Chapter 32 ( Nuada's Sword )

Present day...

Thibideaux smiled and looked up at the children who were looking up in raptured by the story of their histories. " Ok, ok, it's time to take a break and have some food then have cook make some snacks for us so we dont have to worry about anything until dinner." All the children got up and ran to the kitchen where the cook had lunch prepared for them. It was just a comforting Cottage pie with a very nice ground beef from cows that were just superior in their breeding over the length and bredth of the time Man has herded bovine creatures. The children all sat contentedly in their chairs t the table. Treenie popped up brightly, her pony tail bobbing wildly." Uncle Thibideaux, how did you get that scar on your eye?" Tibideau looked at at the child and said," Oh that is such a boring story child it makes me weary." The young girl spoke in return," How long ago did you get it?" She pushed. And elbowed his rib cage lightly with a smile on her face. Thibideaux sighed and prodded the young child gently on her shoulder. and she stood there and said." Oh yes that muscle hurts could you work out the knot?" The old man just started laughing quite uncontrollably. The things children say to their elders. To family. Ones who stick around and lead the younger folk get to hear some of the most amazing truth bombs from children. No guile for the most part. There have been some pranks that went on for a year or two when some of the elders were younger there was an all out guild pranking war between the Paladin. Thibideaux pulled out of his reverie and said, How about I tell you the time when your grandfathers and their friends among other groups of Paladin's I can not say. But on my side I know of Four of them involved with the taring and feathering of one said High Lord Thibideaux Fordging." The kids started laughing and Treenie leaned back with a high pitched cackle because she had the pleasure of hearing Papa Slayde recount the incident in question,many times.

Thibideaux  looks around at the table as they eat their meal of Cottage Pie. All children should have Cottage Pie. It is just such a wonderful, comforting happy dish to consume. He popped his eye brow up and said. " So there I was, strolling through town. I had time to either have lunch or go attend to a business matter with an issue I was dealing with. Some of my armor had sold at the local market's primium sales kiosks. I was heading to deposit the money from selling something." He nods at Slayde and continues the tale. " The young prince had roused some others to band with him about the length of the papers they were instructed to hand in along with the physical aspect of Paladin Training. The memorization excercises were utelized all the time in rapid succession. " I trained them rigorously children. I was not an easy old man like I am now. They too now see what is involved in the raising of the next Paladins and Priests. The ferocity in which they aproach the scriptures is where they are filterd to as they go through training. This decides who is a priest and who is a paladin."

Anyway, I was supposed to also recieve an award for the most impressive regiment precision display that year. I was harried and busy, and probably a bit too gruff for the lads and they were quite angry at me so they decided to devise this mechanism that sprayed the lightest sheen of warm, not hot ,asphalt tar. Warm enough to cling to the plate but not to burn me. So, they were aware of the ramifications of hot tar. Which means they did their job to ensure no one was hurt physically. But what they didnt count on was the spray hit my face, hair and armor. Then one of the four lads started up this Gnomish factory fan while someone pushed the buggy of feathers from the chicken house in front of the fan. There were feathers everywhere children! It looked like the storm of the century happened right there in the street. Feathers hung off my hair, my face , my nose. one stuck in my ear. I left tracks of tar as I walked along. WHen I made it to the bank, I stood there waiting for the cashier tared and feathered. Blowing little feathers out of my way." He leaned over," I think thats how I got the date my now late Carine. So, It really was a good day. But, when I went through it children, I have to struggle so hard to keep my temper in check. And Here was my mental note. I did loose all the hair on my head for a little while but it all grew back in. By then Carin and I were in love and we got married."

He said with a smile. Reaching out he steadied the bouncing Treenie and pressed down on the top of her head and said," Remember to breathe evenly young one. Now sit back down in your chair.It will be ok. She looked at him and said," Uncle Thibideaux?" She said as she knelt in the chair leaning over to take a bite of her Cottage Pie. He looked up and said," Yes, Chere? " And she responded."Do you think I am going to be a Paladin like you? " She said reaching her hand out and grasping her glass and drinking loudly. Tibideaux smirked slightly and said," No, Chere, you are most certianly not suited for a Paladin. You don't give a fig for scriptures. I would wager a good guess that you might be more along the lines of a Healer. Your graceful mother was an amazing spiritual healer before the run in with Lucifer. Alright let's get back to it children." They all filed in after the cook handed them a bag as they left the table and headed towards their little spot on the floor. Thibideaux smiled and sat down. He reached for the tome and placed it in his lap. " Ok, now, where were we? Ahh Yes, preparing for war. That is never simple as it says children. War is never easy and should never be taken lightly. There will come a day when your values will be called into question and you will have to take a stand. Choose this day for whom you will serve. As for me and my house we will serve Yehovah. That is in a book called Joshua. It has been around for many thousands of years good book. I think he was the first Paladin. But that's because I am so old and set in my way." He siged with reverie. and continued with the story.

"Meanwhile.. Back at Val's, Rahnyah asks aloud." Karogen, Why is your smallest animal a wolf?" Karogen looked at Rahnyah as shifted to bear. and Sat on his haunches and signed in sign language." Because this is my natureal form. I am an Arch druid because I can shift into an elf not the other  way around." Rahnyah nodded and rubbed his head and leaned down to his face and said all sweet." Awww He's such a fuzzy boy! " Then leaned over and kissed his forehead then rose up and checked on Ishellia. As she neared the bed, Rhiannon said. "I need your ability to freeze things. See if we could open the water up down to the cave the Kelpie would be trapped in the water and ice and we swoop in there and get it just like that. We will have the sword." 

At this point Thibideaux looked up from the book and said," Nothing is ever that simple children always make a contingency plan and always , always, always, double tap." Old Rahnyah gasped and said," Thibi!!! The Children's ears!" Thibideaux looked at Rahnyah and said,' Would you rather me blow smoke up their ass Your Majesty?" Rahnyah smiled and retorted," Of course not Thibi. It was just a shock." Thibideaux looked back down at the tome and said," Ok, now we are back on track." He looks up, " No more questions? Good, let's continue."

 The druids and mage converged on the Lake of Avalon. The druids tried to whirl the wind around enough to freeze it. Rahnyah reached forth her hands and touched the water on both sides of her and frost emenated from her finger tips. As she trailed the fingers through the water, she sang and the water froze . Several fish were shocked and blinked at her lipidly as she walked by. As she drew nearer and nearer to the cave the water became more turbulent and the chain reaction wasnt working from her fingertips like it normally did. Rhiannon said aloud," Do not hurt my Kelpie. He is my only one. Val, wind your vines around his muzzle." Then she turned to the massive freshwater water horse and crooned to him." Ahh, Prancer, shhh, darling. I am just getting the sword." She turned to Rahnyah and said," Come forth and touch his brow so he can see you hold no malice. He is struggling so please hury and mind your step on the rocks they are slippery." Rahnyah move forward to the water horse and gently placed her hand upon his brow. She looked at him with amazed wonder as she stroked his fur. Yes, this was fur. Underwater. She looked at him further and noticed his tail was the only scaled part of his body. Then also along the ridge of the spine rose large scale plates in an opaque blue. The Kelpie slowed his struggle and allowed Rahnyah to keep her hand on him. Then suddenly,! Karogen loudly brings the sword out and the waterhorse immediaately sensed a threat being that Karogen is a bear. Rhiannon struggled to hold him as Karogen removed the sword from the water.

"That was too easy." The old bear said as the shade of Nuada materialized in front of him and spoke." Where go you with my sword?" Then Nuada turned to Rhiannon and said," And You? How could you let a mere bear touch my sword?" Rhiannon looked up and growled and shifted into her badger form and came at the shade as if she could kill it. It could do little to her but Nuada could call whatever nature he wanted to call to stand and fight for him until he was satisfied the one who would weild it held no malice. The sword's magic was powerful and the one who weilded it could not die. Only the pure of heart could touch it."

Thibideaux lifted his head and interjected softly," Apparently , the bear too was pure of heart. That is interesting." And he looked down to continue. " Trees and animals converged on the shores of Avalon. The very lake quivered in anger and fear. Paths of frost could be seen streaking through the ripples. The Ice flow dam was weakening and they had to fight on the shore. Val swiftly turned into a shark and whisked Rahnyah to the edge of the lake and then shifted back to angelic form. The shekinah of God surrounded his form as he shifted into a tiger. He spun and flipped and growled as all the druids joined in. There was nothing they could do to the shade but they could defend their right to be there. Val looked at Rhiannon and said," You know you could have warned us." His sister smirked and said," Then what glory would there be for us?" as she shifted into a ferret and Ambrosious picked her up in his talons and he placed her on the waterhorses head. She ran down and gnawed off the vines Val placed there and then released her kelpie. She ranup the Kelpie's head and jumped up high as Ambrosious came down swiftly and snatched her out of the air.  They landed softly and in stride as he fludily shifted to human form holding his wife against his chest. They turned and braced against the onslaught of abnormally huge rabbits. The teeth were flashing and jaws were biting and claws were slashing. The moonlight fadeded into dawn as the last vestigle remains of the test came to a close. Nuada bowed his head and said." Go, save the Earth. Why didnt you just say so?I had to hear it from the bears thoughts." Rahnyah raised her hand. " Was it really that simple?" Nuada smirked and said. " You will never know now."