So, I've been trying to find inspiration for my writing, which of course turns out to be boredom to take a hold of my mind. Seemingly mundane chapter in the story actually introduces you to a majority of the characters that are to be an integral part of the story as it continues (Spoiler alert: Squirrels)! I hope you enjoy this new chapter in The Blade of Highleaf story as it begins to grow and morph, taking new shape and new life before finally taking a hold of the world it was created for! Read, enjoy, and don't forget to share with people you think might enjoy!
As the sun began to peek up over the
hillock in the East, stretching it's warmth across the land as it
caressed the eyes of the sleeping, rousing them ever so gently. In
this manner so to was Agatha roused as she quietly washed her face in
a small ceramic bowl that sat next to her bed, the frigid, cold water
splashed against her face by cupped hands shocked her into a state of
immediate alertness. The earth around her had barely begun to heat up
before she put on a rather loose fitting dress and then grabbed a
leather corset that she had hidden deep away in her wardrobe. She
giggled as she looked at the hardened leather, noting that it had
more than once saved her from being torn apart when moving through
the thicker thorn-brush along the river. With a sharp intake of
breath she quickly went about tying the constrictive, borderline
torturous device about her midsection. Glancing over to her mirror
she could only smile at how great she looked. The dress was a deep
shade of blue, the likes of which were more likely to be found on the
petals of Blue Anemones than on a dress, and the light-tan shade of
the leather corset accented the blue making Agatha look as though she
were a much softer creature to behold.
Her paw snatched up her wooden comb and
brushed back her raven colored hair with a smirk, dressing her
usually flowing locks into a long ponytail that ran down her shoulder
blades and ended at the middle of her back. She almost couldn't help
but giggle at the thought of going through all this trouble to look
presentable for children. Agatha quickly checked her look one last
time in the mirror before climbing up the short staircase and into
the dining room. It was still early, Agnar would not be up for a few
hours more, but still the slumbering snores of Agnar's sleeping form
as he lay in his arm chair did not surprise Agatha in the slightest.
She quietly moved about the kitchen and larder, preparing a breakfast
for her father and herself, a simple meal of oats, dried fruit, and
of course a glorious selection of apples that she had picked just the
other day. With a quick, breath of thanks to Lady Nature, Agatha
quickly feasted, washed her bowl, then set out to preparing the same
courtesy for her father, including setting out a cup of his medicine
before sneaking out of the house without a noticeable stir from
Agnar.
The street running in front of the
Oakeye's Oak tree was hardly awake as only a handful of shopkeepers
and others moved about this early in the morning. The sights and
smells of life seeped into Agatha's nostrils as she began her slow
stroll to the mayor's house on the other side of town. Her hands
folded in front of her as she walked through the small town of
Highleaf. The main street of Highleaf was actually a portion of The
King's Highway, though it had formerly been dubbed The Long Walk (and
to many residents of the township it still retained it's old name),
the street ran North to South between the town's center, crossing the
river and then moving into the woods that surrounded the small
village. On the East side of The King's Highway was the Baker's Shop
run by Mr. and Mrs. Poplar and their son, Darwin, the Eldermanes ran
the Carpenter shop right next to that, and then there was the Town
Hall and Pub, Agatha had only been in there a few times when her
father had to help give advice to the rest of the town, but only knew
that it was the permanent home of the town drunk: Simon. On the West
side of The King's Highway was the Cobbler, Mr. Tammers, the general
store owned by Mr. Applewood and his daughter Heather, the dress shop
next to that owned by Alyssa and Melody Rainer, and in the center of
the town stood the Jailhouse, Sheriff Barkhide's pride and joy.
The early morning sun caressed Agatha's
face and gave her a bright smile as she slowly strode by the
buildings and over the bridge marking the edge of the town's central
point and moving into the outskirts. She continued walking for only a
short while before she finally saw the tall roof of Mayor Middleton's
mansion. While it was a sight to behold within Highleaf, many people
had thought it garish attempt at showing off what little wealth the
town had by building a Mayoral manor, yet the two-story palace was
still built, and it's only rival in town was the Town Hall, and that
was only thanks to the fact that the Town Hall also served as Inn,
Pub, Meeting Place, and Dance Hall. The Mayor's mansion however was
unlike any other building in town, for one, it was entirely built out
of cut wood, and it had no attachment with the land around it. In
example, the Oakeyes' Oak tree is in fact, a still living, breathing,
and very much growing tree. In fact, it continues to grow every
season and every season Agnar must trim the ceiling up to a
comfortable height with a plane and ax. Agatha gazed at the white
painted walls of the mansion as the full structure came into view and
gave a heavy sigh, she could already see the outline of Lady
Middleton staring out of the dining room window at her arrival on the
thin winding pathway leading to the front door. As Agatha reached the
door it swung open and she was greeted by the slender, annoyed, and
heavily made-up face of Lady Middleton.
“You are late, Miss Oakeyes, I
specific-ally remember you telling MAYOR Middleton that you would
arrive – and I quote 'right as the sun is in the sky'! Does that
sun look 'RIGHT' in the sky?! No! It has almost been there for
thir-ty minutes!” Lady Middleton's tone full of fury was ignored
entirely by Agatha as she pretended to listen to Lady Middleton's
northern accent attempting to stress words and add emphasis to words,
but simply sounding as though she were stuttering.
“Yes, Lady Middleton, my apologies,”
Agatha coolly spoke, attempting to calm the situation before her
anger got the best of her on such a fine morning.
“Apologies?! And what, Miss Oakeyes
would you honest-ily have to apologize for? For being late? Then most
certain-ily you must apologize! I demand it!”
“My deepest apologies, Mrs. Middle--”
“Lady! I was the daughter of a Lord,
I earned my title!”
“Lady Middleton, again, my
apologies...” Agatha barely managed to hiss through gritting teeth
before she continued with an instinctive scathingly sarcastic reply,
“I'm sure your father is proud of your accomplishments as a Lady,
Lady Middleton.”
There was a strong silence, tangibly
awkward animosity between the two women as Mayor Middleton's plump
form pushed his slender wife to the side and dispersed the anger,
“AH! Agatha! Good morning, good morning to you! Have you had
breakfast yet? I was just about to have a nice breakin' of the fast
myself and seeing as the children are still all asleep-ing you and I
can just have a nice chitty-chat!”
He smiled to Agatha and then turned to
see his wife still standing in the doorway next to her husband,
glaring angrily at Agatha before he cleared his through, “AHEM!
Angelique, would you be a dear, and go make Agatha and I some
buttered toast, maybe a bit of those sweet berries from the garden –
What were the names of those again? So sweet – had this flavor...”
Lady Middleton turned her icy gaze to
her husband now, the look of ultimate hatred flowing through her body
and out her eyes directed straight towards Mayor Middleton as she
answered him, “Scarlet Berries, you buffoon. I've told you a
million times, they are scarlet berries, and every time you...”
Mayor Middleton took Agatha's hand in
his and pulled her inside, ignoring what his wife had to say as he
invitingly begged Agatha to come in, “Come in! Come in! We'll have
scarlet berries and toast – how does that sound to you, Agatha?”
Agatha simply smiled to Mayor Middleton
and nodded her head as she answered him, “I already ate, but as the
kids are still asleep, I suppose there would be no harm in a cup of
tea and a few 'scarlet berries'.”
The Middleton residence was actually
quite well furnished for only having four people living in it, Agatha
could barely count on her fingers alone how many paintings she saw in
the main hall alone, moving from one room to another greeted her with
a new experience of shock from the sheer value of the furniture that
looked unused. Mayor Middleton did not seem interested in any of this as he
continued to clutch her paw and lead her past the dining room and
into the kitchen. The kitchen itself was a marvelous sight, easily
twice the size of Agatha's main room at home, the sight of silver
dishware and iron pots and pans adorning the walls and shelves almost
sent Agatha into an overwhelmed stupor of awe. The only thing to
break Agatha's anxious desire to examine the riches she had found was
the clap of Mayor Middleton's hands in front of her eyes, “Agatha~!
Wake up! Sit, eat, and enjoy.”
Mayor Middleton then gestured to a
table sitting on the other side of the kitchen which seemed to serve
as a table for the small family, each chair in this room looked
well-worn and full of more spirit than the others she had seen.
Agatha nodded and took her seat in one of the chairs, feeling the
familiar contours of extensive use etched into the seat, and she
instantly knew that this was the true dining room. Her fingers
intertwined themselves as she laid them on the table and waited for
Mayor Middleton to finish drinking his tea that was steadily pouring
steam out into the air just above the soft brown liquid. Her soft
brown eyes smiling as the Mayor looked up and flashed her a large
toothy smile, “Now, Agatha, remember what I told you last night.
Naturally, I know you will do well with the children, but I must ask
that you be careful and patient with them.”
Lady Middleton seemed to be puttering
about the kitchen in the background, apparently regreting or even
muttering curses at her husbands decision to let Agatha in the house
at all, but she stayed quiet for the most part, offering no words of
protest as Mayor Middleton offered Agatha a cup of tea. The early
morning cup of tea was soothing as Agatha placed her lips to the
finely crafted ceramic cup. The taste of Jasmine swirled around her
tongue as the soft hint of honey and cinnamon splashed against her
taste buds. It was seldom that Agatha was able to enjoy anything
quite as delicious as what she had just tasted, only ever to afford
nothing more than honey or cinnamon for baking rather than to waste
in a cup of tea. She simply returned the smile that Mayor Middleton
seemed to be displaying quite eagerly. She wondered why he was
smiling even with his wife so obviously angry with him, but cast the
thought aside as her ears perked up to hear the thunder of something
falling from upstairs.
After a long moment, Mayor Middleton
cleared his voice, “A-Agatha, dear, I know we had promised that you
would teach my children to protect themselves, but... Ummm... There
is one slight problem, you see... Well, ummm yes, well...”
Agatha giggled as she shook her head at
Mayor Middleton's stammering, “Come now, Mayor Middleton, please,
anything you have to say will not affect our agreement.”
“Errrr... Well, Agatha, I will say
this as plainly as I can. Some of the other parents about Highleaf
heard of your... Our arrangement and asked if their children could be
included. Logically, I could not say 'no' to them, so... The children
will be arriving...”
Mayor Middleton's voice was cut off as
a loud knock came at the front door and some tiny, squeaking shouts
came from the other side of the wooden walls and portal. Agatha's
eyes grew wide as she imagined having to train an army of small
children, all whimpering, crying, teasing, fighting, and yelling at,
over, and about one another. Her chest tightened against the already
tight corset and her breathing grew quick, but nothing prepared her
for what she saw as she heard Mayor Middleton's voice pick up from a
low mumble to an enthusiastic tone of authority, “Well! That must
surely be our little ones!”
Mayor Middleton stood and as he did, so
did Agatha as they both proceeded towards the front door, the
squeaking voices grew louder and louder as Mayor Middleton turned the
door handle and pulled the door inwards, opening the house to the
crowd of small children that piled into the door.
A herd of assorted creatures, from mice
to toads, squirrels to beavers, and even a young otter came waltzing
into the grand hall of the Mayoral mansion, all talking at the same
time as their parents politely bowed to Mayor Middleton and asked to
come in. Mayor Middleton of course accepted the request with a large
smile and led in much larger versions of the children. Agatha smiled
at everyone as they entered, noting the people she had come to know
from around town: Firstly, the Danberry's son, Evan, a rather portly
young rabbit that took after his father more than his slender mother,
although he were only about five years old, Evan was already as big
as Mayor Middleton. Then there were the Elmworth twins, Adam and Ada,
identical twin hares who almost no one could tell apart except their
mother, the difference between them being the color of their eyes,
Adam's being a soft gray, Ada's however were a soft blue. Then there
was the LaCroix family's son, Edward, a rather short toad who had one
of the most rambunctious and adventurous personalities for a toad.
The Eldermanes brothers, Magli and Mogli, a pair of beavers whose
most peculiar difference was that Magli was twice as strong and half
as intelligent as his brother, Mogli. The Nobel's daughter, Sarah,
one of the cutest young bunnies one might ever see this deep in the
country-side. The young daughter of Mr and Mrs Lightfoot, Elizabeth
was one of the older children there at the age of fourteen, her raven
black hair hung low tucked behind her large ears. And last but not
least was the Quickpaw's son, Newton, if ever there were a sneaky,
sly, and devious young weasel, Newton would be it, and more than
likely is as he takes after his father, Davis Quickpaw, the town
drunk.
As the children filed in, so did Jack
and Jane Middleton as they descended the stairs, rubbing sleep from
their eyes as they stepped into the grand hall, only barely noticing
the crowd of people in their house and giving a wide-eyed look of
surprise to see Agatha Oakeyes standing in front of them with a
pleased look on her face. Agatha could only imagine what might have
been going through their minds at that very moment as she flashed
them a warm smile to further provoke their confused thoughts.
The children all introduced themselves
one at a time with a bow or a curtsy and one unappreciative wave to
Agatha as she nodded to each of them approvingly, but as each child
finished introducing themselves, their parents quickly absconded from
the house and went about their own business save for one last little
boy and his father. Oddly enough, Mr. Arthur Blacktail was the only
one of the parents who waited to see the children begin their
training, even as his own son, Peter Blacktail, clutched onto his
father's bushy black furred tail. One thing about squirrels that
Agatha had come to notice as that they have a certain unfaltering
loyalty, and this trait was displayedin full form within their own
family as Mr. Blacktail turned to his son and smiled, “Come now,
Peter, ya've gotta tell the lady what yer name is.
Peter's face hid itself in his own tail
as he softly muttered something that only his father heard, the older
squirrel simply laughed at his son's remark before patting him on the
head, reassuring the boy one last time as he spoke softly to him,
“Now, lad, ya've gotta tell Miss Agatha yer name, and don't ya
worry about where yer pop will be, because he's gonna watch yer first
lesson before he goes offta work.”
With this bit of knowledge Peter seemed
a bit more comfortable talking to the strangers in the room, in a
rather soft yet resonant voice, Peter Blacktail introduced himself,
despite still clutching his tail with jittery paws, “Mah name's
Peter Blacktail, Miss Agatha.”
Agatha could only smile to the children
as she gave them all a low bow and then righted herself, “I am
Agatha Oakeyes, and I will teach you how to defend yourselves.”