To Make a Serious King Laugh

     Our story begins with Wyvve the White Draik, who was one of the prestigious knights for the honorable and intelligent King Hagan of Brightvale, as well as one of Hagan's favorite soldiers. Hagan, in comparison to his lazy brother Skarl, took care of the residents of his kingdom and made sure everyone living there was well-fed and educated. Meanwhile, the slovenly Skarl mostly cared about himself, and would rather eat a mountain of potatoes and cake than make sure his military was okay and his peasants and farmers were at least well. One thing Skarl had over Hagan however, was the ability to let go and not be serious, and many residents of Brightvale did not seem to have as much fun with life as Meridell commoners seemed to.

     One day while Wyvve was eating apple pie his wife made for him under a tree. He thought to himself how he has never seen the stoic old Green Skeith he worked under laugh in his twenty years of servitude as one of his favorite knights.

     "I have never seen Hagan laugh all my life." Wyvve thought to himself. "Not even once." he said again.

     From this evening forward Wyvve decided he would make it a goal of his to make Hagan laugh at least once at all costs, no matter what it took.

     After finishing eating his delicious pie, Wyvve journeyed on his battle-worn wings to the tallest tower of Brightvale Castle to meet up with the lovely Princess Amiria, Hagan's sheltered and introverted Aisha daughter. Hagan gave Wyvve the blessing of being the godfather to Amiria and because of Hagan's special blessing, is able to visit her at all. This is an honor nobody else in Brightvale has.

     "Careful carefullllll...." Wyvee murmered to himself as he flew up and then slowly hovered to perch himself onto Princess Amiria's windowsill.

     "Uncle Wyvve!!" a young girl screamed overjoyed while holding the skirt of her long green velvet dress and holding a long cone hat with a long pastel pink ribbon draping from the head of its cone. "I haven't seen you in forever, how have you been!?"

     "I brought you a pie baked from the finest bakery in Brightvale my dearest Amiria" Wyvve chuckled back. "I know you love Cackleberry pies."

     "I do, I do!" Amiria the green-clad Pink Aisha of royalty replied. "What brings you to see me today oh brave Knight of Brightvale, Chosen One of my dearest father, the esteemed and intelligible King Hagan." Her pet Kadoatie yowled awaking from it's cozy nest on her bedspread.

     "I am trying to make the King laugh like his indolent brother does daily." Wyvee shyly said. "I just do not know how and since you are his daughter you might know some tips on how to do so."

     "I do know so for sure. This may seem like a shock to anyone who is not part of our family, but he thinks that Turdles are the funniest Petpets." Amiria replied quickly. "Roberta told me a story a few summers past that when the King was young Skeith he had a Petpet that was a Turdle."

     "Turdles?" Wyvve spouted in surprise.

     "Yes, Turdles." Amiria assured to him again.

     Wyvve then said his goodbyes to Amiria and then raised his wing to excitedly venture on to the Ye Olde Petpet's shop to purchase a Turdle to make his sire giggle for once. He was so happy to make the King laugh as he has never seen a grin grace Hagan's face in all his years. The store when Wyvve arrived smelled like a barn and the Whinnys inside neighed while the Wibreths in the back cawwed loudly and kicked hay everywhere. Wyvve saw a Turdle in a cage behind the shopkeeper's counter, looked away and looked back at it. The Turdle chirped at him every time he glanced at the small creature.

     "That will be 3,000 NP please" The Ixi saleswoman said with a smile patting the hay off of her peasant dress. "I know you have been eyeing him. Turdles make wonderful companions."

     "I am one of the Knights of Brightvale, I have come to retrieve a Turdle for his esteemed highness." Wyvve said seriously as a servant of royalty at the counter.

     "Oh okay, you can have one for free then, it is my duty to serve our King Skarl and doing a deed for Skarl's brother is as important as serving him." The shopkeeper gave him the small smelly Petpet in a cage that clinked and clanked every time it moved. Wyvve said his thanks and made his way back outside waving goodbye with a smile on his face.

     Now with his newly received Petpet, the Draik made his way back to Brightvale Castle. The Draik walked up to the gates and asked the Vandagyre guard professionally for entry.

     "Wyvve is my name, I am a Knight of Brightvale, I have come to see King Hagan." Wyvve exclaimed seriously.

     "You may enter the royal throne room." The Vandagyre guard said in response hitting his long lance on the floor as he spoke. "Please be on your best manners and enjoy your stay."

     Wyvve went up to the throne and bowed his head, and put his sword on the ground in front of him. "Oh great King Hagan, I have come to make you laugh." he murmured under his breath.

     "Me? Laugh? But that is something only my foolish brother would ask of his people, how embarrassing to be asked of such a thing by my own militia." He scoffed.

     Wyvve then pulled the Turdle cage that was tied by a rope to his waist and opened it. The small Petpet fell to the floor and made a slimey splat noise and chirped cutely.

     "Is... is that a Turdle?" Hagan seemed surprised. "I had one when I was a child named Stinkers. My mother bought it for me when I was young for being such a good and responsible child. Skarl got so jealous that I was able to have my own Petpet and he did not, oh how I miss those days..." He chuckled a bit. "I remember I used to put Stinkers in Skarl's desserts as a prank or under his bed to spook him at night." Hagan laughed harder.

     The guard looked over and was surprised at Hagan's change of attitude. The king laughed so loudly the bricks in the castle rattled a bit. Wyvve gulped.

     "You have humored me and made this old man quite nostalgic, although I should apologize to Skarl come to think of it for bullying him so much back then, here have this Grimoire of Affluence I was given for free for visiting the Hidden Tower last weekend, loyal knight, I haven't laughed that hard in ages."

     "Great I appreciate this honor so much sire. May I continue to serve your family and army and happy I made you laugh it is my greatest wish I will make a special place for this novel on my bookshelf for years to come." Wyvve said.

     "Excellent, now go take my daughter Amiria on a walk or whatnot because she hasn't left her cramped room in ages the little shy night owl, I need to go back to my books and sponsoring the Academy of Brightvale's Book Festival."

     "Yes sire," Wyvve exclaimed happily. "I will do that right away." The Draik had an open smile across his face and dropped his somewhat heavy sword in excitement. He gripped his hands together in a very jovial manner.

     "And, one more thing..." Hagan muffled. "Can I perhaps have the Turdle you have brought to me this night? I have not owned one in what seems to be many millenniums."

     Wyvve nodded his head at the Turdle and winked. The Turdle waddled and scooted his way onto the brilliant royal's boot. The king chuckled loudly again towards the sky eyes closed with each fist on his plump waist.

     "You have done well my favorite knight, may you continue to spread your talents of being quick-witted bringer of joy everywhere you go."

     The two longtime comrades both laughed together jocularly for the rest of the night over some berries, meat and bread in Hagan's banquet room and Wyvve went to read the Grimoire of Affluence to his goddaughter Amiria while eating some Cackleberry pies under Wyvve's favorite tree the next day.

     The End