Story plot: The historical fantasy story tells about an orphan girl, named Hazel. She lives in the forest. She gets better along with wild animals than humans. On one day, Hazel is encountered by a group of hunters, which includes the king. The men start to chase her. Finally, Hazel ends in battle with the king. Their hatred turns into love afterwards. Yet they don´t have much time left for enjoying their romance. Since the Royal Dart is in danger to be stolen. Its Keeper is the hero, who will save the world from dark forces. The former Keeper of the Royal Dart was an elf. He was killed in battle by an evil wizard. The wizard stole the Royal Dart, but he is unable to use it properly. Now it is either the king´s or Hazel´s job to become the next Keeper for the holy weapon.
Chapter 1 Story of the Carpenter, Who Cheated
Once upon a time there lived a carpenter in the king´s palace. He wasn´t fond of the royal family. They had hired him for his honest looks. They were badly mistaken. The carpenter had joined in pack with the devil. He was scheming against his own people. It was the witch, who promised him plenty of riches. The price of this wealth was that he had to sell his soul to the devil.
It didn´t bother the carpenter as much as his own poverty. The king couldn´t pay him enough in his opinion. Therefore, the carpenter turned against his ruler. He sewed a mattress out of poisonous threads. The embroidery was hung on the wall of the king´s bedchamber. The poison spread in the room through the air. It caused the ruler to become fatally ill.
However, the queen found out about the lethal mattress. She removed it from the wall. She stuffed it into a large canvas bag, which she threw into a bonfire. After eliminating the source of illness from the palace, she fired the carpenter. He left readily from the palace, where he was never welcomed to return. The queen took care of her husband. His condition worsened on every passing day. He underrated the pain that he felt. Yet they both knew that he wasn´t going to stay alive for a long time.
Prince Robert would inherit his throne after the king´s death. The prince was only ten years old, when his father passed away. He was too young to take care of all the king´s duties. He was surrounded by advisors, who were supposed to help him. The young king was more interested in playing with his friends than learning how to rule the country. Studying his father´s footsteps exhausted the young boy. So, he felt burdened at very early age.
The carpenter began to regret his bad deed. He wished to turn back to the palace and apologize to the royal family. He shouldn´t have betrayed them. His heart was pressed by chains that were controlled by the devil. The evil spirits tormented the man´s soul. He gave up on trying to accumulate wealth.
Yet it was too late for him to repent. He had caused the king´s death deliberately and he had to pay for it. The carpenter´s heart was broken. Not even praying to the god would save his soul any longer. He knew this when the witch came to get her payment from him. She was going to carve his heart out of his chest with a knife. She came to his home and attacked the carpenter, who opened the door.
She managed to slaughter the carpenter. She was physically stronger than him. He collapsed lifeless on the floor as she left with his heart. The witch took the heart to her house in the middle of the woods. There, she threw the heart into a large boiling cauldron. She cooked the heart and ate it with good appetite. It gave her strength and beauty that she lacked. After eating, she laughed aloud roaming. She had become stronger than before.
Chapter 2 Runaway
The wind blew harshly on the eighteen-year-old girl´s face. She ran in the forest, like a wild cat. She was a runaway, called Hazel. Her dark brown hair was a tangled mess that descended all over her upper body. She looked like a fairy´s child with her large blue eyes and pointed nose. Her cheeks were rose, because she´d run for several minutes already. Her two hands resembled dirty paws.
A white butterfly ascended in the air. It flew past her ear. In one hand, she squeezed a bag of precious stones. On the day before, she discovered them lying in a bottom of a lake. The treasures had previously belonged to a murdered soldier. His corpse was thrown into the river right after his death.
Hazel didn´t pity the killed soldier. She didn´t know him, while he was still alive. She just found his stones and picked them up. Someone had removed the corpse by then. Hazel sat on the shore of the well and counted the stones. There were eight precious stones that included two blue sapphires, an emerald, three rubies, one piece of gold and one piece of silver.
She pushed the bag of stones into her pocket. She had to keep running fast, because a bunch of the king´s soldiers were chasing her. They had seen her in the forest earlier. They thought that she was a robber. So, they came hunting her. One soldier threw a spear at her, but she avoided getting hit by it. Hazel stepped aside soon enough, before she got hurt.
Then, she took to her feet immediately. She rushed forward among the trees. She was lucky that there were no killing traps placed on her way. The hunters sometimes left such traps for catching rabbits. Hazel managed to escape, but the men found her again. They saw her sitting on a tree branch. The soldiers shook the tree violently. She fell on her stomach on the ground as a result.
The girl screamed. Her back ached, like it was on fire. Hazel couldn´t get up right away. One soldier turned her on her back with the tip of his boot. Then, she heard their laughter. Their voices mocked her. She spat on one man´s face. He was an elderly soldier, whose breath reeked of beer.
Hazel felt disgusted. She wished them to leave her alone. So that she could get up and continue walking. Her legs were numb. She feared that her back was broken. Then, she heard one of the soldiers speaking to her. “Well, well what have we got here? A wild little kitten to tame. Let´s get the most out of her boys! We haven´t got much time, so I´ll do her quickly.”
“No, let´s wait for her to recover. We´ll see if she can fight us. Then, we´ll finish her.” Said another man.
Hazel covered her eyes with her hands and began to cry. The soldiers grabbed her arms and legs. They held her firmly against the ground. She was unable to fight back. The oldest man began to remove his pants. He was going to rape her savagely.
Suddenly, the king attacked the rapist from behind his back. The king hit his head with the handle of his sword. The blow was forceful enough to cause the man to faint. He fell on his side unconscious.
Hazel saw her opportunity having arrived. She tried to rise and escape them, but she failed. She got up suddenly. Then, she realized that the king wouldn´t let go of her. He grabbed her arm in a bruising way. She did her best to fight him back. “Let me go, let me go!” She yelled at him.
“No, you should stay.” The king replied.
“No, you have to let me go. Don´t follow me.”
“Alright.”
The king let go of her arm. She ran forward with teetering steps. She noticed a sharp tree branch on the ground. She grabbed it with her both hands. She knew that they were coming after her. She turned around and aimed the king´s head with the branch. The attempt failed. He avoided it by bringing his head down. Then, he jumped at her. So that they both fell on ground.
“Now you come with me. Stop fighting.” The prince commanded.
She closed her eyes and nodded her head. She had no other choice. She was pulled up by the king in the next moment. He held her in his embrace. She didn´t dare to refuse him. She feared for her own life.
Hazel sat down on the saddle on the king´s horse. He followed her. The horse carried them both on its back. The steed was a black stallion and one of the best runners. The soldiers followed them. The prince led the troops. They headed to his castle, which appeared at a distance.
Chapter 3 Prisoner
They arrived in the palace. Its gates were open. The king strode over the moat, which surrounded the palace. There was a bridge built across the trench. She closed her eyes, when they walked over the bridge. The drop-off was one hundred and fifty meters. So, it was enough decline to cause a human to die after the fall.
Hazel was relieved after crossing the bridge successfully. The king took them in front of his home. He descended first. Then, he helped her to come down. She didn´t thank him. She didn´t speak anything to him. They entered to the palace´s main entrance.
On the way, she heard cries of prisoners. They were kept downstairs in the underground jail. The voices caused her goose bumps. She hoped not to be put in prison. Hazel knew how badly the prisoners were treated. The king saw her fearful eyes. He took her hand. His friendliness made her to trust in him more than before. Perhaps, he wasn´t a monster after all.
“Where are we going?” Hazel asked.
“I´ll show you my living room. It´s big and cosy. You could sit there.” The king said.
“Why did you bring me here?” She continued.
“I only wanted to protect you.”
“That´s all?”
“Yes. My name is King Robert. What is your name?”
“I´m called Hazel. My parents gave me that name. I lived in the forest only for too long to remember anything, but my name.”
He thought that her eyes were hazel brown. The king seemed eager to hear her story. She was ready to share it with him. Since he showed his appreciation of her life. His arm swept against her back. It caused her to have a warm feeling. She felt like a cat, who was fondled by its owner in that moment.
“Let me take your coat.” The king spoke again.
“Fine.” She gave him her old, coarse coat.
“I want to offer you something warm to drink. Are you hungry?”
“No.” She said shaking her head.
He led her to the living room. There, he gave her a cup of warm tea. She suspected it. He took a cup of the same tea for himself. He offered a jar of honey towards her. “Here, do you use this?” He asked.
“No, I don´t use honey or drink tea. I´m cold.”
“Then you should drink it. It will make you feel warm. I will bring you food soon.”
“Alright.”
Her doubting made him thoughtful. He was glad that she was there to keep him company. He hadn´t talked to a woman of his age for a long time. Hazel seemed like a perfect candidate for a date. He got up and disappeared from the room for a while.
Afterwards, he returned holding a blanket. He handed it to her. She accepted it. Hazel spread the blanket over her feet. She felt better soon afterwards. Smiling, she looked at king. He asked: “Are you any better now?”
“Yes, I´m fine. Thanks to your kindness.” She replied.
“I just want you to stay.” He said.
“What if I refuse?”
“Then, I will have to stop you from returning to the forest. It could be dangerous out there. There are wild beasts and coarse men, who might try to take advantage of you.”
“I know. I can handle them both. I am stronger than I seem.”
He came closer to her. His nose smelled her scent. It was the odour of fresh pines and leaves that emanated from her. Hazel breathed deeply. The king´s presence began to affect her emotions. She saw his hand almost descending on her full breast. He wanted to touch her flesh. She pushed his hand away. The king looked disappointed. He turned his face in another direction. Then, ashamed, he apologized to her.
“I´m sorry.” He said.
“I know. You shouldn´t do that since we don´t know each other so well.”
“I´m sorry. I made a mistake. I would like to kiss you though.”
“You can try.” She answered.
They became closer again. He leaned towards her until their lips touched. She surrendered to his touching. His hand slid on her breasts too. Their eyes were closed when they kissed. After the kiss, the king said: “I want you Hazel. I want you to be my princess. Please don´t leave, because here you are safe.”
“I hope to be safe. Though I was used to live in the forest.”
“How many years did you spend there?”
“For almost my entire life. My parents left me alone in the woods when I was five years old. Then, I watched them to disappear. I never saw them again.”
“But why did they do that?”
“They wanted to protect me from the soldiers, who had been attacking our home.”
The king went silent. He didn´t know that his father´s soldiers had murdered innocent people in their homes. The old king was already dead. His gravestone stood in the palace´s backyard. He couldn´t hurt anyone anymore. Robert needed to know the truth. He had not thought of his father as an evil person. Until he´d listened to Hazel ´s story. She changed his opinion.
He wanted to apologize to Hazel again and again. He felt responsible for the horrors that she´d been through. He remembered that he had to visit in the jail to check the prisoners. The king stood up. Gently, he stroked her hair. Then, he said: “Excuse me. I´ll be back soon. I need to check what´s going on downstairs.”
She nodded her head in agreement. He left her alone for a while. She closed her eyes and sighed. His presence had a special effect on her. She began to dream of the two of them together. His touching felt magnetizing in her opinion. She looked outside through the window opposite to her seat. The rose bushes grew tall and they covered one third of the scenery. She admired the pink roses that had blossomed early in the summer.
The tea in front of her was cold. She took a sip of it from the cup. The liquid didn´t taste as sour as she thought. She held the cup in between her hands and waited for the king to return.
Robert entered through the jail´s gates. He held the keys in a key chain around his neck. He was determined to meet one of the prisoners. He was a forty-year-old knight named Nicholas Cuff. The knight was condemned in prison for armed robbery. He had attacked a landlord´s chariot in the forest and stolen money from the lord. Nicholas didn´t kill the landlord or anyone in his company. However, he´d threatened them with his sword. Until they´d handed to him all the valuables.
The king was disappointed in Nicholas´ behaviour. He had trusted in the knight´s ability to stay pure. Now Nicholas had failed him for the first time. Robert came to stand next to Nicholas´ cell. The dark-haired prisoner looked at him. Hopelessness reflected from Nicholas´ blue eyes. He waited for the king to speak to him, before he said anything.
“How dare you commit a crime as stupid as the one you did?” Robert asked.
“I am truly sorry Your Highness, for what I did.” Nicholas said.
“You could have gotten yourself hanged! I will punish your ass!”
“Maybe I deserve it Your Majesty.”
“I´m not here to scold you only. I´m here to tell you that you are fired from the army. You can no longer serve me.”
“Sir, I understand. I promise that I´ll never repeat the same mistake again.”
“No, you won´t be able to attack anyone, because now you´ll stay in prison for the rest of your life.”
Nicholas looked down at his feet. He still imagined there being a chance for him to get out of the cell. The king wouldn´t allow it. His father was dead. He was the new king, who would change it all. He had to run his father´s job as well as he could. Even if he wasn´t prepared for the future.
Robert didn´t stay for long. He felt obligated to return upstairs. Hazel waited there for him. He shouldn´t be gone for too long. He turned around and left. Nicholas sat down on his bed. His desperation began to increase.
Chapter 4 The Lovers
Robert returned to Hazel in the living room. He found her sleeping on the couch. He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. She woke up. Her brown eyes looked at him smiling. He smiled to her. Then, he asked: “Did you sleep well?”
“Not so well as I used to. I would like to go outside to catch some fresh air.” She replied.
“Alright, it sounds fine. Can I come with you?”
“Sure. I need to get up first.”
Hazel sat up. She combed her long hair with her fingers. Patiently, he waited for her to get ready. Together they left right after she was standing beside him. He took her hand. He led her to walk in the garden. She came along and admired the flowers and trees that grew there.
“Your garden is so magnificent!” She exclaimed.
“So, you´ve never seen a garden like this one before?” He asked.
“No, not in my entire life.”
“You can come here on anytime. I´ll be here for you, if you need me.”
“Yes, thank you Your Majesty.”
He wanted to tell her that she was also welcomed to live with him. Yet he hesitated to tell her that. He was afraid that his openness might scare her away.
The king lacked a wife. He saw a perfect queen in Hazel. Even though she was not one with royal blood. It didn´t matter to the king at all. She was perfect surrogate for a real royal-blooded queen.
Their walk ended up under an orange blossom tree. He held her in his embrace. Her eyes looked at her containing a sparkle of wonder. She anticipated their kiss as much as he did. Carefully, his face came closer to hers. Their noses rubbed against each other before they kissed.
Afterwards, she said: “I´m so totally in love with Your Majesty.”
“It is good to hear that.” He replied.
“Do you love me Your Majesty?”
“Yes, I think I do.”
Hazel pressed her head against his chest. His body felt lean and warm against her own. She listened to his beating heart for a while. He pressed her even closer to himself. He acted like he wanted to possess her. She noticed it. In that way, they both felt amusingly safe.
Chapter 5 Next Keeper of the Royal Dart
The Royal Dart was stolen by an evil wizard named Zephyr. He stole it from the elf, called Baerithryn. Baerithryn was on the king´s side. He defended the king and his people with his magic. Baerithryn ruled inside his own glass-walled palace. He shared the house with his twin brother, Bellamy.
On one night, Zephyr invaded their home and he stole the treasure. The Royal Dart was made up of gold and iron. It consisted of metals only, so that it would last any attack. Zephyr grabbed the Royal Dart and he escaped from the elves´ home. He returned to his own dark tower, which stood on top of a cliff.
After returning, Zephyr brought the dart to his bedroom. He decided never to leave it unattended. He was afraid that the elves could come to fetch it back. However, Baerithryn and Bellamy never appeared in his tower. They didn´t know that he had stolen it. They had no clue that where the Royal Dart was.
The power of the dart was immense. It gave its beholder supernatural strength and powers. Therefore, Zephyr was so eager to gain control of it. He was desperately longing for magical powers that could destroy his enemies. He hated the elves, who defended humans. He hated king Robert and his friends also. They all deserved to die in Zephyr´s opinion. With the help of the Roayl Dart, he was going to carry out his agenda.
The king knew about the stolen Royal Dart. Robert realized that he could be the next keeper of the holy weapon. Me or someone else, he thought. He sat alone in his father´s library room. My father is dead. Lord Baerithryn could be dead. Zephyr took his Royal Dart away from the Glass Palace. This is getting gross.
Robert had figured out Zephyr´s guilt with the help of one of his messengers. The messenger was a raven. The bird used to spy on Zephyr by sitting on his room´s window sill. Then, it brought back the news to the king. The raven´s story convinced the king that Zephyr was guilty of stealing the Royal Dart.
Or she could be the next Keeper of the Royal Dart. Robert thought about Hazel´s face. She smiled to him bravely. He had thought of her as a female soldier, when they first met. It didn´t seem impossible that she could fight against wizards. In fact, Hazel was perhaps more suited to the role than anyone else.
Be that as it may, they had to hurry to get the Royal Dart away from Zephyr´s hands. His control of the weapon brought only turmoil to the rest of the world. The king began planning an attack to the wizard´s tower. He would have to go there at night. He also needed to get company to fight alongside with him. Together the king and his soldiers might defeat the evil wizard.
Robert´s mind was still full of hope. It was unusual, considering what he´d been through and seen. The obstacles hadn´t taken away his courage. His love for Hazel made him want to remove all evil beings even harder. Suddenly, she stood in the doorway. She was holding a book in between her hands. The book was a thick spell book. She asked: “Can I come in?”
“Surely you can dear. Please close the door, so that no one can hear us.” The king answered.
She closed the door and sat opposite to him at his desk. Looking into his eyes, she said: “We´ve got to fight the wizards, before it´s too late.”
“So, are you saying that you will come with me to kill Zephyr?” The king continued.
“Yes, I´ll join you. Look what I brought to you! I found it from downstairs. It’s a spell book.” She said.
“Better be careful with that. You don´t want to mess up with sorcery.”
“No, I surely don´t want anything bad to happen. I just thought that maybe there is a spell in here that we can use against Zephyr.”
She handed him the thick book. He took it under his exploration. She was right. That there was one spell that could work against wizards. She pointed to that particular page with her finger. Robert took a magnifying lens in his hand. He read the spell in his mind. Then, his eyes returned to her face.
“Should we cast this anti-wizard spell on him?” He inquired.
“Doing so, could turn him into a frog for good. I say that let´s give it a try.” She suggested.
He liked her idea. He was coming along with her. Neither one of them was afraid to apply magic to cast out the evil from their lives. King Robert shut the book. Then, he put back the magnifying lens. His face became serious again. She was surprised that his smile died. He looked gravely concerned.
“I think that it´s dangerous to go to there to meet Zephyr in his home. He might try to kill us.” Robert said.
“I know, but we must give it a try.”
“Oh, it could be useless. He is so much more powerful than either one of us.”
“Yes, I know. But haven´t got other choice. We need to go there, even if he will try to murder us.”
The king knew that she was right. He disliked the idea of sacrificing Hazel and himself. They could be a happy living couple. He took her hand in between his own hands. She didn´t pull away her hand. It surprised him that she didn´t.
The king closed his eyes. A picture of knight Nicholas appeared to his vision. He thought that he could send Nicholas to fight for the Royal Dart. It didn´t matter to Robert whether the knight would return dead or alive from the excursion. When he opened his eyes, she was gone out of his sight. He called: “Hazel! Hazel, where are you?”
After receiving no answer, Robert closed the spell book. He stood up and decided to go to the prison. There, he needed to talk to Nicholas. He was going to ask the knight that did he want to fight for the holy weapon. Of course, the king would pay him money for risking his own life. Robert had enough money to pay well for the one, who could save the world from evil.
Chapter 6 The King Asks Nicholas´ a Favor
The king descended the staircase, which led to the jail. He went to see Nicholas for the second time on the same day. Nicholas´ expression brightened at the sight of the king. He began to hope to get released. The king said: “Alright I have a plan for you. It is a job, which could be very dangerous. But I will pay you abundantly, if you are up for it.”
“So, what type of job is it that you have for me?” Nicholas asked humbly.
“It is stealing job, which you are familiar with. The evil wizard Zephyr stole the Royal Dart from Lord Baerithryn´s palace. We must return the dart to back the elves, or else something bad will happen to all humans.” The king explained.
“Fine, I´ll take this job.”
Silence fell among them. The king was surprised after hearing the knight´s answer. He didn´t expect such loyalty from the prisoner. After a while, the king asked: “are you sure?”
“Yes, I meant what I said to you Your Highness.”
“Then I let you to have the job. I will pay you well, I promise.” The king added.
“I will leave to Zephyr´s palace tonight. I want to finish this bastard as soon as I can.”
“Fine, then I let you out of the cell now!”
The king opened the cell´s door and the prisoner stepped outside. Robert hit Nicholas´ shoulder with his hand in a friendly manner. Nicholas looked at the king with trust, fear and adoration. Robert was proud of Nicholas´ brave heart. He hoped that neither him or Hazel would have to enter in the dark tower of Zephyr. He was happy that Nicholas would go there instead of them.
Chapter 7 War Against Zephyr Starts
Nicholas came out in direct sunlight. He was glad to be outside and free again. He didn´t imagine that such a joyful luck would come on his way. As an expression of his joy, he threw up his arms in the air. Then, he rushed outside through the palace´s gates. He held his promise to the king. He was going to kill Zephyr and take the Royal Dart along with him. It seemed like an easy task for him to accomplish.
The knight went to find Zephyr´s residence. The king had handed him a map. He arrived there by midnight. The thought of backing up occurred to Nicholas in the last minute. He began to hesitate his entrance through the front door of the dark tower. He sensed that something ominous and evil waited him there.
Zephyr had noticed Nicholas´ arrival from the balcony. He was going to kill the knight, whom he assumed to attack him. Zephyr waited in his private chamber. He clutched the Royal Dart in his hand. Letting go of the stolen treasure was impossible for him. He was so attached to the dart that he even kept it in his bed during the night.
Nicholas had brought his ordinary sword with him. He picked it up from his house before he left. He grabbed its handle before he entered the sinister hallway of Zephyr´s home. Ready to cut off the wizard´s head with its blade, Nicholas moved as silently as he could.
Zephyr decided to trick his enemy. He descended the staircase, which led him to meet Nicholas at the other end. Zephyr transformed himself into a young, beautiful woman. He was going to fool Nicholas first before killing him.
The young woman appeared, and Nicholas saw her. He fell under her spell. The woman spoke: “what brought you here?”
“I was looking for Zephyr? Is he home?” Nicholas asked.
“No, I´m alone. May I help you?”
“Who are you?”
“I am the fairy queen. Zephyr is not here. I don´t know that where did he go. Can you help me?”
“I´ll do my best.”
Nicholas neared the woman. She was dressed in an all-white robe. A silver crown glimmered on her head. She looked stunning and irresistible in his opinion. His hands embraced her body. She permitted him to touch her face. Suddenly, the fairy queen transformed back to Zephyr´s form. He attacked Nicholas by stabbing his back with a knife. The knight screamed in terror after seeing Zephyr´s red eyes looking at him.
Zephyr laughed maliciously. The knight dropped dead on the floor. He died soon afterwards, because his lungs were stabbed.
STORY IS TO BE CONTINUED.
