Brigadoon

Brigadoon resides in a valley between the harsh mountains and enchanted forests and is home to the king's newest castle, still under construction. The sound of hammers and saws reverberates throughout the area. It is where innovators and tradesmen journey to hone their skills and seek new opportunities.

An icy river winds down through the mountains and flows past Brigadoon's wall, supplying water for farmers and supply for fishermen. The location of its origin is shrouded in mists and woods filled with life ready to be hunted. Every morning the air is crisp with the opportunity and promise of wealth.

However, the woods that surround Brigadoon are thick and foreboding, with ancient trees that seem to stretch up to the sky. The forest is said to be enchanted, with whispers of magic and mystery lurking within its depths. There is danger in the unknown.

The knights and their apprentices ride their horses across the mysterious landscape, searching for dangerous creatures and striking them down, claiming this territory for Brigadoon. They know that their duty is to protect the realm, and they take their responsibility seriously. As such, the wolves have already retreated and the witches have long gone into hiding or been removed completely.

The town of Brigadoon is a place where magic and reality collide.

Thomas is a young apprentice with a rigorous routine. Each morning, he makes his way to the nearby river to collect water. After delivering the water, he spends the rest of the morning training under his master's watchful eye. He works on his swordsmanship, practicing his stances and strikes until his muscles ache and sweat pours down his face.

He tends to the horses around noon, then heads out to the forest to collect firewood.

Once his cart is full of wood, he stays out in the woods.

It can be dangerous for a young boy like him, but he has no choice. He is from a poor family, so he needs to hunt and fish for extra food to stay fed. Thankfully, the forest is plentiful and has always treated him kindly. He hunts and eats until his stomach is full, and he has extra.

Then he returns to Brigadoon. He delivers the wood and brings the extra fish from his nets, or the extra game from his own hunting, to his family to support them. Sometimes he gives it to his neighbors and friends who are the owners of local stalls. In exchange, Thomas asks them for help in becoming a knight, and they agree to do whatever they can. This is his dream.

One morning, Thomas is training with his master.

"Keep your stance low, boy! And remember, always protect your flank."

"Yes sir!" Thomas nods, beads of sweat accumulating on his face. He swings at his mentor once again, this time staying lower to the ground.

The sound of trumpets interrupt their training. The king has arrived in Brigadoon!

"Why is the king here?" Thomas asks.

"He is here to inspect the construction of his castle." Thomas' mentor responds. "Let's line up with the rest of the knights."

Thomas joins the row of apprentices while his mentor joins the row of knights in front of them.

"Greetings, knights of Brigadoon! I am pleased to see that the construction of my castle is progressing well." The king announces.

The knights bow respectfully. Thomas can't help but feel a sense of pride in his chest. As he admires the king's knights, imagining himself among them, he notices a figure watching from a nearby carriage. It is the king's daughter.

"Who is that, mentor?" Thomas asks.

"That is Princess Fenella. She is a dreamer, always lost in her own world."

"She seems lovely."

"Be careful, Thomas. The princess is not for the likes of us. She might even be repulsed by you because you are from a poor family. Stay quiet when you are around her."

Thomas nods, but can't help but feel drawn to her. He even feels slightly indignant about what his mentor said about him.

He quickly finishes his chores and skips going hunting. He had plenty of extra anyway. Instead, he pesters his mentor to allow him to stay near the castle so that he might see the king again. His mentor relented, allowing him to watch the training of the upper knights from the side.

'This is unusual for all the knights to be training in the courtyard today,' Thomas thinks. 'Usually some are off doing other things. It must be because they are trying to impress the king. They should be more diligent though. If I ever become a knight, I'll straighten them out.'

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a small figure in a dark cloak shuffling around the edges of the horse stables. They were heading toward the gate to leave the castle, but would retrace their steps and start again. Thomas studied the figure for a while, then recognized her as the princess! Ignoring his master's advice to stay away from her, he went up and got her attention.

"Excuse me, Princess. What are you doing out here?"

The princess was surprised, but respectful. "Oh. Hello. Who are you?"

"My name is Thomas, an apprentice knight, your highness."

"Ah. Nice to meet you. As for what I'm doing…"

The princess looks around furtively, as if she's looking for something. "You know, I've always been curious about the rest of Brigadoon. The parts of the town where people read books, play music, and dance."

"You want to go visit the rest of the town?" he asks.

She nods.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Where is your servant? Do you need some guards?"

"Oh, I don't need them." She says, avoiding eye contact.

"I don't think it is right for a lady, such as yourself, to wander the streets alone, especially if you don't know your way around." He says.

The princess seems to slump with defeat. "Then what should I do?" She whispers.

"How about I take you?" Thomas offers.

Excitement swells up inside of her. "Could you do that for me?"

"Yes. Of course. But you will have to promise to do exactly as I say, can you do that?"

"What do you want?"

"That shiny necklace, you need to put it away while we are outside."

"This is the royal necklace of Brigadoon. If I cover it, people will not know that I am a princess."

"It is safer for you if they do not know."

"You are claiming that my status as your companion is safer than that of a royal princess?"

Thomas nods. "That is how it is. Do you agree to do as I say?"

The princess thought about it for a minute. "Okay. Since you are the apprentice to a knight, I trust you." Then she hides her necklace.

"...You are pretty naive huh…" Thomas says in a low voice.

"Please show me around." She ignores him and starts listing places she would like to visit.

Thomas smiles. "I know just where to go first. What should I call you?"

"Most people know me as 'The Princess', so using my real name should be fine. I am Fenella."

"Very well, Fenella, follow me."

Then he leads Fenella away from the castle and through the winding streets of Brigadoon. They visit the library, where Fenella marvels at the books, and the music hall. Everyone seems to treat him with familiarity and respect, so she is pleasantly surprised. Meanwhile, no one knows her, nor recognizes her as the princess, so they treated her as a normal girl. She is thrilled. Although it seems like a dangerous stunt, as long as Thomas is with her, she feels safe, much safer than her original plan to go out all on her own.

Fenella says excitedly, "This is wonderful! I've never seen any of this before. I can't believe Brigadoon even has a library."

"There's a tree in the forest that is good for making paper. This town is a good fit for our king and his whole family. I'm glad I could show it to you." He smiles back.

"You know so much about this town, and you have connections with so many people."

"Yes. I know almost all the important people here even though I am from a commoner family… I hope you don't mind my status."

"I don't mind at all," she says.

Thomas became more comfortable seeing that the princess didn't care about his status at all. They continue exploring the town.

As the sun begins to set, Fenella looks back at the castle keep, where her father is. She turns to Thomas with a saddened expression, "It is getting late. I have to go back to the castle now."

"I know, but it was nice to meet you, Fenella. Thank you for everything."

Fenella suddenly looks determined. "Wait. I don't want this to end here. Let's promise to see each other again."

Thomas looks at her hopefully. "Yes, let's." Then he kisses her on the hand.

She gives him a meaningful glance. Then Fenella returns to the castle.

The next day, news spreads that Fenella had gotten in a lot of trouble for sneaking away from her guards and leaving on her own. However, she didn't say that she was accompanied by an apprentice. Upon overhearing the news, Thomas smiles knowingly.

A week later, the king and princess leave Brigadoon because the construction of the castle is not complete yet. As he watches the carriages disappear beyond the forests, Thomas swears to keep working hard so he can meet Fenella again, next time as a fully fledged knight.