeah, like a story."

     "Oh, uh... sure."

     Because she had already discovered that the rest of Meridell consisted of potatoes and dirty cloth, KiwiBonk followed the Quiggle into a hut made of dried mud and hoped something exciting would happen.

     A blue Quiggle was stirring a potful of some kind of stew over a fire. Two toothless babies were fighting over a rag doll on the floor.

     "Mom, I brought a friend home. This is her first time visiting Meridell."

     "Is it really?" said the blue Quiggle. She smiled at KiwiBonk and wiped her hands on her apron. "What kind of tale would you be likin'?"

     "Oh, it doesn't matter," said KiwiBonk awkwardly.

     "I'll tell ye an interesting tale about a young Lady who used to live in Meridell ages and ages ago...."

     The yellow Quiggle sat on a bench and scooted over so KiwiBonk could sit. She was a little unnerved about this family's kindness to complete strangers, but as long as she didn't get spit on her face, she was fine.

***

Once upon a time, here in Meridell, there was a rich merchant Aisha named Isaac. He worked hard all his life, and got to the point where he and his wife were one of the richest families around. They lived in a grand mansion, with servants to wait on them, and always ate delicious foods prepared by their own personal chef.

     Isaac and his wife Violet had one child, a beautiful baby Aisha. Her laughter melted the hardest heart and her smiles were sent from heaven. But she only smiled four times in her infancy, and laughed twice. The rest of the time she cried. She cried every time she didn't like her food, or her sheets were too scratchy, or her diaper was too loose. She cried every time her toys were taken away, or her mother didn't smell right, or her father laughed too loud. That baby's howls could wake the dead.

     When she grew up into a pretty little girl, she was mean and stuck-up. Not to her parents of course, but to all the little Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchesses, and Princes and Princesses that came to play with her. She wouldn't share her toys, her food, or any of her belongings. In her childhood, the little girl smiled eight times and laughed once. The only child that made her laugh was a little Kacheek with black hair like a raven's wing. Still, that little girl wouldn't give her companions the steam from her porridge sprinkled with eight different varieties of sugar.

     Then the little girl grew up into a beautiful maiden. Kings and princes who once tried to play with her came to court her instead. But the maiden threw their gifts away and broke their foolish hearts. She told Lumen, her Poogle-in-waiting, all the horrible things she thought about each suitor who came to call.

     "That King of the Shoyrus stinks like rotten cabbages. Look at the gifts he gave me! I suppose this is supposed to be a dress!"

     Lumen picked up the richly embroidered dress off the floor. "But Lady, he is the richest--"

     "I care nothing for riches." Which of course, wasn't true. "These men don't love me. They don't worship my beauty! I hate them all! Their gifts are worthless."

     And so it continued, for two long years.

     Until one night, when the moon was full, the maiden was awoken by a calling from outside: "Lileiri!" For that, of course, was the maiden's name.

     Lileiri awoke, and ordered Lumen to go tell the suitor to bug off and let her ladyship get her beauty sleep. The shy little Lumen had no choice but to go down and tell the unfortunate young man that he would have to try again later.

     It was cold down in Lileiri's garden, and dark, too, so Lumen could not see anyone, suitors or otherwise. "Hello?" she called in a trembling voice. "Is anyone there?"

     "BRAWWK!!" Indeed, someone was there. A green Pawkeet encrusted with emeralds landed on Lumen's head. "Lileiri is the loveliest. Lileiri is the prettiest. BRAWWK!!"

     Lumen brought the Pawkeet upstairs. Lileiri seemed a little curious as to who sent the Pawkeet, but she was too proud to admit someone had finally given her a gift she liked. "He should have taught it to say 'Lileiri is the beautifullest.'" She sniffed, and lay down again in her satin sheets.

     Lumen sighed and put the Pawkeet in a golden chest that was a gift from the Earl of Etta.

     The next night, a voice called once again, "Lileiri!"

     "Ignore him," she told Lumen. "If he really loves me he'll stay all night."

     The mysterious visitor didn't stay all night, but he left a necklace draped on Lileiri's window sill. Lileiri gave a tiny smile when she saw it. It had many more jewels than other piece of jewelry she was given. But vain Lileiri tossed it into a pile of other rejected gifts. Later on, when the Lady wasn't looking, Lumen picked up the necklace and hid it in the chest where the Pawkeet was also hidden.

     The next night, the suitor left a bouquet of the rarest and sweetest smelling flowers in the kingdom. The night after that, a tiara made of silver and twenty-five diamonds the size of your thumbnail. The next week, a ruby the size of a pear, a ring made of ivory with a sapphire in the middle, a golden goblet filled to the brim with opals, a little Kadoatie encrusted with jewels like the Pawkeet, a sabre covered in so many gems it was nearly impossible to lift, a bangle with precious stones so shiny it was hard to look at, and a pink dress covered in pearls, were left. Each time Lumen presented the gift, Lileiri pretended not to care, and Lumen, sighing, put the gift in the chest. Lumen noticed that the last gift, the dress, had a long black hair on it. When she pointed that out to Lileiri, she pressed her lips together so tight they turned white.

     For Lileiri was actually captivated by this mysterious suitor and his gifts. Every night she dreamed of him, but she was too foolish and too vain to admit that she was in love.

     She had started sending Lumen out to the garden to wait for him, but he was always too quick and always managed to put the gift in Lumen's hands without her seeing. Lumen was also mystified with the identity of this seemingly rich giver of gifts.

     That night, he came a little later than usual. Lumen was starting to get cold, and wondered if she should go back upstairs to where her Lady was waiting. Just as she started to get up, a black cloth fell from the tree branch above her head. It was the mystery man's cloak. Lumen smiled and wrapped herself in it.

     "Have you been enjoying my gifts?" a slightly muffled voice asked.

     "Oh, yes, quite," lied Lumen.

     "I'm glad....What have you named the Pawkeet I gave you?"

     "Uh...Greenie."

     "And what of the Kadoatie?"

     "Um...Pinky."

     The mystery man laughed quietly. "Very creative names, Lileiri."

     "Oh, I'm not Lileiri," Lumen said.

     The man stopped laughing. "You're not? Who are you, then?"

     "I'm Lumen, her Poogle-in-waiting."

     "Then why have you been taking these gifts?"

     "Don't worry, I give them to her." Lumen decided not to say that all his wonderful gifts were locked up in a chest.

     "Lumen?" Lileiri called. She was so anxious to get her gift that she decided to come outside.

     "Uh oh," Lumen and the mysterious man said at the same time.

     When Lileiri saw her Poogle-in-waiting wrapped in a black cloak and a dark shadow sitting on the tree branch above her, her face turned its familiar shade of red that meant she was going to yell. "What's going on?" she demanded.

     "That's Lileiri?" the man said. He dropped down from the tree, but stayed in the shadows so they could not see his face. "Have you been enjoying my gifts?" he asked Lileiri.

     "Oh... uh...." Lileiri fought over whether she should stick with her pride, or tell the mysterious man the truth. "What's your name?"

     "I am Komi, Duke of Emshir."

     "Show me your face!"

     The man stepped into the light. Lumen gasped. Lileiri gasped. The Kacheek that stood before them smiled nervously.

     "A MUTANT!!!!!" Lileiri yelled. "A MUTANT'S BEEN GIVING ME GIFTS!!! EW!!!!!"

     "I-I-I wasn't born like this, it was a potion that went--"

     "GUARDS!!! GUARDS!!! GET THIS GROSS THING OUT OF MY SIGHT!!" Lileiri screamed, even though she didn't have any guards.

     Komi looked at Lumen. She was staring at him, but not in disgust. She even seemed a little... dazzled.

     Komi smiled at her. She smiled back at Komi. Ignoring Lileiri's shouts, they went inside, gathered all the gifts, Pinky, and Greenie, and rode to Emshir on Komi's black Uni. Lumen and Komi were married the next day. Lumen loved Komi for his personality, not his looks. Lileiri eventually married a handsome Blumaroo prince who loved treasures almost as much as she did, and knew how to put up with a screaming wife.

***

"And that's the end, so they say," finished the Quiggle.

     "Cool!" said KiwiBonk.

     "Hee!" Snuffs agreed.

     "There's a moral to this story, too."

     "We know, we know, don't judge people by their looks," the Quiggle said.

     "No, don't work for snobby brats. Now git, John, it's time to feed the youngsters."

     John walked KiwiBonk outside. "Please come back again. Mother'll tell you another tale."

     "Thanks. I will."

     "KiwiBonk!" Alison called.

     "Right here, Alison!" KiwiBonk jumped forward to meet her owner, who looked like a princess in a long dress with puffy sleeves and a pointy hat. Chino had an armful of Illusen's eye creams and cookies. MinxJade was decked out in armour like a knight, and Rumples held a bag of Neopoints he had won from every game.

     "Something tells me we're having marrow tonight," murmured Rumples.

     "Pipe down, before I wash your mouth with pig fat," KiwiBonk snapped.

The End

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