Amourshipping and the Beanstalk

Chapter 2

True to Iris' orders, Ash ties a rope around Whitey's head and begins taking her to the butcher after lunch. Ash walks down the road determined to carry out his mission even though he is not eager to have the cow that he has known for almost two years get slaughtered.

As he and Whitey are walking, however, they see a tall tree standing next to the road. Laying down on one of its branches is an older man with long brown hair, a bushy beard and is wearing black pants and shoes and a gray shirt with a black vest. Ash stops walking as he curiously sees the man lying down on the branches without a care as he seems to be writing on a red book with a quilt without a care as if he's on his own bed inside his own bedroom instead of a thin branch.

"Excuse me, sir," Ash calls out. "Why are you laying down on a branch and writing? Isn't it dangerous to be up there."

Surprisingly, Ash's questions are met with a strange giggle from the bearded man before he speaks.

"Your concern is well-meaning but unnecessary, Ash, my lad," he says with his eyes still glued to his book. "If I did not know how to be safe on top of a tree like this, my dear neck would have been broken from falling off a tree long before I stepped foot in your homeland."

Ash stares at the person writing confused.

"How do you know my name? For that matter, who are you and where are you from?" He asks.

Once again, the man giggles as he closes his book and rolls out of the branch before landing perfectly. Ash stares at the bearded man amazed as the man walks over to him and Whitey with a sly grin.

"I know many things, young esquire," the man says. "But as for who I am, my name has no relevance, for you benefit nothing by knowing it. I am one who prefers his life's work to speak louder than his own identity or place of origin."

"What do you mean?" Ash asks. "How can you rebuke who you personally are so feely?"

"Because my life is but a means to an end for far greater things The Lord has planned for those he wishes to be his instruments," the older man answers. "I am merely a keeper of miracles and extraordinary tales the world has to offer, young esquire."

Ash frowns sadly and turns his head away.

"Don't call me that, whoever you are," he says. "I'm not an esquire."

"Are you sure?" The man challenges. "Because I thought I was speaking to Ash the esquire of Queen Serena herself."

"Yeah, well I stopped being one when we...lost her," Ash says bitterly.

"Oh now that's not true," the man claims. "Once an esquire always an esquire until he proves his worth to become a knight. I see in your eyes that you crave that title almost as much as you love the beauteous and wise woman who ruled this land. Indeed, what you two have is something I would give many of my miracles in my possession for without question."

Ash becomes annoyed at the way this bearded man talks about his feelings for the queen.

"You assume to know a lot of things that are not your business," he snaps. "And you like to claim you have some kind of magic or something when there's no such thing as magic or miracles."

The man laughs and pats Ash on the back like an old friend.

"Now who told you that?" He asks. "Do you honestly believe all that Captain Brock said about miracles not being real?"

"Well, they obviously don't, do they?" Ash asks not realizing the man was not there when Brock did that.

The man smirks and pats on Ash's back again.