Ganbata-ne!

Sooooo...

 I'm about to scrap my NaNoWriMo novel. Why do I do this?!?!? Argh, lol

 Ahem. As the title of this post says...'Do well! Accomplish much!'; I must say, everyone I know is starting something knew. I figure it's high-time I did something new so I will tell you! I read TEN PAGES of Science yesterday to get caught up! Okay, that isn't new at all, lol. But, hey. It's an accomplishment.
 Let's see...well, I'm going to try making Bubble Tea tomorrow or whenever, 'cause the tapioca pearls that I bought at Oasis back last November are expiring...the 18th of September. >.< So I guess I'm gonna be eating absolutely monstrous ammounts of tapioca and bubble tea and stuff for the next two weeks. I'll get really healthy...... :P
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea

 ^in case someone wants to know what the crazed Asian-culture freak is talking about. ^.^

 At any rate...I'm thinking of scanning on some of my little comic pages on here, but then I feel the story is too silly and weird, lol. Plus, it's fanfiction. So perhaps I'll just scan in the more recent pages, since they're sooooo pretty. ^.^
 At any rate...gotta go to bed now. >.< Lately, I wake up between 7 and 8 and then push myself to not fall asleep...urgh. Need to stop doing that.

 -Argent

Take it Slow...

Sunday, I was talking to one of my friends, and said something that made him reply; "You sound like you've spent many years travelling outside of your body or something."
 I answered with "Well, yes, I have, sort-of."

 I fully intended to make this into something of a post, but the truth is...it just kinda flopped after that. XD I was gonna try to comprise summer, but I sort-of just want to stop writing and enjoy my good music...I hate it when I do that!!! It's like I can't do anything but listen to music!!! Urgh.
 Well, anyways...
 I'm...writing a lot recently. As any of you who read my blog may have noticed. If you haven't been reading my little story...that's fine. I hold about the same opinion of it as Mr. Lukas; it's important to him, and it's important to me, but others may just not want to read it, since it's sort-of the same as any other story you might here. Well, to myself and Lukas it is quite odd but very cliche. To others it might just be boring. >.<
 Yes, I speak of my characters like they're real people. I'm sorry! I know they aren't and I don't think of them as people with real opinions...just characters who live in a little world in my head. I give them life and opinions and faces and such...just so I don't creep anyone out, I had to say that. LOL

 So, I'm excited for NaNoWriMo 2011!!! I have characters laid out but absolutely no plot for them! LOL I can't decide....
Should I have them be really important children of a government official and get captured and held for ransom at some point...
 Or should I have Nolan be the one who's invovled with the government, and he's a genius who cracks into the computers of other countries as a sort-of spy?
 Or...or should they just be normal people that somehow get wrapped up in Erin's weird life and just turn it into a slice of life/romance comedy/shojo story?
 You know...a 'let's save Erin from her awful life' campaign...naw, that's too fragile of a plot...
 See what I go throught?! lol, I'm just throwing ideas out there.
 I also can't decide if I want any romance in there or not. I really don't think I do...
 But if there were a couple for me to want give enough attention to make it slightly noticeable...
 J.K. and Erin...J.K.'s kinda impulsive. He's smart, but he doesn't know what to do with his intellect and can be a little destructive in his spare time. He hates wasting time, but does it consistently. He's got a past, but his life has been one full of whatever he wants. He's never known Erin's life of poverty and suffering.
 Nolan and Erin...well, Nolan is 8 years older than her, so that might be a problem somewhere. But since my great-grandparents were eight years apart I'm not that concerned about age difference. Nolan could understand Erin's situation well, plus he's very cool-headed an intuitive. He's lived through hard times and he's also not been wealthy all the time, either. He sees who Erin really is...but he's also a bit of a jerk and has some nasty habits (smoking being one of them). Ahhh, what to do...



~A.K.~

In Which Sleeping Beauty Does Not Awaken

Part 2

Her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful. Light danced across her summer suntanned cheeks, her equally brown hands folded gently across her chest. Her dress was that of a peasant; her feet were bare and rough, her dark brown hair mussed.

Well, this is going to be easy. She's not that hard to kiss.

I sort-of wanted to beat my head against a wall when that comment entered my mind, but decided to simply appreciate the fact that I hadn't spoken it aloud.

The room we were in was lightly furnished; cut of the same stone as the rest of the castle. The drapes of the single window in the room, which was across from me, were pulled away to reveal a gorgeous view of the countryside. In the wall to the left was the fireplace, and besides that, the room was empty of decor.

Her bed was simple and had been moved towards the window, but was still more in the center of the room. There was a chest at the footboard, a rug on the floor, and a chair standing awkwardly all alone.

Richard pulled the chair to the side of the bed and sat there. Beckoning for me to sit on the bedside, he entered into what I suppose was an explanation of what had happened.

“You see, Lukas, I was originally intending this to happen to our princess, Aurelia. But the old, half-blind witch that I employed to execute this plan got the wrong girl. See, she only slightly resembles Aurelia.”

I nodded, slightly confused.

“But anyways, I intended Aurelia, and then for the prince to come save her. Sadly, the prince won't save a false princess when he can simply go and speak to the real one. So, I need to do something about this one.”

“Two questions,” I began, “why do you want the prince to come save Aurelia, and why do you need to do something about this girl? Why not just execute your plan and then have the prince kiss both of them?”

Richard groaned, “all these details...well, as to why I want the prince to come save her...that's none of your business. As to why I cannot go about my plans while this one is lost in her deep slumber; the witch won't curse another girl until this ones been taken care of. It's really quite simple if you understand the magic behind it all. When one person is suffering from your curse, you-”

“I get it, I get it. No need to explain. You just want me to kiss her, and then we'll be out of here, right?'

By now, I was becoming slightly irritable. I didn't understand why he had to have me do it and I wasn't looking forward to it anyway. Besides, if I dawdled around there much longer, my family would wonder where I was and I certainly didn't want them to know.

“Ah, that is, if it is a successful attempt, which is most likely, then I will most definitely be-”

“Alright. One last question.”

“Yes?” His gray eyes flashed to meet my blue ones.

“Why me?”

A sly grin that a demon could have worn slid across his face and he stood up, “Why, the answer is simple, Lukas. You are, after all, the prince's own cousin. You are the closest to a prince that they might come...have you forgotten it already?”

No, I hadn't forgotten it. I hadn't forgotten it at all. Instead, it had been continuously thrust into my face for all seventeen years of my life, and I hated it. Sometimes, I wondered if it were me that was important, or my blue blood.

Of course, it is my blue blood, and it always will be. You just have to get used to this if you're at all related to the prince, and go on living your life.

Richard began to pace back and forth, “you weren't my first solution, though. I tried it myself. When that didn't work, I had a peasant to try. That didn't work, either. That was when I attempted to get the prince to come to dinner, but he responded to my request with nothing whatsoever; not even the slightest hint of a reply. I wrestled with it for days until I determined that only a prince can break a spell meant for a princess. I didn't really want any prince but ours, so I continued to mull over it until I remembered you. Ah, yes, Lukas! Son of the king's second youngest brother. That would probably work. So here we are.” Richard sighed as he finished, and suddenly stopped pacing. He stared at me strangely for a moment. “Well? Aren't you going to kiss her?”

Well...as a seventeen-year-old male I stood dumbfounded for a few moments before I realized that I really was going to have to kiss her. I felt my face flush at my cousin's clear, honest gaze of inquiry. He definitely was a weird one...

I cast a glance at her face. Then I decided I wasn't going to think about it anymore and bent down. As soon as my lips touched hers, I felt a pressure on the back of my head and realized it was Richard's hand. After several long moments, my self in great misery, he finally allowed me to sit up. I suppose he had been worried I wouldn't kiss her long enough to break the spell.

Fury had welled up inside me, not to mention the racing of my heart and the embarrassment that I had just kissed a girl for the first time. I turned to Richard, about ready to shout at him, when I realized he was looking me up and down with great scrutiny. His eyes held a mad, angry light, and he cursed softly under his breath.

That was when I realized she hadn't awakened. Rather, she lay just as still as before. Not a sound passed between anyone in the room. It remained deathly quiet.

Then, Richard turned away. He left the room silently with a swoosh of his cape and was gone. After recovering from my stupor, I attempted to follow, but as I reached the door it slammed in my face, and I heard the grinding of a lock. In my ignorance I assumed Richard had done it. At first I called out, figuring that my crazy relative had simply pulled a cruel joke. Then I began beating upon the door, shouting and cursing at the top of my lungs. But no one came. After many hours the sun began to set and I realized that he had never intended to let me go if the plan didn't work. The look on his face when he left was enough. I didn't know why he'd decided to keep me there, but that wasn't the point. I was a captive of a madman who thought he was a wizard, with no way to get out, and as darkness set in, I crawled into a ball on the rug and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

The Sarcastic Narrarator Returns...

Part 1



 I approached the castle with some hesitation. I was mildly fearful of Lord Richard, since seven Christmasess ago, when I was ten and just recovering from my accident, he'd tried to exorcise my great-grandmother and the next day she'd died. Of course, this was merely coincidental (I think), and shouldn't have affected me...but somehow, it has.
 So as I and my horse slowly made the climb towards the castle, I reread his letter, which I'd kept in my pocket. This is what it said,



 My dear cousin Lukas, son of Lord Martin of the Marshlands (My name just happens to be Henry Lukas Martin the Sixth. I go by my middle name to avoid confusion)
 I have a proposition for you. You've always been a smart lad, one with words, so I know you must be reading this letter with curiosity. Your cousin Richard hasn't contacted you in a long time. Well, to be honest, I need you for something.
 I want you to visit my castle. A maiden has accidentally been put into an endless slumber. She was supposed to be a different maiden, who would be awakened with the kiss of a prince, but sadly, this is not the case. She is not a maiden, and the prince won't come to kiss and wake her. I was hoping you might be obliged to do it. 
 I have enclosed 15 gold pieces in this package. It is only one-third of what I plan to pay you if you come and wake her.
 
 Your loving cousin,
 Lord Richard Carlton



 Before I knew it, I had reached the main gates. I tried to stifle both my unease and my now rising doubts as I surveyed the place.
  It was the picture of an abandoned castle from fairytales. The grounds were unkempt, the buildings in disrepair, and in general looked as if no one lived there.
 But Richard was, as I was soon made painfully aware, in that fortress.
 No one came to greet me, and no one was guarding the large, iron gates. Yet, creaking on their hinges with a screeching of rust, they opened as I approached. Unsettled moreso than before, I glanced around for someone who had opened them, but barely even saw the rustle of a bush or tree, or a shadow or noise.
 Did I mention this was all taking place on a sweaty, humid, late August day when there was absolutely not the slightest hint of a breeze? In most circumstances, I would have been spending the day drinking lemonade out in the garden, reading a book.
 The castle really appeared like an overgrown berry patch that a little kid would want to go crusading in, but I ignored that fact as I spotted Lord Richard off to the side. He was by himself, in a deep red tunic with a black short sleeved shirt underneath and black hose. His cape was the same color that is commonly associated with darkness, and he wore jewelled rings on his fingers. He's quite a bit older than me...ten years, at least, but he keeps his beard shaved and his raven colored hair long.
 I suppose we do actually look somewhat alike. That's what mother always said before he went crazy, at least.
 "Ah, my young cousin..." He began as I dismounted from my horse, "I see you're well as ever. Um, most of you, that is." He finished, casting a glance at the evidence of the accident several years ago. He couldn't see my pegleg under the boots I was wearing, but he must have remembered which one it was.
 I suppose it is time I explained.
 When I was ten years old, I was playing in the forest one day. And, you guessed it, was attacked by wild boars. I would have healed just fine, had it not been for the gangrene which began spreading. So, just as neat as you please, it was amputated and that was the last of it.

Since it isn't necessary to the story for me to explain everything about it, I'll just say that it's on occasion hard to get around with your right foot missing, but mostly, it poses no problem.

I greeted my cousin with similar friendliness, choosing not to acknowledge his comment.

“Well, then, since you're here, just leave your horse to be tended to, and we'll get straight to work.”

I wasn't sure where my horse would go or who would take care of him, seeing as there was no one else but Richard and I, but I decided not to worry about it and followed my demented cousin into the keep.

The corridors were cool and refreshing compared to the outside. I could hear water running somewhere; probably an underground stream.

It was as we rounded a corner and came upon a flight of stone stairs that Richard stopped. I glanced upwards. There was a landing, about twelve steps up, and then they turned out of site. The long, small window chiseled out of the stone provided faint light.

The sound of water running was to my left, and I realized that it was seeping out a crack in the wall. I turned to Richard.

“Is this a spring?”

“Yes. As you may have noticed by now, we descended several stairs as we entered this keep. We've been underground for a while. Since the castle is built into the mountain, it's natural for a few springs to be around. This one conveniently runs through here. Now, the mystery as to why the structure is still sound is one that I may only explain with magic.”

I groaned.

“Now, now, be a good lad and wash your sweaty face off, and we'll go on up and visit her.” He responded.

Finding no other options before me, I did as I was told. After splashing my face with water, we ascended.

Up until then I hadn't really believed in magic at all. But in the next few months, a battle of questions would be waged within me, and the reality of magic would definitely be one of the fiercest wars.

~A.K.~