Outskirts Press, INC.

Every good tale begins with Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time a foundation was laid,
based on chivalry and the eternal battle between good and evil.
Once upon a time, that foundation has been eternally shaken.
In this fairy tale world, the Evil Queen likes bacon and isn't so evil. Her henchman has a few secrets. The Princess, first in her class at D.I.M.(Damsels in Misfortune) Academy, has trained and dreamed of her imminent kidnapping and rescue...and her reluctant knight, whose name means "royal fate", was the only one at knighting school that day and would rather read a book than save a princess.
Add dark magic, dragons, true love, daring escapes, and just a dash of destiny and believe again - once upon a time.

Charles could not believe what he was hearing. “They want ya to go rescue their idiot daughter, do they?” Charles said.
Zakash, who looked ridiculous in the overly large knight garb, nodded; his helmet creaked.
“This is bloody madness, you don’t even know how to fight!” Charles said. “You spend your time... uh... reading to me, instead of it all.” Charles paced the stable floor. “You can’t go tromping off into the mountains outside of the kingdom! It’s madness,” Charles repeated, looked to where the western mountains were. The wall guardsmen claimed they saw a cloaked figure on a black mule with a suspicious bundle on it’s back heading for the road that went up the mountain.
Nobody ever went up that road anymore. “I know, Charles, but I haven’t another choice,” whispered Zakash. He tried to sit down gloomily, but his suit wouldn’t allow it. In a frenzy of frustration he tore off the metal and threw it against the wall. “You ought not to treat your things that way, you know,” Charles said quietly.
Zakash turned to Charles; “Merlin told them my name means ‘royal fate’. Everyone expects me to be some grand knight because my name means ‘royal fate’. This is such folly- the biggest bloody folly in all of time. How could someone as small and weak as me ever become something great?!” Zakash demanded, gesturing about the stable. “I don’t even like cold palace walls! I like it here!” Zakash sat down on the straw, looking at the armor with loathing. “I don’t even fit into a knight’s armor.”
“All right, then,” Charles said, putting a hand on Zakash’s shoulder. “Somebody is pulling the strings ‘round here, and this someone is greater than me ‘n you. Someone has to have a plan in this whole place. And this someone is bigger ‘n wealthier than the royals and the nobles . You got to be knowing that. There is always a ‘the end’, Zakash- we all have our stories and our ‘the ends’, ya know. Like the stories you read to me- they end with ‘the end’. Well this one.... you're the writer, and you’re writing your story. Write your story, Zakash- don’t let others do it for ya. Maybe your fate lays up in those mountains- even if it doesn’t mean saving that Princess,” Charles smiled.
Zakash looked up and sighed. “Fine, Charles. For you-”
“No Zakash. For you,” Charles said.
Zakash smiled; “For me. I’ll do it- I’ll go up into those western mountains,” Zakash said, with a light in his eyes.
Charles nodded; “I feel it in my bones, I do... it’s the right thing.”