| Powder Monkey July 2010 |
Short Story #5
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| Mistletoe by E.R.Murphy |
"Take care of the village, Mustard Seed. You're the only one I trust."
Larkspur was looking forward to this trip. It had been a long time since he had
seen his friend Quercus. The boyhood friends had lots of memories to share
and tall tales to tell.
"Don't enjoy yourself too much, we want you back." Mustard knew
Larkspur and had meet Quercus. The little elf knew a wild party was about to
start in the Misty Swamp.
"Relax, I'll be back in a week. And even if I do enjoy myself too much,
Thunder Wings knows the way home." Larkspur patted the huge dragonfly on
the back. The mage knew Mustard Seed was torn between wanting to let
Thunder Wings take him to the swamp and wanting to have his favorite
dragonfly with him.
Mustard Seed watched Thunder Wings and Larkspur fly off with mixed
feeling. Bouncing a ball off the littlest elf's head, Raspberry invited him to play.
Off they went with the mage's trip temporary forgotten.
While the children played and the rest of the adult elves worked at their
tasks, Buckwheat and Pinecone walked around the village wishing for some
excitement. The two self proclaimed village guardians kept telling everyone
they were ready to protect the village from anything. Most of the elves
wondered who would protect the village from them. For the most part, the
villagers ignored the two and went about their work.
"Halt!" Buckwheat yelled in as loud and firm a voice as possible. The
abruptness of the order startled those around him. They didn’t have any idea
why the two so-called guards were pointing their spears until they spotted the
stranger.
“I like, two elves alert and ready to defend their village. You two must be
the village leaders?" The stranger asked as he confidently walked into the
village. "The name is Mistletoe . . ." The stranger didn’t finish what he wanted
to say. The villagers were laughing at his statement about Buckwheat and
Pinecone.
"Greetings, welcome to our village." Hazelwood remarked between
laughs. "We're not being rude. It's just the idea of those two being in charge is
funny." Buckwheat and Pinecone were obviously highly miffed by that
statement. "I'm Hazelwood, leader of the village elders. What brings you here?"
"Just looking for a place to rest for the night." Mistletoe noticed a crowd
had formed and decided to use the opportunity. In grand style, the stranger
told tales of strange lands, strange elves and other creatures the villagers had
never hear about. His tales about humans were so bizarre the elves thought he
was lying. But Mistletoe was a master of story telling. Soon he had them
begging for more stories and as long as they kept bringing the food and drinks,
Mistletoe was more than willing to provide the entertainment.
As the evening sun set Mistletoe was invited to stay in the village. It
was an offer he was not about to refuse. Things were just the way he wanted
them: two foolish guards, village elders ready to be lead and no one around
who could or would cause trouble for him. As Mistletoe settled in, thoughts that
this might be the home he was looking for went through his mind.
Several days later the village was abruptly awaken by a fight between
several white and red ants. Their struggle was bumping into houses and
spilling anything that had been left outside. After a while the ants quit fighting
and returned to their nests. The elves came outside scratching their heads
wondering what had caused the ants to fight. Wheatgern had never had any
problems controlling his ants before.
Later that day two bees bumped into each other in the middle of the
village. This in itself was highly unusual, bees had never bumped into each
other before. A fight broke out between the two bumblebees.
Watching the two bees the elves asked themselves, why were they
fighting? White and red ants do not like each other so their struggle didn’t
really surprise the elves. But the bees only bothered one another when it came
to territory for collecting honey. Then, like the ants the bees stopped fighting
without a reason and flew back to their hives. Again there was more head
scratching. Mustard Seed wished Larkspur was back to help figure out this
puzzle, he was afraid things might grow more difficult.
When Mustard Seed tripped over a root, he knew things were worst.
The root hadn’t been there yesterday. Later while sitting on his porch the little
elf watched the village below. Watching all the elves trip over things made
Mustard Seed think maybe he wasn't a clutch, maybe something was wrong.
Sure elves tripped, but not every elf during the same day. Mustard Seed sat
back and began to think. Something was amiss, but what?
Mustard Seed wasn't able to think very long. From a cloud less sky, rain
suddenly began to fall. Like the other elves, Mustard Seed went inside to
ponder how rain could fall from a cloud less sky. He couldn't think of anything
that would cause the rain except one thing.
That night, Hazelwood, Balsam and Wheatgern came over to the little
elf's house. While sitting and drinking milk and honey and wishing Larkspur was
back, Mustard Seed brought up the strange events of late.
"There have been some very strange events happening since Mistletoe
arrived." Mustard Seed put forth the statement hoping the others had the same
feeling.
"Now, now, my boy. It's all coincidental. Mistletoe hasn't done anything
wrong since he arrived. Huh, come to think of it, he actually hasn't done
anything." Hazelwood sat back and thought, but seem to think the stranger's
action or lack of actions was all right.
"It's the moon, I tell you." Balsam commented. "The full moon will cause
strange things to happen."
"Yeah, it's the full moon," Mustard Seed interrupted. "Isn't it eerie how
it's been a full moon every night since Mistletoe's arrival?"
With the others ready to accept Balsam's idea and not wanting to start
an argument, Mustard Seed shifted the topic back to Larkspur. The little elf
was hoping the mage would return soon.
The next morning as he walked along the village's street, Mustard Seed
was confronted by Mistletoe and his two new side kicks, Buckwheat and
Pinecone. The two villagers were now the stranger's faithful aides, ready to do
whatever Mistletoe ordered.
"I heard you were trying to blame me for all the strange events lately."
Mistletoe spoke in a firm and authoritarian manner. It was obvious he was
used to having his own way.
Mustard Seed tried to move away, but Buckwheat and Pinecone
blocked his way. When the little elf tried again to go around, Pinecone pushed
Mustard Seed in front of Mistletoe.
"I don't like elves who cause trouble." Mistletoe snickered as
Buckwheat and Pinecone laughed.
"I don't like the way you're treating me." Mustard Seed didn’t like being
pushed around.
"What you like is immaterial, little one!" Mistletoe growled. The
meanness in the newcomer was becoming quite obvious and Mustard Seed
tried to back away. The little elf could see that nothing would be gained by
trying to argue with this elf. When Buckwheat and Pinecone again prevented
his leaving, Mustard Seed whistled for Thunder Wings. This had gone far
enough thought Mustard Seed, who was glad the huge dragonfly had not
stayed with Larkspur
Hearing his master's call, Thunder Wings roared into the air above the
village. Buckwheat and Pinecone, knowing the danger of the dragonfly's fire,
started to back away from Mustard Seed when they were stopped by
Mistletoe.
"Call off your pet before I hurt him." An angry elf warned, his eyes were
fixed on Thunder Wings. The dragonfly shook in the middle of the air for a
second as if something had hit him. Mustard Seed couldn’t see anything. Then
in a fit of rage, the huge insect roared a boost of warning that shook the village
and invited other dragonflies to a kill. Thunder Wings seem to have his own
reason now to attack Mistletoe. The roar in the air grew louder as Silver Wings
and Raincloud joined Thunder Wings. The noise shook the village scaring the
elves, none of whom had ever seen such a performance by the huge insects.
The dragonflies made a big mistake. While they were preparing for their
charge, Mistletoe was preparing his defense. Just as the three insects started
to sweep down, the evil mage aimed his hands at the insects. Lights, fire and
shock waves emitted from the hands, hitting the dragonflies and sending them
flying backward as if they were paper.
The village stood in shock for minutes. No one had ever seen so much
power before, not even from Larkspur. The dragonflies flew off, once was
enough for them. After regaining their composure Buckwheat and Pinecone
were happy they were on Mistletoe's side. The village began to back away
towards their homes. Mustard Seed's warning had been correct, but now it
was too late to do anything. Even if they could figure out a way past all that
magic, the village was too scared.
Only one elf wasn't scared, Mustard Seed. During the affair with the
dragonflies, he had slipped away from Buckwheat and Pinecone and found a
place of safety. Watching what was happening, the little elf knew this was
beyond his abilities, common sense wouldn't help. The village needed some
good magic, magic like that of Larkspur.
"Raspberry, come on," Mustard Seed whispered as he grabbed his
friend. "You've got to fly for Larkspur. The village needs him if we're going to
get rid of Mistletoe." The girl could see the urgency in her friend's eyes,
"Why me?" Raspberry couldn’t figure why it had to be her.
"Cause, Mistletoe will know something's up if I disappear and Thunder
Wings will let you ride him. If Larkspur can catch Mistletoe off guard, he can
easily defeat him. Now go quickly, take Thunder Wings. He knows the way to
the Misty Swamp." Mustard Seed was in a hurry to have Raspberry leave.
Thunder Wings had returned to his master, the huge dragonfly knew the little
elf would do something to protect him.
Despite same reservation, Raspberry was soon flying through the forest
heading for the Misty Swamp. Thunder Wings flew as straight as an arrow and
as fast as he could. The huge insect seemed to know what was at stake. It
wasn't long before Raspberry was standing in front of Larkspur and Quercus
trying to catch her breath.
"So Mistletoe has returned to the forest." Larkspur and Quercus
stopped to think. Raspberry had told them all she knew and what Mustard
Seed wanted Larkspur to do.
"He's a very powerful mage.” Quercus continued to think. Raspberry
couldn't understand how he could be so relaxed.
"My dear," Quercus spoke in a comforting tone. "It's not that we don't
take this seriously, we do. It's just that panicking never solved anything and
planning often prevented failure. Now you relax while we think this out. It won't
be long. After all, you're looking at the world's greatest minds." Quercus and
Larkspur had to chuckled over that last remark.
Soon the two had worked out a plan. Quercus offered to return. But
knowing Thunder Wings could only carry two and that the swamp was no
place for Raspberry alone, Larkspur politely refused the offer. Besides he
wanted the fun of clobbering Mistletoe all to himself. With his pockets and
mouth stuffed with strange herbs, Larkspur had Thunder Wings carry
Raspberry and himself back to the village. Just outside the village, the mage
had the huge insect drop him off and carry Raspberry off to safety. The less
elves in the village the better, Larkspur thought as he walked toward the
village. One old mage was ready for what was about to happen.
His opponent was not ready. Mustard Seed had been successful in
keeping quiet the fact Raspberry had flown off. Mistletoe was totally surprised
when Larkspur walked into the village. He had just collected the entire village
to inform them of the laws which would be used in his town. The evil mage
never saw the magical force that sent him flying through the air. Buckwheat
and Pinecone turned to defend their patron only to find themselves also send
flying across the village out into the forest. Realizing a major fight was about to
start, the villagers ran for cover. Mustard Seed was the only elf to stay. He
was determined to help his friend. Knowing the two clowns would soon return,
the little elf had several Praying Mantises find Buckwheat and Pinecone and
hold them for a while. The two yelled and yelled for Mistletoe to help them, but
he was too busy with Larkspur. Mustard Seed then looked for Thunder Wings
and Raspberry.
"Well, well, my old friend. You're learned a few new tricks since our last
encounter." Mistletoe commented as he picked himself up and brushed off his
robe.
"Well, I see you're just as arrogant as ever. When will you learn you
can't just walk into a village and take over?" The good mage hadn’t continued
to use his magic. Larkspur was hoping Mistletoe could be reasoned with,
although he was smart enough not to turn his back on his old nemesis.
"This village is mine, old fool! Leave while you can! You’re too weak to
hold this place against me!" Mistletoe boasted as he checked his surrounding.
Before he took on some one as powerful as Larkspur, the evil mage wanted to
make sure Mustard Seed was no where around to interfere. Mistletoe had
learned of their friendship.
"You’ll never have this village!" Larkspur as he watched his foe. He didn’
t have to check his surroundings, the mage was confident his friend would
protect his back.
Fire from Mistletoe's hands hit Larkspur's ice blast half way between
them. Each used their magic at the same time. The struggle had begun and it
was soon apparent the two had met before and knew what to expect from the
other.
The bitter struggle between two power mages continued. Not wanting
to see the village destroyed, Larkspur headed it out of town. Not caring about
the village, Mistletoe thought he had his foe on the run and gladly followed. The
evil mage wanted to crush Larkspur once and for all. Mistletoe was bewildered
when, once clear of the village, the good mage again put forth heavy waves of
magic.
For hours the fight went on, neither gaining an edge. Fire flowed like
water and ice, while intended to harm one of the elves, simply put out the fire.
Rocks flew like flies and scattered like rain drops. Anything on the ground was
sent sailing towards an elf.
After a while there was nothing within their area for the two elves to
use against the other. By this time each was growing weary by the constant
drain of their energy. The struggle was also becoming sloppy. Blows were
misdirected or even failed to reach their mark. Watching from the side,
Mustard Seed knew the fight was almost over when instead of a brilliant hot
ball of fire, Mistletoe sent a bouquet of flowers hurling at Larkspur. Both
mages laughed at that mistake. Both knew the struggle was almost over, but
neither wanted to admit they hadn't won. Mistletoe's evil nature demanded that
he always have his way and Larkspur still had his secret weapon to use. While
Mistletoe was busy laughing, Larkspur ate several of the herbs in his pocket.
Feeling the effects of the herbs, Larkspur stood up and demanded
Mistletoe concede. The evil mage just laughed some more. He had seen
Larkspur eat the herb, but didn’t realize what they could do. He had always
practiced his magic and never worried about those amateurish things, they
were only for mages who couldn't master the incantations.
Back to his full powers, Larkspur released a huge hail of ice at his
opponent. Mistletoe was hurled backward by the impact. Then the tree roots
near the evil mage became whips and leashed out at Mistletoe. Before he
could rid himself of the roots, a blinding storm of pollen surrounded Mistletoe,
causing the evil mage to sneeze constantly.
Having caused Mistletoe to suffer enough, Larkspur finished his foe
with a sleep spell. The evil mage stood on his feet sounded asleep.
Out of the sky swooped Thunder Wings. With his claws grasping the
evil mage they went into the air. Larkspur and Mustard Seed watched as the
huge dragonfly carried Mistletoe out of sight and out of the forest. The
villagers hoped it was to a spot so far away the evil mage could never return.
In the mean time Silver Wings and Rain Cloud had brought Buckwheat
and Pinecone into the village, a quick trial was held. The entire village agreed
the two opportunists should be banished for a while to pay for their
foolishness. Despite pleads from the two, the verdict stood. Off into the forest
Buckwheat and Pinecone ran. When they had refused to leave on their own,
Silver Wings offered a little heated help.
As the villagers celebrated having the village back in their own control
and that their mage was once again among them, Larkspur and Mustard Seed
relaxed from their ordeal.
"Well, I didn't have to save the village this time." Mustard Seed was
happy to have his mentor beside him. "How did you know those herbs would
help you?"
"Magic isn’t everything, my friend. That's why I rarely use it. It's a
great quick way to reach a conclusion, but it rarely ever offers a permanent
conclusion." For Larkspur this was something he liked, giving his student a
good lesson where the method and object could be easily seen. "When
something comes easily, like magic, it goes just as easily. When something
takes a while to achieve, like learning all the different herbs, it never goes
away. Mistletoe chose the easy path and when he ran into something difficult,
he had no idea of what to do."
The lesson ended when Raspberry asked Larkspur to share the next
dance with her. Since she couldn't talk Mustard Seed into dancing, she hoped
maybe her friend might think it was all right if he saw Larkspur doing it. No
such luck. Mustard Seed sat back and thought to himself, well maybe at the
next party.
Larkspur was looking forward to this trip. It had been a long time since he had
seen his friend Quercus. The boyhood friends had lots of memories to share
and tall tales to tell.
"Don't enjoy yourself too much, we want you back." Mustard knew
Larkspur and had meet Quercus. The little elf knew a wild party was about to
start in the Misty Swamp.
"Relax, I'll be back in a week. And even if I do enjoy myself too much,
Thunder Wings knows the way home." Larkspur patted the huge dragonfly on
the back. The mage knew Mustard Seed was torn between wanting to let
Thunder Wings take him to the swamp and wanting to have his favorite
dragonfly with him.
Mustard Seed watched Thunder Wings and Larkspur fly off with mixed
feeling. Bouncing a ball off the littlest elf's head, Raspberry invited him to play.
Off they went with the mage's trip temporary forgotten.
While the children played and the rest of the adult elves worked at their
tasks, Buckwheat and Pinecone walked around the village wishing for some
excitement. The two self proclaimed village guardians kept telling everyone
they were ready to protect the village from anything. Most of the elves
wondered who would protect the village from them. For the most part, the
villagers ignored the two and went about their work.
"Halt!" Buckwheat yelled in as loud and firm a voice as possible. The
abruptness of the order startled those around him. They didn’t have any idea
why the two so-called guards were pointing their spears until they spotted the
stranger.
“I like, two elves alert and ready to defend their village. You two must be
the village leaders?" The stranger asked as he confidently walked into the
village. "The name is Mistletoe . . ." The stranger didn’t finish what he wanted
to say. The villagers were laughing at his statement about Buckwheat and
Pinecone.
"Greetings, welcome to our village." Hazelwood remarked between
laughs. "We're not being rude. It's just the idea of those two being in charge is
funny." Buckwheat and Pinecone were obviously highly miffed by that
statement. "I'm Hazelwood, leader of the village elders. What brings you here?"
"Just looking for a place to rest for the night." Mistletoe noticed a crowd
had formed and decided to use the opportunity. In grand style, the stranger
told tales of strange lands, strange elves and other creatures the villagers had
never hear about. His tales about humans were so bizarre the elves thought he
was lying. But Mistletoe was a master of story telling. Soon he had them
begging for more stories and as long as they kept bringing the food and drinks,
Mistletoe was more than willing to provide the entertainment.
As the evening sun set Mistletoe was invited to stay in the village. It
was an offer he was not about to refuse. Things were just the way he wanted
them: two foolish guards, village elders ready to be lead and no one around
who could or would cause trouble for him. As Mistletoe settled in, thoughts that
this might be the home he was looking for went through his mind.
Several days later the village was abruptly awaken by a fight between
several white and red ants. Their struggle was bumping into houses and
spilling anything that had been left outside. After a while the ants quit fighting
and returned to their nests. The elves came outside scratching their heads
wondering what had caused the ants to fight. Wheatgern had never had any
problems controlling his ants before.
Later that day two bees bumped into each other in the middle of the
village. This in itself was highly unusual, bees had never bumped into each
other before. A fight broke out between the two bumblebees.
Watching the two bees the elves asked themselves, why were they
fighting? White and red ants do not like each other so their struggle didn’t
really surprise the elves. But the bees only bothered one another when it came
to territory for collecting honey. Then, like the ants the bees stopped fighting
without a reason and flew back to their hives. Again there was more head
scratching. Mustard Seed wished Larkspur was back to help figure out this
puzzle, he was afraid things might grow more difficult.
When Mustard Seed tripped over a root, he knew things were worst.
The root hadn’t been there yesterday. Later while sitting on his porch the little
elf watched the village below. Watching all the elves trip over things made
Mustard Seed think maybe he wasn't a clutch, maybe something was wrong.
Sure elves tripped, but not every elf during the same day. Mustard Seed sat
back and began to think. Something was amiss, but what?
Mustard Seed wasn't able to think very long. From a cloud less sky, rain
suddenly began to fall. Like the other elves, Mustard Seed went inside to
ponder how rain could fall from a cloud less sky. He couldn't think of anything
that would cause the rain except one thing.
That night, Hazelwood, Balsam and Wheatgern came over to the little
elf's house. While sitting and drinking milk and honey and wishing Larkspur was
back, Mustard Seed brought up the strange events of late.
"There have been some very strange events happening since Mistletoe
arrived." Mustard Seed put forth the statement hoping the others had the same
feeling.
"Now, now, my boy. It's all coincidental. Mistletoe hasn't done anything
wrong since he arrived. Huh, come to think of it, he actually hasn't done
anything." Hazelwood sat back and thought, but seem to think the stranger's
action or lack of actions was all right.
"It's the moon, I tell you." Balsam commented. "The full moon will cause
strange things to happen."
"Yeah, it's the full moon," Mustard Seed interrupted. "Isn't it eerie how
it's been a full moon every night since Mistletoe's arrival?"
With the others ready to accept Balsam's idea and not wanting to start
an argument, Mustard Seed shifted the topic back to Larkspur. The little elf
was hoping the mage would return soon.
The next morning as he walked along the village's street, Mustard Seed
was confronted by Mistletoe and his two new side kicks, Buckwheat and
Pinecone. The two villagers were now the stranger's faithful aides, ready to do
whatever Mistletoe ordered.
"I heard you were trying to blame me for all the strange events lately."
Mistletoe spoke in a firm and authoritarian manner. It was obvious he was
used to having his own way.
Mustard Seed tried to move away, but Buckwheat and Pinecone
blocked his way. When the little elf tried again to go around, Pinecone pushed
Mustard Seed in front of Mistletoe.
"I don't like elves who cause trouble." Mistletoe snickered as
Buckwheat and Pinecone laughed.
"I don't like the way you're treating me." Mustard Seed didn’t like being
pushed around.
"What you like is immaterial, little one!" Mistletoe growled. The
meanness in the newcomer was becoming quite obvious and Mustard Seed
tried to back away. The little elf could see that nothing would be gained by
trying to argue with this elf. When Buckwheat and Pinecone again prevented
his leaving, Mustard Seed whistled for Thunder Wings. This had gone far
enough thought Mustard Seed, who was glad the huge dragonfly had not
stayed with Larkspur
Hearing his master's call, Thunder Wings roared into the air above the
village. Buckwheat and Pinecone, knowing the danger of the dragonfly's fire,
started to back away from Mustard Seed when they were stopped by
Mistletoe.
"Call off your pet before I hurt him." An angry elf warned, his eyes were
fixed on Thunder Wings. The dragonfly shook in the middle of the air for a
second as if something had hit him. Mustard Seed couldn’t see anything. Then
in a fit of rage, the huge insect roared a boost of warning that shook the village
and invited other dragonflies to a kill. Thunder Wings seem to have his own
reason now to attack Mistletoe. The roar in the air grew louder as Silver Wings
and Raincloud joined Thunder Wings. The noise shook the village scaring the
elves, none of whom had ever seen such a performance by the huge insects.
The dragonflies made a big mistake. While they were preparing for their
charge, Mistletoe was preparing his defense. Just as the three insects started
to sweep down, the evil mage aimed his hands at the insects. Lights, fire and
shock waves emitted from the hands, hitting the dragonflies and sending them
flying backward as if they were paper.
The village stood in shock for minutes. No one had ever seen so much
power before, not even from Larkspur. The dragonflies flew off, once was
enough for them. After regaining their composure Buckwheat and Pinecone
were happy they were on Mistletoe's side. The village began to back away
towards their homes. Mustard Seed's warning had been correct, but now it
was too late to do anything. Even if they could figure out a way past all that
magic, the village was too scared.
Only one elf wasn't scared, Mustard Seed. During the affair with the
dragonflies, he had slipped away from Buckwheat and Pinecone and found a
place of safety. Watching what was happening, the little elf knew this was
beyond his abilities, common sense wouldn't help. The village needed some
good magic, magic like that of Larkspur.
"Raspberry, come on," Mustard Seed whispered as he grabbed his
friend. "You've got to fly for Larkspur. The village needs him if we're going to
get rid of Mistletoe." The girl could see the urgency in her friend's eyes,
"Why me?" Raspberry couldn’t figure why it had to be her.
"Cause, Mistletoe will know something's up if I disappear and Thunder
Wings will let you ride him. If Larkspur can catch Mistletoe off guard, he can
easily defeat him. Now go quickly, take Thunder Wings. He knows the way to
the Misty Swamp." Mustard Seed was in a hurry to have Raspberry leave.
Thunder Wings had returned to his master, the huge dragonfly knew the little
elf would do something to protect him.
Despite same reservation, Raspberry was soon flying through the forest
heading for the Misty Swamp. Thunder Wings flew as straight as an arrow and
as fast as he could. The huge insect seemed to know what was at stake. It
wasn't long before Raspberry was standing in front of Larkspur and Quercus
trying to catch her breath.
"So Mistletoe has returned to the forest." Larkspur and Quercus
stopped to think. Raspberry had told them all she knew and what Mustard
Seed wanted Larkspur to do.
"He's a very powerful mage.” Quercus continued to think. Raspberry
couldn't understand how he could be so relaxed.
"My dear," Quercus spoke in a comforting tone. "It's not that we don't
take this seriously, we do. It's just that panicking never solved anything and
planning often prevented failure. Now you relax while we think this out. It won't
be long. After all, you're looking at the world's greatest minds." Quercus and
Larkspur had to chuckled over that last remark.
Soon the two had worked out a plan. Quercus offered to return. But
knowing Thunder Wings could only carry two and that the swamp was no
place for Raspberry alone, Larkspur politely refused the offer. Besides he
wanted the fun of clobbering Mistletoe all to himself. With his pockets and
mouth stuffed with strange herbs, Larkspur had Thunder Wings carry
Raspberry and himself back to the village. Just outside the village, the mage
had the huge insect drop him off and carry Raspberry off to safety. The less
elves in the village the better, Larkspur thought as he walked toward the
village. One old mage was ready for what was about to happen.
His opponent was not ready. Mustard Seed had been successful in
keeping quiet the fact Raspberry had flown off. Mistletoe was totally surprised
when Larkspur walked into the village. He had just collected the entire village
to inform them of the laws which would be used in his town. The evil mage
never saw the magical force that sent him flying through the air. Buckwheat
and Pinecone turned to defend their patron only to find themselves also send
flying across the village out into the forest. Realizing a major fight was about to
start, the villagers ran for cover. Mustard Seed was the only elf to stay. He
was determined to help his friend. Knowing the two clowns would soon return,
the little elf had several Praying Mantises find Buckwheat and Pinecone and
hold them for a while. The two yelled and yelled for Mistletoe to help them, but
he was too busy with Larkspur. Mustard Seed then looked for Thunder Wings
and Raspberry.
"Well, well, my old friend. You're learned a few new tricks since our last
encounter." Mistletoe commented as he picked himself up and brushed off his
robe.
"Well, I see you're just as arrogant as ever. When will you learn you
can't just walk into a village and take over?" The good mage hadn’t continued
to use his magic. Larkspur was hoping Mistletoe could be reasoned with,
although he was smart enough not to turn his back on his old nemesis.
"This village is mine, old fool! Leave while you can! You’re too weak to
hold this place against me!" Mistletoe boasted as he checked his surrounding.
Before he took on some one as powerful as Larkspur, the evil mage wanted to
make sure Mustard Seed was no where around to interfere. Mistletoe had
learned of their friendship.
"You’ll never have this village!" Larkspur as he watched his foe. He didn’
t have to check his surroundings, the mage was confident his friend would
protect his back.
Fire from Mistletoe's hands hit Larkspur's ice blast half way between
them. Each used their magic at the same time. The struggle had begun and it
was soon apparent the two had met before and knew what to expect from the
other.
The bitter struggle between two power mages continued. Not wanting
to see the village destroyed, Larkspur headed it out of town. Not caring about
the village, Mistletoe thought he had his foe on the run and gladly followed. The
evil mage wanted to crush Larkspur once and for all. Mistletoe was bewildered
when, once clear of the village, the good mage again put forth heavy waves of
magic.
For hours the fight went on, neither gaining an edge. Fire flowed like
water and ice, while intended to harm one of the elves, simply put out the fire.
Rocks flew like flies and scattered like rain drops. Anything on the ground was
sent sailing towards an elf.
After a while there was nothing within their area for the two elves to
use against the other. By this time each was growing weary by the constant
drain of their energy. The struggle was also becoming sloppy. Blows were
misdirected or even failed to reach their mark. Watching from the side,
Mustard Seed knew the fight was almost over when instead of a brilliant hot
ball of fire, Mistletoe sent a bouquet of flowers hurling at Larkspur. Both
mages laughed at that mistake. Both knew the struggle was almost over, but
neither wanted to admit they hadn't won. Mistletoe's evil nature demanded that
he always have his way and Larkspur still had his secret weapon to use. While
Mistletoe was busy laughing, Larkspur ate several of the herbs in his pocket.
Feeling the effects of the herbs, Larkspur stood up and demanded
Mistletoe concede. The evil mage just laughed some more. He had seen
Larkspur eat the herb, but didn’t realize what they could do. He had always
practiced his magic and never worried about those amateurish things, they
were only for mages who couldn't master the incantations.
Back to his full powers, Larkspur released a huge hail of ice at his
opponent. Mistletoe was hurled backward by the impact. Then the tree roots
near the evil mage became whips and leashed out at Mistletoe. Before he
could rid himself of the roots, a blinding storm of pollen surrounded Mistletoe,
causing the evil mage to sneeze constantly.
Having caused Mistletoe to suffer enough, Larkspur finished his foe
with a sleep spell. The evil mage stood on his feet sounded asleep.
Out of the sky swooped Thunder Wings. With his claws grasping the
evil mage they went into the air. Larkspur and Mustard Seed watched as the
huge dragonfly carried Mistletoe out of sight and out of the forest. The
villagers hoped it was to a spot so far away the evil mage could never return.
In the mean time Silver Wings and Rain Cloud had brought Buckwheat
and Pinecone into the village, a quick trial was held. The entire village agreed
the two opportunists should be banished for a while to pay for their
foolishness. Despite pleads from the two, the verdict stood. Off into the forest
Buckwheat and Pinecone ran. When they had refused to leave on their own,
Silver Wings offered a little heated help.
As the villagers celebrated having the village back in their own control
and that their mage was once again among them, Larkspur and Mustard Seed
relaxed from their ordeal.
"Well, I didn't have to save the village this time." Mustard Seed was
happy to have his mentor beside him. "How did you know those herbs would
help you?"
"Magic isn’t everything, my friend. That's why I rarely use it. It's a
great quick way to reach a conclusion, but it rarely ever offers a permanent
conclusion." For Larkspur this was something he liked, giving his student a
good lesson where the method and object could be easily seen. "When
something comes easily, like magic, it goes just as easily. When something
takes a while to achieve, like learning all the different herbs, it never goes
away. Mistletoe chose the easy path and when he ran into something difficult,
he had no idea of what to do."
The lesson ended when Raspberry asked Larkspur to share the next
dance with her. Since she couldn't talk Mustard Seed into dancing, she hoped
maybe her friend might think it was all right if he saw Larkspur doing it. No
such luck. Mustard Seed sat back and thought to himself, well maybe at the
next party.