Nursery Tales

A 3-post collection

Challenge #04689-L305: Lessons of History

Over the objections of his advisors, the youngest of seven princes makes friends with a warren of kobolds whose home was right under the estate he'd been given. That friendship pays off during a brutal rebellion, when he is able to get innocents hidden so they do not suffer. How did the alliance form? He almost paid his life to protect the warren from poachers trying to take eggs. -- Anon Guest

History easily becomes stories. Some of those stories transform in to nursery tales. Once that happens, there is serious investigation to unriddle the truth from the fiction. And this fiction begins with, Once upon a time, there was a king who had nine sons... This is commonly attributed to the famously fecund Thrice-Sworn King, but he had eleven sons and four daughters. Other ruling parties have been just as fecund, if not more so with multiple spouses.

The youngest and furthest from the throne was one prone to wandering hither and yon, and thus saw more of the kingdom than his brothers. Noble children have historically had staff, including bodyguards. Especially when their polity was in conflict with others. There have been notable departures from this norm, usually when the heir in question had undesirable qualities. This has lead to the ninth son in this story being portrayed as a Hellkin in the media. They have had centuries of consistently being Unwelcome People.

So it was that the youngest Prince found a warren of Kobolds under his father's mountain fastness. With sweet words and sweetmeats, he made fast friends with them. It is not unusual for mountains to have Kobolds. They are famously easy to befriend with food and simple kindness.

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Challenge #04602-L218: Sew the Story Goes...

A lonely old woman sews a daughter for herself from soft cloth, downy feathers, and well worn buttons. It would be blessing if some fae creature or god breathed life into the dear one, wouldn’t it…? -- Deathshead419

You know the stories, don't you? Once upon a time, there was a lonely old... miller, baker, tailor, tinker, dressmaker, toymaker, pick one... who didn't have a spouse or a family as they began to grow old. What happened next changes from tale

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Challenge #04043-K025: Just One Story

"Unty Wraithvine, I don' feel so good, read me a story, please?" -- Anon Guest

The book was thick, and may have been weight training for the small child. It had been read many times and handled by many readers. Generations had added to some pages. Some scribbling illustrations in the margins, others colouring in the woodcuts. At least one baby had teethed on the hard cover. It was a relic of many generations.

Wraithvine handled it with the reverence it was

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