Sari by Jason Pedersen

So, I saw it was ‘Tell a Fairy Tale Day’ and wanted to do something.  My first thought was to do a bunch of memes.  I was also going to maybe promote an old experiment of mine called The Hopeteller.  That was an attempt 1st person storytelling and creating fairy tales.  Instead, I’m going to post an old fairy tale I made in 2013.  Can’t tell if I edited it, but it was fun to write.  It stars Sari who debuted in Allure of the Gypsies.  Enjoy!

Once upon a time there was a noble Queen and a young Princess. They lived peacefully in the kingdom of Shayde until an evil King took the throne.  He was kind and fair at first, allowing them to live in the castle. Yet as time went on, the King became cold and cruel toward the Queen and Princess. They were so scared that they never left each others side and slept in the same room with the door locked.  Their fear became greater when they learned that the King was preparing to execute them by the end of the week.

One day, the Queen and the Princess went to the local market.  Within minutes of being in the crowd, the Princess had gotten lost and was panicking.  Every shadow held an agent of the evil King and she hurried to escape into the light.  She nearly screamed when she turned a corner and bumped into a young, blue-haired woman in colorful skirts.

The young woman tumbled backwards and flipped up to her feet with a pretty smile. “That’s a rude greeting.”

“I am sorry, but you scared me,” the Princess replied. “I am in fear for my life because the King wishes to have my mother and I killed.”

“Then, you should run away,” the young woman stated.

“My mother and I would not know where to go,” the Princess admitted with tears growing in her eyes. “I am the Princess and she is the Queen. Neither of us has ever left the kingdom. The King would surely pursue and capture us.”

“In that case, you’re lucky,” the young woman declared. She bowed to the Princess until her long, blue hair covered the ground. “I’m Sari the gypsy. Escaping is my specialty and I would be happy to rescue you and your mother.”

The Princess was speechless as she looked that young woman. Sari was short and could not be much older than the Princess herself.  Yet, the Princess had heard of the mysterious gypsies that wandered the land.  They were considered thieves and tricksters by some and heroes and entertainers by others.  One look at Sari and the Princess could tell that both stories were probably true.

“What would we owe you for helping us leave Shayde?” the Princess asked out of curiosity.

Sari gracefully spun on her toes as she thought and her hand stroked her chin. “I can get what I want whenever I want.  I never find myself in need.  Though, I might find something along the way.  Promise me you’ll let me have what I want when I ask for it.  I assure you that it won’t be steep.”

“You have my word,” the Princess said without waiting to think. “Can we escape the castle tonight?”

“Of course, but you must get me four things,” Sari said. Gently she led the Princess back to the crowd where the Queen fretted and fussed. “A sweet cake, a leg bone, a hook on some twine, and a whistle of wood.  Those are all I need to save you and your mom.”

“I will buy those for you before I return to the castle,” the Princess agreed. She hurried to tell the Queen the good news and prepare for their freedom.

That night, the Queen and the Princess were excited and scared.  They were dressed all in black and hid coins in their boots, wondering what waited for them beyond the kingdom of Shayde.  It was midnight when a click came from the door and Sari wandered in with a smile on her face. The gypsy was still dressed in bright skirts and a cloak, which the Princess thought was odd for a late night escape.

“Why are you wearing that?” the Queen asked in dismay.

“Because these are my clothes,” Sari said with a grin. “May I have the sweet cake that you promised I’d get?”

The Princess politely handed the yellow cake to Sari, who split it in two.  To the shock of the Queen, Sari gobbled one half down in the rudest way possible.  Before the Queen could speak, Sari walked to the balcony and threw open the doors.  She laid the cake on the railing and looked out to the stars.

“We cannot jump from here.  We must go out the front door,” the Queen said with concern.

“The King is prepared to kill you at dawn. So tonight we must fly,” Sari happily claimed.

Sari breathed out and a mist left her lips as the magic of gypsies caught on a breeze.  The mist disappeared beyond the far walls where a new form quickly came into view.  Large wings of brown feathers and fur of gold could be seen in the moonlight as the griffin silently swooped onto the balcony.  With a purring coo, the beast snatched up the remaining sweet cake and nuzzled Sari on the head.

“Lucy will take us to the forest’s edge,” Sari said as she hopped on the griffin.

The Queen and the Princess climbed up on the beast and hung on for dear life when it flew to the sky.  Several shouts rang out as they saw guards run around the castle.  The evil King saw them too and scowled in fury.  He would chase them immediately upon his fastest horse, which would still be too slow for the fast flying griffin.  Within minutes, the capital city was behind them and they were soaring among the clouds.

The griffin landed outside of the forest and bowed to the gypsy before returning to the sky.  The Queen and the Princess watched it fly away, wondering why the griffin could not take them further.

“She has babies to tend to,” Sari stated as if reading their thoughts.  “One must always take care of their babies. Isn’t that right, your majesty?”

“Of course,” the Queen stated, her courage growing at once.

The Queen took her daughter’s hand and followed Sari into the forest.  It was too dark to see very far, but they could easily follow the bright skirts of Sari.  She bobbed and she weaved around the trees and some stumps.  Bats flew above their heads and the eyes of curious wolves could be seen in the distance.  None of these creatures tried to attack them and the Princess believed it had something to do with the gypsy.

Eventually, they arrived at a bridge that crossed over a raging river.  Sari turned to the Princess and held out her hand.

“May I please have the leg bone?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes,” the Princess replied.  She handed the leg bone of a cow to the gypsy, who took it with a glowing blue hand.

With leg bone in hand, Sari marched onto the bridge and made a small bleat.  The ground shook as the mighty troll stepped out from below and pulled himself onto the bridge.  The Queen screamed and fell back, her rump striking the mud.  The wart-covered troll ignored her and crouched down to inspect the small gypsy.

“You no goat. Why on bridge?” he asked in a voice loud and gruff.

“I must cross and it would be rude to do so without paying your toll,” Sari pleasantly said while holding out the bone.  “I give you a juicy leg bone in exchange for safe passage.”

“I want meat. You are meat,” the troll said as he licked his lips.

“This is an appetizer. The main course is over there,” Sari stated. She gestured toward the Princess and the Queen, who turned red in the face.  “I need to cross and these are my gifts to you great troll.”

The Princess was about to yell when Sari playfully winked at her and tossed the bone to the troll.  It was eaten at once by the disgusting troll, who happily crunched on the tasty bone.  A blue spark erupted in his mouth and he yawned while his eyes began to close.  The troll fell asleep and tumbled off the bridge where the river whisked him away.

“You tricked him,” the Princess whispered as she approached Sari.

“I’m a gypsy, your highness.  We trick and we prank, but we are always loyal to our friends,” Sari proudly declared.  She looked back at the Queen, who was still stuck in the mud. “You should go help your mother.  Daughters need to help their mothers if they are ever in trouble.”

The Princess agreed and pulled her mom from the mud.  They raced across the bridge as the sound of horses could be heard from the forest.  The evil King was right on their heels with ten of his men.  He followed them into the mountain pass where small stones rolled from the cliffs above their heads.  He chased them around boulders and through caves until they felt he would never let them go.

“May I have the wooden whistle?” Sari asked as they reached the end of the mountain pass.  “Keep running when I stop.”

The Princess handed Sari the whistle and ran faster when she saw the galloping knights coming around a bend in the road.  Sari played the whistle with a powerful song that shook and shivered the mountain.  Boulders fell from the highest cliffs and trapped the evil King and his men between them.

“Your path ahead is clear,” Sari said with her smile. “May I have the hook and twine to catch my reward?”

“You will not come with us?” the Queen delicately asked.

Sari took the last tool from the Princess’s hand and bowed to the Queen.  “Your majesty, you only needed me to get you this far.  Depend on each other and you will make it the rest of the way.  The border of Shayde is over that hill and he can’t follow you there.”

“Thank you,” the Queen said with a bow.

“What is your reward?” the Princess asked.

“I saw something shiny in the mountain pass that caught my eye,” Sari answered. Her smile widens further and she climbs up the rocks.  “I suggest you leave before he finds his way through.  Good luck to both of you.  Maybe Shayde will be safe for you one day.”

The Princess and the Queen hurried off to the hill.  They made it to the neighboring kingdom of Rodillen where their family ruled.  Both mother and daughter found strength in each other from that day forth.  Not just being scared with each other, but being brave together.

What of Sari you may ask?  The shiny object that caught her eye was none other than the crown of Shayde.  She snatched it from the evil King’s head and returned to claim the throne for herself.  There is even word that she has a talented court jester . . . who used to be a king.