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effiethebookworm · 3 years

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TSE Appreciation Week Day One!

Hurrah, my first TSE Appreciation Week is here!! I have been preparing since late May, and I am almost done with all my fanfictions! Here is the first one. It is called Heirloom, like the theme for today. It uses both the Heirloom prompt and family dynamic prompt, even though the Shephards aren’t my favorite family. It was my first ever attempt at choose-your-own-adventure, and it turned out...decent, I think.

Heirloom

In this Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Fanfiction, you are a young Prince Joshua of Cedulan. That's all you really need to know for now, so enjoy!

“Come on, Granpappy!” your oldest daughter Aphera yells from on top of the hill that you and your father are climbing. “Don't you want to sled with me?” Your father, King Amnon, chuckles.

“I'm coming, Aphera. Remember, patience-” she interrupts him. “Is a virtue. I know, Granpappy.” Amnon leans heavily on his cane as he walks.

“Would you like to stop for a moment, Father?” you ask.

“No, no. Aphera needs me.” Although he's only fifty-three years old, many years of ruling the kingdom of Cedulan have taken their toll. His beard is almost entirely gray, and his face is covered in wrinkles. He is tired more and more, although his eyes always twinkle when he plays with his granddaughters. Adara pulls on your gloved hand.

“Up,” she says in her quiet but insistent voice. You scoop her up and put her on your shoulders.

“Walking in the snow is hard, isn't it?” You ask. You crane your neck to see her nod her head vigorously. You are all at the top of the hill now. Aphera is constructing a snowman. Adara pulls on your ear, her signal for down. You reach up and grab her tiny hands.

“Ready?” you say. She squeals in response. You yank her forward, off your shoulders and swing her onto the ground. Aphera, watching, exclaims,

“I want a turn, Daddy!” Amnon interrupts.

“I thought you wanted to sled!”

“Weeeeeelllll, I guess we can sled now and do horsie rides later.”

“What's sledding?” Adara says.

“Here, Dara, I'll show you!” Aphera sits down on the sled. “Daddy?” You walk over and give her a push. She flies down the hill, whooping and calling. Adara's eyes grow wide with jealousy.

“I want to, Daddy!” she whispers. “Wait until Aphera comes back. You can sled with me then.” Aphera trudges up the hill, panting, sled in tow. Her woolly dress, coat, stockings, boots, hair, and even eyelashes are caked with snow.

“I almost hit a tree, but I didn't!” she proudly announces. “Adara, you wanna go with me?” Before Adara can respond, you tell her,

“Since this is her first year, I think she should only go with adults.” Aphera frowns. Amnon walks over and says,

“You can go with me next, after them.” You grab Adara's hand and walk with her to the sled that Aphera dropped into the snow. You plop down in the back, plop your boots firmly into the snow, and tell her,

“Sit here, in the front.” She does, and you hand her the reins of the sled. “Hold on tight to these.” You release your boots, and push off. As you gain speed, you see a wide grin spread on Adara's face. You go over a small bump, and are airborne for a moment. Adara laughs. You are very surprised. Adara has only laughed three times before in her life. As you slow to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she rolls off. She giggles while you grab the sled, sit her on it, and start pulling it up the hill. Her giggles eventually stop, and as you reach the top of the hill, you hear a scream from Aphera.

“Granpappy!” You sprint up the hill with the sled behind you. Adara, quickly realizing that she is extra weight to pull, rolls off the sled and starts running beside you. She is surprisingly fast for a three-year-old, almost keeping up with you. As soon as you reach the top of the hill, you see what made Aphera scream. Amnon is lying on the ground, his face contorted into a grimace. Aphera is standing over him, hysterically sobbing.

“Granpappy, Granpappy, wake up!” You shake him.

“Father. Father, speak to me.” He moans.

If you tell the girls to run for help, and stay with your father, go to 2.

If you try to scoop him up and take him to the palace yourself, go to 3.

“Adara, Aphera, run home as fast as you can and tell the doctor to come here now.”

“But-” Aphera says, but Adara clasps her hand and starts running towards the palace. You put your hand directly in front of his mouth and nose. His breathing is fast and shallow. You look him over. No blood, no signs of an injury. You feel his forehead. Normal temperature. Please, you pray, let the doctor come quickly. At this, you hear the sound of a galloping horse.

“Help!” you yell. “The king is ill!” The horse and rider come up the hill.

“Prince Joshua, are you al-” the rider sees Amnon on the ground. “My King!” You are annoyed.

“Yes, and he's ill. I need to get him to the palace as soon as possible.” The man considers this. “Put him on my horse. I can sit behind and make sure he doesn't fall.”

“Thank you.” You manage to get Amnon onto the horse, and he is quickly taken to the palace. You grab the sled (Adara would be devastated if it was stolen) and run to the palace.

If you check on your daughters and then your father, go to 4.

If you check on your father first, go to 5.

You start to panic. What am I going to do? An idea strikes you. You roll your father onto his back. He groans softly.

“Hang in there, Dad.” you whisper. You grab him under his shoulders and knees and hoist him up. You stagger backwards for a few steps, startled by his weight. Muscle is heavier than fat, you remind yourself, and he was quite fit. You start walking down the hill, slowly. You hear Aphera crying behind you, but you can't turn around. Suddenly, you slip on the now-icy snow. Thankfully, Amnon lands on top of you instead of the ice. You get an idea.

“Adara, bring the sled to me, please.” She arrives momentarily with the sled in tow. You roll your father onto it, grab the reins, and start pulling him.

“Tell me if he falls off,” you direct Adara. She grunts in response. As you jog over the snowy hills, the palace slowly gets closer. You are out of breath and sweaty now, and you almost collapse when you reach the gates. A guard with an elegant fur cloak greats you.

“Prince Joshua, how are you?”

“King Amnon, f-fell and needs-needs a doctor.” you manage to pant out. The guard notices your father on the sled, and shouts something. Suddenly, ropes fall from the turrets above you, and two more cloaked guards slide down. One of them pulls a tiny key from inside her jerkin, and uses it to open a hidden door next to the drawbridge. The other guard opens his arms and faces up. You are confused, until a large object drops from the top of the building and the guard caught it. He unfolds it, and you see that it is a stretcher. The guards put him on it, and carry him through the secret door and into the darkness of the palace. You are in shock, both from your father's collapse and the complete preparedness of the guards. You knew that all of them were medically trained, in case of an accident, but you had no idea that they were this good. You quickly remember that you left Aphera and Adara behind. You turn around and see them a few feet behind you.

“Girls, why don't you go to the nursery. I'm sure Mother is expecting you.” They nod, still sniffling, and the guard escorts them inside. You stand there still, almost unable to move.

If you check on your daughters and then your father, go to 4.

If you check on your father first, go to 5.

As you open the door to the East Wing of the palace, the familiar smell of the Christmas Feast hits you like a mace. The memories of past feasts with your parents and siblings, Isis, the girls. This will be April's first, you think. And possibly Father's last. You manage to get to the royal suite, and into the nursery. As you open the doors, Aphera and Adara rush to your side. Good, they managed to get back.

“Daddy, is Granpappy alright?” Aphera asks. You manage to smile and say,

“I'm sure he will be.” Isis stands up out of the rocking chair, holding April. She hands April to Aphera.

“Girls, why don't you take April for a walk?” Aphera's face brightens a bit.

“Maybe we can teach her how to walk.” You can feel a headache coming on.

“She's only two months old, Aphera. There's-” Isis elbows you.

“Well, you can try. But don't drop her.” They walk out of the room, and you collapse into Isis' arms. She leads you to sit down, and you fall onto the bed. Your throat hurts because the tears won't come. Isis sits next to you.

“Aphera told me what happened. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” you whisper. “I am a grown man, the crown prince of Cedulan. Feelings are below me.” Isis frowned.

“You were happy when April was born, right?” You nod. “And angry when King Bhatair called you a royal pinnacle of idiocy?” You groan. “Well, those are feelings too. And if you can enjoy happiness and indulge anger, why do you refuse to cry?”

“Weakness,” you hiss, barely making noise. Your throat is throbbing now. “I cannot show weakness to anyone, ever. Not when I'm in battle, not at home, not even alone with you. Weakness is the mark of a coward.” Isis stands.

“The true coward is the one who is afraid of his own feelings. I'll leave you alone.”

Go to 5.

You walk through the halls of the vast royal suite towards your father's room. The last time you had been there was four years ago when your mother died. She had been bloodily assassinated by a man with an ax. He still hadn't been caught, and you sometimes had nightmares about him. As you reach the door to the atrium for your father's room, you notice a few nurses ducking in and out of the door, murmuring to each other. You open the door to the atrium and the doctor greets you.

“Good afternoon, Prince Joshua.” Skipping the pleasantries, you say,

“How is my father?” The doctor's face falls.

“I am afraid that he has suffered a heart attack. He will die very soon, probably this week.” Oddly, you don't feel sad. Just.... numb. Like you are completely detached from the situation. Like nothing exists anymore.

“Oh,” you hear, and realize that it was you. “May I see him?”

“Yes.” The doctor opens the door and ushers you in. The room is rich, filled with deep purples and blues, satin and mahogany. A very old man is lying on the bed. You realize that it is your father. He turns to you.

“Hello, Joshua.”

“Hello, Father.”

“I'm sorry I spoiled your outing with the girls.”

“No, Father. Don't apologize. It isn't your fault.” He smiles slightly.

“I want to give you and the girls and Isis some presents, for Christmas.”

“But Christmas is in two days. Why not then.” He smiles again.

“Please bring them, as soon as you can.”

“Yes, sir.”

Go to 6.

“Granpappy, are you okay?” Aphera asks as soon as she sees Amnon. He deftly changes the subject.

“How would you girls like your Christmas presents a few days early?” He asks. Aphera claps her hands. “Yay! Presents!”

Two servants come out of the corner, each holding a small stack of presents. Amnon takes a large one off of the top, and hands it to Aphera. She quickly tears off the paper, and opens the box. Inside are a small assortment of items. On top are a pair of boots, made of supple black leather with golden buckles. They are a bit too large, but you can easily tell that she loves them. She tries them on happily.

“They're beautiful, Granpappy!” “They're a bit large, but you'll grow.” His eyes glow at seeing her so excited. She picks up the next item, a silver locket. She opens it, and inside is a tiny, yet amazingly lifelike painting of her and Amnon laughing together. She gasps.

“The locket belonged to your grandmother's mother, and I had the painting made.”

“It looks just like me and you!” Aphera says with wonder. She puts it on carefully.

“I'll wear it every day.” She picks up the next, and smallest item. It is a tiny key that you have never seen before. “What is this?” she asks. You are wondering the same thing.

“There is an old Cedulanian custom that before a king dies, he passes on this key to the oldest child of his oldest child, unless that child is over the age of fifteen, in which case it should be passed to the next youngest sibling. Joshua,” he says, now addressing you. “I am sorry that I couldn't pass the key to you. I truly wished to, when you were a boy, but the tradition must be followed.” He turns back to Aphera. “This key unlocks one door in the palace. When you find it, use what you find there well. It will help you, if you know what to do.” He winks at her, and she giggles. You notice what Aphera didn't, that Amnon acknowledged that he is dying.

“Thank you, Granpappy. I love you!” She climbs onto his bed, and wraps her little arms around him.

“I love you too, Aphera.”

He gives her a pat on the head, and announces,

“It's your turn, Adara.” Adara steps forward, and receives a smaller box. She carefully unwraps it, and folds the wrapping paper into a neat square. She opens the box, and stares at the contents inside. She pulls out a thin book, and murmurs,

“What is this?”

“This is a journal, cursed by your great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother Melete Dolan to never run out of pages. It has been used by many before you. When you learn to read, read it and let the wisdom of your forefathers and foremothers guide you. Someday, you will also write in it, and pass it on to your children. I gave it to your aunt when she was a girl, but she died as a child.” His eyes cloud over, remembering a painful past. Adara opens to the middle, and a hair clip falls out. It is studded in tiny amethysts and onyx. She holds it up to the candlelight, and the room is instantly filled with tiny rainbows and shimmering light.

“That,” Amnon says, “has belonged to every middle daughter since Alla Jamiese, Melete Dolan's fourth daughter. It belonged to my mother,” he takes a deep breath, “Antigone Shephard.” Everyone in the room except April gasps. It is taboo, though not forbidden, to utter the name of Antigone Shephard. You are shocked. Your parents named you Joshua only because they wanted to break the a-name tradition to distance themselves from Antigone. You had heard rumors that they had wanted to name you Adam, but were too stubborn. Your father continued.

“Adara, that hairpiece holds much history of powerful women. There is a legend that the clip itself holds characteristics of its previous owner. I beg of you, always be careful. Do not allow Antigone's mark to hold power over you. You are young now, and you will forget my words.” He turns to you.

“Joshua, Isis, remind her when she is older.” Adara interrupts.

“Granpappy, if it is so dangerous, why are you giving it to me?” You are shocked. Adara has never uttered a sentence this long before.

“My dear, the legend also tells of the reversal of power. If it is true, you will have the power that Antigone used for evil. You can, and must, use it for good.” Aphera nods, and you pick her up and put her on the bed. Amnon kisses her gently on the forehead, and she smiles. She jumps down on her own, and Amnon beckons for Isis, still holding April, to step forward.

“April. Little April, you will not remember me. So I leave to you my Collection.” Your eyes widen. Every member of a Levantine royal family, Cedulanian, Bellingwrathe, Amethystie, Desdemonian, and so on, has a Collection. Every collection has an object from each year of the person's life, usually on a theme. It was a tradition that the Collection was buried with you, so this was highly unusual. Amnon pulls another box off of the pile and hands it to you. You start to open it, but the king stops you, saying,

“No, Joshua. Let her open it on her birthday.”

“Which one?” you ask.

“The second one after she learns how to read. I left her a note in there. I wish for her to read it herself.”

“Yes sir.” You bow.

“Isis, this is for you,” he says, picking up a tiny box, the last from the pile.

“Thank you, Amnon.” she says as she opens it. She gasps. “Oh Joshua, look!” Inside is a ring, a necklace, and a bracelet. They are all made of pure gleipnir, the most valuable substance on all of Elladess. Amnon chuckles.

“Yes, that is the Queen's Jewelry.” Isis frowns.

“But I'm not-” “You will be soon.” Amnon smiles sadly. Isis side-hugs him. You notice her eyes are watery. Come to think of it, so are yours. No emotion. No sadness.

“Joshua, it is now your turn.” The king shifts in bed, and pulls something off of his belt. Your heart starts to race. You've been waiting for this moment all of your life.

“Prince Joshua of Cedulan,” he says, “I, King Amnon II of Cedulan, now present to you the Silver Eye, cursed by your ancestor Melete Dolan. Use it well, wisely, and mercifully. Never bring it into Nedarian buildings, or use it for evil. Do you promise that you will uphold these rules?”

“I do.”

“Do you promise to hand it down to the next heir to the throne when you die?”

“I do.” Your father pulls out a long, purple and silver telescope from a small leather pouch, and bids you,

“Kneel.” You do, and you hold your arms, bent at the elbows, above your head. He places the telescope gently into your hands. The metal is cool, and the telescope is the perfect weight. Lighter than a broadsword, but heavier than a sabre.

“Rise, Prince Joshua, rightful owner of the Silver Eye. You have taken the oath, and it is now yours.” You slowly rise, and your father sits up and ties the case around your waist. Then he falls back onto the pillow, tired.

“Thank you, Father.” You say. “You are tired. We will leave now.”

“You are welcome, my son.” Amnon says exhaustedly.

“Goodbye, Granpappy.” Aphera says, and Adara waves.

“Farewell, my girls. I love you very much.” You herd the girls out of the room, and back to your family's suite. You go down to the kitchens and ask for dinner to be brought up to you while Isis helps the girls into their nightgowns and robes. You return and eat, and then put the girls to bed. You and Isis then go to bed too, although you cannot sleep. You lie there for hours, thinking.

“You can't do him any good by not sleeping.” You are startled.

“I thought you were asleep.” You tell Isis.

“Goodnight, Joshua,” she says.

You take her advice, and fall asleep quickly.

Go to 7.

As soon as you wake, an attendant is by your side.

“Sir, I am sorry to inform you that your father passed away in his sleep.”

“What?” Your mind is foggy from sleep and you don't understand.

“Sir, your father died in his sleep. You are the king now.” The servant is down on one knee. “My king.”

Isis murmurs something next to you.

“Isis. Wake up.” you almost say, but decide to let her sleep. You wish that you could have. You will never be able to again. You kiss her on the forehead, and silently slide out of bed.

THE END

#tseweek2021 #joshua shephard #choose your own adventure #fanfiction #the silver eye

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effiethebookworm · 3 years

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TSE Appreciation Week Day Six

Hi. It is Day Six. No exclamation marks today, for the week is over and it is a sad occasion. I hope you like it. Also, I noticed that I accidently titled yesterday’s post “Day Four” when it’s supposed to be “Day Five.” Oops.

Enjoy.

Laura Hollingsworth sat down at her computer, fingertips poised over the keyboard. She heard a whine from under her chair, and looked down to see a fluffy dog staring back at her.

“No distractions, Gwladys. Now that the Hiatus Secundus is finally over, I'm writing the script for Chapter 21.”

Gwladys whined again, and Laura gave her a treat.

“Now go sleep or kill a lizard or something. I'm busy.” She gave the dog a little scratch behind the ears, and firmly patted her on the rump.

“Shoo.”

Gwladys left the room. Laura turned back to her keyboard. She yawned, and looked at the clock.

“My, it's a late to be writing, but I want this finished today. I guess I'll just sleep in a bit tomorrow.” she said to no one in particular. She took a drink of water, and began to write.

CHAPTER 21

CLIMB

APEN: *Looks up at Ayran, shocked * Ayran Greenway? Fabled Nedarian architect and designer of Greenway?

AYRAN: *Carswell Thorne grin * The very one.

BERLYNE: *is not impressed * What are you doing here, Mister Greenway, and where is “here” anyway?

AYRAN: We are in an old city that I made centuries ago. It's quite embarrassing, really. Looking at the stuff I made ages ago.. *cringes * Ugh.

JOE, CHARA, AND MARCUS: *run into the room *

JOE: *sees Berlyne and Apen on the floor and rushes over to check on them*

CHARA: Berlyne! Apen! Where have you been all night? We were so worried about you.

MELLY: *runs over and licks Apen's face *

APEN: Melly! You're all right! Thank heaven.

BERLYNE: We went wandering and got lost. Then, *glares at Ayran * this man attacked Apen, so I stabbed him. *is pleased *

CHARA: *is disturbed * BERLYNE, what have I told you about stabbing people?

BERLYNE: *is unremorseful *

JOE: *walks up to Ayran * I don't appreciate you attackin' my so- er- daughter's boyfr- er-- the person to which I am a father figure.

AYRAN: Oh, yeah, buddy? What'cha gon' do 'bout that?

JOE: Nothing, because I am a pacifist. But I will glare at you. *glares at Ayran *

MARCUS: Oh no! Not the glare!

APEN AND CHARA: The glare!!!

BERLYNE: What. The what. Is going on.

AYRAN AND JOE: *have a staring contest *

*music begins to play. Cut to Marcus playing the Jaws theme on the violin he was playing last chapter *

AYRAN: *blinks * No!!! I have been vanquished!

JOE: Heck yeah ya have! *begins to dance the Cotton Eyed Joe *

MARCUS: *begins to play the Cotton Eyed Joe *

BERLYNE: Daddy? Um- are you alright? CHARA: It's his victory dance, Berlyne. You've lived with him for nineteen years, you know this.

MARCUS: Yeah, Berlyne, even I know that! * continues to play Cotton Eyed Joe, but joins in the dancing.

AYRAN: *is sulking in corner *

BERLYNE: Marcus. You can't play the violin and talk, much less dance. This is impossible, what is going on?

MARCUS: *kindly, like speaking to a very stupid small child* *still playing and dancing* Berlyne, Berlyne, Berlyne. You lowly little mortal. You have hardly seen my powers at work.

BERLYNE: W- Excuse me? MARCUS: You all thought that I was Marcus, a little hipster librarian. No. That form is past me now. I will now show you who I really am.

*a bright light flashes, and a shirtless faun with a red scarf stands in Marcus' place *

MARCUS: That's right. I am Mr. Tumnus!

BERLYNE: I am so confused. *turns to Apen* Apen, what is going on?

APEN: *is with Chara, over next to Mr. Tumnus. He is making :baby_apen: face.*

APEN AND CHARA: *in unison * MR TUMNUS?!?! MARCUS: Yes, my children. I am.

BERLYNE: *:shooketh * I AM SO DARN CONFUSED.

IDONY: *enters * What's going on?

MARCUS: Ah, my love. I have shown my true form. Maybe it is time for yours.

BERLYNE: what

IDONY: *sailor moon transformation sequence * *becomes casserole lady from Velv's trial * Yes, and I am Casserole Lady!

AYRAN: *horrified * NO! NOT CASSEROLE LADY! *falls over *

BERLYNE *checks pulse * Okay, he's dead. Guys, this is really weird.

EVERYONE – BERLYNE: No it's not!

BERLYNE: AH! I got it! This is a dream, right?

EVERYONE- BERLYNE: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

*the scene goes black *

END.

“Ah!” Laura awoke with a start. She squinted at her surroundings. She was in front of her computer.

“Wow, that was a crazy dream. I must have fallen asleep while writing.” She moved the computer mouse a bit, waking up the screen.

CHAPTER 21

CLIMB

APEN: *Looks up at Ayran, shocked * Ayran Greenway? Fabled Nedarian architect and designer of Greenway?

AYRAN: *Carswell Thorne grin * The very one.

BERLYNE: *is not impressed * What are you doing here, Mister Greenway, and where is “here” anyway?

AYRAN: We are in an old cit

“Huh, I fell asleep mid-sentence. I must have been exhausted.” She turned off her computer and went to bed.

THE END

#tseappreciationweek #tseweek2021 #apen shephard #berlyne alvarado #chara alvarado #joe alvarado #marcus lanum #idony st claire #mr tumnus #narnia #casserole lady #the silver eye #nerdarians

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