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Once upon a time there was a small kingdom that was ruled by a wise King and a loving Queen. There was peace in the lands, and the people were happy. One day the Queen gave birth to a strong and healthy infant, a baby girl whom they named Emerald, due to her beautiful green eyes. The King and Queen met with the royal wizard to discuss the future of their child and what kind of person she would grow up to be. The Wizard consulted the stars and the spirits, and he told the King and Queen there girl would grow up to be a strong willed girl, headstrong and brave, but also intelligent. She would grow up to be someone the people would respect.

Years went by and Emerald did indeed follow the Wizards prediction. She was fearless in the face of things that made other girls her age squeal. She would shoo away spiders and lizards that had found their way into the castle and would regularly wrestle with the sons of knights, despite her parents and the other royals warning not too. When she was old enough she asked her parents to allow her to train in the art of combat. At first they resisted, worried for their daughters safety. But she pressed the issue, and they gave in, allowing her to train under the careful eye of the captain of the knights.

Emerald trained and grew strong, stronger than all of the knights in the kingdom, and stronger than most knights in other kingdoms as well. She soon outstriped all warrior that she faced in combat, and despite her birth as a woman grew to be both feared and respected by the knights and soldiers of the realm. One day a man came to the castle dressed in a travels cloak and carrying a sword with a black blade. He demanded to face the warrior he had heard so much of in his travels. When Emerald exited the castle with her blade in hand he laughed and mocked her. He said that if she defeated him then he would submit that she was the better fighter, and would even serve under her. Emerald simply smirked and told him to prepare himself for their fight.

And fight they did, for two full rotations of the sun they clashed in the courtyard of the castle, their swords bashing against one another, showing the ground below them with sparks. Both warriors fought with almost unnatural ability, keeping each other at bay. But finally with a clever blow the warriors blade was knocked aside and Emerald placed her blade to his neck and asked if he would submit. The warrior nodded and dropped to a knee in front of her, swearing his life and blade to her so long as she lived. The Princess nodded, accepting his offer before knighting him and giving him the title of her second in command.
Years passed, and another nation declared war on the kingdom. Despite her parents protests Emerald took to the front lines, leading the soldiers against the enemy army with her knight by her side. Together the two of them would fight amongst their soldiers. They would fight with the intensity of a natural disaster, clearing away legions of enemy troops without the slightest problem. Every battle they fought in was a victory, and it almost seemed that they would win the war by themselves, with the rest of the army simply there to observe them.

During one such battle the two became entrapped by a large group of soldiers, cutting them off from their army. At first the battle seemed to go well, but the enemy army had placed a trap. A group of archers fired their bows into the brawl, attempting to take down the two. The arrows missed the knight, but struck Emerald one through the chest. When the knight saw her fall he dropped his weapon and picked her up, ignoring the battle around him and the arrows raining from the heavens. He charged toward their camp, taking many wounds while protecting the wounded Emerald.

When he arrived at the camp he put her in the tent so the royal Wizard could heal her. When asked to have himself looked at he simply shook his head and stepped outside of the tent to make sure no others would interfere. The Wizard went to work, using his best magics to heal Emerald of the life threatening wound. After many hours of work the healing was a success, and she pushed herself from the bed and walked out of the tent. Outside were a large number of dead enemy warriors, and standing in the middle was her knight, holding an enemy blade and covered in wounds. When he saw her he smiled and fell to the ground. Emerald ran to his side, kneeling next to him and examining the wounds.

“Why would you do this?” she asked, her voice firm but her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Why wouldn’t you have yourself healed?”

The knight smiled and looked up at her. “Protecting you is the only thing that I care about, fighting beside you, protecting you, even getting to know you, has been the greatest privilege of my life” the knight coughed weakly and looked to her. “Protect your kingdom, and know that even in death, I will never leave your side” the knight closed his eyes for a final time and passed away.

Emerald stood and let out a cry that chilled the blood of soldiers on both sides of the battlefield. She picked up a blade and charged in, destroying all who stood in her way. She became a singular force of destruction, breaking enemy lines and forcing them into a full retreat. But she didn’t allow for that, she chased them, forcing them to run deeper into their own lines. Her own army ran to catch up with her, but stayed some distance behind out of fear.

After a few months the war ended, and Emerald claimed command of the enemies kingdom for herself, letting one of her siblings take their parents throne. Her first act as queen of the new nation was for a statue to be erected that would look toward her private room in the castle, keeping a watch over her. So that even in passing, her friend and protector could keep a watch over her, and she could turn and see him, even if only a statue.

The End.

I really, really liked that.

That was a very sad ending

I liked it though.

Tearjerking, but an excellent bedtime story.

Lordxana, I can haz another one?

Wow nicely written Xana.

It was definitely good even though it's a bit sad

Legends tell of a young man long ago who left his parents home to travel the world and see what he could find in it. He left with only his wits and a small sack of gold on his belt. The young man traveled the land and helped all those he could find without a worry about payment from them, finding the good deed to be its own reward. In his travels he did many amazing things that seemed unreal to those who heard them. He outwitted an army of Giants off the edge of a cliff and into the ocean, saving a castle from utter destruction. He tamed a cave of giant spiders and had them produce webs that could be made into clothes by the village they had once tormented. And one legend even said that this young man played Death itself at a game of dice and won back the soul of a women who had been caught ill during the winter months. For all of the goals that he was said to accomplish through no one knew the man's name. Some just called him “That Man” or “The Brave One”. Through if anyone were to ever ask he would give them a simple answer, a title that would be easier to remember than a name. “Just call me Traveler”

Traveler and the Devil Fox
One day the Traveler was walking through a rather dense forest with his travel pack on his back, a wooden walking stick by his side, and a robe with a hood that went over his head to protect him from the sap that fell off of the trees in droves at this time of year. Supposedly there was a town around this area he could rest in and restock on supplies. After his last few adventures he was starting to find himself missing the comfort of a warm bed at night. Traveler reached into his bag and pulled out a compass, checking the direction it pointed and followed it. He had won the device during a card game against some goblins. It would forever point him in the direction that he most wanted to go toward, which just so happened to be a place with a bed and food he didn’t have to make himself.

After another hour or two of walking he came across a small town that had been made right near the place where the forest began. But something was wrong in the town. Buildings seemed to have scorch marks all along them and not a single person appeared to be walking the streets even though the sun had just started to set over the mountains. “Is anyone there?” he called out as he walked the streets. “I am seeking a place where I might lay my head for the night and maybe buy a nice meal of whatever is popular in this town!” he sighed a bit and heard a stomach rumble, one that was not his own.

“The only meal to be had here is you” a feminine voice rang out from the darkness around Traveler. As fast as the eye could blink a blur shot forth from the darkness and hit him in the chest, pushing him back a few feet before slipping back into the night.

The man dropped his walking stick and pack, scanning the area around him to try and see where the creature that seemed to be hunting him might come for him next. “Are you the reason no soul walks outside even though the sun only set moments ago?” he said his question loudly because he still had no idea where the creature was.

The creature came at Traveler again and jumped toward him, but this time the man was ready. He dodged out of the way and picked up a stone near his foot, throwing it as hard as possible in the direction he had seen the creature take flight too. A small howl came out of the darkness and a pair of crimson eyes glared through the darkness at him. “You dare to throw stones at me pathetic human?”

Traveler shrugged and looked at the eyes without fear. “I have dared to do much more dangerous things without hesitation,”

The eyes blinked and seemed thoughtful for a moment. “You aren’t like the other manlings of this town… I will return to have my vengence human, but tonight I will ponder you” the figure leaped out of the shadows and into the forest. The creature appeared to be a massive fox with pure black fur and four tails.

The Traveler watched as it left, watchful eyes tracking it until the creature disappeared deep into the forest. Once it had truly vanished a number of people came out of their homes with bright smiles and loud cheers of joy. “Please please it was nothing” he said modestly.

A rather large man dressed in clothing a bit nicer than the other townspeople and offered his hand. He was the mayor of the town it would seem. “I would have to call that false, that demon has assaulted our town and killed our livestock. That is the first time I have seen anything run it off other then the daylight”

The Traveler took the mayor’s hand and shook it warmly. “It mentioned something about vengeance, did you do something to upset it?”

The mayor nodded his head. “I suppose so, buts lets discuss this over a mug and a meal aye?”

The Traveler felt his stomach rumble and nodded his head toward the leader of the town. “I would greatly appreciate the hospitality you offer”

The mayor lead him to the local tavern where the townspeople were having a small celebration that for the night they would have a break from the attacks of the demon. After the Traveler was provided with food and a mug of ale the mayor began to speak. “A few months ago some of the local men formed a hunting party to kill a group of foxes who had been killing their livestock and just leaving them out.” he took a sip of his own ale before continuing. “They found the foxes and put them out of our misery, but it seems that the foxes were sons to the creature that you ran off tonight. Ever since then she has come into town at night and brought hell to this town. Killing horses and any farm animals, burning crops with magic fire and spreading nightmares to the children”

The Traveler listened to the tale and nodded his head. “The only thing more dangerous than an angry spirit is a mother whose children were harmed.”

The mayor nodded sadly at his words. “Quite right, if things continue like this there won’t be much of a town left”

The Traveler drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. “I will handle the spirit for you, but I will require a room for the night and for a week afterward. I have been traveling for a long time and I would like to enjoy a small break from it”

The mayor nodded enthusiastically. “Sir if you could free us from that beast I have no doubt the folks here would make you the new mayor”

The Traveler waved his hand. “No nothing like that, so much as I would like a break I don’t want to stay here more than a week or two”

“Well sir you have yourself a deal” the mayor raised his glass. “To what name do we toast tonight?”

“Just call me Traveler, its what everyone does”

“To the Traveler than!” the mayor roared, the rest of the tavern raising their glasses in acceptance of the toast.

**

The Traveler rested that night and well into the morning, waking up with the sun already high overhead. He began to pack what he would need to defeat the beast and made sure his plan was solid in his mind. When he finished gathering all he needed the sun had begun to set, and with his head held high and his pack on his back he went into the woods. He walked for a good bit, making sure the town was out of sight. He eventually found a tree stump and sat in front of it, pulling off his pack and setting it aside before rathering some stones and sticks for a fire. Once he had a small fire going he put a tea kettle filled with water on the top, dropping in a few herbs to make the water into tea as it heated. Finally he set up a chessboard on the stump, each piece lovingly crafted and painted with either white or black paint. By the time his set up was complete the sun had dipped down and the moon had begun to rise.

“You dare to enter my forest human?” the glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness of the forest where the Traveler’s fire couldn’t reach.

The Traveler nodded his head and watched the eyes. “I have come to challenge you”

A dark laugh rang out of the trees. “And what are the stakes of this challenge manling?”

“If I win you will harm the town no more. And if I am to lose then you may eat me and go about your night” the Traveler poured himself some of the tea into a cup and set it aside.

“Your terms are interesting Traveler, I accept” the fox walked out of the darkness and took the form of a rather beautiful woman dressed in animal furs. She sat on the opposite side of the stump from the Traveler and smiled at him. “I must warn you though that I can look into the future, and I will use this ability during this game”

He laughed at this and nodded. “I expected such tricky magic from a fox spirit, let us play”

And play the two did. Each move was masterfully done without a turn being wasted. The Traveler played with great skill, but was countered by the foxes ability to see all of his moves in advance. As they played the Traveler drank the tea, refilling his glass the second it was empty. Eventually the fox paused on her turn and looked at the tea. “You know it is a bit rude to not offer such things to your host”

The Traveler chuckled and sipped more down. “I would offer it to you, but I am afraid that the drink is spiked with a herb that when put in water and boiled produces a slow acting venom that kills the person who drinks it by shutting down their heart”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “You plan to kill yourself human?” she warily made her move, expecting some sort of trap. The fox spirit looked into the future and saw that he was telling the truth, the poison would kill him, but not until the game was over.

“Oh I think I will be quite all right” he made his move and refilled his cup, slowly drinking it down.

The game picked up again and for a long time there was silence. The Travelers moves had began to become a bit erratic, and through the fox could see them coming they didn’t seem to make sense. He was losing pieces faster than he could take hers, and she had even managed to put his king in danger once or twice. All the while he drank down the poison, each sip brought his death closer.

“Enough” the fox spirit stood up and looked at him. “Stop drinking the poison this instant, you will die before our game is even completed!”

“Shall I?” he asked as he drank down another cup. “That would be quite a shame”

She grit her teeth and sat back down, pushing faster and harder then before, seeing his death getting closer and closer with every sip. Eventually she threw the idea of looking into the future away, just focusing on defeating him before death came for him. He kept up on the defensive, but his movements were slower. The tea was having its effect on him and already he could feel the cold fingers of the reaper resting on him.

“I…” he coughed a bit and began to slowly close his eyes. “I am sorry, but it seems that my mind is a bit clouded, I am afraid that our game must end without completion” his breathing started to become heavy as the drink played havoc on him.
“No” the fox in human form stood up. “I will not allow you to die before I can have my victory!” she reached out and cast a spell on him, removing the poison from him with a single word.

The Traveler blinked and took a deep breath. “I must thank you for that, through I am afraid it will also be your undoing” he moved a piece forward. “Game in five moves”

The fox looked down at the board and realized that in her desperation for victory she had left herself open on all fronts. With a quick check into the future she saw that no matter what she did it would only delay the inevitable. She had lost. “Y..th...Unfair!” she stepped forward toward him. “I demand a rematch!”

“I deny your request sadly” he stood up and looked at her. “We had an agreement, and you know as well as I what happens when a creature like you breaks an agreement”

The woman hissed and nodded. “I am bound to the ancient rules to honor a lost bet” she reached down and knocked over her king. “Though nowhere in our agreement did it say I couldn’t kill you” she morphed into her fox form and growled.

“Actually I will be staying in the village for a week or two, they might even make me mayor in that time” he began to gather his things with a calm demeanor. “So I am afraid that I fall quite well under the bounds of protection”

The fox looked at him for a moment. “What sort of creature are you that you could look death so calmly in the eye?”

The Traveler gathered his things together and stood up. “Simply an average Traveler, nothing more or less” he turned his back on the fox and walked toward the town.

“Know this Traveler, one day your luck and intelligence will fail you” the fox turned around and walked deep into the woods in the other direction.

“But not this day” the Traveler let out a small whistle and made his way back to the village for some well deserved rest.

AWESOME!

I should read into the main villain in this story being a fox... but instead I'll just enjoy the story.

I like it too. Can we have more?