Spring Update and Previews
Previews for the next Red Riding Hood Saga story and my upcoming comic!
Hi everyone, it’s been a little while!
I’ve been hard at work working on The Last Wish of Lady Red Riding Hood, the next story in The Red Riding Hood Saga, but I found that I needed to slow down a little - especially after that super long article where I examined hope and despair through Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack!
(If you haven’t read it yet, please check it out - I’m super proud of it! 😄)
Because of this, the next story is going to take a little while longer - maybe another month or two, hopefully not more!
And so, I’ve decided to start releasing my new comic, Audrey, The Unicorn Girl, starting next Thursday!
Please check out the previews for both The Last Wish of Lady Red Riding Hood and Audrey, The Unicorn Girl down below!
Preview of Audrey, The Unicorn Girl - Chapter 1
Created and Written by: E. H. Lau
Illustrated by: Vanessa Almeida
Audrey and Jenny Co-Created with: @NMEEnterprises
Originally, I had wanted to put the comic together into an ebook format and set up places to buy it first before I ran it here. Unfortunately, it’s been nearly a year since I received and finalized the last pages, and I still haven’t had the time and energy to do that…
So, instead of sitting on it, I thought that I should get it out first, and then worry about selling it later!
The first chapter will be out next Thursday, April 2nd, with new chapters coming out weekly for nine weeks!
I hope you all enjoy the comic that Vanessa and I put a lot of hard work into! 😄
Preview for The Last Wish of Lady Red Riding Hood
Let me tell you a story
about a gallant knight-in-red.
Her beloved princess,
cursed by an evil poison.
Now, she travels the lands,
searching for a cure.
A cure for the cursed princess
who lies sleeping in a glass coffin.
- the opening verse of Scheherazade’s “Ballad for a Knight-in-Red”
---
Prelude: My Adventures with a Knight-in-Red
<With a sly grin,> I said to my enraptured audience, in their language, <the Prince sneakily pulled the hidden lever on the mechanical horse, and they all flew up into the air!>
The crowd cheered!
<And that,> I said, finishing my story, <is how the Prince and the Princess escaped their captors on the ebony horse.>
Then, strumming my oud, I began to sing a love song - an epilogue to my story.
My audience in the coffeehouse listened as they enjoyed their drinks.
And as I finished the song, the audience cheered and clapped, happy in the knowledge that the Prince and the Princess would be happily married after they had returned home.
<Thank you!> I said, as I stood up and bowed. Then, switching back to my own language, “Thank you!”
My gracious audience, who were mostly sailors from a far-off land, applauded - some of them even tossed a few coins into my tarboosh on the floor!
I smiled and bowed again, <Thank you!>
After the audience had settled down, I picked up my tarboosh and walked over to the counter where the owner was waiting.
“Ah, you sure know how to keep them around, Scheherazade!” the owner said, handing me the pouch of coins that was my payment, “The usual?”
I smiled and placed a few coins from my tarboosh onto the counter, “Yes, thank you!”
As the owner got my drink ready, I made my way over to a relatively quiet corner of the establishment, and sat down at one of the tables.
There, I emptied the additional coins from my tarboosh into a coin pouch, and put the tarboosh away into my bag - though I usually didn’t like wearing hats, they were useful for a travelling storyteller such as myself to collect money with.
Soon, the owner would set my drink down onto the table, and I would be left to enjoy my coffee in relative peace.
Or so I thought.
After barely drinking only a sip or two of my coffee, a stranger approached me.
<Sorry to intrude,> she said, <May I please join you?>
I looked at the stranger.
She was clad in a red cloak, and she seemed to be from a foreign land.
And though she wore a serious expression on her face, she did not seem to be unfriendly.
But then, I noticed the sword that was hanging on her hip.
I looked back up at the stranger’s face and smiled, trying to hide my worries about her weapon.
<That depends,> I said, in her language, <Is there something that I can help you with?>
<I’ve just arrived,> she said, <and I was hoping that someone could help me learn more about your land. Seeing as you speak my language, I was hoping that you could help?>
Hearing her answer, I relaxed a little.
<Certainly,> I said, gesturing to the seat across from me, <Please, have a seat.>
<Thank you,> the stranger said, with a nod.
I watched as she sat down, shifting her sword into a more comfortable position as she did so.
<I enjoyed your performance,> she said.
I shifted my eyes away from her sword and back to her face - a slight smile accompanied her compliment.
<Thank you,> I said, smiling back, <I’m glad to hear that.>
Then, she introduced herself, <My name is Red Riding Hood, though you may call me Red.>
I raised an eyebrow at her name - an obvious sobriquet, though I did not question it.
Instead, I said, <And mine is Scheherazade. Pleased to meet you.>
Red smiled politely, <If I may - how did you come to learn my language?>
I smiled back and took a sip of my coffee, trying to hide my hesitation about revealing anything from my past.
So instead, I simply shrugged and said, <It seemed useful for a travelling storyteller like myself to learn, especially in port cities like these where travellers like yourself might be in need of some entertainment.>
She nodded, <I see.>
Changing the subject, I asked, <So, Red, what brings you to these lands?>
<I’m searching for a cure,> she said, <something that can cure a magical poison which curses someone I love.>
<Have you heard of anything like that?> she asked.
I looked at her - beneath her serious expression, I could hear the earnestness in her words.
Sadly though, my reply was, <Hmm, not exactly.>
<During my travels and in my studies,> I explained, <I have come across many stories which describe fantastical magicks of many sorts - some of which may even be powerful enough for your needs.>
<But,> I said, <that’s just it - most of them are probably just stories with barely a hint of truth to them, if any.>
Red leaned closer to me, her expression solemn.
<No matter how small the chance though,> she said, <I must look into every possible lead.>
<So please,> she said, <tell me anything that could help.>
Her determination stunned me.
Embarrassed, I apologized, <Sorry, I seemed to have misled you - even though I know of many stories, I wouldn’t know where to even begin searching for what you’re looking for. All I have are the stories - I don’t have anything tangible.>
<Oh,> Red said, quietly.
She slumped back into her seat, disappointed.
<I’m sorry,> I said.
She lifted up her hand and gave me a small gesture, as if to absolve me from any blame - but, her face betrayed her dismay.
<I should go then,> she said, <Thank you for your time.>
However, as she began to leave, an idea sprung up in my mind.
<Wait,> I said, <what if...>
She paused and waited for me.
<What if I travelled with you?> I said.
She sat back down, curious about my proposal, <You want to travel with me?>
I nodded, <Well, if you don’t mind me saying, you look like someone who’s been on a lot of adventures, and your quest sounds like the type of thing that stories are made of!>
<If I travel with you,> I continued, <I could be your guide and your translator.>
<And in return,> I said, <you could tell me more about yourself and your travels, and let me tell others your stories!>
<M-My stories?> she asked.
I nodded, <Yes!>
<Well,> she said, hesitant, <I don’t know how interesting my stories are...>
I grinned, <As the storyteller, you let me be the one to worry about that!>
She stared at me for a few moments - thinking back, I might have looked a bit too excited.
Finally, she sighed and gave in.
<Alright,> she said, <but only if you make me look good.>
Then, she gave me a wry smile.
Surprised, I couldn’t help but laugh, <So, you do have a sense of humour after all!>
***
The next morning, after we had returned the keys to the rooms at the caravanserai that we had stayed at for the night, Red and I began our travels together.
It felt good to be travelling again, after having stayed at the port city for a few months, especially with a new companion.
At first, Red was hesitant to share more about herself with me.
But, as the time that we travelled together grew from days into weeks and months, I began to learn more about her.
A knight from a faraway kingdom, Lady Red Riding Hood was trying to save her beloved Princess Snow White.
Before her current quest, Red had been framed for the princess’s poisoning by the queen - the princess’s stepmother who had grown jealous of Snow White and had wanted her son to be the next in line to rule instead.
Luckily, the queen’s attempt to kill the princess had been thwarted by a fairy - but even the fairy could only halt the magical poison, leaving it still coursing through the princess’s veins.
To spare the princess from the poison’s agonizing pain, the fairy put the princess into a deep sleep and sealed her inside a Glass Coffin to protect her.
Meanwhile, on the run and having abandoned her real name, Red discovered and learned how to control her magic - the ability to summon two wolves, one grey and one white.
Then, catching the queen in another attempt to murder the sleeping princess, Red fought the queen in a duel of sword, wolves, and mirrors.
Red won, killing the queen.
With her name cleared, Red then set off on a quest to find a cure for her sleeping beauty, who still slept in the Glass Coffin.
And that was the quest which had brought her to these lands, so far away from her home.
At this point, I must say that I feel guilty and ashamed - for she had shared so much of herself with me, and yet I did not do the same.
And though we would grow quite close to each other, I still hid my past from her, until I was forced to reveal it.
For nearly a year, we would travel together.
I still fondly recall the exciting adventures that we had together - like the time when we helped Morgiana deal with the band of forty thieves that her employer, Ali Baba, had unwittingly wronged; the time when Red and I had encountered a giant roc while traversing the mountains; and the time when we helped a young sailor named Sinbad defend his ship against pirates.
And I still cherish the mundane days which we shared - like the days when we would just explore a new place, talk to the locals, and look for clues on where to go next; the times when I would perform stories for an audience and she would be there to listen, even if she didn’t understand the language; and the nights when we would just rest and enjoy each other’s company after a hard day of travel.
To me, she became a familiar face in new lands, an anchor in new days.
I grew to love her as a cherished friend, and I hope that she still thinks the same of me - even after all that would happen at the end.
The end which would begin...
When we met Prince Ala ad-Din and his wish-granting jinni.
Outro
I hope you enjoyed the previews for both!
I’m actually a bit nervous about the last section of the Prelude for The Last Wish of Lady Red Riding Hood, as well as the use of <> to indicate dialogue not in Scheherazade’s first language!
Let me know what you thought about that last section in the Prelude (if the montage sufficiently conveys their time together and how close they became, if it’s too boring too read, etc.) and the <> dialogue tags!
And that’s it from me today!
I hope to see you all back next week for the start of Audrey, The Unicorn Girl! 😄
If you’ve enjoyed my work, please consider liking, sharing, subscribing, and/or buying me a tea - it really helps! Thank you!
Audrey The Unicorn Girl looks adorable! I really enjoyed that first chapter preview and the art style is so cute!