02-28-2017, 07:32 AM
"Ahh, what's the matter now? Bloody screamin..." The guard who prevented Malon and the others from wandering around the caverns stood up when the screaming of guards being assaulted by the mechanical lionesses echoed through the caves. He readied the rusted sword and turned around, glaring into the room. "You better stay put. If I see one of you so much as trying to escape, you can kiss your best friend's head goodbye." He glared at them before heading out. If they had been discovered, unlikely as it may be, they were going to need the hostages to force their way out of a siege or raiding.
His glare and the rather clear description made one of the youngest kids burst into tears and squeeze another kid near him, saying between sobs that he didn't want to lose his best friend. The mother of the kid tried to calm him but had little hope left in her own heart to formulate encouraging words... and seeing the outburst and that nobody told them to keep it quiet because the guard was gone, more kids began to sniffle. It was a chain reaction in the making. And it was not going to be good.
Malon decided to take advantage of her loosened chain and stood up to walk over to them. "There there..." She said, putting a hand on the kid's back. "Breathe. Calm down... nobody's taking your friend away." She put on a smile, although she did not feel like smiling at all. "What's your name?"
"L-Luke..." the kid said. He was so surprised by Malon's approach that he forgot to cry for a bit. Long enough that Malon got her foot in the door.
"Well, Luke... you're a strong man, aren't you? And men must be strong so that they can protect the women. Don't you want to protect your mother?"
"Of course..." Luke said with a look to his mother, who was eyeing Malon. Not with the happiest look, though.
"So tell me... do strong men cry?"
The boy shook his head, still sniffling. "I bet King Aragorn never cried."
"Exactly... and now your mother needs a strong man who won't cry and who'll protect her."
"But..."
Malon sat down. "Everything will be okay. You need to be strong right now, just like..." Just like who? "... just like the fairyboy."
"Who... who's the fairyboy?" asked Luke.
Malon was about to reply, but his mother asked first: "Before you answer that. How did you get that on your arm?" Her tone was sharp. She had not dared ask before, but indeed, the bandana was raising questions.
"Snake gave it to me. I... work for her."
"Are you working for these monsters now?" came the follow-up question from someone else in an aggressive tone.
"I hate it as much as you all do. I promise. But I don't want to join them... I want to help you, and getting good with one of the vice-leaders will help. Hopefully it'll result in better food." She took the bandana off and laid it next to her, on the ground. "So, Luke... you wanted to know who the fairyboy is? Hey, Sera, could you come over? I could use your help..."
Malon then started to make up a fairytale about a boy who lived in a forest where nobody ever grows up, and who had a fairy for a friend. She told of a big adventure that he went on with a cheerful smile on his face and nothing but a small backpack of belongings on him, and how he 'battled' against the evil "Baron of Tears", who brought sadness and despair over the land to the point that even the skies 'cried' as it rained. She told of the adventures that the fairyboy experienced, of how he never needed to use a weapon because his enemies were secretely just sad, lonely or afraid and that he could always cheer them up and become friends with them. She also told of a girl that the fairyboy met, who the Baron of Tears courted and wanted to make his "Crying Wife". Sera intervened, having caught on at this point, and described how the Baron had even planned a wedding that would be in black, with horribly sad words being spoken and all the guests crying. But the talk of a wedding and a beautiful girl, while not appealing to the younger boys, certainly drew the attention of the girls, who had huddled up as best as they could with their chains to listen to the story.
Malon went on to describe how the boy's cheerfulness brought sunshine wherever he went and how people regained their happiness, how the girl that the Baron of Tears wanted to marry regained her smile and fell in love with the fairyboy, how the people eventually held a big banquet and invited the Baron to it, and how eventually even the Baron himself smiled as Malon revealed, much to everyone's surprise, that he was really just a sad man who had never had a friend in his life and wanted his subjects to not be happy if he could not be. She concluded the story with that the Baron of Tears became the Baron of Smiles and how the lands he had became the happiest place in the entire kingdom, while the fairyboy married the girl - in a white, happy wedding of course - and how they lived happily ever after. Sera and her supported the storytelling with movements, doing little dances with the kids and impersonating various roles until it almost was a theater piece. Malon's bandana became the fairyboy's hat and was passed around among the children as each of them wanted to play the role for a while.
Of course, nice words and a funny, heartwarming story didn't do much to revitalize their tired limbs or fill their stomaches or put some fat on their bellies, but it brought them a little joy. Malon promised on a more serious note that their ally, whom some of the adults had noticed by this point, was working on breaking them out and that she - the ally, whom she never gave the name of - was a Prime of great power. It was but a matter of time. When the ruckus outside settled down and Sera, Malon and a handful of girls were taken back to the kitchen to help with a delayed dinner the hostages, especially the kids, had to pretend a little to be sad and afraid. Perhaps there was a shred of hope after all.
A hope for safe escape, and a hope for gory revenge.
His glare and the rather clear description made one of the youngest kids burst into tears and squeeze another kid near him, saying between sobs that he didn't want to lose his best friend. The mother of the kid tried to calm him but had little hope left in her own heart to formulate encouraging words... and seeing the outburst and that nobody told them to keep it quiet because the guard was gone, more kids began to sniffle. It was a chain reaction in the making. And it was not going to be good.
Malon decided to take advantage of her loosened chain and stood up to walk over to them. "There there..." She said, putting a hand on the kid's back. "Breathe. Calm down... nobody's taking your friend away." She put on a smile, although she did not feel like smiling at all. "What's your name?"
"L-Luke..." the kid said. He was so surprised by Malon's approach that he forgot to cry for a bit. Long enough that Malon got her foot in the door.
"Well, Luke... you're a strong man, aren't you? And men must be strong so that they can protect the women. Don't you want to protect your mother?"
"Of course..." Luke said with a look to his mother, who was eyeing Malon. Not with the happiest look, though.
"So tell me... do strong men cry?"
The boy shook his head, still sniffling. "I bet King Aragorn never cried."
"Exactly... and now your mother needs a strong man who won't cry and who'll protect her."
"But..."
Malon sat down. "Everything will be okay. You need to be strong right now, just like..." Just like who? "... just like the fairyboy."
"Who... who's the fairyboy?" asked Luke.
Malon was about to reply, but his mother asked first: "Before you answer that. How did you get that on your arm?" Her tone was sharp. She had not dared ask before, but indeed, the bandana was raising questions.
"Snake gave it to me. I... work for her."
"Are you working for these monsters now?" came the follow-up question from someone else in an aggressive tone.
"I hate it as much as you all do. I promise. But I don't want to join them... I want to help you, and getting good with one of the vice-leaders will help. Hopefully it'll result in better food." She took the bandana off and laid it next to her, on the ground. "So, Luke... you wanted to know who the fairyboy is? Hey, Sera, could you come over? I could use your help..."
Malon then started to make up a fairytale about a boy who lived in a forest where nobody ever grows up, and who had a fairy for a friend. She told of a big adventure that he went on with a cheerful smile on his face and nothing but a small backpack of belongings on him, and how he 'battled' against the evil "Baron of Tears", who brought sadness and despair over the land to the point that even the skies 'cried' as it rained. She told of the adventures that the fairyboy experienced, of how he never needed to use a weapon because his enemies were secretely just sad, lonely or afraid and that he could always cheer them up and become friends with them. She also told of a girl that the fairyboy met, who the Baron of Tears courted and wanted to make his "Crying Wife". Sera intervened, having caught on at this point, and described how the Baron had even planned a wedding that would be in black, with horribly sad words being spoken and all the guests crying. But the talk of a wedding and a beautiful girl, while not appealing to the younger boys, certainly drew the attention of the girls, who had huddled up as best as they could with their chains to listen to the story.
Malon went on to describe how the boy's cheerfulness brought sunshine wherever he went and how people regained their happiness, how the girl that the Baron of Tears wanted to marry regained her smile and fell in love with the fairyboy, how the people eventually held a big banquet and invited the Baron to it, and how eventually even the Baron himself smiled as Malon revealed, much to everyone's surprise, that he was really just a sad man who had never had a friend in his life and wanted his subjects to not be happy if he could not be. She concluded the story with that the Baron of Tears became the Baron of Smiles and how the lands he had became the happiest place in the entire kingdom, while the fairyboy married the girl - in a white, happy wedding of course - and how they lived happily ever after. Sera and her supported the storytelling with movements, doing little dances with the kids and impersonating various roles until it almost was a theater piece. Malon's bandana became the fairyboy's hat and was passed around among the children as each of them wanted to play the role for a while.
Of course, nice words and a funny, heartwarming story didn't do much to revitalize their tired limbs or fill their stomaches or put some fat on their bellies, but it brought them a little joy. Malon promised on a more serious note that their ally, whom some of the adults had noticed by this point, was working on breaking them out and that she - the ally, whom she never gave the name of - was a Prime of great power. It was but a matter of time. When the ruckus outside settled down and Sera, Malon and a handful of girls were taken back to the kitchen to help with a delayed dinner the hostages, especially the kids, had to pretend a little to be sad and afraid. Perhaps there was a shred of hope after all.
A hope for safe escape, and a hope for gory revenge.