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The Tales of Martin of Brune z z z z z z
The Fist of Valkor
Part II of
III | Part I | Part
III
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"It was a warm spring day and the air was thick with seed and pollen.
A
young boy walks upon a long road, shrouded by shade and leaf litter. This
road full of mystery and adventure to the boy. He knows that part of it
as
passes by his village, and that is familiar to him, but also he knows
the
road stretches away forever to distant lands and occasionally bears
strangers passing by, sometimes staying at his village to tell their
strange tales. The boy walks behind a large heard of goats, their bleating
and clanking of bells washing away the sounds of the singing birds. So
the
boy did not notice as the birds suddenly stopped their singing and the
natural sounds of the world ceased."
"In fact, the first he knew something was amiss was when his heard
of
goats suddenly bolted, dividing into two or three confused herds which
ran
into the nearby hills and woods. This was closely followed by the loud
thumping of horse’s hooves, as a group of large armored men cantered
along
the road."
"The boy was riveted by fear and could not move as the dangerous
and
foreign looking riders dashed past him, missing him by scant inches as
the
horses passed by on either side. But just as suddenly they were gone and
then, finally, he could hear birds sing."
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"Now you might ask, quite rightly, how I can know such details
about
events in the distant and mythical past, and certainly you would be right
in assuming that I need to fill in a blank here and there. Yet I will
say
to you that most of what I say is true, for I had a good source. I learned
this story from non-other than Gerry the True, the worlds greatest bard
and if you like, you can travel to Indigo and have him confirm it for
you.
He has been around for as long as anyone can remember and knows many
secrets about the world. I suspect he has lived much longer than his
complexion would indicate and knows many secrets that he will never
relate. Non the less, I was there in Indigo the night he told this story,
at the Escarpment Inn, and he still tells the story there, from time to
time."
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"That boy was a simple son of a goat herder, and a lazy goat herder
at
that, so that the boy was forever doing all the herding himself. And he
was fearful of his father, who would beat him for the smallest of
misdemeanors. So once the boy recovered from his experience with the
riders, he was very anxious to find his father’s heard before night
fall
when they were due to return to the farm. He searched the nearby hills
and
woods ceaselessly for most of the day by could find only a few goats."
"Close to night fall the boy fell to his haunches in exhaustion,
put his
face into his hands and began to weep. Then, miraculously, there was a
voice ‘why you cry then boy’. His tear-streaked face looked
all about, but
there was nothing but the deep, thick buttresses of oak. And the boy
decided the voice must be in his own exhausted mind. Yet it continued
‘come now, over this way near the hollow’. The voice was strange
and
seemed to have a strong accent like none the boy had hear before. The
boy
stood and walked to where the voice indicated and there saw a sight that,
for the second time that day, made his jaw drop and riveted him to the
spot."
"Laying in the buttress of a great oak, was a king. He wore a fine
red
robe and a purple and silver cape. How wore a crown that had many tall
peaks and gleaming gems. He had a sword’s sheath finely carved with
mythical creatures by his side. The King was old with a long white beard,
his face was pale and clammy and his lips were more blue than red."
"’Don’t be afraid boy’" martin imitates the strange
accent and weakening
voice of the King "’for I mean you know harm, now tell me, why
do you cry
boy’. The boy managers to say "m m my my goats, your majesty’
for he
assumed the man is a king by his appearance and manor "I have lost
my mm
my father’s goats’.
"’Well my son, if you come closer, I will show you something
much better
than goats’. The boy has noticed that the king’s red robes are
wet with
blood and torn near the chest and that the man must be seriously injured
and perhaps dying. Yet the boy feels compelled to approach. The king
produces from a pocket a large fist sized stone. The stone is rough
looking but with some smooth surfaces which seem to catch the surrounding
light and amplify it with a deep garnet glow. ‘We call it the civilisation
stone, and it is from a nation to the west, where magic is very powerful
and the people sophisticated and gentle. Yet this place is reaching the
end or its epoch and the people are dispersing, in great ships to faraway
places.’"
"The King then looks at the boy carefully ‘are you honest lad,
are you
good at keeping your word’ the boy replies ‘yes your majesty.’
The King
looks him up and down for a while and then appears to make a decision
as
he nods ‘good, then take this stone, and walk with it into the Greenearth
Forest as far as you dare, then bury it as deep as you can dig. Then never
tell anyone about me, or about the stone.’ The boy looks confused,
so the
King adds becoming more urgent as he speaks ‘this is a dangerous
stone
sought by dangerous men, you must not let anyone know about it, or else
they may come for you!’ And then has a fit of coughing which draws
blood
from his lips. ‘Here take it, there is not much time.’ The boy
reaches for
the stone but the king will not yet release it ‘do you swear boy,
do you
swear you will do as I say’ the boy replies ‘I do, I do’
and the king
releases the stone."
"A peace seems to come over the king as he lays back against the
buttresses of the tree. The boy starts to back away, no longer feeling
compelled to the man, and he turns to leave. But the king says ‘Lad,
what
is your name’ and the boy turns to face him for one last time ‘Valkor
your
majesty, Valkor Machieavelli.’"
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tomorrow night the Final Chapter, part III
, you have been listening to
Martin de Brune (aka Wayne Kington) at the
Apple Tree Inn.
Author: Martin de
Brune (aka Wayne Kington)
created:
14 February 1998 | Last
Updated: January 18, 2002
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