So there I was in the wilds of Michigan. I was in a frozen forest - trees all around. No leaves. Snow cruched beneath my feet - who knew how thick it was. And it was snowing again. I pulled the cloak around me and looked at the enormous fortress looming in front of me. "Three Leaf Manor." I wondered how the natives had even heard of leaves. The manor was dark and black. It looked like it had been burnt down once already. Tentatively lifting the large ring, I let it fall back with a hollow, "clunk!"
A tiny Japanese woman answered the door and bowed, then led me down a dark, narrow hall. The inside of the manor was just as bleak...the path led down, and there was water dripping in the hall. Something was causing a gentle but freezing breeze to flow through and touch every room. The lady gestured into a little dungeon. The knights were there, but they didn't even look at me when I came in. So I just picked up a sword and sharpened it until someone noticed me.
I befriended a few knights, who had also been tricked into daring into the cold reaches of Michigan. Lady of the Land and Sir Timothy Pickette were from the Capitol. They were squires of the very tops of the Knights ranks. Happy Child, Health, and Flower also introduced me to the Lord and Lady of the Manor, and explained our mission.
The Lord was former Japanese royalty who had moved to Michigan to be with his love. But they had fallen on hard times. Much like the Doom Mansion, they had lost their treasure. But in a most horrible way! It had not just been carelessly strewn about! Little elves had been running about the castle taking jewels at random. The Lord and Lady wanted us to take what was left of their treasure and devise a scheme to keep it safe. But they had little to offer.
I was given a tour of the Manor. The upper floors were brilliantly sunny and warm, with large fires going day and night. Each time I returned to my dungeon, I was filled with despair. There was infighting amongst the Knights, as well. Happy Child, Health, and Flower had been brought from Japan to help translate what the Lord said. Along with them came Kimono - their fearful leader. She caused many problems, as she tried to give orders that would most suit her timid lifestyle. However, she commanded little respect among her squires.
The leader of the Knights was a funny little man. He told a story of how he had once been a praying mantis. He had fallen in love with a fairy - but she knew how praying mantises were prone to violent behavior! So she had turned them both into full blown humans. Unfortunately, she had left him with incredibly good ears and an inability to fight his own battles.
And so, for four weeks, I would don my armour and bravely hold the sword while Lady of the Land and Sir Timothy tried out various self-defense moves on me. By the time I left, they still had not satifsactorily devised a means of safeguarding the Lord and Lady's jewels. But they were getting close.
But how did I ever escape? That is a story in itself. Each day that I awoke to the snow and dungeon grew heavy on me. Until one day, while up above in the sunny rooms of Three Leaf Manor, I looked out the window and saw grass! While in the dungeon, the snow had melted! I bounded down to the main doors, but there were many elves rushing behind me - trying to make me stay. I grabbed my sword and, using the flat, brushed aside the majority of my pursuers. Having gained a few seconds, I slammed the hilt against the lock of the manor's gate, and it swung free.
As I bolted across the drawbridge into the forest, I heard footsteps following close. Looking back I saw, not the elves, but all the Knights running for freedom. "Good luck!" The Lady of the Land called as she and Sir Timothy gallantly mounted horses and sped away towards the Capitol. I had paused to wave, but saw Kimono and the leader of the Knights, stuck in the muddy grass (once the snow had melted, the gras was so soft you had to be careful where you stepped or you'd sink right in), wading towards me and shouting for me to stop.
"This way!" I heard a voice from within the forest, and I blindly followed...
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