Recently, I’ve been working on my short epic Tale of the Hump. For those who may not have seen the previous post, I will familiarize you with the premise of the story.
Setting- A kingdom during the Medieval period.
Main characters- The King/Tyrant, Princess/Virgin, Prince/Knight, Beast/Instigator and the Half-born/Martyr.
Plot- A Beast begins to destroy villages on the outskirts of the Kingdom. When word of this incident gets to the kingdom, the King orders the death of the giant. However, there were sitings of the Beast’s offspring. There are seven of them and a half-born and the King orders the death of them as well. The Prince develops a curiosity for the half-born and pursues to make contact with it.
The story utilizes two forms of old dialect: Shakespearean and Broken (mimicking Cavemen) English. There are a plethora of allusions to the Bible, other literature and many philosophies. I’ve also created a lot of repeated themes/quotes. So reading it could be compared to deciphering a work by T.S. Eliot.
The excerpt I have chosen to post is a conversation between the Prince/Knight and the townsfolk of the kingdom. To give some context: The Prince/Knight has just experienced a supernatural moment with the half-born and he is moved so much that he wants the townsfolk to see the half-born for themselves. He rushes back to the kingdom at the break of dawn and tries to convince the villagers to witness the ‘Holy’ creature for themselves.
The Sun began it’s journey as the bells chimed six times.
These stonely colored walls slowly
regained rejuvenation and this kingdom bled of its greyness.
The Sun bring’th a spectrum of
light as it pervades upwards to the Heavens.
Oh! The Heavens! Once more shall
they live! Another day! Another glorious wonder! Give us this day of
bloddletting so we may see nothing but Jove!
Oh Kingdom Come!
Kingdom come with me to this
pervading light!
Yes!
Come’th here my children!
“Kingdom come! I
have news of the beast!” the man in the armor announced, “Fear not the
offspring of the Ravager, for tis’ of divinity!” The townsfolk congregated at
the hark of the Prince. “Mine life, soul, and body was reanimated by the
tendrils of It. Had I not seen the light in the cavern I know for certain I
would have seen the devious flames in Hell!”
The villagers gazed upon the horsed
man with skepticism. They saw the sweat dripping down his brow and watched as
the salty droplets crept on to his tongue and in to his eye.
“Bring
me three Clergymen, a Virgin, and our King! We shall march to the cavernous
bowels with holy intent to shower it with utter praise!”
Not a thing sounded. The silence
suspended overhead was of nothing. Not of one thing.
“Do not look at
me with dead eyes! Hark the bells in jubilation! Cease your mockery this
instant!”
A young boy
parted through the gathering and stood before the heralding man, “My noble sir,
I mean no insinuate, do we need you to nunnery?”
His mother came
to his side and added, “Noble sir, three clergymen is retired, our virgin
Princess dead of poisoning, also our King not see sunlight in days.”
His father came
behind them and said, “What say you to what said now? Beast killed our
families. Beast tear our homes. Beast make mockery of King. Offspring of it is
of Beasts’ blood. So it of demonic.”
The Prince was not phased by these
disputings. He had made the first contact of the half-born and was perspirating
with conviction. The drops of sweat had turned his lips barren. They had slid
down his throat and made his voice hoarse. Yet, he continued by saying,
“I
care not for these loses. If they are good riddance then I shall take you all
to the cavern. The Clergymen, cowards to the truth who know not the ugly yet
beautiful face of this Earth! The Princess, an unwise and naïve woman to have
mated with all that is feared! My father, a gluttonous bastard who take’th
everything and leave nothing for those who are in need! Yet! You all still hath
eyes that are untouched by this holy matter. My royal duty is to serve you
people and make you wise. Now damnit!” the Knight then forced his sword from
its sheath into the sunlight, “Come with me and become enlightened!”
The young boy
standing before the Prince contorted his face in un-sureness. He pirouetted to
calculate the census of the people but was left with nothing. The elders of the
kingdom paced away in apathy. A handful of adults treaded to their respective
homes with thoughts of blasphemy. The midsized group that stood around the
armored man said nothing, heard nothing and thought nothing as they fixated upon
the glimmering sword above.
“I adventure you,”
the boy said quietly.
“What?” replied
the Prince.
“I adventure you.”
“Dear boy, I know
not what you say.”
“I. Adventure.
You.”
“I ask of you to
speak with sense and intelligence.”
The youngling
walked toward the front gate. He then turned around to peer at the man on the
horse and the townspeople. The hope of something beyond this stoned walls
swelled in their hearts. To adventure far away from this enclosure and be in
the presence of a mystical being finally meant the greatest importance.
We hath been here
far too long. We know not of the world beyond. Our wits, though they may be
sparse, are far outweighed by our desire to know. May we find this in the
half-born? The offspring of beast terrible? The offspring of that which ignited
our kingdom with fervent betrayal?
We hath been here
far too long.
Now, may we
venture to the outskirts of the world and know.
Thanks much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
