Unity

Bottles from the Sky

It was a lovely day to be a Flagfell.  Kwald and Swald Pheldine, the only twins in Garbagod, were out playing in the glorious sunshine, in the grassy meadow. Kwald was running away from Swald and Swald was chasing after Kwald.

            “I’m going to get you, Kwald” yelled Swald happily.

            “No way, Swald!” replied Kwald, equally as cheerful.  Swald was naturally faster than Kwald, so he was catching up to him. As he approached, out of the sky, an object suddenly appeared.

            “The Bottle” yelled some of the young children, frightened by the sight of the infamous object. It was too late for Swald though. He was running as fast as he could to catch Kwald and couldn’t stop in time. The bottle hit him right on the head as Swald fell down.

            “Swald!!” screamed Kwald. Kwald knew the story of the bottle. A few years back, a Flagfell had been hit by an object like this. He was an earless Flagfell and after being hit by the bottle, he had been locked up. He was supposedly a raving lunatic, going on about a city in the forest and a wall and something about a Margartown or something. Everyone knew that the bottle was cursed and now Swald had been hit by it.

            This was not the only issue that Kwald had dealt with in life. Kwald and Swald were earless Flagfell. As such, neither of them had any rights. Swald would not get healed by the healers, nor would he have a comfortable bed to rest in.  Swald looked in a really bad way and Kwald feared for his safety. Kwald had no idea what to do. Despairing, he knelt down on the ground and sobbed.

            “Quickly! Follow me” whispered a strange voice. Kwald’s eyes shot up, but saw nothing.  “We haven’t much time.” Then, Kwald’s eyes focussed. He could see the outline of a person, in a black cloak, walking away.  Frantically, in an act of desperation, Kwald threw Swald onto his shoulder and walked behind the stranger.

            As he walked towards the Castle of Garbagod, Kwald noticed something about the leader. Ears were protruding from the hood. For an eared Flagfell to be talking to, let alone helping, an earless Flagfell, was unheard of. He was unsure how to act around this strange Flagfell. He decided to just keep walking.

            As the trio entered the castle, the cloaked, eared Flagfell pushed them into a corridor. Kwald nearly dropped Swald with fright, however managed to keep silent. 

            “I’m going to take you to the lord” murmured the eared Flagfell. “He will send you into the forest. If you want to help your brother, you must go. I will attempt to join you on your journey. Now go.” With that, the strange Flagfell walked off and disappeared. Frightened beyond wits, Kwald set off to the lord’s quarters.

            The lord of Garbagod was a highly prestigious title. It had been bestowed upon him because he had the longest ears, as such looked down on those without ears at all. Kwald was nervous around such a prestigious figure.

            “Enter!” beckoned the lord menacingly.

            “P-p-p-please help me. The cursed bottle, it hit my brother. Please help”

            “Stop babbling, you earless freak” yelled the lord. “Your brother was hit by the bottle from the sky, I heard about it. Tell me, was something in the bottle?”

            “There was a note” replied Kwald.

            “Well then read it” ordered the lord. Kwald felt for the note in his pocket and began to read.

Please, Flagfell from Garbagod, help us.

Both we and you are in danger if we do not act.

-Men of Margartown

            “Sir, what do they mean, you are in danger. Who are these men of Margartown?’

            “Kwald” started the lord. “You must trust me. You must go into the forest, find the sender of the message and ask them why they are attacking our castle. In exchange for you and your brother promising to do this most noble act, I will help your brother to heal.” Kwald recalled the strange Flagfell’s message earlier and agreed immediately. “Excellent” replied the lord. “You must leave as soon as your brother is walking. Now, off to the medical wing you go.”

            Kwald raced off to the medical wing to get Swald healed. He reached his destination quickly and the nurses quickly took Kwald off his hands. Swald was unsure what to do, as he had never been to this area of the castle before. He wanted to wait for Kwald and so sat in one of the nearby chairs. The chair was soft and comfortable, unlike anything Kwald had ever experienced. Almost as soon as he sat down, the little Flagfell fell asleep.

            A short while later, the lord entered the medical wing.

            “Earless!” yelled the lord, startling Kwald from his slumber. “Why are you still here?”

“I’m waiting for my brother” replied Kwald, still half asleep.

“Your brother died an hour ago” responded the lord, coldly, without emotion. “You must go into the forest, immediately. We had a deal!” Kwald was beyond words and found himself drifting into the woods, as if someone else was controlling. Kwald just kept walking in the forest, before he fell over and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Eventually, he slept. Some time later, the cloaked figure, who had been watching him, could bare it no more. She gently woke him and Kwald emerged from his slumber.

“Hello there, Kwald” said the cloaked Flagfell. When Kwald looked up, he appeared startled. “Don’t worry little one. Everything is okay.” With that, Kwald started sobbing again. It took some time for Kwald to settle down again. “Now, how about I explain who I am” started the cloaked Flagfell. “My name is Philadelphia Bunstings and I am a warrior of Garbagod. I was once earless, like you, however I have changed. I was the warrior that accompanied Eugene and Owen Gortar through the forest.”

“The forest?” questioned Kwald. “The Gortars never went into the forest. They made it all up”

“The Gortars most definitely did go into the forest with me, little one. One day, a bottle landed on Eugene’s head, just like your brother. Owen took his brother to the lord and he gave you the same errand. Rest assured everything he has said is true. The lord simply didn’t believe him, and so sent him to the dungeons. I saw this happen and went into hiding. My ears are fake, to help me blend in. Do you have any questions?” Kwald was stunned into silence, with his imagination going into overdrive. “We must walk” announced Philadelphia, as the duo set off towards the end of the forest.