A Modern Fairy
Tale By Sydney Solis
Once upon a time there was a Queen who lived in a castle.
The castle was deep in a vast forest, surrounded by a great garden sitting high up on a mountaintop.
The castle, however, was in ill-repair.
Where once a well flowed with wine, it was now dry. Where once a garden bloomed with trees of golden apples, it was now withered. Where once the great halls of the castle were filled with gold, now it was darkened and covered with vines.
What had happened was that long, long ago the Queen and King had had a great wedding ceremony in the great hall. Golden rings were exchanged with vows of deep love.
The Queen’s three most faithful servants raised three golden cups in honor of the Queen and King. "Long life, love, joy and faith."
But just then, the Demon King and his legion of demon warriors attacked the castle. They swept through, destroyed the castle, kidnapped the King and stabbed the Queen in the heart.
The Demon King cast a spell on the castle, turning the three faithful servants into trolls. Everyone else vanished.
The Queen survived, and the trolls carried her down to the dungeon, where they watched over her. Magically, she recovered.
But her recovery had taken many, many years. It had taken so many years to heal, in fact, that she no longer remembered the King. She no longer remembered that there was anything but the dungeon or anyone else except her troll servants. And all she could remember was the face of the Demon King.
One night the Queen had a dream. She dreamed of a well. And in the deep, deep well there was a man. There was something beautiful about the man, she felt.
When she awoke from the dream, she asked her troll servants, “Could there be such a thing as a well and a man inside the well?”
“Absolutely not. There is only darkness and the Demon King’s sorrow.”
But night after night, the Queen would have the same dream of the charming man in the well. Her heart would feel a pang of excitement, hope and mystery, something she had not felt in a long, long time. This feeling brought back a memory, something she could not quite put her finger on. Yet she felt it.
Meanwhile, the King had finally, after years of intense battle, defeated the Demon King. Because of this battle, the King had acquired certain powers. He had the power to see far away. He had the power to shape shift, and he had the power to become invisible.
After the Demon King was dead, the King’s heart instantly felt for the Queen. He used his power to see far ahead, back in the forest, on the mountain, in the castle, in the dungeon, and there he saw his beloved.
He raced back to the castle as fast as he could. He did not understand what had become of the castle and was saddened for his Queen. He saw the place where so long ago life held so much promise and was now but a heap of ash.
He rushed through the decaying halls and flew down the steps to the dungeon. The trolls were asleep. The King called to his Queen.
“Queen, Queen, it is I,” he said.
But the Queen was frightened by his sudden appearance. She screamed, the trolls awoke, and the King fled in confusion.
“My poor Queen,” he thought. “She must be so broken.”
The King went back a second time but the trolls spotted him instantly and had only to show their nasty teeth and claws that were like sharp knives for the King to think of another plan to reach the Queen.
“My Beloved must be reached by not so ordinary means,” he thought.
The King again searched the castle. He discovered, buried in dust, the rings that were exchanged. He found the three cups. Then he set them about the castle. He went to the well, climbed down it and changed himself into a frog.
That night, he slipped into the dungeon while the trolls were sleeping and whispered in her ear, “Queen, Queen. Did you know that there is a well outside this castle? And that inside that well there is a great treasure?”
The Queen stirred at the thought of the well. Just like her dream. Could there be such a thing? She wondered. She awoke and looked at the frog.
“Queen, Queen, follow me up the stairs, you will see for yourself! There is a well with a great treasure in it! Come! Come!” And the frog hopped up the stairs and out of the dungeon.
The Queen tiptoed past her trolls and climbed the stairs cautiously. She looked about, and in the darkness saw a great light.
“That is the door,” the frog said. “Go to the door and you will find the well.”
“Is there really such a thing? Like the well in my dream? Like the man in my dream?” She asked.
She moved toward the door, but the trolls suddenly appeared.
“Queen! Come back! Do not go! Come back to where it is safe. No, there is no well. There is no man. There is only sorrow beyond there!” And the Queen went back with them to the dungeon.
That night the Queen dreamed of a golden ring. The frog came again, snuck past the trolls and whispered to the Queen.
“Queen, Queen, come! Did you know that in this castle there is a golden ring?” the frog asked.
The Queen stirred. “Just like my dream. Where? Where is it?”
“Up these stairs,” the frog answered.
Again the Queen climbed the stairs. She saw the light in the darkness. She followed the frog a ways further, and there she spotted a golden ring. She picked it up and a memory rushed at her heart, a flood of love, as she remembered the face of her beloved King. She remembered the moment they exchanged their vows of love for each other. A tear swelled up in her eye.
“Could it be true? That my beloved exists?” the Queen wondered. But she dropped the ring.
The trolls, however, had awoken, and once again they coaxed her down the stairs with the words, “No. Forget about it. Stay with us where it is safe.”
The next night the Queen had another dream. She dreamed of three golden cups.
The frog came again and the Queen stirred.
“Queen, Queen, did you know that farther on in this castle, farther than you have gone before, there are three golden cups?”
The Queen rushed up the stairs, saw the light, walked past the ring and found three golden cups. Instantly, her memory flooded back again. She remembered her faithful attendants, the joyous toast and the face of her beloved.
“Could it be real? My beloved is real and that I have my faithful friends? My beautiful castle and garden?”
But the trolls awoke, and the Queen again went back with them.
That night, the Queen had another dream. She dreamed of a bright light in the middle of darkness.
The frog came to her and said, “Queen, Queen, did you know that there is a well outside the castle and that there is a great treasure in it?”
The frog dashed up the stairs flew outside, went down the well and transformed himself back into the King. But the King made himself invisible and returned to the castle.
The Queen immediately rushed up the stairs, rushed past the ring, past the three golden cups and suddenly she heard the voices of the trolls.
“Come back Queen! Don’t go! It’s too dangerous!”
But then she heard another voice, “Keep going, my love. It’s true. Believe it. Believe in your dreams. There is a well with a great treasure. You will find it. Go now.” Then the King returned to the well.
The Queen dashed to the bright light, hesitated before its radiance, then pushed herself outside. She saw the frog sitting at the edge of the well.
“Follow me,” the frog croaked.
The Queen looked deep into the darkness of the well. She saw the little frog and she pursued it down, down, down spiraling steps. She came to complete blackness, as the light above had become nothing but a tiny hole. She could not find the frog.
“Frog, frog where are you?” She cried out in fear.
Just then, a great light appeared behind her head. She saw her own face lit up in the water below. And upon her head was placed, a great golden crown. It’s brilliant light filled the whole well.
“Here I am,” the King said, as he stepped from behind her and stood next to her, gazing at their images and radiant golden crowns reflecting in the water.
The Queen remembered everything. Her heart overflowed with joy, love and faith. “It’s you. It’s really you, the man from my dreams. My King. You have returned.”
The King and Queen came up from the well. The spell lifted and the entire kingdom came back to life. The well bubbled up wine. The trees bloomed golden apples. The vines receded around the castle as it was restored to its golden splendor.
The trolls returned to their human form as the Queen’s most faithful attendants, and all of the castle’s people returned out of thin air.
They had a second wedding. The King and Queen exchanged rings and vows of love, the three servants raised their golden cups and everyone lived happily ever after.
Tale By Sydney Solis
Once upon a time there was a Queen who lived in a castle.
The castle was deep in a vast forest, surrounded by a great garden sitting high up on a mountaintop.
The castle, however, was in ill-repair.
Where once a well flowed with wine, it was now dry. Where once a garden bloomed with trees of golden apples, it was now withered. Where once the great halls of the castle were filled with gold, now it was darkened and covered with vines.
What had happened was that long, long ago the Queen and King had had a great wedding ceremony in the great hall. Golden rings were exchanged with vows of deep love.
The Queen’s three most faithful servants raised three golden cups in honor of the Queen and King. "Long life, love, joy and faith."
But just then, the Demon King and his legion of demon warriors attacked the castle. They swept through, destroyed the castle, kidnapped the King and stabbed the Queen in the heart.
The Demon King cast a spell on the castle, turning the three faithful servants into trolls. Everyone else vanished.
The Queen survived, and the trolls carried her down to the dungeon, where they watched over her. Magically, she recovered.
But her recovery had taken many, many years. It had taken so many years to heal, in fact, that she no longer remembered the King. She no longer remembered that there was anything but the dungeon or anyone else except her troll servants. And all she could remember was the face of the Demon King.
One night the Queen had a dream. She dreamed of a well. And in the deep, deep well there was a man. There was something beautiful about the man, she felt.
When she awoke from the dream, she asked her troll servants, “Could there be such a thing as a well and a man inside the well?”
“Absolutely not. There is only darkness and the Demon King’s sorrow.”
But night after night, the Queen would have the same dream of the charming man in the well. Her heart would feel a pang of excitement, hope and mystery, something she had not felt in a long, long time. This feeling brought back a memory, something she could not quite put her finger on. Yet she felt it.
Meanwhile, the King had finally, after years of intense battle, defeated the Demon King. Because of this battle, the King had acquired certain powers. He had the power to see far away. He had the power to shape shift, and he had the power to become invisible.
After the Demon King was dead, the King’s heart instantly felt for the Queen. He used his power to see far ahead, back in the forest, on the mountain, in the castle, in the dungeon, and there he saw his beloved.
He raced back to the castle as fast as he could. He did not understand what had become of the castle and was saddened for his Queen. He saw the place where so long ago life held so much promise and was now but a heap of ash.
He rushed through the decaying halls and flew down the steps to the dungeon. The trolls were asleep. The King called to his Queen.
“Queen, Queen, it is I,” he said.
But the Queen was frightened by his sudden appearance. She screamed, the trolls awoke, and the King fled in confusion.
“My poor Queen,” he thought. “She must be so broken.”
The King went back a second time but the trolls spotted him instantly and had only to show their nasty teeth and claws that were like sharp knives for the King to think of another plan to reach the Queen.
“My Beloved must be reached by not so ordinary means,” he thought.
The King again searched the castle. He discovered, buried in dust, the rings that were exchanged. He found the three cups. Then he set them about the castle. He went to the well, climbed down it and changed himself into a frog.
That night, he slipped into the dungeon while the trolls were sleeping and whispered in her ear, “Queen, Queen. Did you know that there is a well outside this castle? And that inside that well there is a great treasure?”
The Queen stirred at the thought of the well. Just like her dream. Could there be such a thing? She wondered. She awoke and looked at the frog.
“Queen, Queen, follow me up the stairs, you will see for yourself! There is a well with a great treasure in it! Come! Come!” And the frog hopped up the stairs and out of the dungeon.
The Queen tiptoed past her trolls and climbed the stairs cautiously. She looked about, and in the darkness saw a great light.
“That is the door,” the frog said. “Go to the door and you will find the well.”
“Is there really such a thing? Like the well in my dream? Like the man in my dream?” She asked.
She moved toward the door, but the trolls suddenly appeared.
“Queen! Come back! Do not go! Come back to where it is safe. No, there is no well. There is no man. There is only sorrow beyond there!” And the Queen went back with them to the dungeon.
That night the Queen dreamed of a golden ring. The frog came again, snuck past the trolls and whispered to the Queen.
“Queen, Queen, come! Did you know that in this castle there is a golden ring?” the frog asked.
The Queen stirred. “Just like my dream. Where? Where is it?”
“Up these stairs,” the frog answered.
Again the Queen climbed the stairs. She saw the light in the darkness. She followed the frog a ways further, and there she spotted a golden ring. She picked it up and a memory rushed at her heart, a flood of love, as she remembered the face of her beloved King. She remembered the moment they exchanged their vows of love for each other. A tear swelled up in her eye.
“Could it be true? That my beloved exists?” the Queen wondered. But she dropped the ring.
The trolls, however, had awoken, and once again they coaxed her down the stairs with the words, “No. Forget about it. Stay with us where it is safe.”
The next night the Queen had another dream. She dreamed of three golden cups.
The frog came again and the Queen stirred.
“Queen, Queen, did you know that farther on in this castle, farther than you have gone before, there are three golden cups?”
The Queen rushed up the stairs, saw the light, walked past the ring and found three golden cups. Instantly, her memory flooded back again. She remembered her faithful attendants, the joyous toast and the face of her beloved.
“Could it be real? My beloved is real and that I have my faithful friends? My beautiful castle and garden?”
But the trolls awoke, and the Queen again went back with them.
That night, the Queen had another dream. She dreamed of a bright light in the middle of darkness.
The frog came to her and said, “Queen, Queen, did you know that there is a well outside the castle and that there is a great treasure in it?”
The frog dashed up the stairs flew outside, went down the well and transformed himself back into the King. But the King made himself invisible and returned to the castle.
The Queen immediately rushed up the stairs, rushed past the ring, past the three golden cups and suddenly she heard the voices of the trolls.
“Come back Queen! Don’t go! It’s too dangerous!”
But then she heard another voice, “Keep going, my love. It’s true. Believe it. Believe in your dreams. There is a well with a great treasure. You will find it. Go now.” Then the King returned to the well.
The Queen dashed to the bright light, hesitated before its radiance, then pushed herself outside. She saw the frog sitting at the edge of the well.
“Follow me,” the frog croaked.
The Queen looked deep into the darkness of the well. She saw the little frog and she pursued it down, down, down spiraling steps. She came to complete blackness, as the light above had become nothing but a tiny hole. She could not find the frog.
“Frog, frog where are you?” She cried out in fear.
Just then, a great light appeared behind her head. She saw her own face lit up in the water below. And upon her head was placed, a great golden crown. It’s brilliant light filled the whole well.
“Here I am,” the King said, as he stepped from behind her and stood next to her, gazing at their images and radiant golden crowns reflecting in the water.
The Queen remembered everything. Her heart overflowed with joy, love and faith. “It’s you. It’s really you, the man from my dreams. My King. You have returned.”
The King and Queen came up from the well. The spell lifted and the entire kingdom came back to life. The well bubbled up wine. The trees bloomed golden apples. The vines receded around the castle as it was restored to its golden splendor.
The trolls returned to their human form as the Queen’s most faithful attendants, and all of the castle’s people returned out of thin air.
They had a second wedding. The King and Queen exchanged rings and vows of love, the three servants raised their golden cups and everyone lived happily ever after.
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