Grimm Tales

Golden Youth

If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon we will mend. Else the Puck a liar call. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends. William Shakespeare's A Midsummers Night's Dream

The full moon shown over a bay surrounded by forests. A single merchant ship, with three masts anchored in the middle of the bay. As a merchant ship it was allowed to have three cannons, one at the fore of the ship and two in the stern.

However the ship flew no flag of any country or merchant fleet. And in this bay there was no legitimate business for a referable merchant ship to do.

In the dead of night lit only by the moon, row boats brought logs from shore to the ship. While crew cut down the tree's from the shore. These men were pirates, illegally harvesting war wood trees.

Unbeknownst to the crew they were being watched by a single solitary figure from atop the cliff looking over the bay. A young man dressed in blacks and dark greens, colors that could be missed even in light of day. On his belt he had two battle axes, and on his back was a collapsible bow and quiver.

Pulling his axes from his belt he said a small prayer, "Gods of the Fairies give me the strength to defend your Holy Forest. Gods of humans please forgive me for raising my hand to your children this night."

The blades of the axes shimmered an eery blue as if they caught the light of the moon, then his body started to fade, turning into a mist that could be seen but hard to make out.

He ran along the edge of the cliff, building up speed the misty figure jumped off the side of the cliff. He found footing on a small ledge, used as a spring broad to jump further down the cliff. Landing, jumping, over and over again unnoticed by the ship or the pirates beneath.

As the figure descended the cliff he was picking out targets, the first target was a huge man easily seven feet tall, with muscles on top of his muscles. He held an axe almost as long as he was tall, with every swing of his axe he took away more of the trunk, as easily as if he was using a scythe to cut down tall grass.

He was the only one felling trees while the others on the shore removed the branches and dragged the trunks to the water to be taken to the ship. Even as the misty figure neared his target the giant continued to hack away at a tree until finally it snapped under its own weight.

The giant moved out of the way before the tree landed with a sickening thump. He never saw it as the misty figure made the final leap from the cliff, aiming to land a few feet past him. Striking him with the back of his own axe as he flew by.

The giant landed with a thump of his own like how he'd cut down trees that weren't ready to be cut down.

The others were confused by the new thump and turned to their comrade on the ground. A ghostly figure standing over him, "You have invaded the Holy Forest of the Fairy's. Surrender now if you wish to live."

Someone shouted "Kill him!" before shooting at the figure with an old pistol. The shoot only grazed the wisps of the fog and came no where near the real body.

Taking that shot as his answer the figure dashed towards the pirates. The other pirates fumbled to take out their own pistols; most only hit more of the mist, those that did hit the man in the mist he was protected from harm by his blessing of protection.

Once he closed the distance he made a single swing of his axe, thanks to a spell he cast on his axes he would not kill only knock out anyone he struck; without hesitation, he took down the first pirate to shoot. Dancing among the other pirates, the figure disarmed the rest.