Note to reader: this is one of those "postmodern" stories based on pure experimentation, as opposed to style and actual good storytelling. Certain "postmodern" traits include historical inaccuracies, excessive use of cheesy slang, and bad/girly "Omghe'ssohott" characterization. Well you catch my drift. I hope you enjoy, and if you don't, please skip to the last chapter anyways D

Once upon a time, a man who was almost real told a story. The story would be every bit as real as he. So he began with Frantella, a quaint country blessed in abundant forests and moors. It was a nation of people that warmed their hearts with tales of great and wonderful things.

He knew that stories, passed down orally, would change. But change was good; it was real. Over time, the man himself became a story about lovely sunsets and moonlit roads. He would steal from the corrupt rich to give to the poor. He would be given a name that cut through the hearts of civilians: El Bravado.

He was a highwayman, an outlaw, the king of swashbuckling legends, a hero. Silently, stealthily, he would alight on one’s window, silhouetted in shadows, leaving behind no footprints but a bag of coins. And they could never catch him.

El Bravado rode the rugged land, the forlorn roads, to bring justice or defy justice or both. He could fight with pistols and swords and rode like a Caballero. The hero people spoke of – El Bravado of Valera’s dreams – wore a black mask, a large tricorn hat, and tall boots with spurs on them that outlined his long legs. His cape would flutter in the wind, a rose would perch on his collar; and on his cape, on his hat, was the symbol of two crossed pistols.

It was said that somewhere in the kingdom of Frantella, El Bravado’s lifelong treasure had been stored and hidden. Surrounding the treasure was an abundance of colourful roses – El Bravado’s roses, like the one he wore on his cravat. They could cure La Morta, a deadly cancer that rested dormant in one’s blood till it claimed the victim in the end.

Worth unimaginable amounts, El Bravado’s Treasure was the ultimate dream and goal for every thief, highwayman, pirate, or average no-good-doer.