Loki's Apprentice: A Tale Retold

Chapter 5: Many Misfortunes

"At length he made out some sort of path, but it was so rough and slippery that he fell down more than once. Presently it led him into an avenue of trees which ended in a splendid castle."

- Madame de Villeneuve

After a day into the father's journey, he still held on to joy and excitment the jewel in his pocket had brought him and his family. As he passed tiny villages and different lanscapes, he couldn't help thinking of the life he would be able to provide for his children once again. It brought him great happiness and made the journey not feel quite as long as it was.

He thought of the shops he would go to, to buy the things his children had requested. The only request that seemed the hardest to fulfill was the simlpest. His youngest, Evelyn, had only asked for a beautiful rose. He of course had seen some on the way, but none were good enough. He wanted one that was able to compare to her beauty, and he was still at a loss of were to find one of that sort.

When that second day came to a close, he stopped at a nearby inn, and was only a few days away from the city. But the day had ended and he was ready to take his fill of food and get some sleep. After arranging a room, he sat down and with the little money he had left, bought a steaming bowl of soup.

As he felt the warm liquid soothe his throat, he couldn't help but notice a group of men, drinking ale in the corner, watch him as he ate. They continued to watch him and paranoia was steadily growing inside him. He drew his coat closer to him, finished his meal, and left to his room.

When he had awoke the next morning, all thoughts of the men left his mind and he gathered his things to continue to the city. He paid the inn for his stay and went to the stables to get his horse to leave. When he passed the corner of the inn he was roughly pulled back, and the jewel flew out of his coat, shimmering in the light.

"I told yer' he had somthin' " A gruff and unintelligent voice said behind him. Probably the one who pulled him back.

Another man, tattooed and scarred, picked up the fallen jewel and smiled with his many golden teeth at it.

"And I thought you were just a poor farmer," The one with the jewel said, slowly bringing his gaze upon the father. "Looks like its your lucky day. If you had nothing for us i would've been... disapointed."

The man began to walk away, but then a panic arose in the father. He that the man was taking away his only hope of helping his family.

"No!" He yells as he breaks free from whomever was holding him back and dove for the man. The jewel fell to the ground and both men made for it, but with a blow to the head the father fell to the floor and watched as the man picked up the jewel before everything went to black.

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When he had finally regained consciousness, he found himself in the same position he was in before all went black. No one had cared to carry him away from the harsh rays of the sun, or tried to revive him.

He groaned as he slowly got up and felt his head for injuries. He only had a slit cut on his head, nothing serious, but hurt all the same. With low spirits and a heavy heart, he picked up his satchel that layed sprawled on the ground, and went to get his horse.

All hope had left him, for he was returning home just as poor as he left. He was not ready to see the disapointment on his children's faces when he comes back empty handed. To make matters worse, on the next day the growing grey clouds above him became a terrible storm during the night; making it hard to continue his journey.

Although he was very cold and very tired, he knew that he was only a few hours away from home. So he decided to continue on his journey and try to ignore the chilling weather. But night overtook him once again, and the chill of the air and the deepness of the snow made it close to impossible for his horse to carry him any further.

With no house to be seen, he took shelter, and he only found a hallow trunk of a tree to rest in. That night was the longest night he had ever lived. As he crouched in his shelter trying to stay warm, the calls of beasts reached his ears and a panic filled his chest, never fading until daylight appeared.

He mounted his horse once again, but to his dimay, all paths were buried under a thick blanket of snow and he did not remember which way led back to his home. After a bit time of trying to find the right way, he was able to uncover one path, and followed it. He figured if it led him to a village, he would just ask the way from there.

He led his horse by the reins, for it seemed that it was getting nervous and it didn't help ease the creature when the he kept falling because the path was rough and slippery. The forest began to change and soon he was surrounded by an avenue of trees, and a splendid castle came into his view.

He marveled at its sight, but then was startled to see that no snow laid on its grounds, almost as if each snowflake was advoiding it as it fell. An orchard lined with fresh fruit and flowers laid untouched by the bitter wather in the castle's perimeter.

He was drawn to it and immediately made his way towards it, only wanting to get away from the bitter cold. He stopped where the line of fallen snow ended and contemplated on whether it was safe to enter. After thinking it through, he figured it was his best option, and he took a step forward. Warmth immediately embraced him and the sweet scents of flowers and rippened fruits met his nose.

He arrived at the large doors of the castle and lifted his hand to knock, but the grand doors slowly opened before his hand could even touch it. He left his horse to graze the grass and stepped in. He saw a spiralling staircase at the corner of the first court and it was decorated in agate steps. The warmth of the castle had awakened him a bit and so he climbed the steps and walked down the many halls. He walked by many rooms decorated with splendid furniture and many riches.

He continued looking around, in hopes of finding whomever lived in such a grand place, but it was so eerily quiet. The deep silence that seemed to have a hold on the castle was starting to worry him, and he started to wonder if he was the only one there in the vast castle.

He grew tired of roaming and the pain of hunger was clawing at his stomach. He finaly came to a stop in a small room, he noticed it was smaller than the rest and did not have quite as much luxuries but a warm fire was burning. Beside the fire sat two couches, which seemed to call out to him.

He knew that who ever set this up would return shortly, so he sat down in the one facing the doorway. He sighed as he took in the warmth of the fire, and was finally able to peacfully rest his weary body.

And without meaning to, he fell into a deep and sweet slumber.

Hey Guys!

Hope you liked this chapter :)

Please leave me your thoughts, I like to hear what you do/don't like.

i might update tomorrow...would you like that?

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P.S. What do you think is going to happen next?

-Em