Chapter Two: Speeches and Gifts

Chapter Two: Speeches and Gifts

A Chapter by Vincent Iannaco
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Dante and Arthas perform the speeches and receive their gifts from their family and friends, including some rather unusual gifts from Gin.

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    “Hello friends! Welcome to the good bye celebration of my two sons, Arthas and Dante!” Dante’s father Zachariah, announced. He took a small pause to let the crowd cheer and clap, whoop and holler, and whistle for the two young gentlemen. “Today is our day to say our goodbyes, for it may be many years until we see them again… and for us to let them know how we appreciate them, and bestow gifts upon them. However, before we get to the fun part, they will first make a speech as their goodbyes to you.” Zachariah clapped to signal the rest to clap, and to signal the two boys to step up on the platform. Arthas stepped up, and grabbed Dante by the arm and pulled him up next. The father backed down off the platform and signaled for Arthas to start his speech. As he stepped up on the platform there were hoots and hollers from the back of the room from Arthas’ friends. They were nice guys and all, but Dante always found that they ignored him and tried to exclude him from activities like dueling or playing sports, but they were never really mean. Arthas never stood for it anyway; he’d always force them to let Dante in.

    Arthas smiled and waved for them to quiet down and went up to the wooden podium. It was no surprise to Dante that Arthas’ speech was well spoken. He went on to tell people about his most memorable moments around the Abbey and made shout outs to people like his buddies, his parents, and important people around the farm. Needless to say Dante was distraught that he had to follow up a great speech with what he was thinking about, which was “I’ll miss you all.”

    “And to close my speech I would just like to say, thank you all for all of the fond memories and I will miss you all” Arthas turned to his parents, “especially you guys, mom, dad.” He walked over and hugged them. There was a quiet “awe” from the crowd. Dante almost teared up, which only made it worse. Now he had to follow up a heart tearing speech and he was choked up from that same speech. Arthas stepped away and wiped his tears away and went back to the podium.

   “Thank you guys… for everything.” He threw up his fist with a smile and the crowd went crazy. There was the hoot and hollering from his friends, the tons of cheers from people around the farm, and screams from everyone. Dante’s jaw dropped. “Ok little brother. Your turn.” said Arthas as he stepped away from the podium and winked. Dante shot him an “I’m going to get you for this” look as he stood up and walked to the podium himself. He looked at everyone who was talking amongst themselves about Arthas. Dante tried to calm himself down but it wasn’t going to do him any good. He simply figured he was just going to wing it.

    “Hello everyone.” He started. Everyone quieted down and everyone looked at Dante. He looked over the crowd. Everyone, from this farm and the adjacent farms, as well as the people near who lived at the Abbey, was here to listen to his speech. But as he did that, he found out the solution.

    When Dante traveled to the Abbey, he often had time to himself to do whatever he pleased, whether it was browsing the market or visiting friends. Often times, however, Dante used this free time to tell stories to the local children. It all started when he met a young girl while he was browsing the market. Some older boys were bullying her. They were picking on her telling her fairies and dragons didn’t exist, telling her that she was stupid for even thinking it. Now, Dante noticed that she was no more than six or seven. After the boys left, she sat down at the side of the road crying. Dante walked up to her and put his hand around her, and tried to calm her down. He told them; “Don’t let them get to you, what do they know? As a matter of fact, let me tell you a little story.” He went on to tell her of the story he heard from Gin. He told her exactly as he heard it. She was fascinated by the story of dragons and mystery. After he was done, the girl had no sign that she was ever sad. With a hug and a thank you, she skipped off. Dante felt good after that.

    The next time that Dante accompanied his father, he saw the girl again. She ran up to him, and asked for another story, but this time she brought three of her friends. This time Dante had to think on his feet and make up a new story. Every time he returned, she met him with more friends, and he told them all a story. It was funny, he thought, because even though he was speaking in front of a crowd, he was not at all nervous or sick. As a matter of fact, Dante looked forward to it each time he went, it made him feel good.

    This brings us to Dante’s solution. He simply told his speech as if he was telling a story. As he thought of the feeling of storytelling, the nervousness went away, and was eager to get to it.

    “As most of you know, I came here many years ago and was picked up by these two, my foster parents.” Signaling to Helena and Zachariah, the two sitting hand in hand watching Dante give his speech. “However, to me they are more than just ‘foster’ parents. Not very many people know the origin of how I was taken in by the Terrowin family, so here it is. My mother came to Stonebridge on a cart. She obviously didn’t want to be known because she wore a hood. She said she’d be back to pick me up and asked Zachariah and Helena to watch after me, and they did. She never came back. Nothing major, I was just unwanted. However, to me it was a very major thing. I was just a poor, defenseless baby, unwanted by my mother, and these two took me in, out of the kindness of their hearts. They already had a son of their own, but for the sake of my well being, they took me in, clothed me, fed me, and nurtured me as a son of their own. I could not; no matter how long or how hard I tried, be able to repay them for the kindness they have shown me.

    “They may only be foster parents on paper, but to me, they are my true and only parents. No one could ever replace them. And it was not just them who looked after me and treated me as one of their own. My brother Arthas looked after me since we were both young children. If I was being picked on or bullied, or chased by kids twice my size, he was there to protect me.

    “From the day I first picked up a practice sword, and said I wanted to join the army like my big brother Arthas, he taught me all kinds of forms and practices of swordplay. Soon I caught up to him, and very quickly I might add.” He paused for the chuckle from the crowd. Dante was having a great time reminiscing in his past, and enjoyed telling the people a story of his life, and watch them chuckle and enjoy hearing it. “Together we trained for nine years, almost ten, sparring and trying to outdo each other, and incidentally, bettering each other. I consider him a rival, and I believe he thinks of me the same way.

    “My family, and yes I do consider them my REAL family, without them I would not be the man I am today. I would say thank you, but to me that would be a horrible understatement. There is nothing at all that I could do…” the fun slowly slipped away. Dante felt his eyes water up. He never once talked about his emotions towards his family and he was swept away by the flow of emotions that he had bottled up for so long.

    Dante turned his head away from the crowd to hide his tears. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and he turned around. Arthas and his parent were standing there, their faces radiant and warm with a smile. Dante just fell into their arms, hugging them.

    “Thank you son… Thank you…” said his father. The crowd awed and clapped and Dante felt like he never felt before. He wiped his tears from his eyes and turned back to the cheering crowd.

    “And thanks to you all, for the many wonderful years you have given to me. There are many stories I would like to tell and many memories to share, but alas, we do not have the time for such things. Therefore I end my speech, thanking all of you, for everything.” Ended Dante, behind him his father clapped, and the whole room erupted in cheers and applause. As the applause died down, his father started again.

    “In a few minutes, we will open the presents and say our goodbyes to our two soon to be heroes.” Dante went over and sat down in the chair he was in earlier, relieved. Arthas sat down next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

    “You did well, little brother, you did well…” That was all that was said between the two of them for a couple minutes. Everyone in the room dispersed and went on to talking and scattered among the room. Dante got up quickly, remembering he needed to finish his conversation with Gin. He searched the crowd for the bard, but could not find him.

    “What is it brother, what are you looking for?” asked Arthas, who was now standing next to him.

    “I just remembered that I was having a conversation with Gin, and I wanted to continue it, but I can’t seem to find him in this huge crowd…”  Dante explained.

     “Gin? He sounds familiar but I can’t think of where I know him…” Arthas wondered.

     “How do you not remember Gin? He is the bard that I went on the trip to Mushings with, the storyteller Gin!” Exclaimed Dante.

    “Oh yes, now I remember, the scruffy old drunk that hangs around the Abbey from time to time.”

    “He isn’t old, he’s…” Dante stopped. He did not actually know how old Gin was. “Well he can’t be past thirty.”

     “It matters not how old he is, it is time for the gift ceremonies, and we must not be late, it is the last event of the party, and tomorrow we leave. And can you not imagine the gifts we will receive? I am getting excited just on the fantasies of what we shall receive.” Arthas face went into an excited expression, and started to head over to the table where everyone was gathering, including their parents.

    The boxes and packages that were the gifts there were amazing at sight. There were boxes of every shape and size, and even with colored paper. There were some long packages that Dante and Arthas got all excited about. Swords, the last thing they needed on their trip. You need swords to be a warrior right? Their dad called them over, and told them to sit down in two chairs behind the table. The presents weren’t a huge deal to the party, so only a few came around to see the openings, while most simply walked around and continued to mingle.

    “Go on boys, pick any presents you want and open them, just make sure they have your names on them.” Zachariah said with a smile. He had a feeling what packages they were going to pick first. Of course, they both grabbed the long packages with their names thought to be swords. Arthas’ package was the long one, and as he unwrapped it, showed a brilliant b*****d sword. It had two prongs, connected at the end with a crescent blade. Basically, it was a huge sword with a slit down the middle. This would make a sword weaker when it came to wear and tear, but it made it lighter, which was perfect for Arthas. A huge sword with a diabolic reach that he could swing around like a toy made Arthas a dangerous person. The drawback to this is still its low durability, and will also require cautiousness and skill when sharpening, but Dante knew there was something more to it.

      “What is the make of that sword father?” asked Dante. His father gave a small smile.

    “Nothing escapes you Dante. Yes this sword would usually be low in durability, but this sword is Dwarven-make, made with a special metal allowing it to have the strength as if there were no space down the middle. A perfect blade for a soon-to-be famous knight.” Zachariah patted his son on the back, as Arthas stood up and twirled it and gave it a weak swing, marveling at the design. He sat down obviously happy with that childish grin he had, and now it was Dante’s turn to unveil his sword. He grabbed the slim package and started to unwrap. The sword was obviously not as large as Arthas’. It was an arm-and-a-half long, which Dante had to admit, was better for him. He may have been nearly as strong as Dante, but a sword the size of Arthas’ would be awkward and hard to handle. Dante had his quickness and agility over Arthas’ strength and size, which made for interesting duals.

    Dante tore away at the brown wrapping paper, slowly revealing a magnificent sword. It was a brilliant blade; the metal tinted a brilliant light gold. Its hilt was a long handle with a small finger guard. It had two Lung Dragons. Their long, snake like bodies curved around the handle, allowing room for one to wrap around their fingers. The two heads went to the top and went in opposite directions, making a “T” shape. The blade started out skinny, but quickly widened, not four inches up the sword to a thick but light blade. Its gold tint was mesmerizing, the lights shined off it beautifully, making it sparkle, as if it were made of a glittery substance.

    “This sword was made by the same dwarf sword master as Arthas’. It is made with a special type of ore, but I can’t seem to… Oh! Yes, it was called Ariant. It sparkles gold, and is light as a feather, but as hard as diamond. It can only be worked in small amounts mixed with another metal, I think yours is with steel, and it is very rare. Well go on, try it out.” Zachariah told Dante. He stood up with the blade in hand and lifted it up in a fighting position. He was surprised how true his father’s words actually were. It rose like a he was holding a stick rather than a blade. He moved it around, and it swooshed through the air with ease. Dante may need some time to adjust and learn with fighting with such a light weapon, but it made no difference, this sword will do some damage. Dante grabbed the leather sheath and put the sword away. Arthas’ sword was much too large for a sheath, but instead had a strap that wrapped around his shoulder and crossed his chest, and strapped the blade to his back. It had buckles that if tugged hard enough, would loose the sword allowing him to easily draw it if he needed it quickly.

            “Well boys, we have many gifts to go!” exclaimed their father with a smile. Arthas quickly grabbed the next present, which once unwrapped, turned out to be a war horn. It was a bullhorn, a simple small crescent, with gold rim at the opening. The gold had alternating moss green and red triangles around the brim, the colors of the Terrowin family. It was the horn of their family, the Horn of Terrowin. It was the symbol of the Terrowin family, and would traditionally is taken by the eldest son when they set off to war or join the army. The Horn of Terrowin was actually pretty plain compared to other family horns that Dante had seen before, but it was special nonetheless. Dante almost felt jealous of Arthas, him being the eldest and getting to carry the family’s horn. Dante took his present after Arthas through the strap attached to the horn of his shoulder. As he started to open it, he immediately saw what it was. Inside was a magnificent green cape with a red trim border, which could only mean one thing. It was the family cape, and it was his. He threw it on, and it was made to cover his sword side, giving him to look like he had no weapon in case the occasion arose. Now both Arthas and Dante had symbols of their family and magnificent swords.

    Those were the two main sets of presents; the rests were small trinkets, clothes, and other small items. Once the main gifts were over, people scattered back to enjoy the last hour of the party, and as Dante was walking through the door he ran into Gin who appeared before him abruptly. Before Dante could react, Gin had already unsheathed his sword and held it upright.

    “Hey!” Shouted Dante. It was all he could think of to say.

    “A nice sword” commented Gin, completely ignoring Dante. “Brilliantly made, the dwarf who made this could probably be a Craft Master…” Gin swung the sword and quickly thrust it back into the sheath that Dante was still wearing.

    “Yes it is…” Dante said, grabbing the hilt of his sword and not letting go. Gin laughed.

    “Well, I suppose I’ll give you my gift.” Gin pulled out from his pocket a small square piece of paper. “Here take this and hold it up to you face, and breathe on it.” Dante did as he was told his interest peaked.

    Dante raised the paper to his mouth, breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled on the small piece of paper. The seemingly ordinary piece of paper suddenly crumpled itself towards the center. The motion made Dante jump and almost drop the paper.

    “What was that?!” Dante shouted, which drew the attention of a couple guest, who figured it was probably nothing and went back to stuffing their faces with free food and chatting away the night. Gin looked dead serious.

    “I see…” Gin mumbled. He quickly saw the look on Dante’s face; you see?  His face quickly lightened and went on: “Oh nothing. What that was, was a special paper from a Gadyo Tree. They say that when the paper crumples like that, it means one will have good luck.” He smiled at Dante. Dante smiled back, but he didn’t buy it. Something was up. “Anyway, there is a second part to your gift.” Gin said, trying to change subjects. He reached inside of his coat and pulled at a small ring. It was a small black ring. It was an interesting design, a black metal band, carved with odd markings. On the top there was a square gem, it matched the color of the ring, and two open serpent mouths kept the Gem in place. It was brilliant. He took it and placed it on, and as he did, he could of sworn he had seen the stone flash.

    “Did you see that?” He asked Gin.

    “See what?” replied Gin, his expression plain and showing no sign of letting Dante know what the flash was or what the paper really was. Even though this somewhat frustrated Dante, he figured he would find out in due time. Gin wouldn’t do that to him.

    “Thank you, its amazing Gin, you really didn’t have to.” And Dante was serious; he really hadn’t expected the bard to get him anything. Bard’s couldn’t have much money, could they? Gin simply smiled and clasped Dante’s shoulder.

    “It was nothing, my good friend. Tomorrow you leave, and think of this as my good luck present.” His smile, surprisingly, was soft and comforting. “Oh. And one last little gift.” He pulled out a long piece of paper that was folded up. He flattened the wrinkles quickly and handed it to Dante. Dante unfolded it carefully, the paper looked somewhat old, and it could be frail. As it started to fully unfold, Dante noticed markings like upside down V’s and curved, bumpy lines, and he started to realize what it was. It was a map of Gredia Vu, showing mountain ranges and bodies of water, towns and cities, roadways and even hidden passes to get to places faster. Maps of a whole country are hard to find; there are few cartographers that wouldn’t even imagine mapping a whole country. Acquiring this couldn’t have been easy, and it was very valuable.

    “Gin, this is amazing, how did you ever acquire one?” Dante asked.

    “What, that? It’s just an old piece of paper I had lying around, I figured you might have needed it even before you said you didn’t have one.” Gin said, looking away not pretending to care. Gin was a great man. Dante was going to be sad that he would probably never see him again. Gin stepped out between Dante and the door, put his hands in his pockets, and walked back towards the crowd of people, solemn and not saying another word. That was it? He didn’t even say goodbye. Dante turned around to see him, but just saw the mess of people, none of which was Gin. He didn’t hear the bell, but he didn’t see him anymore. So that was it. That was the last time he would ever see the bard. He almost felt… disappointed. He gave a fake smile, and walked through the door.



© 2013 Vincent Iannaco


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You've got me really curious about who Gin is, and if you're going to find a way to work him back into the story again.

Posted 11 Years Ago



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Added on March 10, 2013
Last Updated on March 10, 2013
Tags: fantasy, novel, bard, adventure, medieval, knights, magic, elves


Author

Vincent Iannaco
Vincent Iannaco

Swanton, VT



About
I'm a university student studying engineering but have a passion for writing. As like one of my favorite authors Gene Wolfe, I plan to be an engineer and a writer. more..

Writing