Pricklebush Empire

Synopsis:   On the planet Arinia, there are gangs that rule over certain lands.  There are giants or Collusa, who rule over air and are typically non-violent and non-confrontational.   That doesn’t mean they won’t defend their territory if the need arises.    Then there are the Bellicosia, who’s main element is fire.   Magic creatures are also part of this faction.   Arinia humans magic and non, rule over earth and also include Darksiders (vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts).  Then there are water elementals, like mermaids, sea serpents and Blessie the pletasaur, who is a relic of another time entirely.     

Our Players 
Humans, including royalty.  Our fifth element enters in the Keensight family.   The royals have subjugated the less fortunate for eons, but Abel is not one interested in ruling with an iron fist as many Keensights before him have done.    His younger sister, Violentia, however, is exactly like her mother Minerva and her father King Perigrin.    

Peasants/Indigent/Homeless/Hobo Types—Gitanos, Pirates, merchants, inventors, physicists 

Mittlemen—trolls, gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, bogarts, brownies, cobbling elves.  Go-betweens from the ‘Trixie World’ and that of ‘Arinia Proper’.    This unusual crew is led by Tim Mittle, the Gnome 

Magic Creatures—Unicorns, glyphs (half sphinx/griffins), dragons, wyverns, wyrms, drakes, longs, lungs, pegasi, alicorns, ‘Trixie types’ (aka the Faye) 

The Bellicosian Faye Line—Queen Feena, King Stutguart, Princess Veena

‘We rest; a dream has power to poison sleep,

We rise; one wandering though pollutes the day, 

We feel, conceive, or reason; laugh or weep 

Embrace fond woe, or cast cares away; 

It is the same; for, be it joy or sorrow,

The path of its departure still is free, 

Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow; 

Naught may endure but mutability.’—A poem from ‘Crossings’ written by Alex Landragin

‘I’m a part of the part, which at first was the whole.’—Mestopholes, Faust 

‘Ah ! From the soul itself must issue forth.

A light, a glory, a fair luminous cloud,

Enveloping the Earth—

And from the soul itself must there be sent

A sweet and potent voice of its own birth

Of all sweet sounds the life and element.’—Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

‘But love is such a Mystery

I cannot find it out:

For when I think I’m best resolved, 

I then am in most doubt.’—Sir John Suckling 

‘With a presence I am smitten

Dumb, with a foreknown surprise; 

Presence greater yet than than written 

Even in the glorious eyes.

Through the gulfs, with inward gazes, 

I may look til I am lost; 

Wandering deep in spirit-mazes 

In a sea without a coast.’—George MacDonald, Phantasies 

‘You can’t change the world, but you can make a dent.’—Death to Smoochy 

‘It’s not important that life loves us, but that we love life.’—Charlotte Salomon, ‘Charlotte’ 

‘Only by doing something mad can I hope to stay sane.’—Charlotte Salomon, ‘Charlotte’ 

Chapter 1—Perchance to Change 

Abel Keensight was completely different from his affluent, royal parents.   Though he had grown up on Arina, a planet chock full of steampunk gadgetry and magical beasts, creatures and beings (even darksiders), he was groomed to follow in his parents’ footsteps.   Violentia, the daughter of Minerva and Peregrine had done so without missing a beat.   However, she knew that the throne wouldn’t be her’s to occupy.   Ultimately, she would be ruling beside Abel.    She was pleased to share the throne with him, but she found him cumbersome, especially in his inventing.     To escape his family, Abel would go on exhibitions by himself as far away from the Keensight keep, castle, fortress and armories as he could.    While there, he built his soothsaying steambot  Oculus and helped people find their ways by giving advice through Oculus’ incredible insights and wisdom.      

‘What do you think he is working on out here in this crude shed ?’, Minerva questioned, noticing that her eldest boy had sneaked off to go adventuring again.    Peregrin exhaled sharply.   

‘Our son.   What a nuisance !   As if going out alone on these little galavants isn’t enough he is building something in secret and trying to keep it that way.’, the king snarled.   Violentia saw the steambot and activated it.   It ran through Arinian crystals, which could be mined in abundance, either from the Keensight caves  or from the myriads of grottos sprinkled throughout Arinia’s splendid mountainous regions.    

‘What is your request, Violentia ?’, Oculus asked, politely. 

‘Bah.   Inventing this sort of nonsense and a steambot, no less !’, Minerva fumed.   Suddenly, the steambot went into a sort of trance, as it did sometimes when it was receiving a vision from the gods and goddesses. 

‘Is there a rose among the pricklebush, or is the bush only filled with pricks ?’, the bot said, with a smug, snarky smirk.     Peregrin knew that this riddle was about the Keensights.   The ‘rose’ was his son, the Prince.   The Prince wasn’t like the rest of them, and it was obvious.   He had been elbow to elbow among the ‘commoners’, who were the people the Keensights had subjugated for years.    They savored their authority and didn’t wish anything to shift.   Life had been absolutely sublime under an ‘iron clad rule’ that all people respected.    Besides, there were no ruffians, or very few.    Even those gitanos and pirates who were still rollicking about had no real power to stand against the Keensights.   They weren’t magicians or witches.   And if they did, as they had in the past, Minerva would enact genocide and call forward her dragons to execute the lot of them.    It was necessary for purification, she had told herself, as she remembered without remorse.    She’d do it again if she had to, but even now, given this prophecy, she narrowed her eyes and relished seeing her husband smash Oculus into thousands of pieces.  

‘We have to scrap this awful robot…’, Minerva said.  

‘He’ll build another, mother !   You know how Abel is.’, Violentia retorted, in a not-too-obvious tone.   

‘We can send him on a quest !’, Peregrin stated, with a sinister, snarled smile upon his face.   If he hadn’t looked so benevolent, one might’ve thought the King was a man who bore a pleasant soul.    The truth couldn’t have been any different concerning the entire family.    Privileged, greedy, corrupt, pretentious, manipulative, fear mongering, they lived to keep all the lower castes in poverty and have only the best that their riches could afford them.    To stop his possible and probable plans, Minerva would send her best and finest dragons out to hunt Abel to kill him.   A Glyph could help track him, one that she had trained and raised from its hatching.   She had named the Glyph appropriately, Serafina.   Serafina knew now what she must do.    Even with no chance of a new Oculus ever being created, whispers might exit about the prophecy.    She would make certain no such tantalizing gossip ever left the Keensight’s property.   Her beak would be mum and sacrosanct.   


Chapter 2—Meeting Death Face to Face 

Abel had ventured far from Arinia Proper before.   He had eaten and fellowshipped among the gitanos and pirates.  There were only a few pirates living, but they intermingled with the caravan folk, who shared their carefree philosophy.    

Thanking his hosts for their generosity, he liberally gave the gitanos and pirates micro loans to do with as they pleased.   Being pragmatic, the pirates would fix their dirigibles and the gitanos would build businesses.    They thanked Abel immensely for his altruism, but he figured such wealth should be shared as well as the knowledge of how to use said wealth.    

Abel had a twinge thrum in his heart and a knot in his stomach.   He knew something terrible was about to befall him, but felt no malice, regret or ill intentions towards those who had enacted whatever was to happen.    

‘Today, I defy death.   My contract hasn’t expired yet !’, he thought to himself.   Abel was a very spiritual soul with deep insights on his past lives as well as his present one.   He was a man who lived every day with gusto, humor, faith and optimism.    Even if his contract of service ended today, he could go home to Shangri La and see his ancestors and idols once again.    

Humans and Faye never intermingled.   It was ironic that magicians had such a tight relationship with the realm of magic, but not altogether separate.   They were comfortable walking amongst the realms.   Other than those who were infused with manna, the Faye didn’t interact with humans unless they wanted to prank them or mess around with them for fun when they were bored of their routine and duties in the Trixie Court, maintaining balance between dark and light.    

Abel was armed with a bola, claymore and crystal flux blunderbuss.   The blunderbuss would do the most damage to whatever threat came his way, but he knew the gods and goddesses enveloped him from all harm.    They were fair and just and existed in all things, so logically, Abel respected everything down his pathway, whether good or bad.    

Before the fire came from Serafina’s mouth, she stopped full force, right in front of Abel’s face.   She had been ordered to destroy him, but the faith-shield around him kept him safe.   

‘You’re my mom’s glyph aren’t you ?   Noble and loyal to a fault.  I knew you were sent to kill me.’, he said, staring Serafina directly into her golden cat eyes.   She had a human face but a sharp beak she could use to eviscerate, disembowel, and tear him apart.    Her razor-sharp beak was only inches from his nose.  She could’ve easily begun with that spongy part of his face and go to town, not caring how Abel was destroyed.   According to Minerva, the more pain he underwent the better.   He had exiled himself from the family fortune rebelling anyhow.   

Chapter 3—Befriending Serafina 

‘How ?  Humans can’t wield shields !  This is impenetrable !’,  Serafina bellowed, bearing down on the golden runes surrounding Abel with her beak.   Her beak could break Arinia crystal, which was the hardest substance on the planet.   This shield, however, had been something that Abel had learned to create in his quiet studies away from the poking, prodding and constant manipulation of his parents.    

‘It comes from within.   All humans have this ability, but only I have discovered how to implement it.   You can see how well it works.’, Abel said, with a chuckle.   Serafina blinked back irate, fiery tears. 

‘Your mother is going to have my HEAD for this !   I am as good as dead if I don’t deliver a report of your demise !’, Serafina roared.   Through the shield Abel reached forward and tenderly stroked the iridescent red, yellow and orange feathers atop the glyph’s head.   He knew to scratch her right behind the ear and showed no fear.   No one else could touch her other than Minerva herself because she had imprinted upon her scent at hatching.    

‘Mom can find a new glyph or griffin, or dragon !   My mother can get torched by a wyvern !’, Abel said, with some angry tears burning in his eyes.   Serafina was surprised she could be touched and Abel showing such unbelievable, unrelenting courage.    He had earned her respect, admiration, and ultimately, her friendship and loyalty.    Deep in her dual hearts, the glyph realized she served a corrupt system that needed to be changed.   Abel needed a mount, a familiar and protection, particularly in Trixie Country.    She would give it to him, no questions asked.   He had more than proven himself in her raptor eyes.    

Chapter 4—Trixie Country 

If Abel needed to fly, he could ride Serafina bareback wherever he wanted to travel.   Knowing that he had defeated death, he felt more at ease.   The Mittlemen, if they got word of the failure, would give word to their leader, Tim, a Gnome, and he likewise would transfer the data to the dragons.    One of the dragons would tell Minerva and the ‘extermination’ would begin all over again.   It would be never-ending.     Eventually, he would have to face his own family and terminate them if need be.   He didn’t want it to come to that, but he knew they outright loathed him.   There was so much odium in that family for his ‘non-conventional’ thoughts and goals that he was persona non grata for so long as he breathed.    

Understanding manna from having read from Alchemy journals, Abel’s respect and reverence got him far in Trixie Country.   As he traveled, he was greeted by a fairy princess named Veena.   The two immediately fell for each other.    Abel had never known any girls or women growing up due to being so cloistered and overprotected, but she was his ideal woman.    The moment Veena met him, she felt that she had finally encountered her red thread.   

‘I have never felt this way, not even for one of my own Kind.’, she said, as the two savored a picnic by the stream in Trixie Country.   Everything here was lush, verdant, serene and idyllic.   There were splendid blue and purple flowers dotting the landscape with prickle berry bushes.   Even if the sticky little bushes looked poisonous, the lovely red berries weren’t.  They were entirely potable.   They tasted sweet and made an exquisite drink the Faye called their ‘Elixir’.    It was rumored that this was the fountain of youth, but the jury was still out considering the efficacy of that claim, even if it had been made by the Faye themselves.   

‘I have nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide and nowhere to go.   I have provisions for camping and can erect my own tent, but my family will find out I haven’t been killed by this glyph she had sent to obliterate me.’, Abel said.  

‘No hard feelings.   I owe my freedom to the prince.  He opened my eyes, and all through kindness.’, Serafina confessed, bowing her head to the faye regality.    

‘No need to bow, glyph.  We’re both magical, that makes us equal !’, Veena laughed.   Just then, the King and Queen of Trixie Country came and found their daughter supping Elixir with a human male.   They weren’t even concerned.   They knew of the prophecy, which had been murmured so long ago by one of their Elders.    

‘You’re the rose, aren’t you ?’, Stutguart questioned. 

‘What do you mean ?   I know of no such thing.’, Abel stated, clearly confused.   Stutguart knelt down and met Abel, looking directly in his dark chocolate eyes.    

‘Nevermind, it’s of no consequence.   It’s just interesting you fit the description of the rose so succinctly.   Not surprising.  You have the purest soul of a human I have ever met.  There’s no corruption here, no malice.   Maybe a temper, but with a family like that, anyone would have a temper !’, Stutguart guffawed.    Abel couldn’t believe he had never been exposed to a ‘prophecy’ about the Keensights.    It had been something suppressed and only discussed among the ‘privileged’.    He had never been deemed ‘worthy’ and was unaware that a prophecy even existed.    

‘So you say your kindred is coming for you ?’, Feena inquired.  

‘Yes, sadly.   She is coming to kill him.   His own family…How awful.’, Veena stated.   

‘Then it will only be a matter of time before she tries again through her network of fire elementals.   We have to fight her head on.’, Stutguart stated. 

‘Couldn’t we have some sort of agreement between the clans ?  The ironclad reign has to end…Maybe an era could begin with Veena and myself ?’, Abel questioned.    Veena blushed torridly and entwined her arm boldly with Abel’s.  

‘You and I both know how the Keensights are.   We need to prepare for the worst.   Granted, Light will overcome the Dark, but we have to be vigilant.’, Stutguart stated, solemnly.   There was no further dallying.    From that point on, the Faye began to rally other creatures and magic users to their cause in fortification against the royal family.   Abel’s departure had been the spark, and now the oncoming war was about to become a raging blaze.    


Chapter 5—Facing Down Familiar Faces 

Once another failed attempt at erasing Abel from existence had come and gone, the Keensights brought forward their alliance with other elementals, never thinking love would overcome them all.    4 elements had always been in a constant struggle for power, but the Keensights had been reigning with impunity for decades if not millennia.    

Along ‘Mittle Road’, the Mittle men stayed far away from the skirmish about to occur.   Tim himself hid in one of the many crystal grottos with fellow elves, gnomes, trolls and salamanders.   Tim didn’t care if he seemed to be a coward.  He knew the most elemental truth of ‘saving his own hide’ and hoping the rest of his clan would join them in the security of Arinian mines.    

‘Why couldn’t you have just died like a good little annoying boy !’, King Peregrin snarled rushing into battle with thousands of harpies on his side.   Violentia used salamanders and wyverns.   Of course, Minerva’s favorite weapon were drakes of any size, shape, color and ability, especially if their tempers were exceedingly fiery.    

‘Stand FIRM !  Don’t flinch !’, called out the Regent of the Faeries.   Elementals were easily besting the massive beasts even if they came in hot and hard.   Each beast was felled almost instantly and the death toll was rising.   Violenta was stricken by an Ifrit that impaled her, only to be beheaded by Peregrin.   In berserker rage, he had slaughtered thousands if not millions.  

Oddly enough the last of the gitanos, fortune tellers, mechanics, tailors, cobblers, bungees, coopers, fletchers (basically anyone with a lucrative skill or trade) and magic users used their abilities to even out the odds against Abel and the Faye.   Violenta had already suffered a horrible demise.   All that was left of the Keensights were some guards, artillery men, knights and yeoman.    Only half of them were left standing.   

Abel found himself facing down the man responsible for his birth, his own dad.   He could feel his father’s vehemence against him.   

‘So what if this family is full of pricks !  Better pricks than a namby-pamby, pantywaist ROSE !’, he said, raising his longsword to the sky and giving a barbaric yell.    Claymore in hand, Abel defended himself and found his father at the hilt.    Gasping, gurgling on blood, Peregrin fell supine to the ground, rasping his last breaths.  

‘To think…It would come to this.   Pathetic…’, he said, venomously.    Behind him was Minerva, who had seen through her periphery that her husband had been slain.  

‘Damn you, insolent BRAT !’, she shrieked.   

‘Mother, no !  No, I can’t kill you, too !’, he screamed, trying not to cry from the sheer shock of having to defend himself.    Accidentally, he had hit the trigger of his blunderbuss out of reflex.    In her abdomen was a hole where her intestines and stomach had once remained.  

‘You little fucker…I hope one of my drakes swallows you WHOLE !’, she swore upon her last breath.    Prone, she landed upon the sanguinary field, her blood flowing into rivulets where the slain lay dead.    None had begun to defile the air with their stench but Abel was overcome with emotion.   On his knees, hands sullied with blood, he wept.   

Chapter 6—Bold Moves 

The bodies were moved and given proper burials.   Only a few of all tribes remained.   It was a wonder that any gitanos or pirates were left after the mass murder of trillions.   

Although the family that loathed him was long since removed from Arinia, Abel was given time to mourn their passing before continuing to court Veena.   After a year’s time, the two were united, quite happily, with a jovial reception.    

Earth, air, fire and water had begun to live more harmoniously since Abel’s fifth element had been added into the mix.    He could now understand the prophecy that had been given by the Faye elder so long ago.  

‘Even my dad was talking about the Rose before his demise.   I heard through the grapevine that my Oculus had given him a similar prophecy.   What are the odds ?’, Abel said, with a laugh.   

‘Wouldn’t you think having another soothsayer steambot would be advantageous ?’, Stutguart  asked, inquisitively.  

‘Having the future at your fingertips so readily seems so dangerous.   What happened before might happen again under another set of furious hands.  Technology like that isn’t meant for us.’, Abel stated wisely.    Even though they were wed and on the brink of starting a new family, Veena and Abel wanted to take to the sky and see where it took them.   Neither one of them had been in a dirigible and although Veena could fly and Abel rode on Serafina’s back, they figured living an aeronautic lifestyle for a while would be fun and maybe a bit insane.  Given their eccentricities it was just exactly the type of lifestyle they wanted.  

Epilogue 

The Pricklebush Empire itself was renamed to the Rose Empire, given its new Prince, now King of the Faye.   He had discovered that magic was intrinsic and had become the first human to wield it with respect and walking the pathway of Light.    Once a duet, he and Veena had become a quintet.   They had two boys, Phillip and Lance, who were fraternal twins.   Lance resembled his mother more than Phillip did, and the two were more than happy to welcome their sister Clevona into their family.   Clevona was named after the Elder who had given the ‘Rose’ prophecy and returned to the Ether where she had originally manifested from.  

Arinia, thanks to Abel, is a peaceful, euphoric place, one that is safe for all entities.   There is more inclusivity and diversity where there had been nothing but division before.   The future generations plan to perpetuate this loving model of acceptance until the end of time, but it proves that ultimately Light always overcomes the Darkness although it may seem for a brief while Darkness might overshadow the Light. 

            The End