Tomboy and Jerrygirl
The girl folded her sleeves and wiped her brow. She then tightened her boots and stretched her arms and moved them around to see if she was flexible enough in that outfit. Outside, the roar of the people became audible. Some who were rejoicing. Some whose cries and wails were making a din. Some who preferred to lament silently.
The boy's heart was throbbing. He wound his handkerchief over his head and drew his sword from the sheath. As he examined the blade, he saw his own reflection in the steel, he saw his own eyes... They were fiery, they were determined, they showed meaning, they were scared.
In the distant stretches of Merryland
With its splendid palace and gateway grand,
The kingdom that is shaped into a circle
Dwell humble people- to evils so bland
That the barracks are empty and posts unmanned,
And there's none who lament nor one to grumble.
The girl and the boy faced each other. Both of them were in tears. For the first time, they experienced what grief was, what pain was, what misery was. To be parted, to be shorned from what they loved, from what belonged to them. "For Merryland and all who have breathed its air, drank its water and walked on its earth, for all those who have lived in it."
In this land of wanderers and wonders
A duo stay, eat and work not sundered
Having their abodes each facing the palace
Which- a half circle- is so tender
To the king. And this setting rendered
Wonderfully the image of a smiling face.
The girl shook hands with the boy, for the last time. Their eyes conveyed the same passion, for the last time. Their hearts filled with the same emotions, for the last time and they said together-
'Me and you, and our friendship
Shall outlive this world
And everything in it,
Shall outshine the sky
And everything in it,
Me and you, and our friendship
Shall sail the floods
And cross the stormy oceans
Me and you, and our frienship
Shall never be sunk
Never erased.'
The king, Godcent Trolley, ruled this country,
And Senorita, the queen, was all free
To take part in the merriment; free to swirl
And free to mix up; to join the revelry.
The duo that the queen loved the greatest degree
Was the famous pair- Tomboy and Jerrygirl.
There was a sudden sound of a metal clanking, and the boy (Tomboy) and the girl (Jerrygirl) whirled around. They saw a large man at the entrance. He wore flowing blue robes and had his long hair dangling behind his well-shaven face. The strands of hair were curled alternately, and he was wearing a contemptuous look on his face. At once they recognized him as the new King Benzor. "You both will be facing my two best warriors. Either you will manage to kill them both, then I might consider setting you free or you will both get killed in the encounter which does my job without me worrying about it. Easy?" he asked. Tomboy and Jerrygirl barely nodded. They wanted nothing but to strangle this man who had brought to end the seemingly eternal life of Merryland. "But before we begin," said Benzor, now smiling and then, using a gesture of his hand, he ordered, "Guards!"
The blossoming country then prospered,
Inkling all those who cared to bother
Drawing a group of gruesome invaders
That muddled courts and ministers hampered,
Looted banks, and villages tampered,
And called themselves as 'The Brothers'
The metallic helmet seemed to be unbearable at first. Tomboy could scarcely draw breath through the small hole that was made in the warrior helmet. It covered his face totally, leaving two sockets for his eyes and a very small gap near his mouth. Jerrygirl was given a similar helmet to wear. After that, Benzor spoke "You should know, Godcent and Senorita are no more alive. They were killed in the combat that just took place. You both are alone. Good luck." He left the room. As Tomboy saw him take his exit, his palm gripped the sword's hilt. He wanted to draw it out and throw it at Benzor. He wanted to bury him alive and then dig him up again after few days and burn him. And then to bury his ashes. King Godcent and Queen Senorita were dead. And they were alone. Alone in the tent. Alone in the fight. Alone in Merryland. Alone but together.
The Brothers attacked the unarmed kingdom
And routed to the palace of the dukedom
Where they held captive Trolley and his queen
And imprisoned them, caging their freedom.
Then the duo came, to avoid martyrdom
Of Godcent Trolley and his beloved queen
Tomboy reminisced the time when he and Jerrygirl had run to the rescue of their king and queen. The way they had fought through 'the Brothers' circle of defenses only to find themselves caught in the centre with the other hostages. At that time, Godcent had patted them saying, "Well done, my boy and well done, my girl! But it was futile, you coming here... Now we are caught together... The four of us... But death will only come slowly..."
'Death shall come slowly' rightly he said
They deprived them of our butter and bread
And held them captive, in seperate cells
The duo in one, and the king and his maid
In the other. Together the two pairs paid
For their joy, their balloons, and their bells.
The sudden rushing in of bright sunlight blinded Tomboy and Jerrygirl for once. They stepped into the noise and felt the heat of the sun under their heavy war coats. There was a huge roar as they stepped in. Somewhere beyond the dust of the battlefield, Tomboy and Jerrygirl noticed two men- blurred vision- armed and clad in the same way as they were.
Their opponents.
A man and a man. Against a boy and a girl. Against Tomboy and Jerrygirl.
There was no need for someone to announce the rules to the audience. They already knew it was a fight-to-death contest. There was no need for a referee, no whistle-blower.
The fight began unannouned.
Tomboy and Jerrygirl drew their swords and for once exchanged glances. "Death or glory," they shouted as they charged at their opponents. The clash of metal caused a tickle in their throats. Tomboy and Jerrygirl fought as they had never fought before. More for the lives that had been lost than for their own freedom. More for Godcent Trolley and Senorita, than for Tomboy and Jerrygirl.
They fought with agile strokes and swift cuts. The first blow fell on Jerrygirl who winced in pain as the blade struck her shoulder. Tomboy was quick to react, and forsaking his own enemy, he plunged onto the other one and in no time, he had clanked his sword away from his hand. In the meantime, the other enemy prepared and then assaulted Tomboy again. Tomboy had to leave the unarmed opponent and turn back to the other. Jerrygirl was fighting again.
There were mixed expressions from the crowd as the minuted ticked away. The fighting seemed to be endless. Benzor's men were very strong and as much quick as Tomboy and Jerrygirl were.
Jerrygirl fought with great zeal. She was an exemplary character for the other girls and for those boys who thought that girls were meant for housework. Jerrygirl was also doing her housework. She was cleaning it of foreign insects. Mosquitoes.
On one occasion, Tomboy ducked a blow from one of the opponents, rolled behind him and aimed at his neck. But his opponent bended forward and the sword hit his helmet, which came off in a flash. The crowd gasped. And Tomboy gulped. Jerrygirl shrieked.
They saw Godcent Trolley standing, his helmet falling beside him. His grace, his figure, his smoothness and his smile. His smile, at this moment.
At such a moment.
Tomboy looked at Jerrygirl and he saw the same relief in her eyes. Benzor had relayed the same story to the king and the queen. That Tomboy and Jerrygirl had been killed and they were to fight two of his best men.
But Godcent and Senorita were alive. And they were fighting them.
The barbarous king Benzor said the same
That Tomboy and Jerrygirl were killed in the game
Ere the king and the queen stepped in
To fight and win, and to gain, immortal fame
Or to lose, and rust, and bear the shame
That in the eyes of all losers is seen.
Godcent Trolley and Senorita were alive. And Tomboy and Jerrygirl were fighting them. The winner would go free and the loser would die. Tomboy stood up and in the act of attacking his opponent again, plunged his sword into Jerrygirl, who, as if instinct made her, also turned from her ferocious opponent, and stabbed Tomboy. And as they both fell. They hugged, crying. Tears of happiness. And as they both fell. They laughed, and they remembered all the times they had spent together. And as they both fell. They smiled, the last smile, the smile of happiness, and pride.
The smile of friendship.
This was how wound the eternal tale
Of two friends, whose friendship never failed
Whose trust and love and care was au fond.
The tale that was as the supreme hailed
Was the Tomboy's and Jerrygirl's tale
That sailed to infinity and beyond.
