literature

Before the Spectrum, Taradoxx

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Before the Spectrum, Taradoxx
by: Alex Croce
Devernell- warrior of the Rhine
Devernell crept foreword through the foliage.  Every crackle of leaves being crushed set his nerves on edge.  The sunlight made everything turn a dark shade of red, as the sun set it became darker and darker, and soon the forest was filled with twilight.  The towering trees were surrounded by dense clumps of briars and thorn bushes, making his progress increasingly difficult.  He knew he needed to move quickly, but the need to remain silent was even more pressing.  Suddenly the sound of a twig snapping nearby reached his ears.  He dropped quickly to the forest floor and waited.  With a hunter's patience and a spy's caution he slowly, ever so slowly moved to his knees.
When his head was finally above the nearest brambles, the sight of his target took his breath away.  The beautiful, young daughter of king Garvanah was taking her daily morning stroll through the woods on her well worn path behind the castle keep.  His pulse quickened as his legs tensed for action.  Before he could move a blade was tightly pressed against his throat.  The claw holding the knife was covered in green feathers that were pressed tightly back against the arm, except for a few that stuck out to imitate tree leaves.  No wonder he had missed him!  A low voice that sounded like vocal cords attached to loose gravel growled into his ear, "Move and you'll lose your life!  Now first tell me who ye are, and what ye be doin in me lady's woods."
Devernell had never been so close to death in his life, but he croaked out an answer," My name is Devernell.  I am merely a gardener who tends the woods from time to time.  I meant no harm to the lady, kind sir."  The knife began to loosen against my throat, but as soon as I thought I was in the clear it snapped back into position. "And what might this be, I wonder!  Why if it isn't a needle dipped in some kind of foul poison to surely kill the young mistress!  You're an assassin aren't you!"
Once those words had been uttered Devernell knew he was in quite a fix.  The needle was actually coated in honey from one of the rarest sources, a strange kind of flower that secreted this nectar constantly called a honeyfall, and it was one of the sweetest things in the land.  This was just an extra treat for the princess since she was very fond of sweet things, although giving her the first taste on a needle was probably not a good idea in hind sight.  This needle was not much to look at from a glance, but on closer inspection one would notice a very delicate engraving that surrounded the entire needle.  This needle was crafted by the master sword smith Haventi, and the fine craftsmanship showed this was another one of his masterpieces.  Haventi was Devernell's uncle on his father's side, and they were very close.  This needle had been a gift on his 13th birthday.  He had brought the needle with him as a surprise present for the girl he had sworn he would marry, or die trying, princess Rada.  
These two had been friends since they were children.  Devernell had accompanied his uncle on one of his many trips to the castle to visit king Garvanah.  In the throne room the young lad had just glimpsed the face of the princess as she left the room and moved into a separate chamber.  Curious, Devernell had waited for the king and his uncle to become distracted by their conversation, and had snuck over to the chamber where Rada had disappeared.  He walked into this side chamber and saw the princess sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face.  Devernell rushed to her side and put his arm around her shoulder. "It's all right," he whispered.  She looked up into his eyes and smiled.  Her smile turned to a frown as she looked back towards the ground, where the shattered remains of a bracelet lay scattered at her feet.
With a glance Devernell could tell that this was a very nice bracelet, maybe even a family heirloom, which was made of something like gold, was made of long beads on a slim silver chain, and had little emeralds embedded in each section.  "I could fix it for you, if you want me to, that is," he said with a smile.  "Oh, that would be delightful.  This was my grandmother's favorite bracelet, and she gave it to me before she died.  This is my last personal memory of her!  I simply must have it restored to its former shine before tonight.  My father specifically asked me to wear it to the ball we are having to honor Sir Pedivere," she whimpered!  "You see, my uncle is Haventi, and I have learned a few things from him over the years.  I'll have it perfect by tonight.  Oh dear, how should I find you, the guards don't simply let people in to go to these balls on a whim!"
Princess Rada thought about this for some time, then a mischievous glimmer entered her eye.  "You can climb through my window.  It's the one right above a large oak tree, and some vines that grow right from the top of that tree past my window.  You would be the bravest boy in the world if you tried to climb it!  I would love you so much for the favor!"  At that my face grew red and I thought about earning this lovely lady’s affections.  "Alright, I'll be there before the sun sets," I stated happily.  
Devernell grabbed the pieces of the bracelet and gave the girl a quick smile, then left the room without looking back.  As he entered the greeting hall both grown men stopped their conversation and looked at him.  They shared a knowing glance and my uncle said," Come on Devernell, it is time to go."
As we walked away from the palace I kept glancing back hoping to see my strange girl again.  "It seems you met someone special if my eyes don't deceive me.  I wonder, what chance does a hunter's son have with a princess?"  "A princess!  You could have warned me!  That is so embarrassing, and I offered to fix her bracelet for her and then sneak it into her room right before the sun sets to give it to her."  "Well then, you'd better get to work.  If you need any help I'll be at the main furnace to make a gift for a certain nephew of mine."
Devernell sprinted ahead and worked the hardest he had ever worked in his life.  To make an even longer story short, let us just say that he gave her the bracelet as promised on time, and their relationship started at that.  How all of that lead to him sneaking into the Royal Wood to give Rada a gift such as this is a whole other matter.  What he was thinking only God will ever know, but now he is caught by the most vicious of the palace guards, The Vulture.
Woops, did I forget to mention that Devernell is an albino Great Dane, and Rada is a Puma?  Yes, I did, didn't I.  Well, this is only one of the strange things of Taradoxx that you will learn over the next few pages.  Enjoy!
My friends were writing a story so I put a character into their world, nothing too interesting yet, just a character introduction.
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