#what would lady whistleton say?

[hezzabeth]

One of the hardest bits when writing this part involved translating everything Isabeau said into fake medieval talk.

"Is she going to keep talking like that?" Revati whispered to Aurora.

"Yes, and it's adorable," Aurora whispered back.

"Ask her about the naked people and my tent," whispered Brigadeiro.

"You should probably ask her yourself," Aurora whispered, and Bridgadeiro let go of the cart to chase after Isabeau.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Revati asked Dityaa, who was busy singing to the bees.

"I suppose so, although I feel a little conflicted about burning it," Dityaa admitted.

"It's just a glorified storage container, Didi," Revati reminded her as Dityaa helped her push the back of the cart.

"A storage container I grew in for nine months! And isn't it strange that it walked all this way to find me? Why would it do that if it was really empty?" Dityaa asked.

"Because you're probably a heroine with an extraordinary destiny," Revati replied sarcastically.

"Do you really think so? You know this does explain how close our ages are," Dityaa remarked.

"Does it?" Revati grunted as they finished walking through the archway.

Beyond the archway was a cramped market filled with hundreds of people.

Hundreds of people.

They hung off the balconies above, spilling out of the open shops.

"How…" Revati trailed off.

Whistleton only had around eighty residents.

Shakespeare lane had less than fifty.

Revati never remembered such intense crowds from her childhood.

"Sister Morganna, a firm believer in the redemption of the lost and the mending of the broken. Our noble knights venture into the wastelands once a fortnight in quest of such souls," Isabeau explained.

"Sister Morganna? I thought she was some sort of duchess," Dityaa asked.

"Sister Morganna, in the wake of the tempest's fury, discovered a divine calling, and in her unwavering devotion, she cast aside the reign of kings and queens," Isabeau replied, gesturing vaguely to a tapestry hanging from one of the balconies.

The tapestry depicted a woman wearing a crimson headdress.

Her hands were clasped together, and she was surrounded by a golden circle.

She seemed to stare at the crowd with judgmental devotion.

"Really? When the tornado killed my father, Amma said God is probably dead, and Nanni slapped her," Revati recalled as they moved the cart between two stalls.

"The blacksmith is down yonder lane. I shall take my leave of thee," Isabeau said before kissing Aurora on the cheek.

"Will you come? The lad wishes to procure his tent," she asked, nodding at Aurora and Bridgadeiro.

"Yes, we'll be back in this spot in an hour," Aurora said firmly to Revati.

The two sisters watched as Bridgadeiro, Aurora, and Isabeau melted into the crowd.

"Well, she seems very nice, not sure what she was saying most of the time... but very nice," Dityaa remarked as they headed down the alleyway.

"Oh, she's awful, she must be an amazing kisser," Revati replied as they walked down the alley.

Revati realized that Isabeau had led them to what was once the "demonstration" area.

Back before the invasion, it was the quietest, dullest part of the park.

People only ever went there to escape the thrumming crowds or buy very specific souvenirs.

Now, however, it was bustling with activity.

People were walking out of the stonemason shop holding tiny marble dragons.

Through a window, Revati spied other shoppers in the candle shop.

Ladies were gossiping outside the weaver's, some holding rolls of fabric.

In the center of it all lay the blacksmith forge.

A faded white sign reading "Emberforge" marked the entrance.

Revati pushed open the heavy doors, and a wave of coal-scented heat assaulted them.

"No more orders today, come back next week," the blacksmith remarked.

"Afternoon, Camilo," Revati said, and the blacksmith spun around.

The last time Revati saw the blacksmith, his hair had been a smooth inky black.

Now, however, it was specked with grey, and lines had blossomed around his dark eyes.

"Dear God, is that you? Is that my little Revati Sheikh?" He cried, clapping his hands over his mouth.

"Yes, it's me, Uncle," Revati said with a small smile.

"And Dityaa! Our princess!" Camilo gasped, and Dityaa smiled.

Camilo stared at them both again, completely astonished, before grabbing Revati in a tight hug.

Suddenly, Revati was seven years old again.

After trading in the pub, father would head to the Blacksmiths.

Jay and Camilo would then play around of chess together while Revati read next to the fire.

Sometimes Dityaa came as well, although she complained about the soot getting on her dress.

When Revati turned seven, Camilo had presented her with a lump of coal.

"How did you get in here? Sister Morganna's men keep a tight lid on things," Camilo said, releasing Revati only to move on to hug Dityaa.

"We snuck in! But why did Morganna cut us all off? She obviously lets other people in from the wastelands," Dityaa asked, and Camilo shrugged.

"No idea! Probably has something to do with her crazy love of a fictional deity! She also makes everyone speak like they have plums in their mouths," Camilo replied before noticing the cart.

"Is that something for me? I'm assuming you wouldn't risk your lives just to visit an old man?" Camilo asked.

"We need you to melt this down," Revati said, nodding at Bridgadeiro, who pushed off the old fabric holding the android.

Camilo's eyes widened with shock, and his lips quivered.

"I see," he whispered before rushing to the forge's door to lock them with a massive bar.

"So can you do it? Nanni is worried about what Amma will do when she sees it," Revati asked, and Camilo shook his head.

"No, the forge wouldn't be hot enough! It's built to withstand the extreme temperatures of Mars! You would have to throw it into a volcano," Camilo replied, stopping down to examine the android's broken legs.

"Great, the nearest volcano is at least a three-day walk away," sighed Revati.

Camilo looked up.

"I can repair it," he finally said.

"Oh, I don't think Mother would want that," Dityaa giggled nervously.

"I could easily turn it into autopilot mode, fix its legs, and give it a polish!" Camilo smiled eagerly.

"And it wouldn't be connected to any artificial intelligence signal clouds?" Revati asked suspiciously.

"An old model like this? Highly unlikely," Camilo said before, in a deft movement, he picked the android up, throwing it on the stone workbench.

"It was doing incredibly things before it broke down, blathering cryptic rhymes," Revati admitted.

Camilo bustled over to the android's face, pressing down on its eyes with his fingers. With a hiss, the faceplate opened, revealing a mass of dead wires and a small glass screen.

"See, this is the problem, the receiver model hasn't been locked," he said, gesturing to a small green chip with a tiny glass red center.

Revati exchanged a completely confused look with her sister.

"How do you know this? You're a blacksmith," Revati pointed out, and Camilo chuckled.

"Before the invasion, I was a Robophysician; when the appliances invaded, I was up on the roof healing the clockwork dragon's bolt rot," Camilo replied, gesturing to the chip.

"The receiver modules are designed to receive signals from the baby's parents," he said, pointing at the chip, and then he pointed at several scorched wires.

"The only problem is when the android is left unlocked, it can receive signals from everywhere! You were probably hearing a distant signal from the..." Camilo paused and looked at his phone.

The android did nothing.

"Of course, that always ends up frying the robot's processors," Camilo admitted, gesturing to the blackened wires.

Revati peered down at the mess and tangle. Revati knew that her sister was born near Mangalrajya. This robot, this thing would have had to walk for months to reach Olde Landon. No wonder its legs were glowing stumps.

"Can you fix it?" Revati asked.

"Yes, I have some wires I cannibalized from the dragon… but it will take at least a day," Camilo replied.

"Sissy! Nanny said we should melt it," Dityaa protested.

"Nanni is obviously lying to us, the appliances tried to assassinate you twice! You have this weird supernatural power! This android could have answers," Revati pointed out.

"I don't really care about answers," Dityaa replied.

"Well, I do! If something weird is going on, I need to know so I can protect our people," Revati said firmly, and Dityaa sighed.

"Fine! Fix it then," Dityaa waved, and Camilo smiled.

"Fantastic! How will you be paying?" He asked.

"Paying? You want me to pay?" Revati asked, and Camilo nodded.

"This is going to take a lot of work," he replied.

"We have a large supply of strawberries; Aurora will drop them off next time she visits," Revati said, and Camilo clapped his hands with delight.

"Let's get to work! I want to give her anti-gravity floating boots to replace the broken legs!" Camilo smiled.

Outside the forge, the air was growing damp and cold. Night was inching closer, and Dityaa shivered, running her bare arms.

"You should have brought a jacket, that dress barely reaches past your elbows," Revati pointed out, and Dityaa scowled.

"Where did everyone go?" Dityaa asked instead.

Dityaa was right; the bustling lane was almost completely empty.

"I don't know, church? They did say Lady Morganna has gone all religious," Revati guessed.

Revati's understanding of medieval London religion was spotty at best. Revati's father was a Shakta Hindu who had brought his family's idol right across Mars. It was a small idol depicting the goddess Shakta dressed in gold. Every morning, Jay would carefully wash the idol before anointing it with lemon juice. When Jay died, Amma had shoved the idol under a chair. Dityaa was the only one who pulled it out and began bathing it again.

"It seems too quiet for church, no one's yelling over the loudspeaker," Dityaa pointed out as they stepped back into the castle's main square.

The entire crowd had grown eerily quiet, standing still, facing an elevated platform.

An elevated platform Aurora and Bridgadeiro were standing on with nooses around their necks.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Revati whispered under her breath.

“Why is everyone so obsessed with murder today? Did someone taint the water supply with mushrooms again?” Devati whispered, and suddenly, the courtyard filled with the terrible blast of out-of-tune trumpets.

[ghalibsmuse]

well the bridgerton fandom is in chaos

[ignitingwriting]

Igniting Writing Fairy Tale Contest 2020, Submission by Adam Kim

The Blind King

 Once, in a kingdom far away, lived a king, his daughter and his wife. Despite being married to the king, the queen despised his personality. She hated his greed and judgment.

 Chapter 1: The Trial

 Our story begins in the kingdom of Simplitrew. It was a fine place with many lavish houses and stone paved streets. But there was one area of the kingdom that was unlike the others: Fox Hill. This was where the poor people lived. It was at the very edge of the land where it could not be seen. This was because the king despised paupers. He thought they ruined the view of the kingdom.

“‘Ello sir,” said a suitor one day. “My name is Richard Mintlerman.”

“Nice clothes but talks too strange,” said the king. “Next!”

The man was dragged out by the king’s guards and thrown out on the streets.

“Dad! I liked him,” said his daughter, Princess Gabriella. “Why do you get to decide my husband?”

“BECAUSE I AM YOUR FATHER,” the king yelled. “Your husband will rule the land one day and I need to choose a good king.”

 Chapter 2: The Last Suitors

 The suitors came and went until only one remained. Then there were none.

“We are out of suitors,” said the Queen Margaret that day. “Harold, have you ever considered finding one in Fox Hill?”

“Fox Hill?” exclaimed the king. “Are you stark raving mad?”

“Well it’s the only place with men left in all the land,” said the queen.

“The law states that the princess must marry a prince.”

“But you can change th–”

“ENOUGH” yelled the king. “I decide who my daughter marries!”

 Chapter 3: The Witch

 The queen knew what she had to do. The next day, she travelled north to the enchanted forest of Whistleton. There stood a cabin of logs which was home to a witch.

The queen found the witch at midday. She walked into the cabin and found her asleep.

“Sorry to wake you, but I am in need of your help,” said the queen. “I need to teach someone a lesson.”

 Chapter 4: The Plan

 “What do you need, darling?” snapped the witch, who had now woken up. She teleported herself next to the lady and realised this lady was in fact the queen. “Your majesty! What brings you here to my humble abode?”

“I am here for your advice,” she replied.

“Advice?” said the witch, taken aback.

“Yes.”

“Well, I am a witch, not a therapist.”

“I need to teach someone a lesson.”

“Well, I'm not a teacher either.”

“I need to pay someone back for their wrongdoings.”

“Now I'm listening!”

The two walked to a table in the corner of the room. They sat down on rusty chairs covered in spider webs and bluebottles.

“Now I have a plan. I am going to find the worst person in the world and with your help turn him gorgeous. Then I am going to take a kind-hearted man in Fox Hill and when his kindness shows, the ugly will wear off causing him to show what he really is inside. It will prove to the king that good looks are not what you judge someone on,” explained the queen.

 Chapter 5: Beautea

 “I have the perfect idea. You must give this evil man a sip of my special tea, Beautea. Then you must take a hair off this kind-hearted man and mix it with my ingredients,” said the witch.

The queen, who had come prepared, took out a piece of paper concealed up her robe sleeve.

“You will need: a teaspoon of crushed dragon scale, half a teaspoon of kidney beans, the yolk of an ostrich egg, two teaspoons of the blood of a green crested bat, a blitzed beehive and finally the juice from the fruit of the kroklop tree,” added the witch.

With that the queen left the witch, leaving her a parcel filled with bottles of mountain goat’s milk and spring onions as a gift.

 Chapter 6: Collection

 Over the next week, the queen went out searching for the ingredients. She was nearly eaten alive by a dragon. She snuck in the kitchen to steal some kidney beans as to not wake Chef Francis, who slept in the kitchen. He had a collection of iron frying pans that she had seen used on others. She stole an ostrich egg from an ostrich with its head stuck underground. She was stung 32 times by a swarm of bees. She was bitten on the hand by a green crested bat and fell 27m to the ground collecting the fruit. But it was worth it.

 Chapter 7: The Three Girl Alliance

 The queen went down to the cellar with a bag of ingredients. She pulled them out and poured them in.

“Mother! What are you doing?” said a voice from behind. It was Gabriella.

“I was just cooking dinner” she replied.

The game was up.

“Mother, hurting dad will not help.”

“He needs to be taught a lesson though and it is only going to show him the beauty inside everyone.”

“So there’s no pain involved?”

“Of course not. I'm his wife.”

“Then I'm in.”

“Me too!” said the witch, who had secretly been hiding inside the cellar. “I’m Sharon by the way and might I say, you look gorgeous.”

 Chapter 8: Fox Hill

 The three stood by the cauldron as it lit up every time an ingredient was placed. Fire burst out each time, the flames dancing like a ballerina dancing the night away.

“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Gabriella.

The next day, the three ladies travelled seven hours by carriage to the end of the land. When they arrived, the three were aghast at the conditions. There was rotting timber on the ground and flames burning through the remains of cottages.

“Visitors, ‘ey well, welcome to our area. Fox ‘ill. It used to be a great place with children playing until Kin’ ‘arold came into charge. Turned this place into a dump. But visitors are always welcome here,” an old man said.

“Mother, I think we have our man,” said Gabriella indicating the elderly man. “And I have found our bully,” pointing to a teenager dressed in black stealing a family’s food.

 Chapter 9: Drink It

 The queen dressed the bully up in a red suit whilst he drank his Beautea. The witch was giving the two the potion. They were ready. They walked into the castle.

 Chapter 10: The Final Straw

 The guards stood in line quietly muttering and staring at the tramp. He was nervous. The king awaited them at the throne.

“Let me single out that tramp. There is no way my darling daughter Gabriella will marry this freak,” said the king, “but I think this other man is the perfect match for my girl.”

As the tramp went off, the witch said her spell, “If his looks do not exceed what your daughter really needs, your daughter’s heart that she must win is with the beauty deep within.”

At that moment, the outer layer of their skin melted revealing their true beauty. The rich man now looked like a hideous freak and the tramp turned into a gorgeous prince.

“Ah, my eyes!” exclaimed the king. “They are burning, I cannot see.”

The king was blinded as, if he could not see beauty, he could not see anything.

“Father, I will marry this man if it kills me,” Gabriella said confidently.

 Epilogue

 A few months later, the king gave up and changed the law. Gabriella would be crowned queen the next day.

The ceremony was amazing and the celebrations were endless. The first thing Queen Gabriella did was reuniting the poor with the rich. Fox Hill was now a legend and a place long forgotten, as beauty is found within.