Random stories

I was in the pond taking a bath when the knight strolled up fresh from battle. I heard him approaching loudly, as humans are clumsy pushing through the woods, so I had plenty of time to hide underwater. I snuggled up to the mossy rocks to camouflage and spy. His wounds were both superficial, but oh so deep. The brave soul fought off tears as hard as any man could.

The look on his face was so distraught, I took pity and I had just a crazy idea. I swam out stealthily to the middle, making barely a ripple. I grabbed a sword, and rose up. The water cascading off me caused a clamour he couldn’t help but notice.

“Do not be afraid, fair knight,” I knew I had to calm him quickly before he ran off in fear. “I am the lady of this lake. I here guard a precious sword, meant for kings and rulers. I have wait season after season for a noble man such as yourself. I hear by bequeath you this sword, forged from the depths of the Earth itself… …my liege!” I handed him nothing more than a water-logged branch, but that is not what he saw. He saw a mighty Excalibur, gleaming in the noon sun.

“Thank you!” He gasped, not caring to take off his boots to enter the water to take it from my hand. He held the sword skyward and let out a mighty yell, “YAAAAAARRR!!!” He cried under the placebo of power.

He began to cut and slice the air. Startled I jumped back thinking this crumbly, soaked wood may actually be harmful in his hands. He bowed as politely as he could, and ran off, using the blade to cut through the undergrowth.

It only took a few weeks before he came back. I heard him again, before he saw me, so I quickly took my place at the centre of the pond. As he got closer, he yelled out for me, “Lady, in the water, are you there?”

I rose, slowly this time, trying to appear more graceful as I already had his attention. Again, he was fresh from battle, with a black eye and bloody nose, but this time there was more resolution in his red eyes. “Yes my liege, I am, but where is your sword, where is Excalibur?!” I exclaimed in feigned concern.

“It appears your king was too strong, the sword lasted me many fights, but when I left the forest I saw a rock troll. I was so strong that when I hit him on the head with the sword, it shattered.” He explained.

“Oh dear,” I signed, and grabbed a rock from beneath me. “Then I must give you mighty mjollnir, the hammer of the Gods!” As I handed it to him, all he saw was a hammer forged in lightning.

He came back several more times, always after a fight, forcing back his humiliation of defeat. He had excuses for every lost legendary weapon, not wanting to admit the truth. Mjollnir was lost when he threw it to hard. The lance of Longinus was snapped when he was trying to stab an earth dragon.

One day he came to me, he was different. He sat down, and cried. He wiped his blackened eyes tenderly.

I rose from my bed slowly and instead of making him come to me, went to the bank and sat beside him. “My lord, whatever is the matter, what happened to Huàyǐng, the sword was made of the very elements of the universe?!”

“Thank you.” He said solemnly. I looked at him astonished, something was terribly wrong. “I can’t do this anymore.” He continued.

“But you are a human child, how old are you? Seven? You are renowned for your imagination…” I softly cuddled his head.

“It has been good fun, it really has, but I can’t take the pain anymore. I can never make him happy. I get in trouble at school, he hits me. I say the wrong thing, he hits me. I cry, he hits me.” The tears were streaming down his face. “I can’t go on, I need you to take me with you.” He pleaded with swollen eyes gleaming at me in hope.

“I can’t, you will die where live.” I tried to convince him, but he shook his head and began to walk into the muddy pond.

“Take me with you or I will find some other way.” He countered.

I couldn’t leave a child to pain, so I brought him into the depths of my world, and I hugged him tight so he could feel the warmth.

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Submitted by Mindweird on Wed, Jan 04, 2023 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

You are a Fae. For shit and giggles you decided to lie in pond and distribute swords.