You Kick Really Hard For A Girl

"They're coming!" Flimlet yelled.

The forest came alive, with magical tree trunks rushing toward the north watchtower. Bells sounded. Women screamed, and children cried. The war they'd been expecting arrived.

Selwyn and Jorton soldiers quickly assembled, forming a defensive line. The trunkers slammed into them with devastating effect, knocking many soldiers unconscious. Lady Nimmo and Oakaford gathered as many stumpers as possible and joined the fight. Trunkers hammered into stumpers, and stumpers banged into trunkers. The sound of magical tree stumps and trunks crashing into one another reverberated throughout Trungen Forest.

Flimlet and Tim, unlike most dwarfs and elves, fought side by side as fellow warriors. Tim's bow was no use against the massive trunks, but Flimlet's borrowed battle axe was perfect. He swung, chopping the limb of a nearby trunker in two. The trunker attempted to knock Tim's head off with his other limb, but Flimlet sliced it off in mid-swing.

They pushed the limbless trunker onto his back and laughed, "No limb! No win!" They shouted in unison.

Captain Arrow and Jor had to physically remove Lady Nimmo from the front line and place her inside the Keep. Oakaford, Folg, Rain Storm, Trungen, and Gladise were charged with protecting her and, more importantly, keeping her from running back into the battle.

The battle raged on. Hundreds of trunkers advanced, gaining ground and pushing towards the Keep and Town Hall, the last line of defense.

"We've got to get out there!" Lady Nimmo shouted to her protective detail.

"Nimmo, collect yourself," her mother, Gladise, said. "The battle is coming to us. We need to be ready and in control."

Hours later, the gate to the Keep rocked with a giant thud.

"It begins," Trungen said, walking to the gate and standing in the middle of the entrance. The rest of the gang joined her. "Stay near each other; we're stronger as a unit."

The gate busted open, and trunkers poured into the courtyard. They surrounded the gang but made no move to attack. Several rungs of trunkers formed around Lady Nimmo's band, making it impossible to escape.

"Why they not attack?" Folg asked.

"Be ready," Oakaford said.

From the direction of the downed gate, trunkers parted, creating a path for a darkly dressed man. As he neared, they saw he wasn't a man but a shadow elf. Lady Nimmo instinctively knew he wasn't just any shadow elf. He was the creator of the trunkers.

"Finally, I get to meet the great Lady Nimmo, creator of those tiny stumpers," the dark creator said. "You've been like a splinter, and today, I will remove you."

"You have the advantage," Lady Nimmo said. "I don't know your name."

"Call me Lammerous."

"Well, if you plan on removing me, Lammerous, let's get to it."

Lammerous laughed, "You clearly don't know me. I don't fight – never have. My Kraff-Nocks do that for me."

"That's a strange name for tree trunks," Oakaford said.

"Really? Do you think stumper is more creative? Anyway, back to my Kraff-Nocks. They will remove you and your little stumper, too."

Gladise stepped past Trungen and Lady Nimmo and stretched out her arm. "Xer-Bane saved my life when I was a little girl and gave me a magic ability that would rescue me and those I love when all hope was gone. The battle is lost, and you intend to kill my little girl. I'd say all hope is gone. What do you think, Lammy?"

"What did you call me?" His face was as red as a book with a red cover. "Kill them all!"

The Kraff-Nocks moved closer. Gladise raised both arms to the sky and violently swung them down. Suddenly, blue lightning repeatedly stuck the Kraff-Nocks and Lammerous. No one was hurt, but when the lightning ceased, those who were stuck began to scratch their heads in confusion.

"Where are we?" Lammerous said in a dreamy, confused manner. "Who are you?" He looked to one of his Kraff-Nocks and then to Gladise. "What's going on here?"

The Kraff-Nocks were just as clueless as Lammerous; in fact, everyone was just as clueless as Lammerous, except for Gladise.

"You all were about to help clean up the mess you made," Gladise said. "After that, you all need to go home. Got it?"

"Oh, I remember. That's right," Lammerous said. They got to work: helping injured stumpers, carrying soldiers to the healers, and collecting their own limbless Kraff-Nocks. They worked quickly and then departed without saying a word.

After Lady Nimmo spent hours carving away the stumper's injuries, she found her mom.

"Hello? Lightning? Your daughter?" Lady Nimmo cryptically said.

"I'm sorry for not telling you, but Xer-Bane told me never to say anything about his gift," Gladise said.

"Wow. I have so many questions. Will they get their memories back? Can you do that again? Does it hurt you?"

"Lammy and his trunkers will regain their memory. I plan on sending Flimlet and Tim to inform him that I can do that repeatedly. Lammy and his ilk won't bother us anymore. No, it doesn't hurt, but I plan on taking extra naps for a while."

They talked for some time when Tim interrupted. "Excuse me, my ladies, but I have some disturbing news."

Lady Nimmo ran faster than she had ever run before, and Tim could barely keep up. They arrived at the tent and entered. Captain Arrow lay on a cot, blood covering the lower half of his body. She went to him and knelt beside him. The healers and Tim stepped out to give them some privacy.

"Are you able to heal him?" Tim asked the healers.

"He will live, but his injury is beyond our power to heal."

"What?"

"We'll do our best, but it won't be enough."

"But he will live?"

"Yes, but he won't ever be the same."

Inside the tent, Lady Nimmo held Arrow's hand. He hadn't moved since she arrived. She began talking with him to prevent a complete meltdown. "You won't believe what mom can do. Did you see the lightning? I'm not mad at you for carrying me to the Keep. I was screaming at you and kicking you because I was so keyed up to fight. You know how I can get?" She was petting his hand the entire time. Suddenly, she felt a very faint movement. Arrow's finger wiggled ever so slightly.

"Arrow? Can you hear me?"

He wiggled two fingers and attempted to lift his eyelids. After three or four failed attempts, he finally opened them and looked at Lady Nimmo. In a faint voice, he said, "You kick really hard for a girl."

She smiled and had to force herself not to kiss and hug him. "If you weren't so banged up, I'd kick you again."

"The healers say I'm going to lose my leg."

She gently squeezed his hand and could not hold back her tears. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

"What are you talking about?"

"They were after me. You should have been on your ship hunting treasure instead of fighting my enemies."

"My Dear, your enemies are my enemies. I'd give both my legs to protect you."

Captain Arrow did lose his leg. However, despite the ferocity of the battle, there were surprisingly few casualties. The town of Jorton recovered quickly, and as a sign of respect and honor, King Moreland accepted Jorton as a full member city of the nation of Selwyn with all of its protections and privileges. In addition, the new Selwyn City grew in reputation and was picked as the most desirable place to live by the prestigious scroll company, The Wanowyn Wisemen.

Flimlet and Tim began a running school for speed and marathon runners. Folg and Trungen went on a quest to find the Kroff-Nocks created from Trungen trees and liberate them from Lammerous. Splinter and Tat were promoted to Chief Deputy of the Border Guard. Oakaford and Rain Storm remained close to Lady Nimmo as part of her inner circle of advisers. Jor and the retired King's Guards were reinstated by King Moreland and assigned to protect Duchess Nimmo. Gladise continued to teach art.

Perhaps the best news of all is that Captain Arrow and Lady Nimmo got married and were the happiest couple in town. Captain Arrow proudly displayed his wooden leg whenever possible, and Lady Nimmo frequently created new stumpers.

How does one end a story like this? The adventures were many, the heartaches were few, and the characters were a delight. After thinking about it, there's only one way.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.