Ziall Horlik One Shots (prompts open)

A Tale As Old As Time

        Once Upon A Time, there lived an old merchant and his two sons. Now the Family was very wealthy, and this was proven by the fact that they lived in a large house, with room enough for twelve people. Why the home was so big but only contained a family of three, and a maid and a butler for each, confused many of the townsfolk. The villagers knew better than to ask, however, because they also knew what the consequences would be for their actions. 

       

One unfortunate day however, befell them, and the entirety of the property caught fire. Not only that, but the two boys' father lost every ship he had, whether it was by pirates, more fires, or shipwreck. The third time something this bad hapened, it was about his clerks in distant countries who he thought to be faithful, only to be mislead.

       

Because of the man's lack of money, he and his sons had to make their new home in the small town of Bradford, England, where he and his two sons built themselves a house, which looked exactly like the ones that surrounded his old home in Ireland. The father and his children worked hard, everyday, chopping wood, cultivating the fields, and making and mapping out the different parts of the house, when at last it was finished. 

It was only Niall, the youngest son, who remained cheerful during those dismal days, trying to make his older brother and beloved father happy by dancing and singing, but soon enough, he too bowed down to the dark, looming, despondent figure that was Miserableness.

One happy day in early April, however, the father received great news. One of his ships who had deemed lost, had turned up in a port with handsome sums of money and riches. Although it was time to harvest the crops in Bradford, he was determined to make the trip by himself. He asked each of his children what he should present to them when he returned, and the eldest, by the name of Gregory, announced that he would like a new pair of shoes.

Niall only wished for a rose, exclaiming how he loved them so, and at this, his father and brother laughed at him and teased him for wanting such a thing.

But, alas, the boy would not budge, and the father agreed, setting off on his journey the next morning. 

~'~'~' 

When he arrived, he had dismounted his horse only to see that his once loyal companions had already divided up his posessions between them. After almost half a year of traveling, he found himself to be as poor as he was when he started off, and with a heart full of sadness, he began his trip home. 

By the time he was only within a few miles of his cosy house, he became exhausted with tiredness, coldness, and hungriness. He knew that the only way to reach his destination was to cut through a thickly wooded forest full of mysterious creatures. With his heart pounding and hands trembling, he urged his noble steed forwards and pulled his cloak hood lower over his head. 

~'~'~' 

When he had been completely swallowed in the darkness with only the moon for a light-source, he began to worry that he might never make it back, when all of a sudden, a lightning bolt illuminated the black sky, showing him a humonguos castle in the distance. With thus newfound hope, he and his horse ran through the rest of the woods, only to be blinded by the constant rain.