Tale: Love That Knows No Bounds

A short "fairy tale" set in my dark fantasy world.

There was once a beautiful lady of the name Milena. She was a being of pure beauty, with long flowing hair that shone like gold, a voice comparable to an angel, and a heart filled with empathy and compassion. All the people on the land lusted after her, though she was the only daughter to an influential nobleman from Casperia and thus she was precious to him. In his mind she could only be wed to someone of suitable standing.

One day a soldier came home from war. He was young and reasonably handsome, but scarred by the fighting he had barely escaped from. He had seen many of his friends die and their faces haunted his dreams every night. When the sun began to set, he dreaded having to sleep for he feared what he would see. He reluctantly set up camp by an old oak tree that lay not far from the lord's castle. Feeling tired, the soldier could not hold back the onset of sleep, so he lay his head down and waited for the nightmares to come. But they did not come. All he was greeted by was the sound of beautiful singing. It was a woman's voice, but it sounded more divine that anything a mortal could produce. The singing captivated the soldier, because it sounded so perfect and it scared away the memories of death, like light in a dark room.

The next morning, after his first peaceful sleep in months, the soldier went to the caslte to find the source of the voice. Much to his dismay however, he discovered that it belonged to the Lord's daughter, someone he could never be with, so he left with a heart heavy with woe. During the day he wrote poems dedicated to his forbidden love, and stuffed them into the trunk of the oak tree. He did not stay for long however, and soon set out on the road again. Soon after, as the lady walked the grounds of the castle, she decided to rest by an old oak tree. As she sat beneath its blessed shade she noticed a slip of paper sticking out of a hole in its trunk. She pulled it out and in it read the most beautiful poem she had ever read. Then she found another such poem in another part of the tree, and another, and another. She was amazed and capatured by the words of this forlorn lover. And then, on the last shred of paper, she discovered that they were all dedicated to her. She knew then that she had to find this man, for she was know in love with him.

Running down the road at full sprint, she came across many people, but not of them were her poet. She was close to giving up before she saw a soldier, rugged and dirty with bandages all over, shuffling alone down the beaten path. She went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. His face was all she needed to learn that this was the man she was looking for. She became ecstatic with joy, and so did he. When she returned to the castle, the lady made it clear to her father that she loved no other and that she wished to wed her warrior-poet. The father refused for he wanted his child to be wed to a duke or a prince. These words hurt the lady, who ran to her chambers with tears in her eyes.

The next morning the lady was sitting alone in the forest not far from the caslte. She was sobbing and dug her face into her knees. But because she was crying, she did not hear the sound of an approaching beast - a rare and terrible troll. She screamed upon seeing it and ran away, with the monster close behind her.

The soldier, who had come to the oak tree one last time, heard the screaming and recognised it as her love. So he ran with all his might towards the noise, with his sword in hand. The lord also heard the screaming, so he and his guards set out on horseback to rescue his beloved daughter.

The lady soon became exhausted from the running. She slowed her pace before tripping over in an open field. The troll, with its fangs dripping with the blood of its victims, gnarled and swayed crazily as it neared the woman. But all of a sudden the young soldier appeared and attacked the beast. He swayed at it with his sword and depsite suffering some minor injuries, he bested it at last. The lord and his gaurds arrived just in time to see the soldier become the victor, thus saving the life of the lady. The father was so grateful of the heroic actions of the soldier that he told him he would grant him any wish. The soldier asked to be allowed to be married to his daughter, and without hesitation the lord agreed.

And so the two lovers became one. They lived a happy and fruitful life. They had many children and grandchildren and ruled fairly over their lands when the lord had died. Right up to the day they died, together and in peace, they told all they met that theirs was a love that knew no bounds. Needless to say, the soldier never had nightmares again.

Author's Note

A fun little "fairy tale" I wrote, set in my dark fantasy world. It's partly inspired by an existing Welsh folktale (the 14th-century love-story of Myfanwy Fychan of Castell Dinas Brân, Llangollen and the poet Hywel ab Einion), as well the history of some of my own family from long ago. Though it's subtle, the story contains details about the world it's set in and overarching themes which determine its events.