Zample
24-09-2006, 02:12 AM
The Book of Mahogany and Willow
Book One
Chapter One:
Copper and Marie
The sun rose silently and peacfully in Van Haft, blanketing the village in light. Not many of the villagers in Van Haft awoke at the crack of dawn, but as always, Marie was prowling her small house, preparing to set off to work in the fields.
Marie slid out of her night gown and began dressing in her work outfit. She was just slipping on her brown apron when the loud noises of hooves began clanging up her road.
Marie peered out her window to see two black stallions racing up the dirt road, towards the village square. They were pulling a small carriage in which a handsome man with silky black hair and flashy green eyes sat. His name was Copper Jones.
Copper was a very rich man. Rude and violent though he was, rich and handsome was exactly what the women of Van Haft sought for, and all they cared about. Copper also had a very fine skill of turning a fake but mesmerizing charm on and off at just the right times.
Marie was the most beautiful woman in Van Haft. Copper, of course, had never met her before, as she was only a simple peasant. But Copper's great looks had been acknowledged by Marie, and she fell deeply in love with Copper. But, of course, she admired at a very far distance. But suddenly, she felt an urge to follow this man she had dreamt of many times before.
Upon feeling this urge, Marie rushed to finish getting ready. She quickly ran out the door and trotted after the carriage. When Copper caught sight of Marie, he brought the horses to a halt and jumped off.
"Where do you think you are going?" Copper asked Marie.
"To w-w-work in the f-fields," she stammered, embarrassed.
"Aren't the fields, er, that way?" said Copper in a very confused manner. He pointed towards the way Marie had come from.
Marie quickly looked around, searching for an excuse. Her eyes fell upon the very popular pub, The ****.
“I’ve come for a little drink beforehand,” Marie replied.
“Ah- may I join you?” Copper smiled/ He was kicking in his famed fake charm.
Marie felt her face burn. “You may.”
That morning, Coper and Marie had a great time. Marie ended up being very late for work, but Copper gladly got her out of trouble. Marie couldn’t help but admire Coppers great looks, and Copper, who had always went for looks alone, also admired her great looks. It was a very pointless love, but neither realized it nor cared about it.
Soon Copper realized that Marie was indeed the most beautifulwoman in Van Haft, perhaps even in all of Lokippin (the land in which Van Haft was located). Copper asked Marie to marry him.
Marie accepted immediatley, of course. They married three weeks later in front of the very beautiful Van Haft castle. The setting was perfect: the grass was green, the sky was clear, the sun shined beautifully, and the flowers bloomed willingly. The most magnificent of it all was the ancient and artful fountain in which Marie and Copper married directly in front of.
The craftery of the fountain amazed Marie to the highest extent. The first thing the burst from the middle of the pond was a slightly bare tree. There were a few extended branshed on the dead-looking trunk, on which the artist lazily added small and balding patches of leaves. But the trunk of the plain tree unexpectedly continued upwards. At the top of the continued trunk lay the most beautiful addition to the fountain. It was a willow tree. The leaves swepy downwards and engulfed most of the bare tree. Clear water flowed from an unknown source hidden by the wilting willow, but it created the illusion that water sprouted from the tips of each of the willow trees leaves.
Perhaps the most amazing and mystifying thing about the fountain was the wind. The fountain seemed to be entirely made of stone and marble, from the skillfully carved flowers and roses around the brim of the fountain to the very tip of the tree. But still, the leaves all flowed with the wind. Yes, as the wind whistled, the leaves whistled and swayed. It was almost like magic.
After the wedding, everything changed. They spent their first night as a married couple in a very luxurious and old hotel room. They made love for the first time. But by the next week, Copper changed. His fake charm flickered off. He came home late each night, often very drunk. He paid little attention to Marie. In fact, he rarely said “hello” or “goodbye”. Marie barely noticed this, though. She was still, sadly, overwhelmed by her luck that she had married the man she had been in love with since her eyes first witnessed him.
Soon after, Marie found out she was due a child. Copper was the father, of course, as Marie had not interacted with any other man since she and Copper married.
But, Marie kept this from Copper for a very long while. She was afraid he would leave her. But, of course, Copper soon noticed weight gaining on his wifes once solid flat stomach.
“You’re gaining weight,” Copper grunted one morning, before leaving to go ‘out’.
“Oh, about that..” Marie fumbled for words. She still did not want to tell him.
“Lose it or I’m leavin’ you. I refuse to be tied with a fat woman.” And with that, Copper left the house. Marie decided that she had been beaten. She would tell him tonight.
That night, Marie set up the table beautifully. She placed a plate of candles in the center of the table and lit them for a romantic effect. She cooked up a magnificent dinner of steak and bought the best wine she could afford.
She waited. Time passed... and passed...
Marie waited impatiently. Finally, Copper stumbled through the door of the house, muttering incomprehensibly to himself. He was drunk, Marie could tell. Drunk out of his mind.
Upon spotting the beautifully set dinner table, he laughed. “How d-d-d-delightfu-” Copper stuttered, then with a hiccup, his entire nights share of alcohol and beer spilled onto the floor as he vomited.
“This was a mistake,” Marie sighed. He eyes had been opened at last. Her husband was a drunk. A raving lunatic. Sure, he was handsome, but he wasn’t nearly worth it. She didn’t want him to raise her child. In fact, she regretted him even being the father.
So with her final thoughts, Marie left without another word to Copper. The next morning, Copper would awake quivering in pain of his horrible hangover, as he did every morning. He would look to his side, but there would be no Marie.
Marie didn’t leave Van Haft. She moved across the village and barely ever saw Copper. When she did, he was busy wooing a woman or simply stumbling around like an old, spoiled fool. It was these times where Marie would go in the opposite direction to avoid him, and that was how it all went.
But soon after, Marie found herself in the small medical building in the town square. She was coping with a feeling of pain: she was giving birth.
The entire operation went smoothly, except for one minor detail. Marie gave birth to twins.
She had to name them both on her own, too!
So, she thought of the happiest moment of her life. She was so ashamed when all she could picture was getting married to the man she thought she loved, Copper.
Then something in the memory jumped at her. The beautiful fountain. Then the trees and wild flowers and forests. The outskirts of Van Haft had the most beautiful trees that she had ever seen before. She loved the trees very much.
So it became that Willow and Mahogany Jones were born.
Of course, Copper eventually found out about the twins. He wanted them, surprisingly. But only to impress the women in Van Haft further. So one night, when he found himself sober, he went to visit Marie.
When Marie opened her door to see Copper, she screamed. Copper demanded to see Wilow and Mahogany, but Marie firmly refused time and time again.
Cries of rage could be heard all over Van Haft. Scream sof fright, anger, and pain echoed in the silence. But nobody cared; nobody paid attention. So Marie was left all alone, sobbing in pain as the last drip of blood she could spare dropped to the floor. Her last ounce of life left her.
And residence would only wake to Copper having fled the village, having raided Marie’s home. The villagers would wake to find Marie dead, and Mahogany and Willow gone.
Book One
Chapter One:
Copper and Marie
The sun rose silently and peacfully in Van Haft, blanketing the village in light. Not many of the villagers in Van Haft awoke at the crack of dawn, but as always, Marie was prowling her small house, preparing to set off to work in the fields.
Marie slid out of her night gown and began dressing in her work outfit. She was just slipping on her brown apron when the loud noises of hooves began clanging up her road.
Marie peered out her window to see two black stallions racing up the dirt road, towards the village square. They were pulling a small carriage in which a handsome man with silky black hair and flashy green eyes sat. His name was Copper Jones.
Copper was a very rich man. Rude and violent though he was, rich and handsome was exactly what the women of Van Haft sought for, and all they cared about. Copper also had a very fine skill of turning a fake but mesmerizing charm on and off at just the right times.
Marie was the most beautiful woman in Van Haft. Copper, of course, had never met her before, as she was only a simple peasant. But Copper's great looks had been acknowledged by Marie, and she fell deeply in love with Copper. But, of course, she admired at a very far distance. But suddenly, she felt an urge to follow this man she had dreamt of many times before.
Upon feeling this urge, Marie rushed to finish getting ready. She quickly ran out the door and trotted after the carriage. When Copper caught sight of Marie, he brought the horses to a halt and jumped off.
"Where do you think you are going?" Copper asked Marie.
"To w-w-work in the f-fields," she stammered, embarrassed.
"Aren't the fields, er, that way?" said Copper in a very confused manner. He pointed towards the way Marie had come from.
Marie quickly looked around, searching for an excuse. Her eyes fell upon the very popular pub, The ****.
“I’ve come for a little drink beforehand,” Marie replied.
“Ah- may I join you?” Copper smiled/ He was kicking in his famed fake charm.
Marie felt her face burn. “You may.”
That morning, Coper and Marie had a great time. Marie ended up being very late for work, but Copper gladly got her out of trouble. Marie couldn’t help but admire Coppers great looks, and Copper, who had always went for looks alone, also admired her great looks. It was a very pointless love, but neither realized it nor cared about it.
Soon Copper realized that Marie was indeed the most beautifulwoman in Van Haft, perhaps even in all of Lokippin (the land in which Van Haft was located). Copper asked Marie to marry him.
Marie accepted immediatley, of course. They married three weeks later in front of the very beautiful Van Haft castle. The setting was perfect: the grass was green, the sky was clear, the sun shined beautifully, and the flowers bloomed willingly. The most magnificent of it all was the ancient and artful fountain in which Marie and Copper married directly in front of.
The craftery of the fountain amazed Marie to the highest extent. The first thing the burst from the middle of the pond was a slightly bare tree. There were a few extended branshed on the dead-looking trunk, on which the artist lazily added small and balding patches of leaves. But the trunk of the plain tree unexpectedly continued upwards. At the top of the continued trunk lay the most beautiful addition to the fountain. It was a willow tree. The leaves swepy downwards and engulfed most of the bare tree. Clear water flowed from an unknown source hidden by the wilting willow, but it created the illusion that water sprouted from the tips of each of the willow trees leaves.
Perhaps the most amazing and mystifying thing about the fountain was the wind. The fountain seemed to be entirely made of stone and marble, from the skillfully carved flowers and roses around the brim of the fountain to the very tip of the tree. But still, the leaves all flowed with the wind. Yes, as the wind whistled, the leaves whistled and swayed. It was almost like magic.
After the wedding, everything changed. They spent their first night as a married couple in a very luxurious and old hotel room. They made love for the first time. But by the next week, Copper changed. His fake charm flickered off. He came home late each night, often very drunk. He paid little attention to Marie. In fact, he rarely said “hello” or “goodbye”. Marie barely noticed this, though. She was still, sadly, overwhelmed by her luck that she had married the man she had been in love with since her eyes first witnessed him.
Soon after, Marie found out she was due a child. Copper was the father, of course, as Marie had not interacted with any other man since she and Copper married.
But, Marie kept this from Copper for a very long while. She was afraid he would leave her. But, of course, Copper soon noticed weight gaining on his wifes once solid flat stomach.
“You’re gaining weight,” Copper grunted one morning, before leaving to go ‘out’.
“Oh, about that..” Marie fumbled for words. She still did not want to tell him.
“Lose it or I’m leavin’ you. I refuse to be tied with a fat woman.” And with that, Copper left the house. Marie decided that she had been beaten. She would tell him tonight.
That night, Marie set up the table beautifully. She placed a plate of candles in the center of the table and lit them for a romantic effect. She cooked up a magnificent dinner of steak and bought the best wine she could afford.
She waited. Time passed... and passed...
Marie waited impatiently. Finally, Copper stumbled through the door of the house, muttering incomprehensibly to himself. He was drunk, Marie could tell. Drunk out of his mind.
Upon spotting the beautifully set dinner table, he laughed. “How d-d-d-delightfu-” Copper stuttered, then with a hiccup, his entire nights share of alcohol and beer spilled onto the floor as he vomited.
“This was a mistake,” Marie sighed. He eyes had been opened at last. Her husband was a drunk. A raving lunatic. Sure, he was handsome, but he wasn’t nearly worth it. She didn’t want him to raise her child. In fact, she regretted him even being the father.
So with her final thoughts, Marie left without another word to Copper. The next morning, Copper would awake quivering in pain of his horrible hangover, as he did every morning. He would look to his side, but there would be no Marie.
Marie didn’t leave Van Haft. She moved across the village and barely ever saw Copper. When she did, he was busy wooing a woman or simply stumbling around like an old, spoiled fool. It was these times where Marie would go in the opposite direction to avoid him, and that was how it all went.
But soon after, Marie found herself in the small medical building in the town square. She was coping with a feeling of pain: she was giving birth.
The entire operation went smoothly, except for one minor detail. Marie gave birth to twins.
She had to name them both on her own, too!
So, she thought of the happiest moment of her life. She was so ashamed when all she could picture was getting married to the man she thought she loved, Copper.
Then something in the memory jumped at her. The beautiful fountain. Then the trees and wild flowers and forests. The outskirts of Van Haft had the most beautiful trees that she had ever seen before. She loved the trees very much.
So it became that Willow and Mahogany Jones were born.
Of course, Copper eventually found out about the twins. He wanted them, surprisingly. But only to impress the women in Van Haft further. So one night, when he found himself sober, he went to visit Marie.
When Marie opened her door to see Copper, she screamed. Copper demanded to see Wilow and Mahogany, but Marie firmly refused time and time again.
Cries of rage could be heard all over Van Haft. Scream sof fright, anger, and pain echoed in the silence. But nobody cared; nobody paid attention. So Marie was left all alone, sobbing in pain as the last drip of blood she could spare dropped to the floor. Her last ounce of life left her.
And residence would only wake to Copper having fled the village, having raided Marie’s home. The villagers would wake to find Marie dead, and Mahogany and Willow gone.