The Last Ballad of Enot Faed
As some of you know a friend of mine, Micheal Maruschak died in a fire Wednesday night. I wrote this story about a character that he used to play named Enot Faed. Here it is:
The Last Ballad of Enot Faed
by
John R.Duesenberry II
Enot saw home. It had been such a long time since he had been there. The world had changed now and he knew that it was for the better. The small fishing town of Wayside was always full of magic and wonder. Walking into town a person could smell fish, rare spices, and if you had a good sniffer you could smell the veal at the Dragonfly inn. Enot loved his hometown. How could he not, half the town seemed to be Faed’s themselves. He had many little nephews and nieces whom he loved dearly. Enot always enjoyed coming home. After all Mom’s cooking was the best that he had ever tasted.
Enot walked the streets of Wayside humming and whistling the entire time. When he got near the Dragonfly Inn he was greeted by Mustard John.
“Hello Enot” Mustard John said. “Come back to make a little money? We could always use a good singer here at the bar.” Enot smiled at the gesture. He had made more then enough gold to live a comfortable life, but he never gave up the chance to perform.
“Still paying two silver a night for a performer John?” Enot replied
“I am plus a meal. Still have the best veal in the land.” said John. Enot knew that John did not have the best veal in the land, but he still enjoyed it.
“I’ll be there tomorrow night John. I have to visit my Mom and Dad first. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Enot shouted, he had not stopped walking and noticed with his half-giant strides that he was well away from the inn.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then Enot.” John shouted back. “And don’t forget to bring your lute.”
Enot smiled at that. He kept walking past the mage’s tower that had been built by Desmond and Salinas. The two mages had established themselves as the realm’s best. The tower was closed as Salinas had decided to study with the Elves for five years on proper hand movement for Magic Missile. Desmond was living with gypsies. He kept walking past the orphanage that had been built by Brother Rabbit. His time had been there for only a short time, but his impact was powerful. As he walked he remembered the sadness that he felt on the day that his friend, Goba Daltin, had fallen. That had happened quite a bit in Enot’s life. He had lost friends and family, but through it all he had remained himself.
He smiled as he approached his childhood home. Enot could see the kids running around the house. His dad sat on the porch and he could smell the onions, potatoes, bacon, and chives cooking in his mothers stew. When he was almost there he was jumped on from behind. The attacker covered his eyes.
“Guess who?” the attacker said
“Bart? no. Barry?no. Chuck? No.” He reached behind his back and grabbed him. “Alan!”
“No fair! You have huge arms and could easily reach me.” Enot put him on his shoulder.
“Well we all have our gifts little one. I just happen to be a half-giant.” They continued all the way to the house where Enot put Alan down. One by one he hugged his nieces and nephews. Until his mother came out and broke it up. Dorothy was a small woman but she had a huge heart. His father Tomas had lost a leg years ago in a battle that saved Wayside against several Red Dragons. He was a fierce warrior, but he loved Enot nonetheless.
“Welcome home, Enot.” He heard from the doorway. His brother Willem was standing there. Willem was also a half-giant. He had stayed home and worked the mines for many years. The two men loved each other very much. Alan was Willem’s son and while only a quarter giant was already larger then the children his own age and twice as strong. Enot, Willem, Alan and the other children walked into the house. The other kids belonged to his other brother Frank. Frank was not a half-giant like Willem and Enot but unlike the two larger men he had a proclivity for breeding. He now had so many children that Enot had resorted to calling them Frank’s Army.
Enot sat in the specially made seat for him. He and Willem were much larger then their father Tom. He had married their mother, a Giantess many years ago. She had fled for reasons that Enot did not know, but shortly thereafter he had married Dorothy, a widow herself of a local town sheriff. Frank was only a babe at that time and they knew that raising the boys together would be good for all of them. Dorothy served all of her men the stew. There were only two girls in the group. Alison and Phoebe. Though they were probably the toughest girls in the world. You would be too with 14 brothers. They took each others hands and prayed to Fennornil for a bountiful harvest. It was Willem that broke the silence.
“So what adventures does the mighty Enot have to tell the kids.” Willem asked.
“Well I was out this time with Berman, he carried an axe and was always telling the ladies to call him the tripod, I have no idea why. Rathamon came too. I have always like Rathamon. Then there was a monk named Tokejin and a cleric named Clara. We had to hunt down these Orcs that had been attacking some far off village. It has been sometime since I have fought orcs. A lot easier….” Enot was interrupted by Tomas.
“Your brother was being sarcastic Enot.” Tomas looked over his glasses at the man. Tomas had grown older. He now had a spot of grey hair around his temples and despite the loss of a leg and obvious height disadvantage both Willem and Enot knew that when father gave that look he was angry with you.
“ What?” Willem asked
“Your brother does important work and always has Willem. Do not harass him every time that he comes home. I enjoy your stories son. Reminds me of the time that I went out adventuring before I met your mother.” Willem just gave a look and ate silently for the rest of the night. As did eveyone else. When the meal was done Enot got up and helped Dorothy with the dishes. He whistled a tune the entire time and then joined his father and Brothers out on the deck. Willem had an ale and Frank was smoking a pipe. The sweet smell of blueberry mixed with longbottom leaf filled the air. The night was clear and you could see the stars in the night sky. As they sat there quietly Enot began to hum. He had the biggest smile on his face. Alan came walking out and had tears in his eye, he was visibly shaking. He walked over and sat in his father’s lap.
“Had the nightmare again?” Willem asked.
“This time you, Uncle Frank, and Uncle Enot were in it. There were lots of Orcs and they were attacking you. Then the stars started to rain down and it got very dark and I could not find you.” Alan said
“The stars are always going to be there Alan, you don’t have to worry about that.” his father replied.
“May I?” Enot asked . He waved Alan over. “Look at the stars Alan. Did you know that according to the dwarves that the stars are the spirits of dead heroes resting peacefully in the night sky. They say that the greatest warriors are given more then one star and that they become constellations. Look over there. That one that appears to be a seahorse. That is known as the Constellations Merrin. The one over there that looks like a Pie? That one is called Constellation Grady. The one that looks like a lion. That one is called Constellation Robert. According to the dwarves they are there to guard against the dark. A long time ago before there were stars there were the free peoples. These people were attacked by the monstrous races until these men defended them. When they died,along with their comrades, Fennornil place them in the night sky to forever guard against the dark. Their light helps us to see in the night.” Enot looked down and saw that Alan had fallen asleep. Willem came over and took him inside. He came out a short time later.
“Sorry about giving you a hard time earlier Enot. Sometimes its hard when I see you come home with all of these stories for the kids. I am jealous of you.”
“Me. I am jealous of you.” Enot replied
“Why would you be jealous of me?” Willem asked.
“It’s true that I have gone on many adventures, but you have a son and a good one at that. I will never have children. You have a legacy to carry on the Faed name.” Enot said
“You’ll find someone Enot.” Willem replied.
“Maybe, Maybe not. For now I am jealous of you.”
“You should both be jealous of Frank. His wife is pregnant again.” Tomas interrupted
“Again!” Enot and Willem said in unison.
“Yeah. She thinks its going to another girl.” Franks replied
“You keep having kids and there will be more Faeds then citizens of Wayside. You could be the mayor in a landslide.” Tomas said jokingly.
“That’s the plan.” Frank said with a smile. The Brothers Faed and their Father had a nice laugh. Shortly thereafter each turned in for the night.
The next morning came quickly for Enot. He woke at sunrise and gathered his things. Dorothy had made breakfast and kissed her gentle giant on the forehead. He had told her the night before that he would be working the Dragonfly Inn the next morning. She had made sure to bake a loaf over night. She had also packed eggs, bacon, ham and a half dozen apples. Enot laughed and began his walk toward the town. He had taken this walk a thousand times over and each time he had whistled all the way. He smelled the early morning catch as he walked in and the fresh bread coming from the Dragonfly Inn. He ducked under the doorway as he walked in and sat his lute down on the stage. Mustard John was cleaning glasses behind the counter. Enot waved and began to restring the lute. He had gone on a long journey and the strings had begun to fray. He would have gone to a local bowyer to have it restrung but the truth is the density of the strings were too strong for most men to properly tune them so he had learned how to do it from a fellow bard named Ailenn. He and Ailenn had often played together. They were always making each better. Ailenn had taught him the bongos and Enot had reciprocated by teaching him the lute. Ailenn had long ago gone to another part of the world and Enot missed him.
Enot saw that a crowd had begun to gather. The morning fisherman had already finished bringing in the catch of the day. They were in to get their breakfast. Enot began to play a happy tune. The men eventually began to listen to him and after a few hours they were drunk and dancing. The men were putting copper and silver into his hat and Enot played joyfully.
Four hours into his shift Enot stood up and yelled. “ That’s it for now folks. Try the Veal!” He stood up and gathered his hat. He walked towards the counter and sat down in his old seat. The veal was already there waiting there for him. Mary the young redhead gave him his mug of milk. He stopped.her and handed her the money that he had earned.
“Can you make sure this gets to the orphanage?” Enot smiled big
“I sure can Tiger.” Mary replied.
Enot sat there and slowly ate his veal. As he did he saw Willem and Alan enter the Dragonfly. The boy ran up to him.
“Uncle Enot, Uncle Enot. I did not have any more nightmares and when I fell asleep I dreamt that the stars were the good guys.” He was talking so fast that Enot almost couldn’t understand him, almost.
“Good I am glad to hear it.” Enot replied.
“He insisted on coming to see you play.” Willem said.
“Well I am about to going to go on.” Enot rose and went back to the stage. He sat there and began to play. He played for several more hours, Alan sitting there the entire time. When he finished he got up and suggested the veal for a second time. He walked back over to where Alan and Willem sat.
“That was awesome Uncle Enot. I want to learn how to play the lute too. Dad can I get a lute?”
“We will have to see. I don’t have a problem with that, but we need to get home and get you ready for dinner. Grandma Dorothy gets mad if we aren’t home in time.” Willem said
“Aww…I don’t want to go.” Alan said sadly.
“It’s okay Alan. I am going to be home later tonight and I can tell you another story.” Enot told him. Alan smiled and gave Enot a big hug.
“Come on Alan. We need to stop at the fish market before we go home. Grandma is making fish . We will see you tonight Enot.” Willem grabbed his sons hand and they left. Enot got up and walked to the stage. He began to play again. Fifteen minutes into his last set a loud noise started blaring. Enot covered his ears and ran to Mustard John.
“What is that John?” Enot asked.
“Its a warning system that Desmond and Salinas put in just before they left. It lets us know when danger is coming.” John replied
John grabbed his two-handed sword from under the bar and ran outside. Enot grabbed the quarterstaff that he had been gifted many years ago. The staff was magical in nature. It was more a small tree then an actual staff and had two silver ends. As Enot wielded it in battle they silver ends would whistle a song that Enot could sing too. The staff was called Harmony. He followed Mustard John out and that is when he saw it. The biggest red dragon that he had ever seen. Older then an adult dragon Enot could not even begin to think of the Dragon’s actual age. It had landed near the fish market where the local guards were attempting to fight it. That is when Enot remembered that Willem and Alan were down there. The red dragon was billowing fire.
Enot started to sprint towards the fish market. His large strides made it difficult for Mustard John to keep up. As he ran he heard the screams of the dying soldiers. A large flame came out of the dragon’s mouth and that’s when Enot saw it. His brother was running towards him with Alan in his arms. He was getting ahead of the fire, but in Enot’s mind everything was happening so slowly. The Dragon stomped his foot and Willem began to trip. He threw Alan away from him and Mustard John caught him. As Willem fell his head hit the ground and he was knocked out. The Dragon and Enot both saw this. The Dragon began to inhale and Enot stood over his brother. He was saying something in a the arcane words that Desmond and Salinas had taught to him. As the dragon exhaled the fire Enot hit the end of his staff onto the ground. A lighted bubble covered both he and his brother preventing the majority of the flames from hitting them. The dragon stopped and looked at Enot. He spoke briefly.
“You do not have enough magic Mage to stop me. I shall kill you eventually. Give in now and I shall make your death quick.” The Dragon said. As he spoke the words sounded like fire burning. The smell of brimstone came out as he spoke. Enot realized that the dragon was weak. A dragon as he knew does not stop to speak to his prey unless he was unable to breath again. He had exhausted his fire on him. He pulled out his lute and began to play with ferocity. His eyes were affixed to the dragons eyes. His words dazed the dragon and the men around him began to feel better. Each of them started to attack the Red Beast, digging their swords into the beast. The Dragon fell back as the men became braver by the minute. They were winning. The Dragon was old though and within a few minutes he had come back. He stomped the ground and knocked the men to the ground knocking each of them unconscious. Enot stayed standing, defiant to the attack. His fingers had begun to bleed from the song he was playing. The Dragon sneered at him. He dropped the lute and picked up Harmony. Enot’s eyes were angry. The men of the town now laid dead or unconscious around him. He gripped the wood and began to chant again in the tongue of the arcane. He ran at the Dragon. Iy inhaled in and began to blow again expecting the magic that would protect Enot would not save him this time. Enot however was not casting something to protect himself. He was casting something else entirely . He jumped into the air flung himself at the Dragon. His arms seared with pain as the fire comsumed his outer flesh, but the strike found its way home. Enot Faed drove the end of the staff through the beast’s neck. A great scream came from the beast as it began to die. Enot held onto the staff as the dragon fell to the ground. Enot stood there for a moment looking at the world around him. Then he fell.
The next day there was great sadness in the town of Wayside. The Great Red Wyrm Dragon had decided to attack the town for unknown reasons. Many men had died, but Enot Faed had defeated it. The fight had only cost him his life. The Faeds had all gone back to their house and began preparations. A short time after Enot died Desmond and Salinas had teleported back to the area. They had volunteered their services for the funeral. They sent out messages to Enot’s friends. Many birds went out that day. A month later the family had planned the funeral. Alan had not cried since that day. As he dressed in his outfit that resembled Enot’s he slung his lute over his shoulder. He had spent the entire month teaching himself how to play the song. His first, a funeral dirge. He walked out of the house and grabbed his fathers hand. The family was wearing all black. The city had provided them with wagons to take them to the local graveyard. As they rolled along Alan practiced the song quietly. He needed to cry but he had not done it. He had convinced himself that men did not cry. They pulled over the hill and began to make the descent. As they did Alan’s eyes lit up in amazement. The local fields were filled with tents and flags that he had never seen before. Men were walking around in detailed and ornate armor. There was a large tent towards the middle and they began to descend towards it. The wagons stopped and Willem helped Alan down. His grandfather and grandmother were met by two men with full silver plate. They had helmets with white feathers that came out of the top and wore beautiful tabards with more feathers on them. They had dark blue capes and they ushered him into the tent. Alan walked in and towards the center of the room. He saw more men then he had seen in a long time. He almost jumped when he saw the lion standing there. But the gentle lion bowed his head. Next he saw a man, a dwarf, an elf, and four small men. He was already taller then them. Standing with them was an older gentleman all in white. He next saw group of men oddly dressed in ornate colors with masks on. Each had a symbol on their chest. Their was another lion, this time with a scarecrow and a man of metal. And another group had an old man with a sword that gleamed and kept saying snicker-something. He could not tell. As he and his father sat an older man walked up to the podium. He had white hair that went around his head. His dress was plain. He said a few words and offered condolences to the family. When he finished he called Alan to the front. Alan stood tall as he began to play the song. A third of the way through he began to sob and was having difficulty finishing the song when a man with long black hair came up and said. “My name is Ailenn and I would like to play this song with you. What do you call it?”
“The Last Ballad of Enot Faed.” Alan replied.
“That is a good name for a song.” Aileen said.
They began to play again and as they did several other members of the audience joined them. Rathamon joined in and started playing a flute. Desmond got on stage and started playing his drums, while Salinas cast a spell which created an entire band. Tokejin came up and played a large horn. The song lasted for an hour. When they were done the crowd gave them a standing ovation. The lions roared. Alan let the tears flow freely.
Many hours later when the body had been buried and the family had made their way home after hearing the stories that Enot had told them from different perspectives, Alan, his grandfather Tomas and his Father Willem sat on the deck looking at the stars when a short man approached whistling a tune not unlike the the one Enot used to whistle. He stopped and looked at the group sitting on the deck.
“Hello.” He said
“Hello.” Tomas replied. “Who are you?”
“I am called many things. I just prefer being called James.” He replied
“Well James what are you out doing at this time of night?” Willem asked
“Well it’s interesting. A month ago I was sitting at home and I noticed that they stars were all funny. I started following them here and well now it seems that I am in the place that I was meant to be all along.” James replied.
“What do you mean by all funny?” Alan asked
“Well my boy do you see up there. The one that looks like a seahorse?”
“Constellation Merrin.” Alan said
“Why yes. That is exactly what it is called. You gentlemen must have taught him well.” James said.
“My Uncle Enot did. About a month ago. Then he died.” Alan looked down at his feet.
“Odd, that is about the time that I first saw the stars. You know what they say about stars my boy?” he said
“The say that they are the spirits of great warriors keeping the world safe from monstrous creatures.”
“You are a bright boy. You have a smart one here Willem.” James responded.
“That I do, that I do.” Willem replied.
“You know if you look hard enough at those new stars they look like a lute. Oh well I have to be going now. It was pleasure seeing all of you.” and with that he began to walk away.
“Dad.” Alan said
“Yes son.” Willem said
“How did that man know your name?” Alan replied. The men turned to look where he had gone and there was no one there. “I think we should call it Constellation Enot, dad.”
“I like that name.” Willem said. He picked up his mug and sat silently looking at the stars.
