King Ark and the Gift of Pixie Giants

King Ark mounted his warhorse, a muscular grey stallion with a lustrous black mane, named Nightshade. The reports of Giant Pixies in his kingdom were troubling, but he was prepared to meet them head-on in battle if necessary. He turned in his saddle, unhindered by his well-crafted armor, and gazed back at his cavalry. All of them battle-hardened, he could tell from the look in their eyes that they were ready.

“Move out!” He called urging Nightshade forward.

King Ark and his cavalry strode proudly through the streets of his kingdom to the cheering people who so adored him and his men. They kept a steady, easy pace so the foot soldiers could keep up.

A half days march south found them in a meadow just outside the farmlands outlying the kingdom. A scout returned from ahead. King Ark slowed the march to a halt as the rider pulled his horse's reins urging it to a skidding halt before the King.

“Report,” King Ark ordered.

“Your Majesty,” the man began while steadying his horse, “Giant Pixies are at the other end of this meadow at the edge of Babble Forest.”

King Ark gazed ahead, the trees were barely visible on the horizon.

“Make camp here,” King Ark ordered. Everyone got to work setting up the encampment.

“They sent an envoy, Sire,” the scout informed him, “their leader wishes to speak with you. She said she would like-”

“She?” King Ark asked incredulously.

“Yes, Sire, Queen Gleam. She wishes to speak with you alone at first light midway from here to the forest.”

“Imagine,” King Ark said gazing once more to the distant tree line, “a woman in charge, ha!”

Pixies have magic, so a Giant Pixie must have more magic and she could be dangerous. It could also be an ambush. But he was very confident in his own battle prowess so he agreed to the meeting. He sent the scout ahead to inform the Queen and went to rest in his tents.

* * *

Griff, a dwarf of clan Shillingly, a clan of the highest esteem, and a graduate at the top of his class from the Elven University of Quantum Physics, the only Dwarf to ever attend the world-renowned university was in Dr. Ark's lab.

They had been researching the possible cause of the rapid decline in air and water quality over the last decade. Their research had concluded; the decline actually started much earlier than the start of the decade. It had started six hundred years ago. It was Griff who tied it all to one specific event in history. And it just so happened to involve Dr. Ark's ancestors.

“Dr. Ark, are you certain we can only send paper?” He asked.

“Griff,” Dr. Ark said impatiently, “You have been with me throughout the entirety of this project, you know nothing else comes through except as ashes.”

“A holo would be much more convincing,” Griff pointed out.

“While I agree that a hologram would be more convincing,” Dr. Ark nodded, “we have tried more than once. We have tried everything we could think of over the last three years to send through this blasted time machine. Anything other than a handwritten note will arrive as ashes. So we are going to send the warning that way.”

Griff was nodding his agreement as he set the dials to the correct coordinates and time, “yes, fine, let's send it then so we can save the world from suffocation.”

“One step ahead of you, Griff,” Dr. Ark said as he wrote out the dire warning to be sent back in time six hundred and thirteen years to King Ark, just before he commits unspeakable acts against an innocent kingdom of Pixies.

“There,” proclaimed Dr. Ark, “it's ready.”

He handed it to Griff who read it.

Griff's eyebrows raised, “sounds convincing to me.” He looked around, “shouldn't we put it in something, like a paper sleeve?”

“We aren't sending through the post,” Dr. Ark pointed out.

“Right,” conceded Griff, “but I feel like it would be wise to protect it somehow.”

“How about this?” Dr. Ark handed Griff a small, box made of brown paper. His daughter would often send him off to work with homemade cookies. She always placed them in little boxes she made out of brown paper. He had several laying around the lab.

“That will work,” said Griff placing the note inside, tying the box shut with some twine. He placed the box on the titanium plate at the center of the time travel apparatus and stepped back.

“No sense waiting,” Dr. Ark said. He pressed the button. “With the way things are going the air will be completely unbreathable by the end of this year.”

The machine made its familiar whirring sounds as the lightning began popping between the nodes and the titanium plate. The whirring and the popping grew more frequent until it all became one loud, constant sound accompanied by blinding blue light. Suddenly the light, and the box with it, vanished.

* * *

King Ark walked Nightshade toward the meeting place at sunrise. When he reached it, he didn't see anyone else there. So he jumped down off his horse and stretched his legs. He couldn't help noticing how clean the air seemed. To his memory, he couldn't recall having tasted air so fresh.

A female voice came from near his feet, “you nearly stepped on me! I hope it wasn't on purpose.”

He jumped back in surprise scanning the area where the voice had come from. When he saw her, he doubled over in laughter. He laughed so hard that he fell to the ground.

“May I ask what is so funny,” Queen Gleam asked indignantly.

“Giant Pixies?” King Ark said through his laughter.

Queen Gleam waited quietly while he composed himself and got back to his feet.

King Ark gestured at her tiny body, “you're supposed to be Giant Pixies. I was expecting to see a human-sized form with wings. I brought my whole army expecting a formidable threat! You are barely the size of my hand.”

Queen Gleam sighed, “We are ten times the size of normal Pixies, they would be the size of your pinky fingernail. That's not why I'm here. I'm here because I wish for our people to live in peace together. Our magic -”

King Ark jumped back, “Back, I say! Keep your magic away from me!” He drew his sword and pointed it at the Queen. Surprised by his reaction, she took flight, backing away.

Shocked voices and cries of dismay came from the tall grass as hundreds of Giant Pixies came to protect their Queen.

“There is no need for swords, your Highness,” she assured him. “Our magic purifies the air and water of the world, it isn't a weapon.”

King Ark heard nothing. He was counting their numbers and the odds of doing battle against so many alone.

He was about to preemptively strike when a bright flash of blue light came from the ground between him and Queen Gleam. Everyone shielded their eyes from the light. When it faded, there was a small box on the ground.

“What is this magic, Pixie?” King Ark demanded.

“This was not us,” Queen Gleam proclaimed staring at the strange box. She was also shocked by its appearance.

The thundering of King Arks Cavalry coming up behind him filled him with vigor. It filled the Pixies with fear.

“Your highness!” one of the cavalry soldiers called out as he jumped from his horse, placing himself between King Ark and the apparent threat. “We saw the flash and came immediately, are you injured, Sire?”

King Ark smiled at the fearful Pixies, “No, no, I'm fine,” he replied. The rest of the men stayed on their horses as the foot soldiers raced to catch up. “Fetch my food taster!” King Ark commanded.

The food taster, a man whose name King Ark had never bothered learning, approached and bowed his head waiting for instructions.

“Examine that box,” he commanded.

The food taster cautiously made his way to the box and looked back at the King. He asked, “you want me to taste it, Sire?”

King Ark rubbed his temples, “No, you idiot, I want you to open it and see what's inside.”

“Oh!” The man exclaimed and bent down to untie the twine. He opened the box and pulled out a piece of paper.

“It's a note, but I can't read Sire,” the man said apologetically.

* * *

After the box had been sent back in time through the machine. Dr. Ark and Griff went outside to see if their plan had worked. When they stepped out and took a deep breath they both choked on the air and quickly returned to the filtered air of the lab.

“Why didn't it work?” Dr. Ark asked himself. Then he saw something on his desk and began frantically searching.

Griff came running over, “What is it Dr.?”

Dr. Ark held up a piece of paper, it was the warning note he had written to be sent back to King Ark.

“I don't understand,” said Griff.

“You must have placed it on the desk when I handed you the box and then sent the wrong thing back!” Dr. Ark explained.

“Then what did I send?” Griff asked shocked and embarrassed.

“I had some junk mail that is no longer here, that must be what you sent,” Dr. Ark told him, “Here's another box, quick send the warning through!”

* * *

No longer concerned it was anything dangerous, King Ark called out, “fine bring it here.” He snatched the paper out of the man's hand and read it aloud.

“We have been trying to reach you regarding your car's extended warranty.”

“What is this?” King Ark asked angrily crumpling the paper.

Queen Gleam looking confused, said nothing.

Fed up with the whole ordeal, King Ark Turned to his men and proclaimed, “It's a trick! Kill them all!”

The cavalry charged forward screaming out their battle cry.

After King Ark and his Cavalry had ensured there were no surviving Giant Pixies, they began their triumphant march home. Before they got very far, there was another flash of bright blue light right where the first one had been.

King Ark sent his food taster once more to check the box that had appeared. Again it was a note, this time the note read, “King Ark, your Royal Highness. My name is Dr. Ark and I am your descendant. I am writing to you from six hundred and thirteen years in the future. It is with a heavy heart I write to you and beg your help. Our world is mere months away from no longer having breathable air. It has become far too polluted, as has the water we drink. The average human life expectancy has gone down from ninety-eight years to just sixty. The Dwarven life expectancy has gone down from two hundred and five to just one hundred and fifty. I could go on, but I think you get the point I am trying to make. Our research has concluded that the only way to save our world is to stop you from slaughtering the Pixies at the Massacre of Babble Forest Meadow. You are the only one who can prevent the world from descending into a barren lifeless place. You mustn't kill the Pixies! Spare them and live in harmony, or the world is lost. Signed, Dr. Atimayus Ark.”

King Ark's hand slowly fell to his side as the realization of what he had just done sank in.

Finally, he said, “Bah! That's not going to happen for six hundred years! We'll be long dead by then. Let's go celebrate our victory!”

The men all shouted, “Huzzah!”

The End