Day 5: A slightly related fairytale
I think I mentioned that I love fairytales? Well, this one is kind of related to the plot. With changes. :) Also, I am crazy because I decided to write a villanelle. Villanelles are one of the harder types of poems to write because the entire thing is supposed to rhyme on the same word, and you keep repeating some of the lines. In other words, they are Not Fast. But I like it. It is sappy.
Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a deceitful prince. Although this prince was handsome, he used his looks and his status to swindle people out of their possessions. Now, one might think that, as a prince, he could simply raise taxes. But this would not work on visitors from other kingdoms, and in any case, raising taxes lacked the thrill of the scam.
One day there came to the castle an old lady in ragged finery. She claimed that she was a duchess from a neighboring kingdom, and had been waylaid upon the road by bandits. All of her guards had been killed, but she had managed to escape with some jewels. She showed one of these to the prince. It was a golden bird, encrusted with jewels, hanging from a gold chain. As soon as he saw the bird, the prince desired it, and he began to scheme how he could trick her out of it.
details of scam go here
Unfortunately for the prince, the old lady was really a fairy in disguise. She had heard of his tricks and come to see the situation for herself. As soon as the prince had taken hold of the golden bird, the chain wrapped itself around his wrist and he turned into a bird himself! The fairy then revealed herself to the confused prince. "Prince, you have betrayed countless people in order to gain more wealth for yourself. I now take away your gift of speech, that you may not trick countless more. I, or any fairy, may still hear you speak, but anyone else will hear only birdsong."
"But what is to become of me," trilled the prince.
"You will go wherever the winds may take you. But I have mercy, and thus I will leave you a way out. If, as a bird, you find it in yourself to save the life of a maiden who is pure of heart, at great risk to yourself, and thus win a kiss of gratitude from her, you will be restored to your true form." At this, the fairy began preparations to depart.
"But wait! Where can I find such a maiden?"
"You have had no trouble finding victims to trick. Why then should you have trouble finding a maiden?" And then the fairy was gone.
The prince flitted around the castle despondently. Looking into the different rooms, and overhearing the servants' conversations, he discovered that he was not as well-liked as he had thought he had been. He also discovered that his chamberlain had been stealing from him, and was quite happy to take over the prince's duties while a suitably royal replacement was found. Disgusted, the prince took leave of the castle, hoping to find a faraway land where he had never been heard of.
It took many months before the prince found a land so distant that not even rumours of his kingdom had passed there. He had crossed a sea, the salt water beating against his wings and encrusting them with salt. Many birds shunned him, for he did not appear to be like them, and they could smell the magic on him. Reaching that distant shore, he perched on a high, unreachable rock and went to sleep.
He woke when he heard the sounds of childrens' laughter. Down below on the beach, a group of boys was playing with a faded red ball. Nearby, they had left napkins full of food. The scent wafted up to the prince, and he realized how hungry he was. While the boys were occupied with the ball, he flew down to the fullest napkin, and plucked some of the food from it, for he was used to taking whatever he wanted. He then hopped behind a nearby rock so that he was hidden from view, dropped the food, and ventured out to collect some more. When he had collected a sizeable pile, and the boys seemed to be getting tired, he stopped and fell to eating. The food was strange to the prince, but hungry as he was, it all tasted good -- far better than the berries and other plants he had managed to scrounge so far.
The prince was so involved in eating that he did notice when the boys realized that some of their food was missing. There was a short argument as the boys blamed each other for sneaking bits of the food, when one of them mentioned that he had noticed a bird taking some of it. By this time, the prince had finished eating, and was so full that he fell asleep again, right there behind the rock. The boys, meanwhile, began to search for the thieving bird. It was not long before they found the prince, fast asleep.
The bravest of the boys took off his shirt and pulled it down over the prince, trapping him inside. This woke the prince, he immediately began flapping his wings and trying to break out. Panicked, he began to shout "Let me go! I am a prince! You cannot do this to me!" But because of his curse, the boys heard only the squawks of an enraged bird. The boy who had trapped the prince now tied the shirt closed, making sure the bird could not escape. They began to talk about whether or not they should kill and cook this thieving bird.
The boy who had captured the prince was all for eating him. Another boy protested that he had never seen such a bird before, and its flesh might be poisonous, like that of the carrion-birds. A rival of the head boy claimed that the bird was so small that they could only have a little bit each. At this, the head boy claimed that all of the bird should go to him, having trapped it. But then the boy who had seen the bird in the first place spoke out, saying that since he had first spotted the bird, and started them looking for it, he should have a share. The boy who had found the bird behind the rock wanted a share as well. They continued arguing this way for a while, until one of the boys, finally, suggested that they present the bird to Theramon the Hunter, and ask him for advice. For Theramon was wise in the ways of all creatures, and he could tell if the bird was poisonous, and which way to best divide it amongst the boys. The prince did not stop struggling throughout this argument, although by now his wings felt heavy as rocks. By the time they had picked him up, slung him over their shoulders, and started carrying him back to his village, he had stopped struggling. He fluttered his wings every now and then, half-heartedly, but the he'd realized that there was no way he was going to get out of the shirt. He would have to bide his time until they made a mistake.
It felt like eons before the boys stopped. "Good morning, Miss Mirana," they chorused.
"Good morning boys. Now what do you have there in that shirt?"
"It's a bird, miss," one of them piped up. "We caught it stealing our food!"
"Yeah, and then I caught it!" said the boy who was holding the bird.
"We're taking it to Theramon to see if it's good to eat."
"What kind of bird is it?"
"Never seen one like it before, miss. It's all white except for its wings which are yellow."
"Well, now you have me curious. Perhaps I shall accompany you to Theramon."
"Yay!"
"Miss Mirana's coming with us!"
"Will you sing us a song, Miss Mirana?"
"Very well. What kind of song would you like?"
"Something pretty!"
"Okay, boys." And she began to sing.
I lost my heart one summer's day
Among the fields and flowers gay
Alas, my love has flown away
The rain and clouds made me feel gray
The sun came out, and I to play
I lost my heart one summer's day
I should have know that he would stray
Wandering was ever his way
Alas, my love has flown away
His smile touched me like a ray
Of sunlight and bore me away
I lost my heart one summer's day
And though I wanted him to stay
To my entreaties he said nay
Alas, my love has flown away
And still I hope and wait and pray
That he will once more come this way
I lost my heart one summer's day
Alas, my love has flown away
As she sang, there was complete silence from the boys. Even the prince forgot to struggle against his prison. He had never heard a voice like hers before, and he found within himself a desire to learn more about this Miss Mirana. The boys were silent for some time after she finished her song, not knowing what to say. Finally, one of them timidly asked her for another song, and she began to sing again. The new song was cheerier, and the boys knew the words, and soon the group was singing along. Trapped within the shirt, the prince found the sound lifting his spirits, and he was soon accompanying them in his voice of bird trills.
One of the boys noticed the birdsong, and pointed it out to Miss Mirana.
Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a deceitful prince. Although this prince was handsome, he used his looks and his status to swindle people out of their possessions. Now, one might think that, as a prince, he could simply raise taxes. But this would not work on visitors from other kingdoms, and in any case, raising taxes lacked the thrill of the scam.
One day there came to the castle an old lady in ragged finery. She claimed that she was a duchess from a neighboring kingdom, and had been waylaid upon the road by bandits. All of her guards had been killed, but she had managed to escape with some jewels. She showed one of these to the prince. It was a golden bird, encrusted with jewels, hanging from a gold chain. As soon as he saw the bird, the prince desired it, and he began to scheme how he could trick her out of it.
details of scam go here
Unfortunately for the prince, the old lady was really a fairy in disguise. She had heard of his tricks and come to see the situation for herself. As soon as the prince had taken hold of the golden bird, the chain wrapped itself around his wrist and he turned into a bird himself! The fairy then revealed herself to the confused prince. "Prince, you have betrayed countless people in order to gain more wealth for yourself. I now take away your gift of speech, that you may not trick countless more. I, or any fairy, may still hear you speak, but anyone else will hear only birdsong."
"But what is to become of me," trilled the prince.
"You will go wherever the winds may take you. But I have mercy, and thus I will leave you a way out. If, as a bird, you find it in yourself to save the life of a maiden who is pure of heart, at great risk to yourself, and thus win a kiss of gratitude from her, you will be restored to your true form." At this, the fairy began preparations to depart.
"But wait! Where can I find such a maiden?"
"You have had no trouble finding victims to trick. Why then should you have trouble finding a maiden?" And then the fairy was gone.
The prince flitted around the castle despondently. Looking into the different rooms, and overhearing the servants' conversations, he discovered that he was not as well-liked as he had thought he had been. He also discovered that his chamberlain had been stealing from him, and was quite happy to take over the prince's duties while a suitably royal replacement was found. Disgusted, the prince took leave of the castle, hoping to find a faraway land where he had never been heard of.
It took many months before the prince found a land so distant that not even rumours of his kingdom had passed there. He had crossed a sea, the salt water beating against his wings and encrusting them with salt. Many birds shunned him, for he did not appear to be like them, and they could smell the magic on him. Reaching that distant shore, he perched on a high, unreachable rock and went to sleep.
He woke when he heard the sounds of childrens' laughter. Down below on the beach, a group of boys was playing with a faded red ball. Nearby, they had left napkins full of food. The scent wafted up to the prince, and he realized how hungry he was. While the boys were occupied with the ball, he flew down to the fullest napkin, and plucked some of the food from it, for he was used to taking whatever he wanted. He then hopped behind a nearby rock so that he was hidden from view, dropped the food, and ventured out to collect some more. When he had collected a sizeable pile, and the boys seemed to be getting tired, he stopped and fell to eating. The food was strange to the prince, but hungry as he was, it all tasted good -- far better than the berries and other plants he had managed to scrounge so far.
The prince was so involved in eating that he did notice when the boys realized that some of their food was missing. There was a short argument as the boys blamed each other for sneaking bits of the food, when one of them mentioned that he had noticed a bird taking some of it. By this time, the prince had finished eating, and was so full that he fell asleep again, right there behind the rock. The boys, meanwhile, began to search for the thieving bird. It was not long before they found the prince, fast asleep.
The bravest of the boys took off his shirt and pulled it down over the prince, trapping him inside. This woke the prince, he immediately began flapping his wings and trying to break out. Panicked, he began to shout "Let me go! I am a prince! You cannot do this to me!" But because of his curse, the boys heard only the squawks of an enraged bird. The boy who had trapped the prince now tied the shirt closed, making sure the bird could not escape. They began to talk about whether or not they should kill and cook this thieving bird.
The boy who had captured the prince was all for eating him. Another boy protested that he had never seen such a bird before, and its flesh might be poisonous, like that of the carrion-birds. A rival of the head boy claimed that the bird was so small that they could only have a little bit each. At this, the head boy claimed that all of the bird should go to him, having trapped it. But then the boy who had seen the bird in the first place spoke out, saying that since he had first spotted the bird, and started them looking for it, he should have a share. The boy who had found the bird behind the rock wanted a share as well. They continued arguing this way for a while, until one of the boys, finally, suggested that they present the bird to Theramon the Hunter, and ask him for advice. For Theramon was wise in the ways of all creatures, and he could tell if the bird was poisonous, and which way to best divide it amongst the boys. The prince did not stop struggling throughout this argument, although by now his wings felt heavy as rocks. By the time they had picked him up, slung him over their shoulders, and started carrying him back to his village, he had stopped struggling. He fluttered his wings every now and then, half-heartedly, but the he'd realized that there was no way he was going to get out of the shirt. He would have to bide his time until they made a mistake.
It felt like eons before the boys stopped. "Good morning, Miss Mirana," they chorused.
"Good morning boys. Now what do you have there in that shirt?"
"It's a bird, miss," one of them piped up. "We caught it stealing our food!"
"Yeah, and then I caught it!" said the boy who was holding the bird.
"We're taking it to Theramon to see if it's good to eat."
"What kind of bird is it?"
"Never seen one like it before, miss. It's all white except for its wings which are yellow."
"Well, now you have me curious. Perhaps I shall accompany you to Theramon."
"Yay!"
"Miss Mirana's coming with us!"
"Will you sing us a song, Miss Mirana?"
"Very well. What kind of song would you like?"
"Something pretty!"
"Okay, boys." And she began to sing.
I lost my heart one summer's day
Among the fields and flowers gay
Alas, my love has flown away
The rain and clouds made me feel gray
The sun came out, and I to play
I lost my heart one summer's day
I should have know that he would stray
Wandering was ever his way
Alas, my love has flown away
His smile touched me like a ray
Of sunlight and bore me away
I lost my heart one summer's day
And though I wanted him to stay
To my entreaties he said nay
Alas, my love has flown away
And still I hope and wait and pray
That he will once more come this way
I lost my heart one summer's day
Alas, my love has flown away
As she sang, there was complete silence from the boys. Even the prince forgot to struggle against his prison. He had never heard a voice like hers before, and he found within himself a desire to learn more about this Miss Mirana. The boys were silent for some time after she finished her song, not knowing what to say. Finally, one of them timidly asked her for another song, and she began to sing again. The new song was cheerier, and the boys knew the words, and soon the group was singing along. Trapped within the shirt, the prince found the sound lifting his spirits, and he was soon accompanying them in his voice of bird trills.
One of the boys noticed the birdsong, and pointed it out to Miss Mirana.
posted by Selene | 7:32 PM
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