The Knighting of a Snail

Sir D. Forest is a quiet knight.  He’s often overlooked, but he’s unusual because he actually performed his road to knighthood outside of Caprenity.  A nearby neighborhood, named Vacantlot, was where he proved his strength.    He was just called Neil back then – Neil the Snail.  He was responsible for speaking for the decomposers. These are very important, but often ignored.  He was brave enough to speak up to King Ursa, and spoke up for these quiet heroes.  His boldness was rewarded by becoming famous in Vacantlot, which made him very uncomfortable. Snails are quiet creatures, though they can be pretty loud when they scrape their food with their radula. It got so bad, Neil felt he needed to move from Vacantlot, to a place where he was lesser known.   But snails move very slowly, so getting out of  Vacantlot was going to take years.  He spoke to his friend the turtle.  They both moved slowly, but Turtle could swim and Neil couldn’t.  Turtle put Neil on his back, and began swimming and walking upstream to a new home for Neil.  Turtle could go home, but Neil wanted to move permanently. This trip was easy for both of them, and since Turtle could return, it really wan’t too much to ask from a friend.    When they arrived in the new place, Neil crawled off Turtle’s back, and tried to settle in to a quiet life.  But Turtle didn’t want his friend to be overlooked for his strength, so he spoke to Queen Agra before he headed back down stream.   “Queen Agra,” he said, “My friend Neil is moving into Caprenity, but I feel strongly that his accomplishments should not go overlooked.”  “What accomplishments can a snail do?” asked the fairy queen.   “He has moved from Vacantlot, where he spoke up about forever rings that were harming animals.  I got to know him because he actually was responsible for getting me untangled from a “coke yoke” that had me caught on a log.  I was having trouble breathing because I was so tired from trying to get free.  If it weren’t for Neil, I would have drowned, or died from starvation. He really is a hero, but he doesn’t want to be too famous.”   “Wow,” said the Queen.  “That’a truly a great feat for a little snail.  I will honor him, but also agree to keep his anonymity.  He should be a part of the Knights of the Round Bale, but he can use a different name.”  “Thank you Your Highness,” said Turtle.  “I can go back to Vacantlot and let them know that Neil is safe, but not forgotten. That will make the Vacantlotters very happy.  They will miss him, but they understand that he is honestly a shy creature.”    “You are a good friend, Turtle. Can you bring Neil to me so I can speak with him myself?”   “Certainly,” agreed Turtle.  “I will bring him to you, because I can still move faster than he can, even though I am slow.  Then I will leave Caprenity and return to Vacantlot   Is it okay if I come visit from time to time?”   “ Of course, Turtle.  You are always welcome here in Caprenity. Take care and safe travels,” said Queen Agra.   At that point Turtle return to Neil and told her that the Fairy Queen wanted to meet the snail. Neil wasn’t happy, but you don’t say no to a fairy queen, so he agreed.  The two of them worked their way to the Round Bale, and the Queen was waiting for them.   “Here he is, your majesty,” said Turtle.  “I’ll be leaving now.  See you later, Neil. I’ll come visit, so we won’t lose touch.”   Neil was very uneasy.  How did the Fairy Queen even know he was in Caprenity?  Why did Turtle know about this audience?  But he didn’t have to wait long to find out.   “Neil,  Turtle tells me that you have moved to Caprenity so that you can live without hassle.  But I think it is very important that your bravery and honesty, which Turtle explained, should not be wasted here in Caprenity.  I would like to Knight you, and add you to the Knights of the Round Bale.  Is that all right?”   “What is a Round Bale?” asked the snail. “It is a big wheel of hay that our farmer uses to feed her goats, but we use it in “the Veil” as a Round Table.  Our knights act as ambassadors and problem solvers.  They are not hassled, but they are trusted.  There is no one to speak for those who live underground or under leaves.  I would like you to be that knight.  Is that all right with you?”    The snail sighed a slow, quiet sound, and drooped his head.  “If it would be helpful, but I really came here to be less famous.  Won’t this undo that purpose?”he asked.  “No, I would like to change your name, to Sir D.Forest.  The soil dwellers will know they can speak to you, but they respect your privacy.  You will be known, but not be subject to followers or stalkers.  Does that work for you?”   “That would be all right,” said Neil.  “I do kind of like being known as Sir D.Forest.  The others will think my first name starts with D, and not know about my real name.  I can provide help here, without the fame that followed me in Vacantlot.”  And that is how Neil the Snail became  Sir D.Forest of Caprenity.  There will be more adventures in Vacantlot in future tales of Caprenity. Keep in touch the world of Caprenity to discover more stories of this magical place