The Two Princes –Part Two

But who had eyes that could see into the human head and heart; into that secret world of desires and dreams. Prince Happ knew of only one person; she whose name was only ever spoken in whispers so fearful were her powers; Answeryne, the Old Woman of the Woods who some called a Queen of the fairy Hive and others called a Goddess of Nature.

“Many nobles of foreign lands have been
made welcome in my Palace”, thought the
Prince,“Surely a Queen of Fairies will see
I am a prince and extend the same sort of courtesy”.

But Answeryne was not like any queen of the mortal realm. It was not enough to send an envoy
into her dark woodland to request a meeting. A queen of the fairies had to be summoned in accordance with ancient laws and customs.

“You must take a fool with you and a blind man”, advised the Princes minister of Spiritual affairs, “That is how it is usually done they say. For only a blind man may see her and only a fool can understand the fairy tongue. Oh, and you must go barefoot into the forest”.

“Barefoot?”, asked the Prince, startled.

“Oh yes”, said his minister, “All fairy folk go barefoot, though the soles of their feet are as tough as old leather but they will not greet a man wearing shoes. Infact they may get very offended”.

“Very well”, said the Prince, prepared to suffer any indignity for the love of his wife.

But though the Prince agreed to tread barefoot through the forest and to take a blind man and a fool with him he also took one of his most trusted courtiers and noble knights,Sir Halsome, for protection and company.

None knew quite what to expect within the dark woods; Sir Halsome wore the foot of a dear
around his neck as a charm against evil spirits and the fool rubbed a spotted pebble that he swore
had similar magical properties but, truth be known, all were frightened, even Prince Happ
but he emboldened himself with thoughts of his beloved wife and this alone seem to flush the fears from his heart.

And then, suddenly, as they were nearing the middle of the forest they chanced upon a small child, a little girl with long dark, braided hair dressed in a simple white robe with a garland of flowers around her head and silver sandals upon her feet.

It was nearing sunset and the light through the overhead branches was growing dim and the Prince, whose heart, inspite of his high station, was kind and gentle, was concerned for the safety of a young girl alone in the woods.

“Are you lost, little girl?”, he asked, kneeling upon the forest floor so as to be closer to her level.

The little girl shook her head from side to side but didn’t speak although she smiled and, bending down herself, picked up a bright blue flower from off the forest floor and handed it to the prince.

The prince was about to thank the little girl for her gift when all heard a terrible loud wailing
like the sound of a high wind and the wailing was so powerful that it even made the trees in the forests shake and then, suddenly, infront of them they all saw what appeared to be a long, skewer
like horn but attached to nothing but air and forest gloom.

“What is that?”, asked the Prince, stepping infront of the little girl to shield her.

“It sounds like the fiercesome Haldron”, said the Blindman, “They say it is invisible although, having never seen anything before in my life, I have very little notion of what that means. The only part of it that can be seen, they say, is its long and deadly horn”.

“I could surely hit its heart if I could but see it”, said Sir Halsome, raising his bow and arrow bravely but blindly.

“Perhaps if I listen”, said the blindman cupping his ear, “I might be able to guide you in the direction of its beating”.

But then the little girl came out from behind the Prince and stood between Sir Halsomes bow and the horn of the creature.

The Prince feared for the child, “Get behind me little girl, it isn’t safe for you there”, he said, reaching out to pull her back.

But then the fool spoke, “It will not harm me”, he said with the voice of a young girl, “For I am Queen of this forest and all creatures of the forest know and obey me”.

And then, amazingly, the invisible creature seemed to bow before the child, dipping its horn low.

The prince was flabbergasted, “But surely, the Old woman of the woods is, well, an old woman?”.

“In winter”, said the fool speaking with the voice of the fairy Queen, “When the snow hangs heavily upon the bough, I am old but, in the springtime, when the petals of the young flowers are just opening, then I am a child”.

Sir Halsome lowered his bow toward the ground,
“Well, now I have seen all”, he remarked, laughing.

Then the prince and all except the fool knelt before the child Queen and Prince Happ told her of his troubles with his wife and about the secret dream that made her smile.

“There is light and dark within the world of the fairy folk”, said the voice of the queen, “As I am the light of the seasons and a worker of good magic so there are those who swim in darkness; the black Elves of dreamland. Prince of the black Elves is Morthor, the ruler of dreams. It is he who looked into your wifes lonely heart and used her own sadness to seduce her. In dreams they have met and she, seeing only the illusion of a pleasing appearance, has fallen in love with him but, more dreadful than that, he has asked her to marry him and to stay in his kingdom forever. This she must never do, for to marry the Prince of the black Elves is to marry death itself. With dark magic vows he will ensnare her soul and once his dreamstone ring is placed upon her finger there can be no waking her”.

The words of the Fairy queen filled the heart of Prince Happ with dread and sorrow, “Is there nothing I can do to come between this devil and my wife? No power that can save her?”.

The fool went silent for a while as the Fairy queen thought over the Princes problem then,
smiling, she spoke again, “Have no more worries, dear Prince”, she said, “For I and my fairy
magic will help to save your wife but you must venture into Prince Morthor’s own kingdom
to defeat him and defeat him quickly, before the dark wedding of he and your wife can commence. There are pathways by which a mortal may travel to the world of dreams and I will guide you along them”.

But then the Prince trod upon a sharp stone and, though it wasn’t sharp enough to injure his foot, it made him cry out in pain.

“Why did you not wear shoes?”, asked the Queen, laughing through the fool. “Because”, said the Prince, crimson with embarrassment, “A trusted advisor guaranteed me that Fairy folk do not wear shoes, do not like them and would be offended if we wore them. The same wise man also told me that only a blind man can see you and yet I see you quite clearly”.

“But are you not blind?”, asked the Queen, “Could you but see me through the eyes of wisdom
you would not see me at all for I am a thing without true form; I am an airy thing, as real as faith and reason. As for your misadvisor, if you are to travel far in the land of dreams then you must be careful of who and what you trust; in the dream world even the ground beneath your feet may be a traitor”.