Chapter Two: Speeches and GiftsA Chapter by Vincent IannacoDante and Arthas perform the speeches and receive their gifts from their family and friends, including some rather unusual gifts from Gin. “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 |
StatsAuthorVincent IannacoSwanton, VTAboutI'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
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