His Rejected Mate

Once upon a time long passed, there was a beautiful kingdom known as Laide. And in that particular little country, there lived twin princes; sons of the much loved King Harold. The twins were born of different natures; one who was kind, pensive, yet entitled, the other being arrogant, rash, and headstrong. Their names were Andrew (the latter) and Elderaine (the former). The two boys were blessed with handsome features and able minds, and while Andrew was a master of fencing and combat, Elderaine never failed trumping him at interpreting letters and song - and no one could play the violin best as he could. Now, in this kingdom, it was tradition for the king's children to marry before their twenty-first birthday. And well, that number was creeping up on them like the dawn of a long dreaded morning for the two boys. And so, four months prior to the young son's birthdays, they set out on their mission. And I suppose this sounds like the kind of fairy tale in which the handsome prince rescues a helpless beauty from a hopeless and terrifying situation, who falls helplessly and hopelessly into his arms to live happily ever after. Well, that was his brother's story. This is Elderaine's story. Elderaine cared deeply of appearances and what others thought of him. He was rarely himself, even in private. The prince often strived to be the better of his sibling, above all. And as fate would have it he would have a great many of beautiful suitors. However, none seemed to fit his standards. And with is twenty-first approaching, he growing increasingly anxious. His brother Andrew, however, was already engaged to the fair maiden Estella. Andrew liked to gloat to his brother about his success, which made Elderaine all the more restless. His vanity took hold and each day he grew more desperate, despite his misfortune being entirely self-insisted. on one particularly nerve racking day, our story begins. The young prince Elderaine knew that while he would still maintain his status, if he did not marry soon he would loose the respect of all who knew him. And so. Our prince decided the logical thing to do was visit Old Woman Eden, who lived among a once gold and silver garden that expanded over horizons and was the envy of all who laid eyes upon it. There were legends of its luscious fruit and the sylphs and other sorts of creatures that played among them, but the garden had fallen into despair. One who entered would step upon ash and soot, among trees like old bones and creatures of the night lurking among the heaps of decay from long ago. The idea of this ghost garden always seemed to frighten young Elderaine, even into adulthood. No one could ever guess why exactly Old Eden stayed there as long as she did, but it was rumored that this woman had hidden knowledge of black magic and had even met fate and shook her hand. Most of these rumors were due to her reclusive and aloof nature, and while society is often wrong about the their peculiar individuals, this time they were quite right. And so, steeling his nerves and pulling on his heavy boots and crown adorning his head, our prince set off to meet the witch. The garden was a long way away and the tired prince thought in vain about the horse that had been offered to him before his departure. But Elderaine took heed of the villager's warnings, and their words echoed fresh in his mind. "The Old Woman of all things life brought to death, the enchantress of darkness and fate. Be safe and wise on your journey; bring with you six stones, round and shining like the moon. Keep silent, young master, until she bids you worthy of speech. You might think that crown of yours will bid you well, my lord, but in her house in her garden you are nothing more than an insignificant leaf caught in an indifferent wind." His legs sore, the prince felt the river stones clacking together in his pocket, how the little things seemed to grow heavier with each indolent step. During his journey, he came across a patch of glowing roses, each glittering like flakes of ruby, their stems and leaves like liquid light. The sight of these flowers dazzled the prince, and he bent to pick one, only to draw back his hand in pain for a thorn had caught on his finger, which was bloody and red. "Damn," He muttered beneath the cold, and exclaimed to no one in particular, "If only you could strip these flowers of their thorns. Then they would truly be perfect." With that Elderaine continued his journey, his breath crystallizing before him, despite that it had been quite warm only hours before. Finally, our prince met a fog so thick and puzzling that he was not sure he would be able to find his way. What perplexed him the most, though, was that the fog was not fog at all; it wan't a billowing white cloud, but something smokey and ashen and dark and forlorn. It crept into the prince's lungs and threatened to choke him. But then, as quickly as it had arrived, the strange smoke had thinned, revealing a dark shape in its wake. Elderaine blinked through his burning eyes and saw what he had been searching for. Old Woman Eden's cabin. It must have been built from the surrounding trees, for the frame of the house was dark and skeletal, and seemed to carry the very essence of death in its presence. The building gave a silent air of fear and foreboding. The young prince shivered. It was not due to the cold. He crept up onto the porch, which creaked and left silky bits of ash floating into the air, though the prince didn't see any signs of burning. There was no question, and even Elderaine himself could not deny the accusation as he touched the rusted door knob to make entry. The prince was afraid. And he only became more so when a voice, old as oak and grating like rusted steel called out, "You may enter, your majesty." The woman was a living corpse. She was ancient, and haggard, and severe-looking, with a long, brittle bush of faded white hair that hung out of her ragged black hood and what little skin that showed was so dry and pasty it looked as though she was carved out of primeval stone. Her stature alone made the prince question if she was alive or merely a sort of evil statue. Elderaine wasn't sure why he felt so nervous - or was it intimidated? He had superiority - son of the most powerful man of all the country- didn't he? He pulled the cold stones, like solid raindrops from his pocket and held them out to the woman, whose eyes glittered like black stars in their reflection. She stared at him for a long time, and the prince realized that long ago, she must have been quite beautiful, and had once bestowed kindness for there was a look upon her hardened face that left a trace of something gentle. Old Eden reached out for the stones with long, bony fingers, which brushed the palm of the young prince's soft hand. Although repulsed -for her hand felt like crumbling, filthy chalk - the prince kept his nerve. The prince regretted this, for the witch woman, with surprising delicacy, held both hands in hers and stared into his face. "What is it you wish to gain from an old crone like me?" Her voice was quiet yet powerful. The boy hesitated and stuttered. " I wish to find a bride." He told her, and couldn't think of much else to say. The woman allowed herself a chuckle. Still gripping his hands, she questioned, "And what is the nature of your...bride?" "The most beautiful in all the world - kind and fair." But the woman threw her hands up in the air - releasing the prince's - in a flurry of distress and anger. "Do you want beauty or kindness? " She shrieked, much to Elderaine's bemusement. "Can't I have both?" "Child, you are young and cannot know much. I will give you this piece of advice for free; The most powerful beauty and the most admirable kindness are as similar as water and fire. A rose is not without her thorns. And a daisy her ill petals. In nature, the living jewels are the most poisonous in all the world. Now, my prince, what will it be?" The prince, confused by all this, answered with beauty. The witch then gave a knowing smile and told him to travel to a village on the other side of the kingdom, in which golden birds sang on each resident's door. She told young Elderaine to begin his travels in three days time, with his only black horse to guide him. )q floral features. "I am Prince Elderaine." Said he, grasping for approval. Mirage, however, gave a low, mocking curtsy "Goodness me; I didn't know we had a royal in our presence!" She cried, somehow belittling him further. "Go home, my lord, as you can see you are clearly not wanted." The prince felt self-conscious for once in his life; he was small, and hot. If Elderaine were to have looked in the mirror, a very pink face would have peered back at him. Contented sounds of nickering tore through the silence, and, turning, he saw the maiden feeding his horse the strawberries she was carrying. As the stallion ate happily, she spoke to it in a gentle and quiet voice. As if feeling his perplexed stare, she turned and said softly, "My name is Auriel. Your horse seemed hungry, I hope you don't mind." Elderaine assured her he didn't, and looked about him. The sky was a dusky purple now, pinpricks of starlight poking through.