Tusks and Dagger Part Fourteen: Antler and Pointy Ears

Antler:

Massaging my moose head, my black robes danced around me. My red eyes glanced around my hometown of forest demons, several children running around.  A chill ran up my spine, a familiar voice making me freeze. A nervous smile twisted my face, my best friend was approaching me. Turning to run, I was here for Lottie and her friends. Wishing I had Sir Acorn on my shoulder, he would tell her off real proper for me. Spinning on my heels, a deep sigh tumbled from my lips. My urge to kiss her bubbled up inside of me, my common sense telling me to calm down. She deserved better than me, yet she stood by me no matter what.

“Hello Clarice.” I groaned irritably, trying to ignore the pain in my heart. “I am here just to collect a few things for my new friend Lottie and her mission. I am not here to see y-” Her lips smashed against mine, my heart fluttering. Time stopped for a minute, her releasing me from my spell. Shaking my head she always did this to me, her tiny elf body pressed against mine. Her blue silk gown grazed her curves beautifully, her long blond hair twisted into a long braid. Ocean blue eyes stared up at me, her slender hands rubbing my back. Of course, I loved her but how could she really love a beast such as me.  

“I don’t see why you can’t love me back, Anty.” She whined cutely, my arms wrapping around her waist. “I don’t care what other people say about us. I just want to sit on your lap on your throne wherever you are. Shoving her off of me, a stunned look darkened her sweet face. Tucking a loose piece of hair behind her delicate pointed ears, her hands trembling violently. Tears welled up in her eyes, a grimace pressing onto her face. 

“You can’t love a monster like me!” I thundered bitterly, attempting to cover up my face. “I am ugly, and you are beautiful.” Clenching her fists, a defiant look brightened her eyes as she bit her luscious lips. No wonder why I liked Lottie, she was just like Clarice Florence. Slapping my face, a growl rumbled to her throat.  

“I grew up with you from the moment your father rescued me from my devastated Elven village.” She wept softly, her tears shattering my heart. “I love you for you. You are a kind soul, and the most amazing man I will ever meet.” Turning my back towards her, the next words even sounded harsh to me.  

“That is because you never left the village, you idiot!” I screamed into the red sky of my hometown, the dead trees swaying in the nippy evening breeze. “You could do better than me. Now get out of the way.” Rushing back home, she buried her face in her palm as she ran off. My conscience told me to ignore the guilt eating at me, my boots crunching towards the tree of knowledge. Burying my hands into my robe, a shaky voice made me stiffen up. 

“You need my Elven magic to get into your stupid tree.” Clarice sniffled, her gentle tone making me want to spin her around and kiss her. “Let me come with you. I had to change the spell to fix the level of protection on the outside.” Refusing to look at me, she shuffled past me, her head bent forward in shame. Reaching out for her, she slapped my hand away. Guilt dimmed my eyes, the two of us stopping at a one hundred foot oak tree. Pressing her palm into the door, the hidden door swung open.  Stepping through the threshold, the door slammed shut behind me. 

“Do you really want to come to my home with me this time?” I inquired guiltily, her ears perking up. “I can’t promise you the type of magic you have here.” Leaping into my arms, she kissed my lips feverishly. A tender blush rose to my cheeks, her love just about smothering me. My body stiffened up, her soft laughter twinkling in my ear. Hopping out of my arms, I was happy that I made it a little better. Dragging me down the hall, her cute smile falling flat. Ripping out her white Elven blade, the golden marks dancing up her blade. The simple blade glistened in the light, a couple of shadow figures circling us. Orange flames flickered to life, the torches lighting the way to knowledge.  

“The guardians are awake.”She groaned tiredly, my black bone scythe spinning in my palm. Standing back to back, we the wooden guardians charged at us. The simplistic faces held a much more menacing energy, her blades slicing through them over and over again. Touching my staff against the one attacking me, black flames devoured his body. Ashes drifted aimlessly, her blade clashing against his black blades. Slamming my staff into the other guy, black flames decayed him to ash. Pecking me on the cheek, my train of thought derailed for just a moment. The wooden floor rumbled, a solid wooden ball rolling towards us. Tossing us on my back, her head rested against my back. My breath hitched, random pieces of the floor giving way. Leaping over the holes, her laughter twinkled like a bell in my ears. This reminds me of old times when we would get into some serious trouble, my father always yelling at us.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.” I joked lightly, her arms wrapping around my neck. “Just hold on, Clarice.” Sniffing my neck, a shudder of pleasure shot through me. The floor sloped into a slide, my strong arms tossing her up in the air. Catching her in my arms, her real smile made my heart skip a beat. I guess I really did love her, what kept me from taking her out of this small village? Crashing into a white marble wall, we groaned as we sat up. Cocking my brow, a large game of chess sat in front of us, the librarian sitting on a blue throne. His white silk suit shimmered in the orange flames of the torches, his long silver hair cascading down his back. Black glasses shimmered in the light, his golden eyes shimmered with excitement. Leaping off of his throne, a snarl curled on Clarice’s lips. 

“Let us through, you foul trickster.” She demanded hotly, trying to get past the game. “We don’t have time for this.” Grasping her shoulder, the librarian pointed to the game of chess silently but firmly. He had no voice, and was the long dead spirit of the original librarian.  The legend was that he cut out his tongue to hide the ultimate knowledge from the rest of the world. 

“We have to beat him in a game of chess, Clary.” I growled through gritted teeth, stepping up to the challenge. “He won’t let us through. Even then we can only take what we need. One of us has to give up something important to us.” Rolling her eyes, she folded her arms across her ample chest. Hopping onto the board, a magical energy glued me to my spot. The librarian went first, sending one of his pawns in front of mine. Cold sweat dripped off of my brow, my gloved hand trembling wildly. Panic gripped my mind, my mind telling one of the pawns to move forward. Horror widened my eyes, a knight smashing all of my pawns. Why was he playing dirty, damn it! Turning towards my knight, the same rules didn’t apply. Thinking back to when I played with my dad, my fingers gripped the bishop sitting in my pocket. Spinning it in my palm, it all made sense. Your knight could take anyone at any time, a triumphant grin dawning on my face. He expected me to use my knight to do the same, his mental game strong. However, I was stronger than him. Turning to my queen, she could order the bishops and the knights to take out his king and queen. Nodding her head, the board erupted into full blown war, the pawns sacrificing themselves as his bishops charged towards my knights. Stone clattered to the marble board, the remains of the pieces tumbling to my feet. My rookies leapt in front of the knight, their swords raised. Stone shattered, the bishops falling to my feet. A flurry of chest pieces battling each other resulted in both of our chests huffing up and down. A sense of calm washed over the two of us, only the knights, king and queens remained. The queen knelt next to me, pointing to a weak spot. 

“Sacrifice me and take the king. This isn’t a normal game of chess. You know the real goal is to have the last king standing.” She whispered in my ear, her white marble hand touching my shoulder. Nodding in agreement, she unsheathed her long white sword. The three black pieces charged at her, the white knights leaping over her. My heart shattered, her beautiful face cracking the moment my two knights beheaded the black king. Collapsing to my knees, the librarian bowing his head in my direction. His hand hung impatiently in my face, my clammy hands pressing the chess piece into his palm. Accepting my payment, the round golden doors creaked open. Clarice skipped through, dragging me behind her. Childlike wonder brightened my eyes, all of the books ever written on shelves that climbed up to the one hundred foot tall ceiling. Passing me a bunch of parchment paper and ink, she shot me her goofy grin. 

“We can’t take anything out.” She informed me calmly, her fingers tracing every spine of all of the books. “You can copy anything you need, so let’s get to work.” Grabbing the books I required, she would spend the next few hours writing down what I ordered her, too. Yawning tiredly, we gathered up all of our notes. A black metal stairs shot up from the wooden floor, my strong arms placed her into the hood of my robe. Climbing the stairs, the orange afternoon sun blinded me, her slender hand playing with my antlers.  

“I meant it when I said you could come with me, my love.” I promised her sweetly, her real smile brightening my day. “I am incredibly sorry for my harsh words earlier, but you will need to hold your own. Do you think you can manage?” Biting her lips, she flicked the back of my head. 

“Of course, Anty.” She chirped cheerfully, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s go home.” A smirk curled on my lips, another idea flashing in my mind. I had someone for her to meet, more specifically an entire group. Snapping my fingers, I took one last look around where my father and I played together. Black smoke curled around us, Lottie looking up at us. Waving me over, she had a pig spinning over a large fire pit. 

“Hey Antler.” Lottie shouted happily, checking on the meat. “Who is your lady friend in your hood? Is she your girlfriend?” Scarlet burned our cheeks, Clarice hopping out of my hood. Bowing in Lottie’s direction, she passed her all of the spells that she could potentially use to defeat the dark spirit of the mirror. Smiling pleasantly in my direction, Boran tucked them into their black bag.

“I am Clarice, and I am his girlfriend.” She introduced profoundly, playing with Lottie’s blonde hair. “Your hair is so pretty.” Her fingers traced the blue rose tattoo on her arm, Lottie stepping back in a bit of shock. Lord Somata popped up next to her, ready to fight. Wrapping my arms around Clarice’s small waist, Sir Acorn scurried up to her. The two of them chatted pleasantly, Lottie grabbing Somata by his left ear. Her sharp whispers told me that he was in trouble, his brothers running to his rescue. Watching the scene unfold, the twins were trying to pry his brothers off of him. Laughing to myself, Clarice gazed lovingly up at me. 

“I get why you like them.” She admitted sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. “Lottie is a miniature version of me, ordering her friends around like it is nothing. She runs them like a well oiled machine. Let’s have dinner with them. What do you think?” Lottie looked over at us, a tired smile on her face. Boran came out from the bushes, with a couple of coconuts in his hands. 

“Did you guys have dinner yet?” Lottie offered kindly, cooking a bunch of potatoes in a large pan. “We have plenty to eat. Merlin and his girl should be right along soon.” Before I could protest, Clarice dragged me towards the group. Everyone welcomed her with open arms, all of them hugging her tightly. 

“I consider you family.” Boran promises warmly, giving her a plate of food. “We would love to get to know you better. Just mingle a bit.” The two of them chatted, Lottie plopping down next to me. Passing me a plate, she nudged my shoulder. Her bump looked slightly bigger in her green wool dress, her hands crossing. 

“I am so happy you finally let her into your heart. Did I tell you about how I fell in love with Boran when he had a boar head?” She commented softly, making sure no one could hear us. “We were about nine or ten, and the other kids were bullying him for his head. Instead of going to school the next day, we ran off to our favorite place. It was a sea of colorful flowers, the petals brushing against our legs. He cried into his hands, and I kissed him for the first time that day.  Granted it was on his cheek, fur and all. Ever since that day, we were inseparable. So she will always love you, I mean look at her. The look in her eyes right now is telling that she loves you with all of your heart.” My eyes met her blue eyes, my heart fluttering. Maybe she was right, creatures like me can find love. Patting my shoulder, she ran over to Boran and her friends. Sir Acorn never left her shoulder, tossing a large chunk to her dragon Mina. Petting her snout, my mind wondering if this is what friendship was. Clarice plopped down on my lap, her lip kissing mine sensually. My heart fluttered, my breath hitching for a minute. 

“I love you, Anty.” She announced proudly, feeding me a piece of meat. “You need to eat to keep your energy up. Don’t you forget that I will always love you and always did.” Lottie’s story ran through my mind, my head resting on the top of hers.

“I love you too, Clary.” I whispered sweetly in her ears, scarlet burning her cheeks. “It is so nice to have you in my arms. I always loved you, too.” Saying nothing, we enjoyed the rest of the night. Here’s to a happy future with my potential wife, yes I know a little fast but I have known her my whole life.