Tor's Tales: A True Knight

      “For courage, bravery, and chivalry of the highest measure, we bestow upon Tormund of Meridell and Roberta of Brightvale the honour of Defender of the Realms!"

      Cheers followed the proclamation of Queen Fyora honouring the two young heroes who had just saved the lands of Meridell, Brightvale, Faerieland, and Altador from destruction at the hands of the Darkest Faerie. While Tormund's family clamoured around him and King Hagan hugged Roberta, another blue Acara hung back near the entrance to a nearby hedge maze. She was still slightly damp from having gone to the Healing Springs upon her arrival in Faerieland, and she had hidden inside the hedge maze during the first half of the ceremony reapplying her customary eyeshadow and lipstick so as to be, in her opinion, slightly more fit to be seen. After all, she reasoned, a Princess must never appear disheveled in public, even if she has just recovered from Neoflu. Shame I couldn't do much about my hair, though. Princess Annabelle touched her straight light-brown hair, which would normally be in an elaborate updo but was currently hanging loosely down her back almost to her waist, and let out a soft sigh. At least I can still wear my tiara to keep it out of my face. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden late arrival of six more dignitaries, and she felt her eyes go wide with surprise. These were six of the twelve Heroes of Altador - whose images she'd only ever seen in history books. If she recalled their names correctly, the tall white Lupe leading the group was King Altador, after whom the ancient city-state was named. Flanking him were his Royal Sorceress, Jerdana; and his top General, Torakor. Rounding out the group were the Royal Treasurer, Gordos; the Royal Gamekeeper, Fauna; and the Chief "Acquisitions Specialist," Kelland. Sometimes a Brightvalian education has its benefits, she mused as she watched the two young heroes mingle with the six ancient ones. She felt a swelling of pride watching Roberta in particular as the younger Acara spoke with Queen Fyora and King Altador. At least all those diplomacy lessons weren't a complete waste of both of our time. She's handling herself well over there. I know she's not going to go back to working as a diplomat after this, though. She's truly her father's daughter.

      "Mama!" Roberta's cry cut through the Princess's private musings, and before the elder Blue Acara could fully register what was happening, the younger one had run to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "You came! I was worried you'd still be too ill. Why are you wet?"

      "I wouldn't have missed this for the world, my dear," Annabelle replied, stroking her daughter's wavy raven hair. "Also, Faerieland is famous for its Healing Springs, so I thought I'd give the waters a try. They did work, but only after about two hours. I also now have an Ubikiberry Elixir and two Sticky Snowballs in my purse - small compensation for almost being late for the ceremony and arriving not fit to be seen." Annabelle pulled back from the embrace slightly but kept her hands firmly on her daughter's shoulders. "How are you, Roberta? You're not hurt?"

      "I'm fine, Mama. In fact, I've never felt better." Roberta momentarily thought about joking that it would take much more than falling from Faerieland, getting kidnapped by the Werelupe King, and being attacked by a whole slew of monsters to take a member of the Kronborg family down, but decided her mother didn't need to know all those details about her adventure just yet. Especially not if Roberta wanted to be allowed to have more adventures in future. "I feel like I'm doing what I'm meant to do, you know? Sorcery just feels right to me, and I can really help Brightvale - the whole world even - with my talent."

      "We can discuss this later, dear." Annabelle released her grip on her daughter. "For now, I'm just happy to know that you're safe and sound. So, are you planning to introduce me to your new friend? I thought I knew all of your Uncle Skarl's knights, but I don't think I've met this one before." Technically, as a Princess, Annabelle could of course introduce herself to the young Lupe knight, but it was the normal convention in both Meridell and Brightvale that all introductions should occur through a mutual acquaintance whenever possible. Annabelle was a known stickler for such protocol (except sometimes when children were involved), and as such Roberta quickly nodded her assent and led her mother over to the Ellis family.

      "Tor? I hate to interrupt your celebration with your family," Roberta apologized as she got her friend's attention, "but I have someone here who would like to meet you. I would like to present my mother, Princess Annabelle of Brightvale and Meridell. Mama, this is Sir Tormund Ellis of Meridell."

      "Well met, Sir Tormund." Annabelle offered a hand to Tor, who took it and quickly pressed his lips to a signet ring on one of her fingers - a sign of deepest respect in Meridellian culture.

      "It is a pleasure to see you again, Your Highness."

      "Again? Have we met before, Sir Tormund?" Annabelle raised an eyebrow in confusion as Tor released her hand. "I would think I would remember meeting such a valiant young knight before."

      "Well, it was quite a while ago, back when I was just a young pup and not a knight. I've never forgotten it, though."

      ***

      15th day of Gathering, 307 BN

      It had been a long and arduous trek from Meri Acres to Meridell Village, and the children in the party had long since grown restless with boredom. While the adults stopped to get their bearings in the big city, the three youngest children - a Red Ixi girl of five years and two Yellow four-year-old Neopets (a male Lupe and female Eyrie) - sprinted out of the group, sticks in hand, clearly seizing an opportunity to play a long-delayed game based on their current adventure.

      "Gimme yer money or I'll cut yer gizzard out," the Ixi threatened, turning toward the Lupe and brandishing a long stick like a sword. Next to her, the Eyrie mimicked her best friend's movements.

      "Yeah, yer gizzard!" She paused and looked to her teammate, breaking character for a moment. "Ilsa, what's a gizzard?" The Ixi shrugged. It had been what the leader of the bandits who had accosted the group on the road had said, so it was what Ilsa had repeated. The Lupe also looked confused for a moment before waving his own stick in annoyance.

      "Whatever a gizzard is, you won't get ours or our money," he growled quite similarly to how his father had done when confronting the real bandits (though without the first bit, of course), swinging his stick in an uncanny imitation of how the older Yellow Lupe had wielded his wooden sword earlier in the day. Hubert Ellis was one of very few members of their group who had anything that could be loosely considered to be a conventional weapon, though the typical ban on anyone below the rank of Squire owning a metal weapon that couldn't also be used as a farming implement meant that his sword was one that normally would be used as a training weapon rather than one meant for actual combat. It had proven quite effective against the bandits' clubs, however, impressing the children. "Move along or we'll cut you down like dried-out cornstalks, right Dwayne?" The pup looked around in confusion. "Dwayne? Where are you? You said you were gonna play bandits with us!" A Green Grarrl, age nine, separated himself from the group of adults, glowering down at the younger pets.

      "Like I'd want to play your stupid game with you, you little twerps," he growled, pushing the Lupe to the ground. The younger Neopet was too angry to even notice that the knee of his left trouser leg was now torn and that he had a scrape on his left palm. He bunched both of his hands into fists and glared up at the Grarrl.

      "Hey, that wasn't very nice!" the Eyrie shouted, flaring her wings in anger. "Don't push Tor around like that!"

      "What, does Tor need a girl to fight his battles for him? Or do you just have a crush on him? Tor and Fiorina, sitting in a tree - " Dwayne's mocking was cut short when both Tor and Ilsa dropped their sticks and charged into him at once, knocking the older Grarrl to the ground. A scuffle ensued, with Ilsa attempting to pin down Dwayne's arms (not an easy task given that the Grarrl was four years older and much larger than her) and Tor punching and kicking him wherever and whenever he could, while also doing his best not to hit his ally in the process. Fiorina spotted some acorns under a nearby tree and grabbed them, then flew into the air and began pelting them at Dwayne whenever she could get a clear shot.

      "Oi, you lot!" a voice boomed out over the noise of the city street. A strong pair of hands seized Tor and Ilsa by the scruffs of their necks, pulling them off Dwayne. A stray acorn made a faint "ping" as it hit the interloper's iron breastplate, but the Red Scorchio didn't even flinch. "What the blazes do you think you're doing, engaging in a three-on-one battle in the middle of the street?" Tor's eyes went wide as he stared up at the Neopet now holding him - this was clearly one of the famous Knights of Meridell.

      "Dwayne started it, sir" cried Ilsa, squirming in the Knight's grip and pointing at the Grarrl. "He pushed Tor down and was making fun of Fifi." The Scorchio Knight turned his head to look at Tor, taking in the Lupe's scraped knee and palm.

      "Look, I don't care who started it," the Scorchio sighed, setting the two young pets down. "I'm ending it now. Any more brawls like that and all four of you will be spending the night in the dungeons, understood? And where in Illusen's name are your parents?"

      Hearing the commotion, the adult Neopets rushed to the scene of the fight. Three women went to grab their respective offspring, but they were waved off by a large Blue Grarrl, who seemed to be a leader among the group.

      "Explain yerselves," he growled, crossing his arms. As the children all began to speak at once, he shook his head and held up a hand. "One at a time!" He noted Tor's injuries and the beginnings of a black eye forming on Dwayne's face. "Tormund! Speak!"

      As Tor related the story of the fight, he kept sneaking glances at the Scorchio Knight. All children in the kingdom were told stories from a young age about the Knights of Meridell, and as soon as he was done with his story, he turned to the brightly armoured Neopet.

      "Are you a Knight?" he asked eagerly, his tail swishing in excitement. "Have you ever fought off a giant thorny tentacle monster? Or a six-limbed Ixi? Or a Werelupe?"

      "All those and more," replied the Scorchio, trying to hide a smile. Noting an apologetic look from a Yellow Lupess, he shrugged. "I get these sorts of questions from youngsters all the time. You his mother?" He pointed to Tor, and the Lupess nodded. "Keep a closer eye on him, especially on a day like today. You're not the only ones visiting the city, and it'd be easy for little ones like these three to get lost in the crowd. As for you little rascals, keep out of trouble."

      "Speaking of visiting the city, sir," the Grarrl bowed his head slightly and gestured in the of the castle, "Do you know when the public viewing starts?"

      "There won't be one this time, not with all this plague going around. Instead there'll be a royal procession around the main loop of the city. Try to find a spot to watch it where you're not too close to other groups."

      "Thank you, Sir…erm…"

      "Sir Ignatius, and your name?"

      "They call me ‘Old Man Boggs,' Sir Ignatius." Sir Ignatius rolled his eyes at the rustic Meri Acres custom of referring to the de-facto leader of any neighbourhood as "Old Man" or "Nana" before turning and flying in the direction of a large green-and-white carriage that was nearing the castle's main gate. Old Man Boggs grabbed the younger Grarrl by the shoulder. "You're in big trouble, son. How many times do I have to tell you? Pushing down a lad half yer age isn't honourable."

      "Sorry, Dad," moaned Dwayne, looking down at his feet.

      "Thanks for sticking up for me, guys," Fiorina said as the group of farmers moved in the direction of a nearby arena, the adults looking for a suitable place to watch the procession.

      "Thank you for sticking up for me, Fifi," was Tor's reply. He and Ilsa had met the young Eyrie when they were still too young to pronounce her name properly, and none of the three could remember exactly how they'd decided on the nickname for her, but it had stuck. "And thanks for the help, guys," he added.

      "I don't get why Dwayne seems to think a girl can't stick up for a boy," Ilsa commented, frowning slightly. "Girls can fight if we wanna."

      "You're good at it, too!" Tor shoved her playfully. "Maybe we can both be knights when we grow up! I know I wanna be a knight. Did you see how cool that Sir Ignatius guy was?!"

      "What about me?" Fiorina asked, wings sagging slightly. "I don't wanna be left out."

      "Maybe you can be an archer," Ilsa suggested. "You're really good at hitting targets from far away."

      "Yeah, I'm a good thrower, but I don't know how to use a bow."

      "I'm pretty sure you've gotta be a grown-up before you can become a knight or an archer anyway, so you've got plenty of time to learn," Tor shrugged, then grinned at Ilsa. "When any of us can take on Dwayne without help, we'll be ready!"

      For the next half-hour, Tor and Ilsa engaged in a sparring match outside the gate to a large stone arena while Fiorina watched and the adults talked among themselves in hushed tones. Other groups of Neopets gathered at some distance, though the youngsters paid them little heed. Eventually, Tor's mother came over and interrupted the kids' playing. She handed each child a pale pink wildflower from a small bouquet she carried.

      "There's going to be a procession starting soon, kids," she said softly as she passed out the flowers.

      "What's a procession, Mrs. Ellis?" asked Fiorina, taking a flower from the Lupess.

      "It's a bit like a parade," Mrs. Ellis explained, "but not a happy parade. So it's very important that you are all quiet and look sad when it goes by, alright? And there will be a wagon with a big box on it in the procession. When it gets close, all the women and children are supposed to toss flowers in front of it."

      "Why?" asked Ilsa.

      "Seems like a waste of a pretty flower," Fiorina added.

      "It's just what you're supposed to do," Mrs. Ellis replied in the tone of one who had never really questioned the matter." So when the wagon with the big box comes by, toss your flowers into the road in front of it, alright?"

      Before she could confirm that the children understood, a series of loud horn-blasts rang out from the direction of the castle. She hurried the children to the edge of the road, where they would have a good view. Tor stood between Dwayne and Ilsa, with his parents behind him. He peered around the larger Grarrl, watching the dusty dirt road for any sign of the promised procession. He was soon rewarded with the sight of two fully armoured knights with black surcoats over their breastplates marching toward him, carrying a large portrait of a Pastel Skeith between them. Despite the black fabric covering the insignias that normally allowed them to be easily distinguished from one another, those parts of the knights' armour that remained visible still glittered in the sunlight, and this gleam was reflected in the young pup's eyes as they passed.

      "I'm definitely going to be a knight when I grow up!" Tor exclaimed loudly, ignoring the wave of flowers being tossed at a large Uni-drawn cart following the knights.

      "Quiet, twerp," growled Dwayne as the cart rolled past and a group of richly dressed Neopets approached in its wake. A pair of male Skeiths (one Blue, one Green) were staring straight at Tor, while a female Pink Kougra and Blue Acara were having a quick whispered conversation between themselves.

      "And when I'm a knight," Tor continued, completely unfazed, "you're gonna regret ever having pushed me around, Dwayne." Unnoticed by Tor, the Acara left her Kougress companion, gently touched the arm of the Blue Skeith and whispered something to him, then began to walk in Tor's direction.

      "What makes you even think the Knights of Meridell would even want a scrawny little runt like you?" Dwayne pushed Tor into the street, but this time the Lupe maintained his footing. "You'll never be anything more than a stupid corn farmer!"

      "A-hem." While Tor had been about to throw a punch at the large Grarrl, the sound of a throat being cleared directly behind him caused the pup to pause. He noticed the colour draining from Dwayne's face and the Grarrl's eyes going wide at the sight of whoever owned the throat in question. Turning, Tor found himself face-to-face with a silver belt resting just above a voluminous black skirt. Tilting his head back, he eventually found himself gazing at the face of a beautiful Blue Acara. Her long light-brown hair was swept up into an elaborate hairdo that Tor thought vaguely resembled a Buzzer's hive, and there was a tiny black hat pinned to the side of the mound of hair. The Acara looked between Tor and Dwayne for a moment.

      "What are your names, boys?"

      "Er, Dwayne Boggs, Your Highness," said Dwayne awkwardly, bowing briefly and then seeming to become very interested in a small pebble between his feet.

      "I'm Tor!" Tor smiled up at the Acara. He wasn't sure who she was, but while her voice did carry a tone of authority, he also found it warm and friendly.

      "And how old are the two of you?" Dwayne muttered his age in a voice that was barely audible, even to Tor.

      "I'm four!" Tor held up four fingers as if to emphasize his point, earning a smile from the Acara.

      "I have a daughter about your age," she mused. "I left her at home today, though."

      "Is that her hat?" Tor asked innocently yet loudly, pointing to the fascinator pinned to the side of the Acara's hair.

      "Tormund!" screamed Tor's parents in horrified unison, meanwhile the Acara simply laughed.

      "No, this isn't my Roberta's hat; it's mine. I don't know why fancy ladies are supposed to wear tiny hats to events like these, but it's just what one is supposed to do, so one does it." She patted the fascinator lightly. "Honestly, I don't even think it would fit her as a normal hat anymore. Maybe when she was a baby, but not now." Her smile faded slightly as she turned to the Green Grarrl. "Master Boggs, I appreciate you trying to keep Tor here in line, but it's not your place to tell him what he will and will not be. Only he - and his parents - can determine that. As for you, young Tor, I heard you saying you want to be a knight when you grow up. Is this true?" Tor nodded eagerly. "Well, my brother King Skarl is always looking for brave knights to go work for him, but I should give you some advice first. You see, Tor, being a true knight is not just about being able to fight things bigger and stronger than you. It's about fighting for good, and against injustice and evil. More importantly, it's not about fighting for money, fame, or to impress pretty girls." She inclined her head slightly toward Ilsa and Fiorina, and all three young pets feigned gagging. "Well, plenty of time for that when you're all older. Anyway, it's about fighting for those who can't fight for themselves just because it's the right thing to do. Do you understand?"

      "I think so," Tor said. He suddenly realized he was still holding his wildflower and offered it to the Acara princess. She grinned and took it from him.

      "Why thank you, Tor. I hope the next time I see you, you're a big, strong, noble knight." She was surprised at the look of fierce determination that came into the Lupe's eyes.

      "I will be," he answered simply.

      ***

     15th day of Storing, Y7

      "And, well, here I am," Tor finished lamely, gesturing to his armour. "I worked hard helping my parents and neighbours, as well as learning all I could about swordplay and chivalry. A few days ago, Dad sent me to bring a package to the city, and I got mistaken for an applicant for a Squire position. I jumped at the chance to make my dream a reality."

      "A few days and you've already gone from farmer to knight and international hero. Skarl," Annabelle turned to her middle brother with a grin, "I think you've got another prodigy on your hands." She turned back to Tor. "And what of your friends?"

      "Well, Dwayne fell fighting off invaders during the Darigan War," Tor replied sadly. "As for Ilsa and Fiorina, they're still working on their parents' farms for now. Ilsa can tackle just about anyone that messes with her, and Fiorina can hit a Crokabek with a rock from about 20 meters, though she still can't use a bow."

      "Sounds like they'd make good Yooyuball players." Tor was startled to see that he'd gathered an audience, and King Altador was rubbing his beard in thought. "Torakor, do you think we should revive the Cup now that we're back on the map?"

      As King Altador discussed the logistics of running an international sporting event with Hagan and Skarl, Annabelle smiled at the two young Neopian heroes.

      "I have to say," she told them, "I'm glad that both of you seem to have found your purposes in life, as a great sorceress and a true knight."

     The End