The Disguised Girl, part 1

Tale 213: The Disguised Girl, part 1 (Brock)

"Once upon a time, there lived in an old house by the shore of the sea, a widowed noble and his only child, a daughter named Isabel." Brock begins. "They were very poor in spite of their noble birth, so much so that one by one the fields and woods they once owned had been sold just to buy the basic necessities."

Melody gasps at this. "Knowing that once he died, Isabel would be all alone, her father brought her up like a boy." Brock explains. "She could ride a Rapidash as well as any man, she could swim as well a mermaid, and even outdo her father in both fencing...." He draws a prop sword for effect. "and archery." he continues, referring to the bow and quiver of arrows on his back as he sheathes the sword. "Yet so sweet was the gentle nature the girl had inherited from her mother, that this strange upbringing didn't spoil her at all."

"So, did anyone confuse her for a boy?" Misty wonders.

"Late one evening, when the fierce gusts of wind from the sea shook the old house to its very foundations and made the ragged tapestries on the walls flutter like flags, Isabel’s father succumbed to a horrible disease, leaving her only the house, a handful of pennies, and a single gold coin." Brock continues, acknowledging Misty's question with a nod. "The money was enough for a few weeks, but what was Isabel to do when that little pittance was gone? Her father had once told her to go to the king and ask for his protection if she fell on hard times; but the royal city was hundreds of miles away, and Isabel bristled at the thought of begging or what awaited her on the road."

He smiles to reassure his jittery audience. "Finally, Isabel made the brave decision to make her own way in the world. Taking the gold coin with her, she went to a neighboring town, and bought clothes fit for a page or a squire. She then cut her hair into a boy's style, put on the boy’s clothes she had bought, and went into the marketplace in hopes she could find work in the service of some great family."

He then explains to his audience "Now, it was the custom in that land for masters and servants to meet by a certain fountain in the marketplace. The masters that needed a servant would stand on one side of the fountain, and the servants who needed a master stood on the other. When Isabel came to the marketplace, there was no one standing on the masters’ side of the fountain, but on the other side, ready for any master at all, was a small group of fidgety and impatient squires and pages. Isabel, or, as she now called herself, Fiore, strolled over and joined the group, her heart racing with the excitement and possibility of going on a great adventure."

"I bet some king tells her to go slay a Salamence, or something!" Ash muses.

Brock has other ideas. "Suddenly, a black knight, mounted on a black Ponyta and leading another Ponyta by the bridle, clattered over the cobblestones of the square, and taking his place by the fountain, told the pages to come to him. In spite of the horseman’s summons, however, the pages paid no attention to him at all. Curious to know why the group had refused when just minutes earlier they were wanting any master at all, Fiore asked a fellow page, and was told that the knight was none other than the wizard of Black Rock, and no page or squire would enter into his service because his castle was supposedly haunted by goblins, ghosts, and all manner of terrifying monsters."

[Was Isabel-as-Fiore afraid?] a Meowth asks.

"Now, Fiore was no coward, and, as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers." Brock reminds the audience. "So much to the astonishment of the pages, Fiore walked over to the wizard, and offered to go with him. The knight bade Fiore mount the Ponyta he was holding; and amid the teasing and laughter of the other pages, master and boy rode away."

The tent is silent for a moment before Brock goes on "All day long they rode, and late that afternoon Fiore found himself at the edge of a wild and desolate plain. Within the great circle of the horizon, under the pale sky, not a tree, not a house, not even a shepherd’s hut was to be seen–nothing but the great barren waste rolling, rising and falling as far as the eye could see. The sun sank beneath the trees; it grew cold, and a blue mist fell. Twilight came, a green, mysterious twilight."

He then looks towards the tent's entrance, as if expecting something to appear there. "Suddenly, at the top of a hill off in the distance, Fiore spotted his new home. A great sunken marsh lay before him, beginning at the foot of the hill and stretching mile after mile, till its farther shore was hidden in the gathering darkness. The wind stirred the dead branches at its brim, and though the dying twilight was still gleaming in the sky, the great bog had caught little of its glow, and lay full of coiling blue mists, pale quagmires, and islands of mysterious darkness. A dreadful moaning cry, probably made by some demon or another, sounded through the mist, chilling the blood in Fiore’s veins; and as if answering the cry, millions of will-o’-the-wisps appeared in a rainbow of colors, darting and dancing. In the very heart of this dark marsh a great black rock stood, and on this rock, its turrets and battlements outlined against the burning face of the moon, stood the castle. Ghostly lights, some green, some red, and some blue, flickered in its windows."

"Wow"s and awed whispers fill the tent at the epic description. "The wizard reined up his Ponyta at the brink of the mire, and sang..."

He then sings in an older version of himself Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...

As himself, he continues "Hardly had the last note echoed into the sky when the dancing fire spirits hurried toward him from all sides of the marsh. Soon a pale road leading across the bog to the castle appeared, an enchanted road which melted away behind the riders just as smoke melts into the winter air. The wisps escorted the wizard to his castle gate; then, rising swiftly high into the air, they fled into the night. The doors opened on their own, strange goblins and ghostly creatures passed, and bright, whirling globes of fire fled hissing across the castle courtyard. Just as they were about to enter the castle itself, the wizard turned, and looked at Fiore."

“Boy,” he explains as the wizard, “let nothing that you hear or see frighten you. Be assured that no power or spirit here can harm you. There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is fear itself. Be brave, guard you heart against Fear; be faithful, and you will never have a reason to regret your coming.”

"Oh"s go up at the turn of events--the wizard seems friendly after all! "Fiore, who was by nature brave, was ashamed of having allowed fear into his heart, and vowed never to let his courage fail, no matter what happened." Brock assures his audience, pleased they have put two and two together. "Fiore kept his promise for all the years he served the wizard. At first, he had to struggle to conquer his fear of some of the spirits; but as time passed and no ghost or spirit ever ventured to annoy him, he grew accustomed to their presence by paying no more attention to them than he paid to the great Murkrows who flew croaking over the mire. So faithful and courageous was the little page that, when the year was up, the wizard begged him to stay for another year, promising him rich rewards if he stayed. When the second year was up, however, Fiore longed to see the world again, and told the wizard that he had to go."

“Very well,” he sighs as the wizard. “Do as you will--I will not try to stop you. You are a brave and faithful lad. Here is a purse of gold for your wages, and here are three gifts to reward your courage and kindness.”

He shows the audience a doll of a Shiny Fletchling with outstretched wings, a prop gold key, and a prop crystal. “This little Fletchling,” he explains as the wizard, “will protect you from the spells of any sorcerer whose power is less than mine, and will sing when you are in danger. This key will open any door in the world; and should you ever lose your way, you have but to put this crystal on the ground, and it will fly back here on its own. If you are ever in peril, call me with the spell 'Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...', and I will come and help you.”

He grins at his friends. "As for what adventures Fiore got into? I will tell you more on my next turn!"