by Matt Rogers
Nature and Blight
By Matt Rogers
Copyright 2013 Matt Rogers
Chapter 1: A Midgling Mission
The Siege (Castle Nirvana)
Nelson and Wort were not the most intimidating pair for they were only three feet tall, two feet wide and built for other things. They were, however, all the Queen could afford. They knelt in her presence as was the custom.
“Your Majesty.”
“Please rise.”
They stood to their full height and squared their shoulders for she was their sovereign, they her subjects and the castle under siege.
“I require your help.”
“Anything, Your Worshipness.”
She was the most beautiful, a delight to the eye and fresh air to the lungs.
“I need you to bring a message to Father Time.”
The two looked at Mother Nature as if she’d asked them to commit suicide. Which was possible, by the way, for they were anything but messenger material.
“Us?”
“Yes.”
They were rather surprised because normally they were used for other purposes. Both were of the generalized labor class. They held no particular traits which would come in useful during times of war but were handy around the castle for they held a quality the Queen found admirable; they were steadfast in purpose when given a chore.
“Um, are you sure you want us to do it, Ma’am? I’m sure there are others who might be a little, uh…” Stu began.
“Capabler!” Wort finished.
“Capabler?”
“Yes, Your Majestic One, it means more capable.”
Mother Nature decided not to correct him on his definitional abilities. She looked down on her two servants with a smile for they truly were her favorites. She wished she had others available but all were needed in defense of the realm. The two before her were the only she could trust to give it their all against incredible odds.
“I am sorry but I’ve made up my mind and decided you are the perfect subjects for the job. It will be dangerous and you may not live through the experience…” she started but didn’t finish for at the mention of danger the two fainted on the spot.
The kingdom of Nirvana was under siege by Prince Blight, the son of King Rot. King Rot held sway over Pestilence and had designs on Mother Nature’s realm. Blight had moved under the cover of darkness and surrounded Castle Nirvana, cutting off all avenues of escape. Mother Nature’s forces held the castle for they were of sound character and experienced warriors. The two armies were at a draw and she wished to alter the game. The Midglings were her best hope.
“Stu?”
“Yes, Wort?”
“Are you taking your brown or green tunic?”
Both were in chambers preparing for their adventure after the Queen’s servants woke them through use of cold water poured from wooden buckets.
“I was actually wondering that myself. I keep leaning toward the brown but then get worried about foliage.”
“Uh-huh, me too. What if we run into a bunch of green plants and we’re wearing our browns?”
“Yep, that would probably be a bad idea.”
They dwelt on the subject for a protracted period of time before they mutually agreed on a solution, packed their remaining supplies in various pockets and ran down the stairwell to greet the Queen and receive her message for Father Time. Again, they knelt in her presence.
“Your Majesty.”
“Please rise.”
They stood to their regal height but had trouble squaring their shoulders for they were sweating profusely and a little light-headed from the exertion.
“Are you two all right?”
“Yes, Your Perfectness, just a little hot.”
She looked closer at her two trusted servants and became aware of something slightly different with their width.
“Why are you two bundled up?”
“Well, Your Gracefulness, we were having a little trouble deciding on the proper attire for our trip so we talked it over and came to the conclusion we should take both colors.”
The Queen glanced around but did not see what she expected.
“Are you wearing both outfits?”
“Yes, Your Loveliness, we decided we’d go with the brown underneath and the green overtop. We figured if we run into some brown on the way we could switch the two and keep on moving” Stu said with obvious pride at their reasoning abilities.
“Where are your backpacks?”
Both looked at the other with quizzical expressions.
“Backpacks?”
“Yes, backpacks. The ones in your closet.”
Both again looked at the other for it did seem a rather logical solution to their dilemma.
“Um… Ma’am?”
“Yes, Wort?”
“May we be excused for about five minutes?”
She nodded her assent and the two raced back up the stairs to remove the layers of clothing and stood there for a second in consternation.
“Okay, we’ve got the same problem as before.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, which one?”
“I’m thinking green.”
“I’m thinking brown.”
They were in a quandary for they had no idea which color scheme was better for message-delivery. They might’ve stood there all day if Stu hadn’t received and epiphany.
“Let’s do both! Green on top, brown on bottom.”
So they adorned their clothes in the manner they felt would give them the greatest possibility of success, raced down the stairs, knelt and rose to their full heights with confidence in their hearts they had chosen the proper wear.
“Where are your backpacks?”
And raced back up the stairs to retrieve what they’d forgotten, turned around and raced decidedly slower downward for they were not made of stair-racing stock.
“Please rise.”
“Huff-puff!”
“Wheeze!”
Those of importance were in attendance for their survival was at stake. General Shield stood at attention to Mother Nature’s left while her trusted adviser, Councilor Clearview, was to her right.
“Are you sure about this, My Queen?” the General asked as the two before him gasped in great gulps of air to counteract stair-climbing exhaustion.
“Yes, General, we have no one else to spare. Besides, I have always believed in the power of loyalty and these two before us are more loyal than most.”
The General nodded his head for he did not doubt the loyalty of the two, only their competence. The General was the best of her men and had proven his own merit many times over. He had risen through the ranks and was respected by the men for doing so. He was honest, hardworking and stern, but also forgiving of those who tried their best. The two in front of him, however, were testing his forgiveness ability for they were bent over at the waist with tears in their eyes attempting to catch their breaths before they were sent off to save the kingdom.
“Councilor?”
“Yes, My Queen?”
“Do you have the note and amulets?”
He indicated he did and produced the items from his robe. Councilor Clearview was a valued member of Mother Nature’s inner circle. He was intelligent, wise, shrewd in the ways of the world and she’d relied on his advice ever since taking reign of Nirvana.
“Have you two recovered yet?”
“Gasp!”
“Snort!”
She allowed them time for their lungs to acclimate. After indicating they could concentrate on her words she chose them carefully because she did not want a repeat of the fainting variety.
“Okay, I want you to give this message to Father Time. I am also giving you amulets which will provide you passage through are
as under my control.”
She handed Stu the rolled-up parchment and placed one amulet each around the necks of the two who beamed with pride because they’d never been given amulets and felt they were receiving medals.
“Okay, General, please describe your plan for our two messengers.”
The General walked over to a table, peered down at a map and began describing his desire.
“Yes, My Queen. Okay, to get you outside the castle is not going to be hard, it’s getting you through the enemy’s forces which is the tough part. Prince Blight has stationed his larger brutes towards the front of the enforcement with his smaller, more agile creatures to the rear. So what we’re going to do is create a raiding party and exit at dusk. Once you clear the line of Ogres you will need…”
“Uh, General?”
“Yes, Councilor?”
“You may wish to skip any mention of specific creatures.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because it appears you’ve lost your audience.”
The General glanced up from his map and saw the two servants flat on their faces, unconsciousness from the mention of the word Ogres.