PART ONE

            The Guide to almost being Evil.

Dedicated to:

My Mom and Dad.

Nonie, Nana and Grandma Ruby for all of there thought, words and help when I am down.

My siblings were always there for each other in the end though we fight allot.

Chapter One.

‘You see a plot ninja sneak across the Scene and rearrange a couple of the characters it looks straight at you and then touches its finger to its lips “Shh” It hisses this means it is in Stealth mode but has been spotted’….

                                                Narrator:

            Akaine, the most beautiful place on earth where the minstrels’ songs float throughout every valley, town, and vale.

           

Well, almost every place is filled with music….The Shadow Lord has been stuck in a cave for five hundred years by the Seers but yet he is growing stronger.

This is a story of four people Rothbert, Isabella, Edmund and another.

            But no he is not who we start with, there is a Hero who lives in these parts named The Night Wanderer, though I say he can be quite frightening when he wants to, let us go and see him..

                                                ~N.W~

The room was filled with the light coming from the fireplace, ten men hooded and cloaked stood in a circle around a man who sat on a cushion, and he turned its face to one of them.

            “Ah Sam…You have brought our names to great fame and glory with your deeds now we have gathered again for it is time that we all spoke of the evil that is to come” the Man said, he was also hooded and cloaked but you could see his eye’s were red and gleamed through the hood.

The others leaned close to the Man knowing he would share great wisdom.

“The Shadow Lord has escaped and we all know that if he finds the maiden that is pure he shall take her pureness and regain his original power of terror the maiden we know who she is and know what she is capable of…Sam shall take the maiden and hide her but will also tell the other races what is to happen”

Sam looked at the man and suddenly his eye’s were red too all of the men’s eyes where bright red and the fire died down making them gleam even more.

            “When we came here something inside of us disrupted and gave us the look we have now…Brothers of Sacra Cor….The Night wanderer’s, Soul Bearers and Light Bringers all of us the same but different names for the way our skin hath been named when we are together we see neither Black nor White nor Tan we are all the same colour united in Brotherhood”

The men cheered for there leader and clapped and stamped there feet only Sam stood in the corner staring at the ongoing but suddenly there was a flash and he felt himself going back to his child hood…

A big brass door stood in front of a young boy and he touched it he was only five years old and as he touched it the door swung open and the slave traders grabbed him and tied him to the cart he cried for his mother but she was dead she lay in a pool of her own blood only a few feet away.

“MOTHER!!” He screamed trying to break his bonds.

“It is no use child…she is dead” Came a kindly voice.

Sam looked up and saw a lady her skin as white as Ivory, her eyes as blue as Forget me not’s, her hair like spun gold, she was dressed in blue silk and wore an amber bracelet there were cuts and bruises on her arms and legs but she looked at Sam as though nothing could hurt her.

            “I must help her” Sam said with determination trying to stop the cart by sitting down but found his weight could not stop the cart.

            “Child you must stop that nonsense and sit up here with me you will need your strength for what is to come”

Sam reluctantly climbed up onto the cart and sat next to the lady.

            “Papa sold us…He sold us and my mother is now dead because of him” Whispered Sam glaring at the lady.

“Yes I know… My father sold me too I am just being resold” answered the Lady.

Sam looked at the woman strangely her eye’s had filled with tears.

            “God will save you Sam he will save us all it is promised”

            “You mean that God can let this happen but yet he will save you and me? No don’t believe such things I lost hope in that kind of fairy tales when my father sold me and my mother”

The lady in answer just nodded and looked around her….

Sam came back to his life at the moment and felt his cheeks tears had run down them the ones that he had wanted never to shed again and he scolded himself for being so weak.

                                               

And this second hero is one who just needs a push into his Heroism…

~Rothbert~

            “Ha-ha! I stole the town crier’s bell from right under his nose” A mocking voice echoed through the forgotten halls of the tower.

Suddenly another voice joined that one.

            “Oh your most evilness how did you accomplish this?”

“Oh it was quite easy my dear Henchman; he leaves it on the street!” replied the first voice agitated tones, “Do you believe that!? On the street”

The first man’s voice rang true as his face came out of the darkness. A light shone in the hall of this abandoned tower, where this man slouches on a velvet chair. His face toned and agile, his nose pointed, his hair dishevelled and dark as a raven’s wing, but his eyes, his eyes were the iciest blue. And they shone bright.

            “My Lord Rothbert, the Lady Isabella is in our clutches once more” replied Henchman as he walked into the light.

Henchman appeared as a small man with a hood over his head. He bent low in respect to his master. “Now sire, you must come and bid her good day.” Henchman continued with a slight chuckle in his voice.

Rothbert smiled and slowly arose from his throne, he walked with the Henchman to the dark dungeon where in a cell, stood the young girl her green eye’s flashed with anger, her long golden hair was braided but a couple wisps of hair fell here and there framing her face, she was fair skinned with a small nose with a slight turn up at the bottom.

            “Oh Lady Isabella welcome to my tower” Rothbert bowed mockingly at the Girl.

“How dare you Rothbert?! Your man there ties me up brings me here with a bag over my head when I already know exactly where I am going! I should be home now waiting for Edmund he is coming to take me out for a ride and I am missing him!” She Shouted at Rothbert tapping her foot on the floor.

            “Edmund Posh! Can he do this?!”

With those words Rothbert drew his sword from its scabbard and started to clumsily swing it around and then dropped it on the floor.

            “That was supposed to be more intimidating...”

Suddenly a Minstrel came up behind Rothbert and started playing the Trumpet menacingly; Lady Isabella sighed and then opened the door behind her and walked out.

            “What?!! You left the secret door open?!! Henchman” Rothbert

Henchman shrugged his shoulders; Rothbert shook his head and then dramatically went back up to the hall with the Minstrel straight at his heels.

                                    ~Edmund~

Edmund was waiting at Wheeling’s Hall for about an hour, Isabella’s mother had said Isabella had gone out for a bit and would be back. Suddenly he saw her running across the hills and he ran to meet her only hoping she was alright for he had never seen her run so fast even when she had been racing with him across the Night Watchman’s hill where it was rumoured the Night Watchman would come and destroy the ones who he saw there.

            Edmund was tall and muscular, his skin was tan, his eye’s were kindly and brown his hair was long, brown and pulled back by a piece of string, his nose was long and broad.

“EDMUND!!” She cried, when they met.

Edmund caught Isabella in his arms and hugged her close.

            “I thought you had forgotten about me” He whispered.

“Rothbert had decided to kidnap me again. This has been the second time this week is he persists I shall call the guard on him”

            “Well Rothbert needs to find a new occupation other then manipulating people and kidnapping the one I adore really I mean he does this almost fifty times a month not including the disruptions of us riding together”

Isabella and Edmund walked hand in hand to the stable to saddle up the horses, when Isabella looked into the stall where her mare should have been she found the Stall empty.

            “Edmund…Did you take Snow-fire out?” Isabella asked, glancing into the stall that was supposed to hold the majestic White Arabian.

            “No…I did not why?”

            “She’s not there...”

Edmund ran over to Isabella and looked into Snow-fires stall, he then yelled for the stable hand and when the Stable-boy entered Snow-fire was in his hand.

            “Well that explains were the Horse was” Edmund laughed.

Isabella took her horse from the Stable-boy and brought her into the stall and started brushing her down.

            “Edmund why do you like riding with me every Monday?” Isabella asked, stroking Snow-fires neck.

            “Well… I enjoy your company Isabella” He answered peeking over the stall door.

Isabella smiled gently and put on Snow-fires bridle; the horse was impatient and started to paw the ground.

            “I know we will be riding in a couple more minutes okay?” Isabella whispered, in the horse’s ear.

The horse snorted and shook its head impatiently; Isabella laughed and strapped the saddle securely onto Snow-fires back.

            “Isabella, are you ready?”

The stall door opened and the stable-boy stood there and handed Isabella a letter, without another word he left, Edmund came to the stall Isabella was in his Black Stallion’s reins in his hand.

            “What do you have there?”

            “I don’t know” She whispered, and put it in her pocket and then went riding with Edmund not giving another thought to the letter that was in her pocket..

                                                ~N.W~

The Night Wanderer stood in a small cave carving a small woman out of driftwood the details he made on it were beautiful it was as though the wooden woman would come to life it was the woman who was in the cart.

“Sam. Sam wake up we are here” Whispered a voice through Sam’s dreams.

He had dreamt of his mother of her being alive and well, Sam sleepily opened his eyes and saw a man and a woman both stern looking standing at the foot of the cart inspecting both him and Giselle (Giselle is the woman).

            “The boy is small” Snapped the woman

“But boys grow in time and the Girl is quite interesting” The Man whispered to the woman.

Sam felt like hitting him at how he looked at Giselle.

            “It will be okay Sam... Be careful what you say and behave” Giselle whispered in Sam’s ear.

The man helped Giselle down and then lifted up Sam.

            “Let me guess this is your child” said the Man.

Giselle grabbed Sam from him, the Lady sniffed and pointed to a big shanty house.

            “You will live in there along with the others… You may call him Mr. Gardener and me Miss Prune now go and get yourselves settled” Miss Prunes Commanding voice was one that you dared not disobey.

When Giselle and Sam came into the room they found twenty others in there mostly men.

            “Welcome! Please be careful where you step and mind the blood stains”

Sam made Giselle put him down and stared at the one who spoke he was tall and broad he looked like the people that had been in his village the ones who wore uniforms and knifes in there belts

                                                ~Unknown~

A stable-boy entered a dark castle and ran up a flight of stairs to a Hall…

            “Did you give her the letter?” A voice thundered throughout the hall.

            “Y-yes your d-dark majesty I-I g-gave it to h-her” Stuttered the Stable-boy.

            “Good…Soon all of Akaine shall be mine and no one… no one will stop me”

The Shadow Lord’s laughed it was filled with Anger amusement and revenge that made the Stable-boy feel sick and shudder with fear as the terrible gleaming green cat eyes looked him over.

            He stood; his Massive form towered over the boy and he leaned down so his face was close to the Stable-boy the stench that did come off him was one that smelled of a million rotting carcases and the bog where the Courtiers servants dumped the excrement of both human and animal.

            “If you dare mess this up I shall have your head”

                                                ~Rothbert~

The Minstrel was still playing dark tunes as Rothbert went along the streets; many of the people looked at him in disgust and slammed there doors and closed the windows.

            “My Dear people today I have successfully stolen the Town Criers bell…So you will find your Town Crier is now ‘Crying’ you people really are a bunch of fools!” Rothbert laughed so proud of himself.

Rothbert produced the bell from underneath his cloak and rang it just then the Town Crier came out bell in hand and started ringing it as hard as he could; Rothbert stared at him.

            “HEAR YE!!! HEAR YE!! The Masquerade ball shall take place tomorrow at five signed the Honourable King Geoffrey!!!” The Town Crier shouted as loud as he could.

“WHAT?! How does he have the bell?!”

Rothbert turned the bell in his hand over engraved on the inside it said ‘Belongs to Town Crier of Angleton’.

            “I have the wrong bell!!! DARN! YOU MASS PRODUCER OF BELLS!!” Rothbert yelled at the top of his lungs feeling more humiliated then he had ever felt before.

Rothbert ran away and the Minstrel played a getaway song while singing:

 “Rothbert is running, running, running you will never find him because you won’t!!”

            “Shush you sad excuse of a Minstrel!!!” Rothbert shouted.

“Now he is angry angry angry oh he’s really angry angry at me!!” sang the Minstrel at the top of his lungs.

Rothbert ignored the Minstrel for the rest of the way back to his tower.

            Henchman greeted Rothbert as he entered.

“…”

Ehem I said Henchman greeted Rothbert as he entered!

            “Ah welcome home Your Evilness” Said Henchman bowing to Rothbert as he entered.

            “Thank you Henchman now I think it is time we started planning our deadliest ‘Rampage’ ever” Rothbert took his cloak off and threw it onto the nail that stuck out in the wall.

            “Ah yes sir the other Henchmen and I have had a great time figuring this out!”

Rothbert and he started to go over how to wreck the Jousting tournament that Thursday but now I think it high time we place our eyes on a very important event…

                                                ~ The King~

The King and the Queen were lecturing there son of the importance of marrying when a letter came, by a Courtier it was delivered they were not sure which one since the girl had only just been introduced into the Court.

            It read:

To: The King Geoffrey and Queen Beatrice of Akaine.

 (With a couple boring titles that had been placed of them etc, etc…)

Your Majesty’s may have noticed the clouds to the north or you may not have since the Window’s of your castle is facing the direct opposite of that way... I am regretful to say that the Shadow Lord has come back... The boulder that kept him in that cave broke.

He is at large and at his residence in the Darthuné mountains… Asking what we should do.

Very anxious.

Signed

Lord Octavius, Lord of the light Brigade and leader of the Centrinial troops etc…

The King and Queen were quite taken aback at this letter.

 What should they do? How would they stop someone who has been locked away for Five hundred years and had grown stronger then anyone they could send I mean five hundred years was a long time to want revenge on Akaine for locking him away?

But suddenly another letter appeared this one was addressed in scarlet ink and a black ribbon was tied to hold it together.

The words that were inscribed on the milk white pages with the Scarlet Ink sent the whole room to whisper this is what was inscribed this is where the story really starts to form.

   Rothbert, Edmund Ironfist.

Do not make yourself vulnerable.

N.W

The King and Queen then on reading its contents sent out fifty Knights to find Sir Edmund and Rothbert and bring them there for it was obvious to them that this would be a life or death situation without the two people on that note for N.W stood for Night Wanderer he was the all knowing protector of the people and knew everything there was to know.

                                                ~Isabella and Edmund~

Edmund placed his hand in Isabella’s and smiled at her.

            “You know I love you don’t you?” He whispered.

            “I have gotten the hints you have left” Isabella answered looking away from Edmund not knowing what else to say to him.

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

            “Disgusting!! I mean really sir you should learn a lady does not want a Toad to kiss her hand” Rothbert’s voice echoed through the woods.

            “Worm...” Edmund Hissed, looking around for Rothbert.

            “You’ll never find me I am completely concealed I mean this time I am so clever!”

Isabella looked at all the trees, and examined the ground to see if there were any other foot prints then the deer, the horses, Edmund or herself Rothbert unfortunately was the only person to have a skull imprint that was left by his boot.

            “Let me guess you’re in that old oak aren’t you?” Isabella sighed pointing at the tree.

            “NO! I am not don’t look over there I’m not there! Isabella is wrong”

Edmund smiled and went to the tree and looked up, low and behold Rothbert sat trying to conceal himself against the tree trunk.

            “Hi worm”

            “Oh great thanks milady that makes me feel so great” Rothbert said, not keeping any sarcasm from his voice.

            “Well done worm you have made a fool of yourself more then once and now have been found spying on a gentleman and a lady who have stopped to rest”

Rothbert jumped down from his leafy perch and landed on Sir Edmund with a loud ‘Thump’.

            “Oops sorry Madam…umm what was the name? Ida? Enna? Edina? Earnestine? Oh I know! Its Edith sorry Lady Edith never have I landed on so plush a lady I mean really what do you stuff yourself with straw? Well I must be going”

Rothbert got off of Edmund and helped him up and with a bow to Isabella he then fled from the spot his Minstrel appeared on the spot and sighed with his lyre strapped to his belt and the trumpet in hand he then unstrapped the lyre and put the trumpet in its place and started to sing.

            “Rothbert insulted the Sir Edmund and now he is…..Running, running Rothbert’s running so he doesn’t get beaten by the Ironfist!”

Could a more beautiful song be shouted at the top of a minstrel’s voice? No for the Minstrel had caught the essence of Rothbert.

                                                           

“Plot ninja cleans up the mess left over from the last scene and heads into the forest to help out the other Ninja’s”


hope you enjoyed this peice!