Daedalus
This was an older work that I did for a Dungeons and Dragons Minotaur character I created. It's not the best piece of writing I've ever done, but really, it's a FINISHED piece of writing that I've done. I felt I owed it to what few followers I have to upload something, at the very least.
"Rise and shine, my darling." Daedalus winced as the morning sun was beamed into his face by the separating curtains. The minotaur groaned, silently cursing the light, and peeked open his eyes. A female silhouette was walking towards him from the curtains. Daedalus didn't have to see any details to know who it is. There was only one woman who could ever rock her hips like that. "Marianna, why does it feel so early?" Daedalus grumbled and he rolled over onto his stomach, futilely attempting to hide from the morning sun. "Because it is. The sun just had just peaked up over the mountaintop." She paused for a moment. "Don't tell me you forgot what day it is?" Her voice edged on disappointment. "Of course I remember, dear. It's Icarus' birthday. What I don't understand is why I have to be up this early. It's his birthday all day." Daedalus felt a shift in weight on the bed. He rolled back upright, letting the sun warm his front. Shortly afterward, he felt Marianna's weight press down him, and he smelled her hair as it tickled his face. He opened his eyes, and saw her sparkling blue eyes and her beautiful smile. He growled with a flirting edge. "I could go for more mornings like this." He leaned forward and stole a kiss, wrapping a heavy arm around the small of her back. Marianna gave Daedalus a kiss back, and then folded her arms across his chest, resting her head on top. She smiled her amazing smile, and tilted her head slightly, as if reading Daedalus' face. "Alright, get up. Breakfast's ready." Daedalus sighed, and said, "Alright, I'm up, I'm up. You win." He stole another kiss before he lifted his arm off of her back. Marianna picked herself up, and straightened out her dress. Daedalus saw that she was wearing her favorite dress: a white, flowered, simple dress. But no matter, his husband training kicked in, "Mm, you look good honey." Marianna looked back as Daedalus' naked form finally sat up in bed. "Thank you, babe. Daedalus grinned, and then started moving towards the dresser. His ears perked up when he heard her say something under her breath. "I trained you well." He paused for a moment, and decided to let that one slide. It was exactly what he was thinking anyways. He pulled a set of trousers out of the drawer.
Daedalus walked down the stone staircase, still pulling his shirt over his head. He decided to wear one of his better wolf hide outfits today. He wouldn't have to go down to his blacksmith shop today, so there was no fear of him tarnishing any clothing. And he figured that looking like he was just pulled out of an oven wouldn't be the best celebratory clothing. He pulled down the shirt completely as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, and then stopped in his tracks. The heavy oak dining table was laid out with colorful decorations and party favors, with platters of great smelling food. Ham, a plate of fried eggs, bacon and a fresh loaf of bread. Marianna had really outdone herself. "Dad!" a tiny shout came from behind him. Icarus was running down the stairs, his hooves clomping down the whole way. "Hey, Sport!" Daedalus squatted down to receive the inbound hug. Icarus had charged into him, and nearly knocked the large minotaur onto his back. He picked up his boy, and gestured towards the table. "Look what mommy did for you." "Woah!" Icarus' eyes lit up, his mouth remaining open with amazement. Daedalus could only smile. Marianna walked in from the kitchen, using her waist to push open the door, arms full of dishes. Daedalus turned towards his boy, and whispered into his ear, "Go help mommy set the table, and be sure to thank her for all the food." He placed his boy down carefully, though he didn't take off immediately. He looked up at his father and asked, "Daddy, are you going to work today?" "No son, I'm here all day. Just for you." Icarus let out a cheer, and clopped over to his mom to help her set up. Daedalus beamed at the pair of them, and just watched them work for a moment. His son, six years old, and so well mannered. Well, as well mannered as a blacksmith's son could be. Daedalus' mind started drifting to different things. Looking around his house, he still had to be amazed with his own craftsmanship still holding up, and holding up the beautiful paintings produced by Marianna. It really was both a beautiful, and a simple, house. "Daddy, daddy! I helped set the table!" Daedalus snapped back into reality, and looked at the table. "So I see! You did a good job there Speedy." His giant hand reached down and ruffled his son's hair. His son giggled a bit. "Now, let's eat."
Breakfast was quite filling, but also rather uneventful. Marianna had Icarus recite some poetry, and perform some basic mathematics, much to his son's dismay. When he asked why he was quizzed and berated on his birthday, Marianna replied by reminding him that he would be going to school soon. Icarus didn't seem to happy about that. Daedalus helped pick up the dishes after breakfast was over. Marianna had insisted that he and his son go outside to play around for a bit while she cleaned up the dishes. Seeing an opportunity to give Icarus his gift in the stealthiest way possible, Daedalus went out the front door and lead Icarus around to the back of the house. Though there was a back door too, we wanted to be at least slightly misleading. "Where are we going daddy?" "To the labyrinth that I made. I had hidden a present for you inside there." "What is it?!Icarus seems to leap with joy at the word 'present.' Daedalus chuckled. "You'll just have to wait and see for yourself." Icarus was silent after that, but Daedalus could feel the kid's energy still pulsating from him. When they reached the entrance in the mountainside, the blacksmith turned to his son. "Alright, wait here, and I'll be right back out with your surprise." And with a quick smile, Daedalus turned towards the dark cavern and stepped in. Daedalus lit his lantern after a few paces. It was dangerous in here, even if you knew what you were doing. He made it that way. Hidden deep inside this labyrinth was not just the present for his son, but quite a large helping of gold as well. Daedalus used the gold for his forging from time to time, but overall he collected so much because of his smithy being so successful. He did offer quite the quality at a modest price, but only because he had felt that he was never very good at his job. Finding the center, the large minotaur had quickly picked up the backpack he placed there, and hoisted it over his shoulder. He didn't want to keep his son waiting outside, but he did take another good look back at his fortune. Still intact, but he silently wished people wouldn't be so greedy as to make him create a vast security system for his gold. That, and he wished that he never had to escort the bodies of any young would-be thieves out of this security system. Finding his way out just as fast, Daedalus saw the exit and extinguished his lantern. His eyes slowly adjusted to the outside light as he approached, and noticed his boy still waiting patiently. Well, if patiently could include bouncing with excitement. After fully out of the mountain, Daedalus tossed the backpack on the ground, and squatted down in front of it. "Alright son, you're growin' up fast. Awfully fast. And you're very smart. Other kids are going to be jealous of that, and their going to try and pick on you. You know how to deal with these kids, right?" Icarus nodded, and said, "I just have to outsmart them! They'll feel dumb and leave me alone." Daedalus nodded his head too. "Yes, that's the way. Now, what will happen if the kids start pushing you around, treating you like crap, and getting violent?" Icarus fell silent. Daedalus wasn't looking at his son's face to see his exact reaction, and started pulling out his gifts. The first things made up a set of hide armor, carefully crafted and carefully decorated with the patterns of a kind of maze covering them. He also pulled out a shield with the same design, and a small, heavy hammer as well. "Now, these are weapons, and you shouldn't ever have to use them for the bullies, but I want to teach you how to defend yourself." Daedalus kept pulling out more gear out of the backpack, though this gear was much larger. It was his own hide armor, shield, and warhammer. After laying it all out, He gave everything a once-over. "The labyrinthian markings are the exact same as mine. I did that because I want it to remind you of the only two things that you should ever fight for. Your safety, and your family." A cool breeze swept over the pair. Daedalus wondered how he ever had perfect timing for a serious pause like that. He finally looked up at his son, who was standing quite still now, and very quiet. "What's wrong, son?" "I'm scared..." his voice seemed to break, as if he was about to cry. "What of?" Daedalus was taken aback by this reaction. He was expecting a bit more excitement, and that his son would forget his father's presence for a moment as he put all his armor on. "I don't wanna fight. I have you to protect me, right?" Daedalus gave his son a hard look. The blacksmith's hand lifted Icarus' chin up, so that he could see his son's face. "Son, I don't want to fight either. But I want to be strong, so if anything happens to you or mom, I would be able to defend you. I want to be prepared. But son..." Daedalus sighed. "Son, I can't always be there. I will always try my absolute best to be there, but I am only one man. That's why I made these for you, so that you can be prepared too." Icarus looked at his equipment on the ground. The boy nodded, as if he had come to an understanding. He slowly started to take off pieces of his clothing, and replaced them with his armor pieces. Daedalus stood up, and started equipping his armor as well, his back facing his son to give him a little privacy. "You know, you don't have to do this. Not if you don't want to. I will not be offended if you decide that this gift of armament is not for you." Icarus donned his intelligent voice, the one that always surprised most adults because of how young he is. "It's okay father, I understand your reasons. You want me to be prepared, like you. And I want to be able to protect mother if you're not there. And I want to be able to protect you, when age makes it so you can't lift your hammer anymore." Daedalus went for the mood lightener. The air was a bit too heavy for his liking. "Son, you're six. You're not allowed to call your father an old man yet!" He turned around to see his son in his gear. He stood awkwardly, and it seemed that the hammer and shield weighted down his arms like lead. But his son had a smile stretch across his face, and said "Oh, yeah?!" Icarus picked himself up, and started charging his father, hammer raised. Even in this moment, Daedalus couldn't help but admire his handiwork. The hammers really did look just the same, with the only difference being that his son's hammer had a smooth contact surface, versus Daedalus's hammer, which had a spiked one. That, and the size, of course. Daedalus threw himself towards the ground, and hid himself behind his large shield at the last second, which was met with a resounding clang of metal. The minotaur peaked up over his shield, and spied his son looking questioningly at his hammer, still resonating from the contact. Icarus dropped it in surprise, and looked up at his father. "What?" "That, my boy, is called resonance. When your hammer is blocked like that, it vibrates, and gives off a sound." "It tingles." Icarus stared at his hammer longer. "Can you avoid it?" Daedalus took up his own hammer, and clapped his shield together with it, giving off a much deeper resonance. "You can't. Not if you're blocked like that. You've just gotta get used to the feeling in your hands." Icarus nodded, and picked up his hammer. "Try again?" "You're more than welcome to try, boy-child," Daedalus mocked. His son began to charge at him again, in the exact same manner. So Daedalus tucked low behind his shield, just like the first time. But this time, Daedalus heard something different. A few feet away from him, he heard both his son's feet come together, and the footsteps stop. Daedalus's eyes widened, and quickly rolled to the side, his shield rotating with him. Icarus landed right where Daedalus was just defending, with his hammer's contact surface flat on the ground. The boy had gone with an overhead strike, one that would have certainly gave his father a concussion if he had not dodged when he did. Daedalus stood back up into his hooves. "Good job, my boy! You've learned a lesson that I never had to vocalize. You anticipated your opponent's actions. You knew I was just going to try and block it, and adapted your strategy on the fly. I'm very impressed." Icarus looked up at his father, a fire in his sapphire eyes. He seemed a little frustrated that it didn't work, but it seemed to extinguish quickly with a smile, and he said, "I suppose I did do good, huh?" "Daedalus Sakred!" The voice sounded very angry, and it was heading right towards them. "Uh-oh," Daedalus said under his breath. "I've been caught." Icarus could only nod. Even when furiously strutting right for them, threatening clouds looming over her head, Marianna's rocking hips still drove Daedalus crazy. "Just what in the world do you think you are doing?!" "Okay dad, see you later!" Icarus seemed to know when to get away as fast as possible. Marianna stopped him as he tried to run. "Oh no you don't, boy," she said. "You're going straight to your room. I'll have a talk with you later." Icarus nodded, and took off as fast as his hooves could carry him. It was considerably fast; he was being weighted down with armor after all. Daedalus looked sheepishly at his wife. Her hands were decidedly placed high on her hips, her weight shifted to one leg, and her other was tapping her hoof as if demanding an explanation. Her eyes were lit, a flame that burned in those beautiful sapphire eyes of hers. The minotaur gave his best "It's all going to be okay" smile, which came out halfhearted and quickly destroyed under her gaze. "What was the first thing you said to him? Before you made him put on that armor?" Daedalus sighed. The inquisition had begun. "I told him to avoid fights whenever possible, to use his head first, and to use fighting as a last resort. I also told him to only fight when it means his survival, or when it's for protecting his family." Marianna held her pose, but Daedalus saw her expression soften. He knew he gave the right answer. "Why didn't you tell me that you had planned this?" "Because no matter how many times I ran that conversation through my head, all I saw was wrath and doom emanating from you." "Don't worry," Marianna teased. "You're going to get wrath and doom, but it's going to have to wait. It's your son's birthday." Marianna paused, and asked a question Daedalus would never have expected. "So how did he do?" "Er, well, the lesson was interrupted a little early, but I can tell that he has the makings of a natural fighter in him. He's all but taught himself to anticipate actions." "A natural fighter huh? Must get it from me." Marianna smiled a big cheesy smile. "And I saw. You almost had your head crushed in by your own son." Daedalus glared at her. "How long were you watching?" "Since you emerged from your man cave." Marianna relieved her hips of her hands, and put them into a thoughtful pose, one hand caressing her chin as she looked Daedalus down. "You still look good naked." "You're pure evil, you know that?" Daedalus sighed again. "So why wait so long to interrupt us?" "Well, it was a great way to hide the boy's present I made him in his room and make him feel like I was sending him to his grave." Marianna walked around Daedalus, picking up his and his son's clothing that was laying on the ground, and started to turn towards the house. "Let's go see how he's doing." Daedalus threw his hands in the air, a gesture of giving up. He followed Marianna to the house, his eyes set on her rocking, fine butt the whole way in. As soon as the pair walked into the house, a little boy was running from his room, a checkered box in his hand, towards the game room shouting, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Come teach me to play!" And he disappeared behind the game room door. Daedalus turned towards his wife, "Is that what I think it is?" Marianna looked back at her husband, "Maybe, if what you think it is involves complex strategy and leadership tactics." "How long have you been working on that?" She bit her lip. "I started when you started forging your boy's weapons." The Minotaur gave his wife a look. "I love you," he said sincerely, and stole a kiss from her lips. It was quickly interrupted by a boy looking in from the game room, shouting "Ewww!" at the two of them. Daedalus smiled and pulled away, lips giving off a satisfactory smacking noise. In the next room, the checkered board was prepared; a complete chess set had graced two sides of the board, pieces in their proper spot. Black versus white, and each carved carefully out of marble into shapes of minotaur with feathered wings folded on their backs. The most notable, of course, were the king and queen. "Is that you and me?" Daedalus looked upon the kings armor and weapon, which was carved with such careful detail so as to include the labyrinthian marks that cover his own equipment. The queen was wearing a simple dress, and the butt of this figure looked too familiar to deny it's resemblance. "How nice of you to notice," Marianna smiled up at him. "I wanna play!" Icarus shouted up at them. Marianna sat herself down at the other end of the chess board, and started to teach her son how each of the pieces moved.
The night was uneventful otherwise. Marianna had churned out an amazing birthday cake, and they had played with the chess set quite a bit. For the first time in a long time, their son had fallen asleep not because he had to, but because he was exhausted from the day's events. Daedalus and Marianna were sitting close to the fireplace, her head on his shoulder, his head on hers. Daedalus wasn't sure if it was the heat of the flame, or the soft crackle it made, but his eyelids felt as if they were lined with lead, and sleep called his name. Marianna seemed to notice. "Honey, you should tuck your boy in. You must be exhausted. I'll clean up down here." Daedalus stirred from his slumber. "Mmf, you sure?" "I got it. Thanks for taking the day off for your son; I know you have a lot of orders to complete down at the shop. It means a lot to me, and to Icarus." "I'm starting to wonder if there is anything that you don't know." Daedalus stood up, and stretched himself out. He turned to see his son, passed out behind the chess board. "I don't think he liked my present as much as he liked yours." Marianna stood up behind him, and started to massage her husband's shoulders. "You didn't seem to notice that he is still wearing the armor you made him." She moved her hands down his back, and wrapped them around Daedalus' front, hugging him from behind. "You put just as much work into your gift as I did mine, and he appreciated them both equally." Daedalus ran his hands along Marianna's arms. "Thank you dear, you were always better at noticing those kinda of things. Daedalus noticed a slight shift in Marianna's weight, and followed suit. It was nice to share a moment, just swaying back and forth with her, firelight illuminating the two of them, her head resting on his shoulder blade. A sigh of content escaped Daedalus' lips. After a short time, he walked out of Marianna's sweet embrace, and walked quietly to his son. He noticed that his son's shield and hammer were laying in a pile next to him. He picked Icarus up in one arm, and the weaponry in the other, and started carrying his son up the stairs towards the kid's room. Looking back, Marianna was tending to the fire, trying to get it dwindling. Daedalus entered his sons room, and gently set him down in his bed. He placed the hammer and shield underneath the bed for safekeeping. Daedalus stood and watched his son sleep for a moment. He realized that his son was already showing a lot of his father's features. Almost like looking into a mirror that that made you much younger. Thinking back though, he remembered how his son's eyes looked, that fierce blue sapphire that sparkled with both intensity and intelligence. Icarus' body was his father's, but his spirit was his mothers. Fatigue caught up quickly. Daedalus yawned, stretched, and finally carried himself to his own room. He scratched at his back, and wondered why he never changed out of his battle gear. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud, blood-curdling scream coming from downstairs. Daedalus grabbed his warhammer and charged out of his room, fatigue all but forgotten. He leaped down the stairs, landing with a resounding crash and tore down the game room door. The scream had come from another minotaur. Young, male, and his face bloodied due to the fire poker that had impaled it, which was still a little red from the fire. Daedalus had gotten there in time to see the sword fall from the young minotaur's lifeless hands, clanging down on the stone hearth. Marianna threw the lifeless corpse down to the ground. Daedalus moved quickly to Marianna's side, and turned his back to her back. In that instant, the game room seemed to fill up with plenty more minotaur, equipped with the exact same equipment as the first. Daedalus swore at himself. Forgoing the shield at a time like this was never a good idea. And then he noticed the markings on their equipment. "What business does the Minos family have with mine? I have done nothing wrong," Daedalus called out. "Good eye," said one of the intruders. "But you have done the family a disservice." "Yeah!" Another called out. "Our business is collapsing because of you!" "All of the local smithies are!" "Shut up! All of you!" The original speaker. He must be leading the rag-tag crew. "We're doing the town a favor, and killing you off Daedalus Sakred!" "Over my dead body." Marianna's voice chilled even her husband's blood. "Then we'll just have to kill you both. Attack!" Marianna hastily used the fire poke to arm herself with the fallen sword. Daedalus stood for just a moment, waiting for them to make their first move. As he stood, small bits of rock collected around the minotaur, and formed a loose armor around him held by what looked like lightning. An intruder stepped forward from their right. Daedalus' hammer quickly rose skyward, and began it's decent towards the intruder's skull. The intruder had raised his shield, but Daedalus' might was not so easily stopped. His hammer dented and burst through the shield, finding it's mark on the would-be assassin's skull, shattering it with a sickening crunch. Marianna saw her opening. These combatants seemed rather inexperienced. She used the fire poke and her sword to lift the fire grill, and threw it as hard as she could at the attackers. Most all of them stumbled back from the heat, and two of them were crying out from the ash getting into their eyes. Marianna had twisted, raised her sword, and decapitated one of the blinded intruders that were doubled over in pain. At that moment, a tiny battle cry rang out. Daedalus' heart dropped. Icarus charged from the darkness, aiming straight for the leader, a hammer raised in his hands. Though surprised, the leader turned and laughed at Icarus' charge. "Icarus!" Daedalus cried out, and his defenses dropped. The leader dropped down behind his shield in a stance that would be very familiar to the kid. Icarus leaped up, and threw himself too far forward. The tiny hammer had found contact, and bashed the leader's head to the inside of his shield with a crack. Icarus kept moving forward, and crashed onto his back with his half somersault. When Icarus landed, the sickening sound of opening flesh had snapped Daedalus back into reality. One of the blinded intruders had recovered a little, and had taken a lunge towards Daedalus' open defenses. Marianna was charging forward to try to get to her son, but instead caught a blade through her side. Daedalus could only watch as the blood soaked her simple, white dress. Daedalus' vision was filled with red, and his peripheral vision saw more intruders coming into the room. The crimson fluid had started leaking from her mouth, and she turned towards Daedalus. She smiled, and she mouthed the words, "Save Icarus" with her last breath. She collapsed into a heap on the floor. Tears were already forming in Daedalus' eyes, but he had to turn away from her to parry an incoming blade. "Dad!" he heard from the door. Some of the intruders had grabbed his son, and were dragging him away by his struggling arms. Something had exploded in Daedalus in that moment. Something far more primal, far more savage. He ducked underneath a swinging blade, and caught the attacker in the stomach with his spiked hammer. Lightning erupted from his weapon, and it struck down another of the intruders. The minotaur that was struck by the hammer flew out the door, and struck on of the kidnappers. There must have been pure fire burning in Daedalus' eyes, because when he glanced at the remaining intruders, they had all taken a step back. While turning towards them, Daedalus swing his weapon low, ice forming around his weapon. With a loud grunt, he threw the collected ice at the group, freezing them all in a subarctic zone. For good measure, Daedalus picked up the fallen leader's shield, and threw it at the frozen minotaurs, shattering them in beautiful chunks of sparkling ice. Daedalus started to charge out the door, but he suddenly felt a blade enter his calf. The leader wasn't quite dead it seemed, but Daedalus' hooves ensured that he would never get up again. A bloodlusted blacksmith charged out his front door, ignoring the pain in his leg. He sprinted towards the town, and towards the Minos family's house, revenge burning in his heart. His breath felt heavy, and his running became more and more staggered. Darkness had crept into his vision. He tried to shake it off, but he fell. Daedalus could only feel the cold ground underneath him, and then nothing.
The minotaur was suddenly awake, and he subconsciously grabbed the throat of the person closest to him, lifting him off the ground. After a few breaths struggled from the poor minotaur, Daedalus gained some awareness and noticed the white lab coat he was wearing. He dropped the doctor, who braced himself on the back wall, regaining control of his breathing. The adrenaline wore off, and Daedalus felt the migraine form in his head. It was like getting a boulder dropped onto your head, and Daedalus was immediately nauseous. The doctor seemed to know what he was doing, and quickly brought a bucket up to the bedside, catching Daedalus' vomit. The doctor was still struggling to breathe, but managed to say, "You were poisoned, and very lucky to be alive right now, Daedalus Sakred." Daedalus' mouth was thick with saliva, and he was breathing heavily. "Wha-" The doctor interrupted him. :I know you have a lot of questions right now, but they are going to have to wait. You still need rest; your body has been through a lot." Daedalus initially leaned back in bed, but suddenly remembered. "Icarus!" he cried. Daedalus tried getting up, but the pain crippled him, and the doctor was holding him down. "I'm sorry, but you'll kill yourself like that. You need to rest. I'll be by later to answer more questions."
He kept his word. Daedalus found out that he had been in the hospital for six days, and he was told that he would need another six for a full recovery. The town had found out what the Minos family did, and they had suffered the wrath of the entire town. As far as they were concerned, the Minos family had never existed. When Daedalus asked about his son, the doctor could only shake his head. There were no signs of a little boy in hide armor. Daedalus had convinced the hospital to let him go early. Usually a large amount of gold "convinces" doctor's opinions on how healthy you are. Daedalus had hardly spoken a word, even as he arranged his wife's funeral. She was buried in that simple, white dress, cleaned of its blood stains. Somehow, her last smile was still frozen in place. His only words he uttered during the whole ceremony were during his speech, and he only said three. "I love you." The rest of his time on the podium was spend clutching her casket, with floods of tears drowning his indiscernible cries. Icarus was never found. Knowing the Minos family, the young boy is presumed to be sold into slavery. Daedalus had packed a light travel bag, and had forged himself a fresh set of armor, a new hammer, and a new shield, keeping his family marks on it. He had decided to leave early one morning. He had geared himself up, and threw his travel back onto his back. He took one last look around the house, making sure nothing was out of place. He stared at Miranna's artwork most of the time. When he came into the game room, he stared at the checkered box, all set up on the floor. Daedalus let out a sigh, sorrowful nostalgia gracing his thoughts. He picked up the white queen piece, and stared at the uncanny shape of his wife wearing a simple dress, hands decidedly placed high on her hips. A single tear rolled from Daedalus' eye, and he said, "I will save him. I promise." He kissed the chess piece, and pocketed it. He walked out his front door for the last time, to return only after he had his son with him, to take him home at last.