Post by Starkle on Feb 9, 2015 10:12:04 GMT -5
So its been a while since I put a story on here, so here's my latest. It's gonna lead onto something bigger. I think Princess Crystella should find it of relevance!?! 
If you haven't read my Zelf stories here on the forums, check them out! I always appreciate feedback!!
Miss Clover and the Secret History of Zardenia
It was known as the Witching Hour. That time, dead of night, when nothing was stirring. The moon half hidden by smokey dark clouds, bathed the land in a lumnious whitish glow. Even the crickets and fireflies, known for their nocturnal activities had long since retired to the comfort of their beds. A gentle breeze rustled through the shrubs and grasses of Zardenia, and all the little Zelfs were tucked up in their beds, fast asleep and dreaming of what adventures awaited them when they awoke.
Spellinda, lay in her squishy cushioned bed, with her beloved cat 'Cosmic Creepers' snuggled up beside her. The teal green Zelf smiled in her sleep, content that her cauldron was brewing on the hearth nearby and whatever concoction inside blew up little pink puffs of smoke that delicately floated out through the window and into the night air.
Vampula was gracefully asleep in her velvet lined coffin, her rosy pink arms folded over her chest, and her hair perfectly coiffured around her pillow, with two little purple bats flying around her head, like a child's mobile hanging overhead, keeping awatch.
Inside the Flitterpad, Buttershy was in her chrysalis hammock, her legs and arms splayed at funny angles, as she gently buzzed, and her hair was sticking out in different directions making her look frazzled, but she was in a deep sleep so didn't really care. In her dream she was chasing butterflies across the meadows with a net, but letting them go as soon as she caught one. She was happy in the land of dreams.
A shadow darted past the window, but it was not enough to disturb her. It seems somebody was awake at this unusual hour, after all.
Now I'm sure you've been told before all about the rare and elusive Miss Clover, the secretive Zelf who has been seen the least in all of Zardenia. She was a pretty apple-green Zelf, who would never have believed it if you had told her. Not that you would ever have a conversation with her, as she was so shy that you would never have seen her. She always hid in the shadows and bushes whenever anyone was in her vicinity, because she was so shy and timid, that she was frightened of almost everyone and everything in Zardenia. Not that this stopped her exploring, she just chose to do it when everyone was fast asleep and at the time where there was the least chance of ever bumping into her. The Witching Hour was the perfect time for Miss Clover to be outside. Nobody was awake, and it was her alone time.
She would flit from rock to tree to bush, but only after pausing and waiting carefully for anything that moved, before she continued on her way. She was extremely patient and could remain as still as a statue, so as not to draw any unecessary attention to herself. The fact was, that occasionally she would be spotted out of the corner of some Zelf's eye, but in a matter of milliseconds she would be long gone, and the other Zelfs had gotten used to her ways. No Zelf had ever had a chat with her, she was much too fast for that and if any Zelf tried, Miss Clover would be so far away before you could click your fingers!
This also made Miss Clover, deeply upset and unhappy. She was so shy, that she couldn't bear to bring herzelf to ever talk to anyone. Like ever. She had never so much as uttered a word to a single Zelf in all of Zardenia and she was so scared of what would happen if she dared to, that she just simply never did. She understood that she didn't really have any friends becuase of her crippling shyness. If she was close than 10 feet away from another Zelf, she would shake like a leaf, and be unable to stand it, so she had her routine, and planned her escape routes in case an zaccident ever occured. Poor little Miss Clover!
She wanted desperately to be braver, stronger, more confident and accepted by the other Zelfs, but knew that the problem lay within herself. A couple of times, she had tried in her own way to bring herself to make contact with another Zelf but it always ended up with Miss Clover, stood with a look of horror on her face, stammering and then zipping off before another Zelf could say anything to her. Miss Clover would find a quiet spot, far away and burst into tears. Poor poor Miss Clover!
Now this evening, Miss Clover was content that she was the only one awake and could flit around where she pleased. She sat on the swings in Zoho Park and made herself giddy, swinging back and forth, knowing her fellow Zelfs were fast asleep and she had free reign over the lands. She had stayed hidden in the bushes, for hours waiting for the last Zelf of the night to yawn, stretch and finally fall asleep. It had been Dolly this time, it was usually one of the Nocturnals - Dolly the Moth, Lunanne the Moon Fairy, Lullaby the Dream Zelf or Owlmanda the Owl Zelf that were the amongst the last to fall asleep. It was at this time, the Witching Hour as they called it, when Miss Clover felt free as a bird and relished the thought that she could go about undisturbed for at least a few hours. Zardenia was hers, and hers alone at this time.
After she was done on the swings, Miss Clover made her way over to the Zoriental Gardens, where she could hear the rhythmic breathings of the Zelfs who inhabited the bamboo hut and flitted across to the Zegie patch. Miss Clover was a keen gardener and kept a watchful eye on the plants and vegetables being grown. Sometimes when the Zelfs awoke, they would find the soil freshly raked, and the plants well nourished and hydrated over-night and wondered who was behind it. Once Miss Clover had finished her 'chores' and spoke to the plants, singing one of her many sweet songs to help them grow, she left and headed north.
Miss Clover gently flapped her glittery green wings, as she flew over Zardenia at a safe enough distance, she looked down and thought how beautiful her homeland was. Then her thoughts turned to her lack of friends. She was sad that she was too shy to make friends, and too worried what the other Zelfs would think of her, to do anything about it. She wondered what it would be like, to have even one Zelf that she could communicate with, but the thought of starting a conversation filled her with so much dread and anxiety, that she accidently flew too low and had to recorrect her aligned flight path before she crashed into a tree!
Presently Miss Clover flew past the Moon Lagoon, and watched her reflection in the still waters flying overhead.
'Why hello there!' she said to herself. 'How are you tonight?'
Her reflection answered back. That made her giggle. Miss Clover fluttered down, and thought for a second, maybe she could practice having a conversation with herself. She tiptoed to the edge of the rock pool and looked at herzelf. She batted her eyelashes, and the Miss Clover in the water batted them back at her. She closed her eyes, and put her hands over them, then made a 'peep-bo!' with her mouth, and uncovered her now open eyes and laughed merrily at her reflection echoing her. She beamed at herself in the ripples of the water, and the zelf smiled back.
'Hello, my name is Miss Clover and I would like it very much if we could be friends?' she said to herself.
'Okay! I'd love it also!' it said back to her. She giggled, feeling slightly foolish yet so happy at the same time.
'Oh wow. My very first friend.' she said aloud.
She pulled some silly faces at her reflection and supressed her giggles as they repeated back to her in the mirror like waters.
'Hello? What on Zearth are you doing?' asked a melodic voice somewhere behind her.
Miss Clover froze for a split second then zipped off as fast and high as she could go, and was far away in a moments time, leaving a bewildered Lunanne behind.
She took off towards the palace as quick as her wings would take her, feeling ashamed that someone had seen her, and being silly aswell. Miss Clover was beyond mortified.
She looked around, for signs of anyone and seeing none, sat down on a branch of a tree, overhanging the Palace Gardens.
'Oh dear', she thought to herself. 'You just had a chance to speak to someone else and did what you always do, took off! How are you ever going to make friends???' Miss Clover breathed quickly, regaining her composure.
'Right, that's it. The very next Zelf you meet, you will stop, not run away, and will speak to them. Stop being so silly Miss Clover, just take a deep breath, say hello and wait for a response. Its time to pull yourself together.'
Miss Clover sat for a second more, then determinedly, brushed her silky dark green hair, and rubbed her hands together. This was it. Time to be brave for once.
Then she remembered that it was night time and most of the Zelfs would be asleep.
'Hmmm....maybe I could do it in the morning?' she said deflatedly.
'No, you will seek out a Zelf who may be around. You are a strong, confident Zelfette.' her braver voice said to her.
'I'm not sure? Maybe tomorrow will be best?' her scaredy voice said to her.
'Nope. Time to do this. Tonight, no hesitations.' her other voice answered.
'But, b...ut....' she replied.
'No if's, no buts. Time to be brave girl, find a Zelf and say Hello. Whats the worse thing that could happen?'
Miss Clover sighed. Her brave voice was right, if she didn't do it now, she would find and make excuses to not do it tomorrow or the next day. She looked around for signs of life, and almost jumped out of her skin, as she had been sat right on a branch below another Zelf who was now watching her curiously.
'H....how long have you been there?' she stammered, rooted to the spot.
'I was just zeetting here, having za cat nap actually. When you flew down, I zawoke and listened to you talking to yourzelf.' the blue and purple cat spoke softly to her with one eye open, he was resting on his arms and curled into a sleepy position on the branch above.
'Oh....oh dear. I'm so embarassed.' she said, blushing.
'Ah madamoiselle, don't be. You wouldn't believe half ze things I see in Zardenia. And guess what, here you are talking to me, another Zelf. You should be immensely proud of zat.'
Miss Clover thought about it, it was true. This was the first time she could remember talking to someone.
'Oh wow. I did it! I'm really talking. Wow!' she said, pleased as punch.
'Yez, yez. Now you should use zat confidence and go find another Zelf to talk to. The more you talk, ze braver you get.' Catsby purred at her. He yawned.
'Yes, you're right. I need to find someone else to talk to now. Goodbye and Thankyou!' she said jumping down from the tree. Catsby stretched, then curled up in a ball again, placed his head on his arms and muttered 'I'll just have zanother five more minutes.' and fell back asleep.
Miss Clover landed near the wall, and immediately saw a flickering light in a passage way half way down the wall. Perhaps there was someone else she could talk to now? She crept down the corridor, following the candles that lit her way, and feeling immensely proud that she had spoken to her very first Zelf.
At the end of the passage, she found herself in a vast room, filled with hundreds and hundreds of scrolls and rolled up parchments. There were bookcases and shelves, and a large table in the centre of the room, all filled and covered with scrolls.
'Wow. Where am I?' she wondered. 'I've never been here before.' she looked around in wonder. Miss Clover, lit only by the light of the candles, was amazed and in awe at such a place.
A noise made her stop in her tracks, it sounded like a loud noisy creature or monster. Oh no!
'Maybe I shouldn't really be here?' she said to herself. But instead of creeping away, she found her legs were walking her around the table towards the beast!
As she edged around the table covered in scrolls, she found herself face to face with the source of the noise.
Old Grandfather Time was fast asleep in a comfy big chair by the fire, with a scroll on his knee. He was snoring away. Awwwww, he was like a sweet old Grandpa!
Miss Clover smiled at him, she knew all about Grandfather Time and he was one of the most kindest, friendliest Zelfs in the whole of Zardenia. She was about to step away, when she turned around to leave and knocked a parchment off the table which clattered onto the hard stone floor.
'Ach, who's there?' the old Zelf awoke with a start, rubbing his big bushy white beard.
'Oops I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. It was an accident!' Miss Clover said, picking up the scroll and placing it back on the table.
'What's that? I wasn't asleep. I was just resting my eyes.' he slowly shuffled onto his feet.
'Oh it's you, little Miss Clover. I don't believe I've seen you in such a long time. Since your birth actually. How are you my sweet little Emerald?' he asked kindly as he slowly made his way over towards her.
Miss Clover hadn't realised it had been so long since she had spoken to anyone. Since her birth??? Really that long?
'Hello Grampy.' she said smiling sweetly. 'I'm sorry it has been a while, truly.'
'I was wondering when you would find you're way down here.' he said taking his place back at the table and the scrolls again. He picked up his quill and began writing on the nearest paper.
'What is this place?' she asked in wonder.
'This place? Why this is the History room. Don't you know of it?' he asked, carrying on with his work. She shook her head. He didn't seem to notice as he continued writing.
Miss Clover looked at the nearest scroll, and read the words.
'History of Zardenia - 1261-1262. Grampa, what are all these?' she asked curiously.
'Why, they are the History scrolls. Of all of Zardenia.'
'Yes, but what exactly are they?'
'Each and every day I chronicle the events of Zardenia, each and every scroll represents a year in the history of our existence.
'Oh wow. That's a lot of scrolls.'
'Yes, yes it is. And for an old Zelf like me. Very tiring.' he said.
'I bet. Why do you do it?' she asked.
'Because nobody else does. Its important to document it all. In case we ever forget.'
'I see. How old is Zardenia then?'
'Mmmmm......I can't remember.' the old Zelf scratched his forehead with his quill pen, leaving an ink blotch on his light grey skin. Miss Clover almost giggled but restrained herself.
'I've been writing these a long long time.' he replied almost to himself as he continued to work.
'Do you mind if I read some Grandfather?' she asked sweetly.
'Of course you can my dear. It will nice to have some company. Sit in that chair over there, by the fire. Its rather comfortable.' he said backoning to his armchair.
Miss Clover grabbed a couple of scrolls and sat down. Using the fire as her light, she began to read.
'History of Zardenia - 1387 - 1388....'
She began to read, and read and in twenty minutes had finished.
'Oh wow. So much stuff happened.' She put the scrolls back and picked up some more. Grandpappy Time's scribbling, was the only noise in the room as he continued with his work.
Miss Clover sat back down, and kept on reading. Ten minutes later she stopped, in shock and said out loud 'Oh!'.
'Grandfather Time stopped and looked at her in bewilderment.
'Whats wrong?' he asked, concerned.
'This can't be right, can it?' she said pointing at her scroll.
'What, what is it?' he shuffled down off his bench and slowly inched towards her in the chair.
'This scroll. It says... but it can't be...can it? Is it all true?' she asked in surprise.
Grandfather gently took the scroll from her, as she sat completely stunned. He eyed the scroll carefully. His eyes weren't what they used to be.
'Ah yes. The Great Zelf War of 1330. The Dark Ages we called it.' he read.
'But, it can't be true. Surely not?' she was shocked to the core.
'But yes. There was a big battle between all the creatures, trolls and centaurs, and elves and goblins, witches and warriors, man-kind and Zelf-kind too.' Grandfather Time took her hand to steady her.
'But....it says Zardenia fell and all the Zelfs were lost and scattered? How can it be? Our beautiful land ruined and in decay! It's not possible.'
'My dear, its entirely possible. And it did happen. I should know, I was there. A mere young Zelfling at the time, but it did indeed happen. Perhaps I should tell you all about it. Come on, lets make some tea and I'll tell you all about it. It's a story that concerns you very much, your ancestors played an important role in its history.' the old Zelf took Miss Clover by the hand and she allowed him to lead her to the kitchens to make a steaming hot cup of sweet tea, and five minutes later, he was sat in his squidgy armchair and Miss Clover was sat on the mat beside him, as he stirred his tea he looked sad and far away as the memories of his tale swirled within his mind, and he began the story......
to be continued....
If you haven't read my Zelf stories here on the forums, check them out! I always appreciate feedback!! Miss Clover and the Secret History of Zardenia
It was known as the Witching Hour. That time, dead of night, when nothing was stirring. The moon half hidden by smokey dark clouds, bathed the land in a lumnious whitish glow. Even the crickets and fireflies, known for their nocturnal activities had long since retired to the comfort of their beds. A gentle breeze rustled through the shrubs and grasses of Zardenia, and all the little Zelfs were tucked up in their beds, fast asleep and dreaming of what adventures awaited them when they awoke.
Spellinda, lay in her squishy cushioned bed, with her beloved cat 'Cosmic Creepers' snuggled up beside her. The teal green Zelf smiled in her sleep, content that her cauldron was brewing on the hearth nearby and whatever concoction inside blew up little pink puffs of smoke that delicately floated out through the window and into the night air.
Vampula was gracefully asleep in her velvet lined coffin, her rosy pink arms folded over her chest, and her hair perfectly coiffured around her pillow, with two little purple bats flying around her head, like a child's mobile hanging overhead, keeping awatch.
Inside the Flitterpad, Buttershy was in her chrysalis hammock, her legs and arms splayed at funny angles, as she gently buzzed, and her hair was sticking out in different directions making her look frazzled, but she was in a deep sleep so didn't really care. In her dream she was chasing butterflies across the meadows with a net, but letting them go as soon as she caught one. She was happy in the land of dreams.
A shadow darted past the window, but it was not enough to disturb her. It seems somebody was awake at this unusual hour, after all.
Now I'm sure you've been told before all about the rare and elusive Miss Clover, the secretive Zelf who has been seen the least in all of Zardenia. She was a pretty apple-green Zelf, who would never have believed it if you had told her. Not that you would ever have a conversation with her, as she was so shy that you would never have seen her. She always hid in the shadows and bushes whenever anyone was in her vicinity, because she was so shy and timid, that she was frightened of almost everyone and everything in Zardenia. Not that this stopped her exploring, she just chose to do it when everyone was fast asleep and at the time where there was the least chance of ever bumping into her. The Witching Hour was the perfect time for Miss Clover to be outside. Nobody was awake, and it was her alone time.
She would flit from rock to tree to bush, but only after pausing and waiting carefully for anything that moved, before she continued on her way. She was extremely patient and could remain as still as a statue, so as not to draw any unecessary attention to herself. The fact was, that occasionally she would be spotted out of the corner of some Zelf's eye, but in a matter of milliseconds she would be long gone, and the other Zelfs had gotten used to her ways. No Zelf had ever had a chat with her, she was much too fast for that and if any Zelf tried, Miss Clover would be so far away before you could click your fingers!
This also made Miss Clover, deeply upset and unhappy. She was so shy, that she couldn't bear to bring herzelf to ever talk to anyone. Like ever. She had never so much as uttered a word to a single Zelf in all of Zardenia and she was so scared of what would happen if she dared to, that she just simply never did. She understood that she didn't really have any friends becuase of her crippling shyness. If she was close than 10 feet away from another Zelf, she would shake like a leaf, and be unable to stand it, so she had her routine, and planned her escape routes in case an zaccident ever occured. Poor little Miss Clover!
She wanted desperately to be braver, stronger, more confident and accepted by the other Zelfs, but knew that the problem lay within herself. A couple of times, she had tried in her own way to bring herself to make contact with another Zelf but it always ended up with Miss Clover, stood with a look of horror on her face, stammering and then zipping off before another Zelf could say anything to her. Miss Clover would find a quiet spot, far away and burst into tears. Poor poor Miss Clover!
Now this evening, Miss Clover was content that she was the only one awake and could flit around where she pleased. She sat on the swings in Zoho Park and made herself giddy, swinging back and forth, knowing her fellow Zelfs were fast asleep and she had free reign over the lands. She had stayed hidden in the bushes, for hours waiting for the last Zelf of the night to yawn, stretch and finally fall asleep. It had been Dolly this time, it was usually one of the Nocturnals - Dolly the Moth, Lunanne the Moon Fairy, Lullaby the Dream Zelf or Owlmanda the Owl Zelf that were the amongst the last to fall asleep. It was at this time, the Witching Hour as they called it, when Miss Clover felt free as a bird and relished the thought that she could go about undisturbed for at least a few hours. Zardenia was hers, and hers alone at this time.
After she was done on the swings, Miss Clover made her way over to the Zoriental Gardens, where she could hear the rhythmic breathings of the Zelfs who inhabited the bamboo hut and flitted across to the Zegie patch. Miss Clover was a keen gardener and kept a watchful eye on the plants and vegetables being grown. Sometimes when the Zelfs awoke, they would find the soil freshly raked, and the plants well nourished and hydrated over-night and wondered who was behind it. Once Miss Clover had finished her 'chores' and spoke to the plants, singing one of her many sweet songs to help them grow, she left and headed north.
Miss Clover gently flapped her glittery green wings, as she flew over Zardenia at a safe enough distance, she looked down and thought how beautiful her homeland was. Then her thoughts turned to her lack of friends. She was sad that she was too shy to make friends, and too worried what the other Zelfs would think of her, to do anything about it. She wondered what it would be like, to have even one Zelf that she could communicate with, but the thought of starting a conversation filled her with so much dread and anxiety, that she accidently flew too low and had to recorrect her aligned flight path before she crashed into a tree!
Presently Miss Clover flew past the Moon Lagoon, and watched her reflection in the still waters flying overhead.
'Why hello there!' she said to herself. 'How are you tonight?'
Her reflection answered back. That made her giggle. Miss Clover fluttered down, and thought for a second, maybe she could practice having a conversation with herself. She tiptoed to the edge of the rock pool and looked at herzelf. She batted her eyelashes, and the Miss Clover in the water batted them back at her. She closed her eyes, and put her hands over them, then made a 'peep-bo!' with her mouth, and uncovered her now open eyes and laughed merrily at her reflection echoing her. She beamed at herself in the ripples of the water, and the zelf smiled back.
'Hello, my name is Miss Clover and I would like it very much if we could be friends?' she said to herself.
'Okay! I'd love it also!' it said back to her. She giggled, feeling slightly foolish yet so happy at the same time.
'Oh wow. My very first friend.' she said aloud.
She pulled some silly faces at her reflection and supressed her giggles as they repeated back to her in the mirror like waters.
'Hello? What on Zearth are you doing?' asked a melodic voice somewhere behind her.
Miss Clover froze for a split second then zipped off as fast and high as she could go, and was far away in a moments time, leaving a bewildered Lunanne behind.
She took off towards the palace as quick as her wings would take her, feeling ashamed that someone had seen her, and being silly aswell. Miss Clover was beyond mortified.
She looked around, for signs of anyone and seeing none, sat down on a branch of a tree, overhanging the Palace Gardens.
'Oh dear', she thought to herself. 'You just had a chance to speak to someone else and did what you always do, took off! How are you ever going to make friends???' Miss Clover breathed quickly, regaining her composure.
'Right, that's it. The very next Zelf you meet, you will stop, not run away, and will speak to them. Stop being so silly Miss Clover, just take a deep breath, say hello and wait for a response. Its time to pull yourself together.'
Miss Clover sat for a second more, then determinedly, brushed her silky dark green hair, and rubbed her hands together. This was it. Time to be brave for once.
Then she remembered that it was night time and most of the Zelfs would be asleep.
'Hmmm....maybe I could do it in the morning?' she said deflatedly.
'No, you will seek out a Zelf who may be around. You are a strong, confident Zelfette.' her braver voice said to her.
'I'm not sure? Maybe tomorrow will be best?' her scaredy voice said to her.
'Nope. Time to do this. Tonight, no hesitations.' her other voice answered.
'But, b...ut....' she replied.
'No if's, no buts. Time to be brave girl, find a Zelf and say Hello. Whats the worse thing that could happen?'
Miss Clover sighed. Her brave voice was right, if she didn't do it now, she would find and make excuses to not do it tomorrow or the next day. She looked around for signs of life, and almost jumped out of her skin, as she had been sat right on a branch below another Zelf who was now watching her curiously.
'H....how long have you been there?' she stammered, rooted to the spot.
'I was just zeetting here, having za cat nap actually. When you flew down, I zawoke and listened to you talking to yourzelf.' the blue and purple cat spoke softly to her with one eye open, he was resting on his arms and curled into a sleepy position on the branch above.
'Oh....oh dear. I'm so embarassed.' she said, blushing.
'Ah madamoiselle, don't be. You wouldn't believe half ze things I see in Zardenia. And guess what, here you are talking to me, another Zelf. You should be immensely proud of zat.'
Miss Clover thought about it, it was true. This was the first time she could remember talking to someone.
'Oh wow. I did it! I'm really talking. Wow!' she said, pleased as punch.
'Yez, yez. Now you should use zat confidence and go find another Zelf to talk to. The more you talk, ze braver you get.' Catsby purred at her. He yawned.
'Yes, you're right. I need to find someone else to talk to now. Goodbye and Thankyou!' she said jumping down from the tree. Catsby stretched, then curled up in a ball again, placed his head on his arms and muttered 'I'll just have zanother five more minutes.' and fell back asleep.
Miss Clover landed near the wall, and immediately saw a flickering light in a passage way half way down the wall. Perhaps there was someone else she could talk to now? She crept down the corridor, following the candles that lit her way, and feeling immensely proud that she had spoken to her very first Zelf.
At the end of the passage, she found herself in a vast room, filled with hundreds and hundreds of scrolls and rolled up parchments. There were bookcases and shelves, and a large table in the centre of the room, all filled and covered with scrolls.
'Wow. Where am I?' she wondered. 'I've never been here before.' she looked around in wonder. Miss Clover, lit only by the light of the candles, was amazed and in awe at such a place.
A noise made her stop in her tracks, it sounded like a loud noisy creature or monster. Oh no!
'Maybe I shouldn't really be here?' she said to herself. But instead of creeping away, she found her legs were walking her around the table towards the beast!
As she edged around the table covered in scrolls, she found herself face to face with the source of the noise.
Old Grandfather Time was fast asleep in a comfy big chair by the fire, with a scroll on his knee. He was snoring away. Awwwww, he was like a sweet old Grandpa!
Miss Clover smiled at him, she knew all about Grandfather Time and he was one of the most kindest, friendliest Zelfs in the whole of Zardenia. She was about to step away, when she turned around to leave and knocked a parchment off the table which clattered onto the hard stone floor.
'Ach, who's there?' the old Zelf awoke with a start, rubbing his big bushy white beard.
'Oops I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. It was an accident!' Miss Clover said, picking up the scroll and placing it back on the table.
'What's that? I wasn't asleep. I was just resting my eyes.' he slowly shuffled onto his feet.
'Oh it's you, little Miss Clover. I don't believe I've seen you in such a long time. Since your birth actually. How are you my sweet little Emerald?' he asked kindly as he slowly made his way over towards her.
Miss Clover hadn't realised it had been so long since she had spoken to anyone. Since her birth??? Really that long?
'Hello Grampy.' she said smiling sweetly. 'I'm sorry it has been a while, truly.'
'I was wondering when you would find you're way down here.' he said taking his place back at the table and the scrolls again. He picked up his quill and began writing on the nearest paper.
'What is this place?' she asked in wonder.
'This place? Why this is the History room. Don't you know of it?' he asked, carrying on with his work. She shook her head. He didn't seem to notice as he continued writing.
Miss Clover looked at the nearest scroll, and read the words.
'History of Zardenia - 1261-1262. Grampa, what are all these?' she asked curiously.
'Why, they are the History scrolls. Of all of Zardenia.'
'Yes, but what exactly are they?'
'Each and every day I chronicle the events of Zardenia, each and every scroll represents a year in the history of our existence.
'Oh wow. That's a lot of scrolls.'
'Yes, yes it is. And for an old Zelf like me. Very tiring.' he said.
'I bet. Why do you do it?' she asked.
'Because nobody else does. Its important to document it all. In case we ever forget.'
'I see. How old is Zardenia then?'
'Mmmmm......I can't remember.' the old Zelf scratched his forehead with his quill pen, leaving an ink blotch on his light grey skin. Miss Clover almost giggled but restrained herself.
'I've been writing these a long long time.' he replied almost to himself as he continued to work.
'Do you mind if I read some Grandfather?' she asked sweetly.
'Of course you can my dear. It will nice to have some company. Sit in that chair over there, by the fire. Its rather comfortable.' he said backoning to his armchair.
Miss Clover grabbed a couple of scrolls and sat down. Using the fire as her light, she began to read.
'History of Zardenia - 1387 - 1388....'
She began to read, and read and in twenty minutes had finished.
'Oh wow. So much stuff happened.' She put the scrolls back and picked up some more. Grandpappy Time's scribbling, was the only noise in the room as he continued with his work.
Miss Clover sat back down, and kept on reading. Ten minutes later she stopped, in shock and said out loud 'Oh!'.
'Grandfather Time stopped and looked at her in bewilderment.
'Whats wrong?' he asked, concerned.
'This can't be right, can it?' she said pointing at her scroll.
'What, what is it?' he shuffled down off his bench and slowly inched towards her in the chair.
'This scroll. It says... but it can't be...can it? Is it all true?' she asked in surprise.
Grandfather gently took the scroll from her, as she sat completely stunned. He eyed the scroll carefully. His eyes weren't what they used to be.
'Ah yes. The Great Zelf War of 1330. The Dark Ages we called it.' he read.
'But, it can't be true. Surely not?' she was shocked to the core.
'But yes. There was a big battle between all the creatures, trolls and centaurs, and elves and goblins, witches and warriors, man-kind and Zelf-kind too.' Grandfather Time took her hand to steady her.
'But....it says Zardenia fell and all the Zelfs were lost and scattered? How can it be? Our beautiful land ruined and in decay! It's not possible.'
'My dear, its entirely possible. And it did happen. I should know, I was there. A mere young Zelfling at the time, but it did indeed happen. Perhaps I should tell you all about it. Come on, lets make some tea and I'll tell you all about it. It's a story that concerns you very much, your ancestors played an important role in its history.' the old Zelf took Miss Clover by the hand and she allowed him to lead her to the kitchens to make a steaming hot cup of sweet tea, and five minutes later, he was sat in his squidgy armchair and Miss Clover was sat on the mat beside him, as he stirred his tea he looked sad and far away as the memories of his tale swirled within his mind, and he began the story......
to be continued....
xx
so annoying!