I'm taking English 102 and for our final writing assignment we are to create a children's story with a clear moral and a sort of subliminal message for adults. Almost everything I write is imitating the style of Hans Christian Andersen (because I adore his fairytales!) but is slightly less fantastical then my comics.
In Nikifor's story, he is returning home to his father after the Perovskian royal family is overthrown (AKA Mikula, Natalya, and the imperial knights) and must find work. In his father's home lives his aunt Katya, his cousins Osip and Tasha, and their 7 yr old daughter Irina.
Irina reminds Nikifor of Natalya and he tries to be her protector, much like Alistair. Irina, however, is not as feminine and pampered as Natalya, a regular tomboy. One day during the Rasputitsa while Nikifor is helping Osip with yard work, Irina jumps on worms that have made their way onto the stone path.
Nikifor stops her, tells her that earth worms are good for the soil and that killing them during the spring mud season will result in a bad harvest. She sulks for being lectured and tells him that he isn't the boss of her. This hurts Nikifor's feelings, because he has been trying to be a good brother figure to her.
The message to kids in this story is not to kill bugs for fun. The message to adults is that life is hard after a civil war. When I finish the story I plan to post it here and maybe illustrate a comic version for the Petite Affairs of Natalya! 
