Blood of the Bard: Prologue - After "The End"

            The bastard half-blood elf approached the tavern and with xem, was the hero’s charge.

            Drinks were free at the bar that night, after all Bard and his buddies had just saved the world. The heroic party of three had been given parades, riches, and titles, but just being able to celebrate with their friends meant more to them than anything. To think, just a year ago, they had been amnesiacs waking up in a dungeon not even able to remember their own names. They resorted to calling each other by their apparent professions, Bard, Rogue, and Paladin. Even after they remembered their true identities, the names stuck.

            Currently, Paladin was escorting the people too drunk to stand to their homes, Rogue was one of those people too drunk to stand. Meanwhile, Bard was playing his harp to the crowd, especially the fair maidens.

            Suddenly, the tavern’s front door burst open. Bard was already on the stage looking that way, so he got a clear view of the figure that stepped through. It was an elf, long golden hair, silver robes, and skin pale like milk. His ears were pointy, and his eyes glistened like stars. The only thing about him what wasn’t stereotypical elf was the fact he was only around seven foot tall as to the typical ten to fifteen. Perhaps he was only a half elf?

            “Where is the one they call Bard!?” the half elf shouted in an intimidating and booming voice. Almost out of instinct, most of the crowd pointed towards Bard, standing in the middle of the stage. Bard shrugged and stepped off the platform, he walked through the crowd and they parted for him like an opening book, Bard came to the half elf and looked up at him in the eye.

            “Look, if you want to start a fight you got another thing coming,” growled Bard.

            “This is not a matter of violence,” said the half elf. “This is a matter of love.” Bard blushed.

            “Look, I know I am famous know and you have probably heard the rumors about me. And I know I fit a lot of the stereotypes associated with bards, but I don’t swing that way. Sorry.”

            “Gods no!” spat back the elf. “What I should have said is that is a matter of your love life, and responsibility.”

            “What do you mean?” asked Bard. His heart began to beat faster, and he grew a sinking suspicion about who this kid might be.

            “Did you at any point travel back in time around two-hundred years or so?” asked the half-elf.

            “Y.. yeah?” said Bard. His brow was now sweating. “H… how did you know that? We haven’t published that story yet.”

            “My mother told me,” said the half elf. Bard put two and two together.

            “So, you mean?” Bard’s voice was trembling.

            “I am Amare, your child,” said the half elf.

            Bard’s legs turned the jelly, this was impossible, he thought his… sword… had been cursed to be fruitless. Then again that witch did not seem very powerful, and furthermore perhaps this was her real trick.

            “Okay, okay, so you are my son-”

            “I would prefer not to use crude gendered language but yes I am your offspring,” said Amare in a semi condescending tone.

            “And you are technically older than me?”

            “Yes, but by human standards I am what you humans may say is eighteen, a new adult.”

            “And now that my identity is out and public you came to find me so we could start to connect or something?”

            “Correct.”

            “Oh okay,” sighed Bard with relief. “Well if you are basically an adult, then this won’t be as hard.”

            “Well…”

            “Oh no.”

            “I didn’t exactly come alone.” Amare clapped xyr hands together in a strange sort of rhythm. The door once again burst open. This time though, it was a slender and pale demoness with a tiara like set of horns. As she passed through the door what followed her was a cavalcade of races from around the world.

            Following the tall demoness was a little girl with horns that were barely visible. Then a broad winged red scaled dragon woman with a little dragon boy; a stout dwarf woman with an even shorter boy; an intimidating orc woman with a boy hiding behind her massive leg; and a panther like cat woman holding an oddly human looking girl in her arms.

            “Father,” said Amare. “This is your family.”