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100prompts2019-10-08 01:24 am
but_can_i_be_trusted) wrote in 100prompts2019-10-08 01:24 am
Entry tags:
[Table #2/Prompt #23: Journey] Original Fiction: 'Kouuto'
Title: 'Kouuto'
Fandom: Original Fiction
Character/Pairing: Original
Rating: PG (Mildly disturbing imagery)
Summary: Surely mere frayed threads of a legend could not be worth all this aggravation.
Notes: Fic = Mine. Characters = Also Mine. Crossposted toficlet_zone for Challenge #19: Song Titles: Metallica.
Prince Kouuto cursed under his breath as his feet nearly slid out from under him for the fifth time since he'd dismounted. At the sight of the broad expanse of slimy swamp, his retainers had turned back, too fearful to continue; his horse, blast the beast, had turned tail right along with them, giving Kouuto little time to leap off.
Now, after an hour of traversing the bleak setting, the Prince had half a mind to turn back, himself. Surely mere frayed threads of a legend could not be worth all this aggravation. Nevertheless, he kept on, determination--or perhaps a touch of stubborn pride--goading him to keep putting one foot before the other.
The clues that guided him were scanty, at best. All that Kouuto had to go on were hints, whispers, vague allusions. There was nothing more solid to work with, so this might well be a fool's errand.
But each tiny fragment, taken in sum, added up to one thing: Somewhere, deep at the heart of Delegin's Swamp, there was a treasure to be had. What manner of treasure--be it animal, vegetable, or mineral--had never been disclosed, as far as Prince Kouuto could discern. It felt like enough, however, to stir him into action.
Thus, he continued to trudge, alone and cursing those who'd left him so. Overhead, the once blue sky was turning a troubling gray. It was too soon for the sun to go down, so it might be hints of a coming storm.
Blast it! He should never have come here; this attempted journey was quickly proving to be a grave mistake. Some things ought never to be--
--but there was a sound somewhere nearby, only just in the immediate distance. The Prince listened closely, awed to recognize it as a woman's voice, singing softly, only just loud enough for him to be able to hear it. Its source seemed to be concealed just behind a broadly-trunked tree.
Kouuto pushed himself forward now, ignoring the slime and the muck all around him. He must reach that voice--surely this must be the treasure the tales had told him of!
Around the other side of the tree, a beautiful young woman sat. Her voice, sweet and clear, though still soft, filled the air, making it seem somehow less unpleasant than moments before. She gazed in Prince Kouuto's direction, smiling to him warmly.
"What brings you so far from your home," she asked him, beckoning him to sit beside her--a prompting that he did not hesitate to acquiesce to, as he readily ignored the mire that had only lately been a source of irritation to him. "What may have lured so handsome and charming a Prince to my side?"
"You...you know of me," Kouuto breathed, amazed; though his fear had mysteriously vanished.
"I have waited for you," the woman murmured, as she slid a hand over his hair. Unconsciously, he eased nearer, nestling against her side. "It was always intended that you should come and find me. My darling Kouuto, how pleased I am that you have finally come to me."
She began to sing again, and Prince Kouuto listened, mesmerized by every note that fell from her lips. So entranced was he that, by the time he realized that creeping vines around the tree were slowly winding their way around him, it didn't occur to him to resist.
As the vines gradually choked the life out of him, all Kouuto could think was that this was a marvelous way to meet his death.
Fandom: Original Fiction
Character/Pairing: Original
Rating: PG (Mildly disturbing imagery)
Summary: Surely mere frayed threads of a legend could not be worth all this aggravation.
Notes: Fic = Mine. Characters = Also Mine. Crossposted to
ficlet_zone for Challenge #19: Song Titles: Metallica.Prince Kouuto cursed under his breath as his feet nearly slid out from under him for the fifth time since he'd dismounted. At the sight of the broad expanse of slimy swamp, his retainers had turned back, too fearful to continue; his horse, blast the beast, had turned tail right along with them, giving Kouuto little time to leap off.
Now, after an hour of traversing the bleak setting, the Prince had half a mind to turn back, himself. Surely mere frayed threads of a legend could not be worth all this aggravation. Nevertheless, he kept on, determination--or perhaps a touch of stubborn pride--goading him to keep putting one foot before the other.
The clues that guided him were scanty, at best. All that Kouuto had to go on were hints, whispers, vague allusions. There was nothing more solid to work with, so this might well be a fool's errand.
But each tiny fragment, taken in sum, added up to one thing: Somewhere, deep at the heart of Delegin's Swamp, there was a treasure to be had. What manner of treasure--be it animal, vegetable, or mineral--had never been disclosed, as far as Prince Kouuto could discern. It felt like enough, however, to stir him into action.
Thus, he continued to trudge, alone and cursing those who'd left him so. Overhead, the once blue sky was turning a troubling gray. It was too soon for the sun to go down, so it might be hints of a coming storm.
Blast it! He should never have come here; this attempted journey was quickly proving to be a grave mistake. Some things ought never to be--
--but there was a sound somewhere nearby, only just in the immediate distance. The Prince listened closely, awed to recognize it as a woman's voice, singing softly, only just loud enough for him to be able to hear it. Its source seemed to be concealed just behind a broadly-trunked tree.
Kouuto pushed himself forward now, ignoring the slime and the muck all around him. He must reach that voice--surely this must be the treasure the tales had told him of!
Around the other side of the tree, a beautiful young woman sat. Her voice, sweet and clear, though still soft, filled the air, making it seem somehow less unpleasant than moments before. She gazed in Prince Kouuto's direction, smiling to him warmly.
"What brings you so far from your home," she asked him, beckoning him to sit beside her--a prompting that he did not hesitate to acquiesce to, as he readily ignored the mire that had only lately been a source of irritation to him. "What may have lured so handsome and charming a Prince to my side?"
"You...you know of me," Kouuto breathed, amazed; though his fear had mysteriously vanished.
"I have waited for you," the woman murmured, as she slid a hand over his hair. Unconsciously, he eased nearer, nestling against her side. "It was always intended that you should come and find me. My darling Kouuto, how pleased I am that you have finally come to me."
She began to sing again, and Prince Kouuto listened, mesmerized by every note that fell from her lips. So entranced was he that, by the time he realized that creeping vines around the tree were slowly winding their way around him, it didn't occur to him to resist.
As the vines gradually choked the life out of him, all Kouuto could think was that this was a marvelous way to meet his death.