#She doesn't know she even has powers aside from her flight and strength
Text
The Villains Daughter
So! Years ago, back when the Justice League was only just starting out, only a year or two after their initial team-up, they had one of their biggest battles to date. A group of Extra-Dimensional Beings had burst into their reality, hellbent on destroying a Government Facility and the nearby small town in Illinois.
They barely managed to beat the Invading Army back, although the Government Facility and a part of the nearby Town had been destroyed in the battle.
Later, they would learn about what had happened. Apparently the Government Base, called a GIW Facility, had managed to finally Crack the secret to Interdimensional Travel a few days earlier. Unfortunately, they had opened a Portal into a Dimension known as the Ghost Zone, ruled over by a Tyrant King who wanted to enslaved all world under him. Their Breaching of the GZ had alerted the Tyrant King to the existence of their Dimension, and he had launched an immediate Invasion to try and take it over.
And the evidence supported this.
Wonder Woman shared Legends of her People, telling that their Founding Ancestor had fled the rule of a Tyrant King when she passed into the Afterlife.
Zatara shared his Magic Tomes, showing them passages detailing the horrific Rule of the Tyrant King of the Infinite Realms.
They even asked Boston Brand, the Deadman and resident Ghost about it. He hadn't been the the Ghost Zone in Years, but even he told them that he had personally fled the Tyrant King.
And they also learned that when the Tyrant King set his eyes on something, he did not falter on his Warpath to acquire it. The Tyrant King, Pariah Dark, would be back for their World, again and again.
And they needed to be prepared. This Battle was what kickstarted their true Commitment to the idea of a Team. They knew they could not defeat Pariah Dark alone, so they needed to remain as a Team.
But there was another thing that came about from the Battle.
While the JLA had been helping clean up, Wonder Woman came across a strange sight. A Baby had been left in the rubble of the GIW Building.
She asked around, investigated, and did all she could to find the babies parents. At first she thought that one of the GIW Agents had brought their kid to work that day, but their records indicated that none of the Agents had children of that Age. And Neither did any of the other workers who worked on the base, like the Janitors or the Kitchen Staff. And of they did, all of their children were accounted for.
She eventually came to the conclusion that the Baby must belong to somebody in the nearby Town, but that lead led nowhere either.
She finally came to the conclusion that the Baby's parents must have died in the Invasion, a very unfortunate but very real possibility. She was going to place her into the System, but over the course of her investigation she had grown fond of the Child.
She decided to Adopt the baby herself. She didn't know the child's name, so she had to come up with a new one.
"How do you like the name, Stella?"
The baby gurgled in delight.
...
Over the next decade of their Teams Existence, the Justice League had to fend off the Legions of the Ghost King's Army many more times. It seemed that Pariah had grown wise to the fact that they were the ones defending the Human Realm, as almost all of the later attacks were directed on them personally.
It made sense, they were the First Line of Defense against his Armies, if he managed to defeat them, their World would soon fall.
But they dealt with the attacks as they came. They had made it their mission to defend their Home from the Forced of Pariah Darks Army, and they would not falter now, or ever.
In the case of Wonder Woman, he Daughter had grown to be a fine little lady. Stella had eventually developed Powers similar to her mother, in that she could fly and had super strength, and had begged to be trained as a Hero.
And who was Diana to deny her Daughter her greatest wish? Over the next 5 years, Diana trained Stella in the ways of the Amazon's. Then, when Stella was 15, she had her join the newly formed Young Justice.
She made a great group of friends on that Team, and even started going by Ellie as a Nickname. Her best friend was by far Conner, though she didn't know why she felt such a strong connection to him? It felt like she could relate to him, but her situation was completely different?
Ah well, her Mom wouldn't mind having another kid, would she? She always wanted a Brother!
...
Meanwhile in the Ghost Zone, the Ghost King was getting anxious. After 15 years, his Agents in the Human Realm had finally managed to set up the Ritual needed to Summon Him into the Human Realm.
Who knew that accepting the Ghost King's Throne would bar him from entering the Human Realm through normal Means? He couldn't even use the Portal, he needed to be summoned or he simply wouldn't be able to leave his new home dimension.
But now, it was almost time. Just another year or two, and he would finally be able to enter the Human Realm. He would finally be able to Find Her. His Daugther.
Danny would finally be able to reunite with his daughter, Ellie.
#Dpxdc#Dp x dc#Dcxdp#Dc x dp#Danny Phantom#Dc#Dcu#Justice League#Wonder Woman#Diana adopts Ellie#Ellie was kidnapped by the GIW#Ellie was deaged so her Core would be able to grow alongside her Body#She doesn't know she even has powers aside from her flight and strength#They all just think that he is an unregistered classification of Metahuman and that's why her blood work didn't come back with a Meta Gene#Ellie Joins Young Justice#She is extremely uncomfortable when Superman rejects Connor but she doesn't know why#The Justice League thinks that Danny is a Villain#They think that he is Pariah Dark#Just under a new name#The whole world thinks that Danny is the greatest Supervillain to ever live#Including Ellie#She does not react well when she finds out that the World Greatest Evil is her Dad#Especially since she doesn't have the context#Danny attacked the JLA because she could sense that they had his daughter#He thought they were working with the GIW
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
My Invincible OC: Jason Blake.
So... my Viltrumite Swap AU, or Thragg n' Nolan switch roles and the butterfly effect causes massive changes, namely... just who is Jason Blake, otherwise known as Invincible?
Quick Facts.
Name: Jason Cassius Blake.
Birthday: 11/2.
Favorite color: Blue.
Named after the Greek Hero, Jason.
Backstory.
"So wait... you're an alien, which means I'M an alien?"
"Is that concerning to you, son?"
"No! It's cool!"- Jason's reaction to being told the Viltrumite story.
Jason was born a while after Thragg arrived to Earth and took the name Thomas Blake. His wife, Reyna, was already a heroine and impressed him with her strength. Reyna's looks prevailed over Thragg's in Jason's case, giving him golden eyes and golden hair.
The circumstances of Jason's birth actually made Thragg a little nervous, unsure if his wife's great strength would allow for their continued survival.
Little did Thragg know that his choice of wife combined with his already buffed Viltrumite strength would give Jason an edge over most enemies.
Throughout Jason's early days, Reyna and Thragg would swap taking care of him. Reyna saw it as bonding between father and son. She was right, of course...
Unfortunately, like the mainline universe, Life has a way of making tragedy happen to the main character no matter what. Turns out Reyna's mutation was rebelling against her body, with symptoms reminding Thragg of the Scourge Virus.
She made him swear to raise Jason to be kind, to fight for his home, because the baton is passed to him now.
Having also become a Guardian of the Globe, Jason grew up with the other guardians being a sort of fictive aunts and uncles. So he wasn't without love or care, just that Thragg tried his best to put walls between him and his son so he couldn't feel too much.
But Thragg had to become both Mother and Father to his son, and this is where he begins to change.
Personality.
So, Jason was raised by Thragg, which made him put aside a lot of his feelings to accomplish his goals. He also inherited his mother's hotbloodedness and some optimism from her too. It borders on being naive, which is what kills Thragg the most.
Jason's also kind of a fighter, having a scrappy style that's dirtier than most. He tends to get snappy with Rex and butts heads with Robot because he hates how logical he is.
He may be the smartest thing in the room, but Jason doesn't like the ideas Robot has. While they're right, he leans more towards his father's stories of conquerors and how they ended horribly.
He was encouraged to be part of the Teen Team as a way to get friends 'like him' that way he wouldn't feel alone... but he's oil and water with the guys.
Eventually, Rex and him get along.
But he's nice to Eve and Kate (and Amanda eventually.). Even with the Teen Team and going to school, Jason's still pretty lonely. His first power was super strength, then flight, then durability.
He's a very solemn kid sometimes. Even though the Guardians and his Dad are around, he feels like he's out of place. Unanchored, like any minute he's going to drift away.
Thragg did his best to raise his son as humanly as possible, but there's always this secretiveness between them. But he always seems to know if his son's in trouble.
Also imagine Thragg being involved in the parent's side of things when Jason was in Elementary School. Gossiping with the moms and chatting with the dads, because he sees it as coming across as more human.
Jason does okay in school, his father tried to push him to be in more programs and expand his horizons. Jason's pretty good at writing stories and really wanted to become a comic book writer so his dad's stories could somehow be kept up with.
In most encounters, Jason covers up his fear with confidence and is a little quippy. Until the absolute SLAUGHTER that is his father's 'education'.
Jason gets traumatized, Thragg flies away, after saying...
"When you get stronger, come find me, son."
Not even an apology, not even a sort of way to put a bandaid on a bullet wound, just another goal. (Thragg's breaking too, which is why he leaves. he loves his son, and would do anything to not give him the same fate as his brethren, but here it is.)
Needless to say after the beatdown, Jason's angry. His anger is turned on any villains he encounters. Cecil's trying to rein him in but how can you calm a kid who lost the only parent he has?
The fact that Immortal lashes out at him is even tougher. He has no one, but he still helps. Why?
Because it makes him happy to see people live their lives, to just be. So Cecil uses that for structure, gives the kid some kind of peace. All he has to do is work for him.
Surprisingly, Allen and Jason get along famously. Two sorta himbos who just wanna life their lives and well, make silly mistakes sometimes get along.
He's extremely self-sacrificial, and refuses to be selfish, it doesn't contribute to his own code of survival. Sends him clashing against Viltrumite Prince Mark.
The Suit.
Art made Jason a suit, and instead of being similar to his father's, Jason got a cool yellow and blue suit with a bright blue cape and boots, but no pads. So it's similar to Mark's Blue and Black suit. Jason doesn't have the goggles because they'd break anyway.
Later on, the cape goes away and becomes the kilt-like form that Thragg has. This comes in Post Season-2, when Jason's more alone than ever and it's more of a comfort move for him.
Romance?
I honestly have no idea. I like him and Eve, but at the same time it'd take a little longer than Mark and Eve in canon, mostly because our boy is a little more closed off than Mark is. So yeah, if I ever get a solid way of putting them together, I will. Same counts for anybody else.
If any of you have ideas, please feel free to share them!
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
I assigned the energy stones more traits
So we all know that the heroes came from energy stones each representing a trait (that I heavily disagree on), but I gave them secondary traits, this time more physical. Aspects of battle and based on powerset more than personality.
Happy - Offense
Fairly obvious. Aside from always being the first one to jump into a fight, Happy has super strength and flight. Both of which are insane powers on the battlefield. Offense is often considered the most important aspect of battle *glances at pokemon* because the fight isn’t over until the enemy is defeated.
Sweet - Defense
Aka very obviously Happy’s counterpart. I mean come on, you look at their powers, their personalities, and even the way they fight, they are very much opposites of each other. So naturally, Sweet represents defense. Though she does have offensive skills, it’s not her focus. Protection is her strong suit, considering she’s both the team’s tank and healer. Look at her powers and tell me it can be anything else.
Smart - Strength
So this needs a little more explanation. Smart represents strength and the idea of knowing your strengths and being able to use them. As such, Smart has the most versatile powerset. He knows the full extent of what his powers can do. Also explains why some skills he uses literally once because we are nothing if not trying to cover up for HH's inconsistency. But when you think of magnetic powers, you probably didn't expect all the ways Smart can use it.
Careless - Weakness- I can explain I swear.
So similar to Happy and Sweet, I consider Smart and Careless counterparts. It's a little less obvious, but you see literally any episode they share, and you can see it. I love their dynamic.
Y'know, I've always found it weird that Careless's name was the only one that was explicitly an insult. Fitting that his representation is a bad thing too, right? But similar to how Smart's is strength and the ability to utilize it, Careless is weakness and the ability to work around it. He doesn't have any superpowers, which is a major weakness to him, but that has never stopped him before, and it will never stop him. Your weakness should not stop you, which is why I think he's perfect for this.
Careful - Stealth
This is more of a headcanon, but I think Careful does recon and spy missions more often than the other heroes because he's good at it. I mean, duplicates are great for scouting large areas at once, teleportation makes it easy to slip in and out of places (even though there's a specific sound effect for it), and invisibility... is invisibility, even if he learns it later on. Pair that with the fact he's naturally quiet, and you have a master of spying and stealth.
Let me know what you think!
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
Angel Wars OC
So I've been watching an old cartoon called Angel Wars and I'm impressed! So I decided to try my hand at making OCs!
Name: Gabriella
Class: Powers
Rank: Archangel
Weapon of Choice: Shield
Wingspan: 15.6 cubits
Vehicle: Airboard
Color: White w/ silver & dark grey armor
Height: 5'9
Appearance: Gabriella is a beautiful woman with a medium brown skin tone, dark brown eyes, and white hair in braids. In her disguised form she wears a black maxi dress decorated with white ribbons, gloves, and a matching hat. Her hair is also styled differently. Her angel form is silver & dark gray armor with white glow lines and wings.
Powers and Abilities: Aside from flight and super strength, Gabriella also possesses the ability to control light, as well as disguising herself as a human. She is shown to be a skilled archer with her bow.
Weaknesses: Gabriella seems to weaken in the presence of demons. She also rarely uses her powers in disguise so she doesn't risk blowing her cover. In terms of emotional weaknesses she can be outputting at times, & her snootiness often landing her into trouble.
Story:
Gabriella, or Ella as she was called by humans, was a snooty model who looked down on others. Being the right-hand woman of Vex she seemed to enjoy going along with her schemes. However there was more to Gabriella than let on: she was actually spying on Vex! She didn't want Eli and Kira to blow her cover, nor did she want the two apprentices in danger. In the climax of the episode 'Ella' revealed herself as the archangel Gabriella and helped Eli and Kira stop the demons.
In episode 2, Gabriella is sent to rescue Swift and takes him back to the Seven for recovery. She talks to Eli and Kira about Morg. Later after learning of Arianna's kidnapping she and the rest of the angels prepare to rescue her. Before Michael takes off she asks if she could come with him but is turned down. She tells Michael to be careful and as he leaves she contemplates her past with Morg.
In episode 3, Eli asks Gabriella about Morg. Knowing of Eli's eagerness she tells him that Morg allowed his jealousy and sadness to control him, then talks to Eli about his own desires of wanting to be a Guardian. Eli admits that he's afraid of being seen as deadweight and wants to contribute any way he can. In Morg's lair Gabriella is helping to ward off the mutated demon when she gets chased by Viral Swarmers. She manages to hold them off long enough. Michael gives the order to shoot the pillars. As the angels escape, Gabriella looks on in horror realizing Michael is still inside.
Back on the Seven, a grieving Team listens to Gabriella giving an eulogy when Michael shows up unharmed. Overcome with emotion Gabriella embraces him. Michael anoints Arianna as the new keeper of the Foundation Stone as Gabriella proudly watches.
Personality: Gabriella is an eccentric woman with a knack for adventure and a passion for all things Earthly. While not a conventional angel, she is staunchly loyal to God. She does feel compassion for demons, seeing how some of them can be reformed (like Q) but knows a good many of them are unrepentant and must be stopped. Gabriella enjoys walking among humans as she wants to experience their development first hand. It also gives her the ability to watch over humans on a more intimate level as well as keeping watch on demons from ground level. Gabriella has a flair for the dramatic, and can sometimes be distracted by petty things. She's also somewhat vain and snooty, and such can be blinded by the smaller things in life.
Weapon: Her main weapon is "Melinoe" a bow and arrow set than can stun humans, and kill even the fiercest demons. It is gray and silver and can fire white bolts of spirit energy.
Transport: Gabriella prefers Airboard (a type of wingboard but longer)
Trivia!
Gabriella is based on the archangel Gabriel. Most depictions have him as a guy but in this case: genderbend
Gabriella is meant to represent the moon to Michael's sun
Her voice actress would be Angela Bassett or Roz Ryan
Gabriella was created partly to have more girls on the team but also to show that the things thay may look scary or intimidating at first can actually be very helpful (basically don't judge a book by its cover)
Originally Gabriella trained Arianna and considers her one of her best students. She wishes Arianna could learn to have fun tho
Her and Michael are married; I'm sorry but i love the badass odd couple trope who work through trials than breaking up for convenient drama
Gabriella is fascinated by aquatic life
She doesn't have a particular favourite biblical quote there's too many good ones to pick
#angel wars guardian force#christian media#angel wars#angels#archangel gabriel#oc x canon#black angel
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
a message to my youth (reply 1988 thought dump)
warning: this isn't meant to be a coherent review or commentary on reply 1988. i literally just finished the kdrama a few moments ago and i want to preserve what i'm feeling through this entry. this is only a cathartic attempt to show how the kdrama had impacted me in so many ways. also, spoilers!
--
to the things that are already gone. to a time that has already passed, i want to say a belated farewell. goodbye, my youth.
watching a kdrama wasn't in my top priorities this year, but things that used to be a part of you would demand to be revisited sometimes. i'm glad that i did, and i'm thankful that it was reply 1988.
taking a nostalgic look at the year 1988, this kdrama tells about the story of five families in a humble block in ssangmun, seoul. for someone born 12 years after the setting, the plot is something strange, a history lesson in the lens of simple households. for someone in the limbo between careless youth and adulting, and someone born in an asian family, this kdrama will feel like home.
culturally speaking, reply 1988 was a beautiful exposition of how asian households run. what got me hooked to continue the drama was the endless saga of giving dishes to neighbors in the first episode. funnily enough, all families ended up having a feast of each house's dinner on their tables.
from a mouthwatering display of korean side dishes, to the trends of 1988 korea (back when jyp himself was a hit lolz jk), to the endless neighborhood gossips, to the flawed and conservative views on politics, and to the tight-knitted family dynamics — one would find this hilarious and relatable, informative even.
reply 1988 was a lot of things, but its casts hold a special place in my heart. the gang had so much love between them and it was so beautiful to see a pure friendship evolve through the years. i wish i could still have loud dinners and drunken nights with my friends when we get into our careers. I would love that.
sung deok sun, the optimistic figure in the group, was a ray of sunshine to me even as a viewer. i love deok sun because her spirits were never faltered by her failures and her status in life. my personality is sooo far from deok sun's, but she was relatable to me when she said she didn't know what to do in her life. she doesn't have a dream, i have a lot of them. even so, the uncertainty is there. i guess we all figure things out in the end. deok sun became a flight crew and was able to earn money for the family. i can't wait to figure out my own path, too.
dong ryong, being deoksun's self-proclaimed soulmate faced the same journey. despite not getting into a prestigious university, it's amazing how he was able to establish his own restaurant and even expand branches! makes you really think that not everything in life can be solved by good grades. honestly, i wish i have his street smarts and wisdom. what a powerful person i would be, then.
jung hwan was the man of few words in the group. he showed his affections not through words, but through his actions (and teases for deok sun). his love language would definitely be acts of service! i love jung hwan. he was a good son, brother, and friend. i aspire to have the kindness that he has. but oh dear heavens i would kill just to see how his love life would unfold had he faced the courage to confess to deok sun. i mean, come on! just be straightforward! they would honestly make a good pair, the ray of sunshine girl and the cold guy.
choi taek, the professional go-gamer, was the baby of the group. like jung hwan, he was a man of few words, except that taek was actually shy. his growth through the series was perhaps the most apparent. his innocent image was eventually changed by the way he picked up curse words from the gang, to his smoking, and to his openness of affection for his family and later on, deok sun. also, his character made me fall in love with park bo gum and his smile!
before i go to the next two characters that i associate myself with, i would also like to comment on the household parents of the block. the fathers here have different personalities, but their identities as providers of the house defined the way they act. they keep a tough act and may be distant to their children, but the love is there even though they don't really know much about the household.
and the mothers, oh dear, the mothers. my mom is not a working entity, but i've seen her struggle through the years. i think her burdens are even heavier than that of my dad's. the way this kdrama portrayed the stories of the mothers touched my heart so much that i couldn't stop my tears. never underestimate a woman's strength, i tell you.
from these figures, i learned so much about adulting and marriage. our parents miss their parents, too. our parents would always worry about us, no matter how old we are. our parents are trying to keep everything together, so they put up a tough front. our parents' wishes are devoted to their children. our parents just want the best life for us. not only us are growing old, but our parents, too. our parents want our attention, too. our parents do not have the perfect marriage, but they would do anything for their children. our parents love us deeply.
okay, here goes my reflection in the kdrama — sun woo and sung bora. initially, i was planning to write an entry only about bora, but i realized that i am in many ways alike to sun woo as well. both characters are the eldest children of the family and they face a lot of pressure in their respective families. both characters sacrificed their dreams because they are limited to what their families can afford. sung bora took math education despite her dreams as a prosecutor. sun woo took medicine because that was what his mom wanted. as for me, i chose a course that would promise a stable salary. i dreamed to work in the field of science or writing, but both paths have unstable pays in this country. i do not come from a well-off family, so i have to set my dreams aside.
bora and i do not share the same personality. hers was aggressive and frank, mine was the opposite. even so, i found a piece of my soul in her character because she was steadfast in her goals and was very understanding of her family's situation. she was the cream of the crop in the siblings, the only one who became a student in the premier university, the talk of the neighborhood. she had strong political stances that made her own parents almost disown her, but she was never sorry for it. when it comes to little things, bora had so much privacy over her things that she would get mad at the slightest unauthorized touch of it. oh dear, if that wasn't me.
sun woo, on the other hand, was nearing my male counterpart. he cares so much about his mom and his sister that he hated the thought of the former working. he was the model student, the one with the straight a's, and the one who acts professionally even with the internal turmoil of emotions. he never opposed his mother's wishes and he loved his sister dearly. he would always hold his feelings in, but gets weak in the arms of a loved one. based on his upbringing and firm values, you would also see how he respects women. i love it.
these two never worked out at first because they prioritized their dreams above romance, but i'm so, so happy that they got together in the end.
reply 1988 was perhaps one of the best slice of life shows that i've ever seen. i wish i had watched this when i was younger, because it would teach you so much about family, love, dreams, friendship, and growing up. the pacing would feel kind of slow because of its movie-length episodes, but i swear it was worth it.
to the youth that i was, thank you for building the youth that i am.
to the youth that i am, enjoy the uncertainty and strive to be a better version of yourself.
to the youth that will be, may you never lose the spark inside your heart no matter how old you are.
i will hear your reply in time.
most ardently,
grace
#reply 1988#journal entries#text#kdrama#korean#slice of life#deok sun#jung hwan#sun woo#dong ryong#sung bora#choi taek
67 notes
·
View notes
Text
THE GIRL WHO PRETENDED TO BE A BOY
What about a transgender fairy tale for Pride Month?
This variant is a English translation by Andrew Lang of a Romanian fairy tale called Ileana Sînziana. In this long, but fun tale, a powerful new Emperor wants in his court all the male heirs of the Emperors who he already dethroned. Knowing her father doesn't have any male heir, the youngest daughter of an old Emperor decides to dress as man and goes out in a journey.
In the end she is "cursed" to be a man, becoming Făt-Frumos, here translated as Fet-Fruners, a stock Romanian character in folk tales, a knight hero similar to Prince Charming. Făt-Frumos can be roughly translated as handsome infant or child or handsome boy.
Once upon a time there lived an emperor who was a great conqueror, and reigned over more countries than anyone in the world. And whenever he subdued a fresh kingdom, he only granted peace on condition that the king should deliver him one of his sons for ten years' service.
Now on the borders of his kingdom lay a country whose emperor was as brave as his neighbour, and as long as he was young he was the victor in every war. But as years passed away, his head grew weary of making plans of campaign, and his people wanted to stay at home and till their fields, and at last he too felt that he must do homage to the other emperor.
One thing, however, held him back from this step which day by day he saw more clearly was the only one possible. His new overlord would demand the service of one of his sons. And the old emperor had no son; only three daughters.
Look on which side he would, nothing but ruin seemed to lie before him, and he became so gloomy, that his daughters were frightened, and did everything they could think of to cheer him up, but all to no purpose.
At length one day when they were at dinner, the eldest of the three summoned up all her courage and said to her father:
'What secret grief is troubling you? Are your subjects discontented? or have we given you cause for displeasure? To smooth away your wrinkles, we would gladly shed our blood, for our lives are bound up in yours; and this you know.'
'My daughter,' answered the emperor, 'what you say is true. Never have you given me one moment's pain. Yet now you cannot help me. Ah! why is not one of you a boy!'
'I don't understand,' she answered in surprise. 'Tell us what is wrong: and though we are not boys, we are not quite useless!'
'But what can you do, my dear children? Spin, sew, and weave—that is all your learning. Only a warrior can deliver me now, a young giant who is strong to wield the battle-axe: whose sword deals deadly blows.'
'But WHY do you need a son so much at present? Tell us all about it! It will not make matters worse if we know!'
'Listen then, my daughters, and learn the reason of my sorrow. You have heard that as long as I was young no man ever brought an army against me without it costing him dear. But the years have chilled my blood and drunk my strength. And now the deer can roam the forest, my arrows will never pierce his heart; strange soldiers will set fire to my houses and water their horses at my wells, and my arm cannot hinder them. No, my day is past, and the time has come when I too must bow my head under the yoke of my foe! But who is to give him the ten years' service that is part of the price which the vanquished must pay?'
'_I_ will,' cried the eldest girl, springing to her feet. But her father only shook his head sadly.
'Never will I bring shame upon you,' urged the girl. 'Let me go. Am I not a princess, and the daughter of an emperor?'
'Go then!' he said.
The brave girl's heart almost stopped beating from joy, as she set about her preparations. She was not still for a single moment, but danced about the house, turning chests and wardrobes upside down. She set aside enough things for a whole year—dresses embroidered with gold and precious stones, and a great store of provisions. And she chose the most spirited horse in the stable, with eyes of flame, and a coat of shining silver.
When her father saw her mounted and curvetting about the court, he gave her much wise advice, as to how she was to behave like the young man she appeared to be, and also how to behave as the girl she really was. Then he gave her his blessing, and she touched her horse with the spur.
The silver armour of herself and her steed dazzled the eyes of the people as she darted past. She was soon out of sight, and if after a few miles she had not pulled up to allow her escort to join her, the rest of the journey would have been performed alone.
But though none of his daughters were aware of the fact, the old emperor was a magician, and had laid his plans accordingly. He managed, unseen, to overtake his daughter, and throw a bridge of copper over a stream which she would have to cross. Then, changing himself into a wolf, he lay down under one of the arches, and waited.
He had chosen his time well, and in about half an hour the sound of a horse's hoofs was heard. His feet were almost on the bridge, when a big grey wolf with grinning teeth appeared before the princess. With a deep growl that froze the blood, he drew himself up, and prepared to spring.
The appearance of the wolf was so sudden and so unexpected, that the girl was almost paralysed, and never even dreamt of flight, till the horse leaped violently to one side. Then she turned him round, and urging him to his fullest speed, never drew rein till she saw the gates of the palace rising before her.
The old emperor, who had got back long since, came to the door to meet her, and touching her shining armour, he said, 'Did I not tell you, my child, that flies do not make honey?'
The days passed on, and one morning the second princess implored her father to allow her to try the adventure in which her sister had made such a failure. He listened unwillingly, feeling sure it was no use, but she begged so hard that in the end he consented, and having chosen her arms, she rode away.
But though, unlike her sister, she was quite prepared for the appearance of the wolf when she reached the copper bridge, she showed no greater courage, and galloped home as fast as her horse could carry her. On the steps of the castle her father was standing, and as still trembling with fright she knelt at his feet, he said gently, 'Did I not tell you, my child, that every bird is not caught in a net?'
The three girls stayed quietly in the palace for a little while, embroidering, spinning, weaving, and tending their birds and flowers, when early one morning, the youngest princess entered the door of the emperor's private apartments. 'My father, it is my turn now. Perhaps I shall get the better of that wolf!'
'What, do you think you are braver than your sisters, vain little one? You who have hardly left your long clothes behind you!' but she did not mind being laughed at, and answered,
'For your sake, father, I would cut the devil himself into small bits, or even become a devil myself. I think I shall succeed, but if I fail, I shall come home without more shame than my sisters.'
Still the emperor hesitated, but the girl petted and coaxed him till at last he said,
'Well, well, if you must go, you must. It remains to be seen what I shall get by it, except perhaps a good laugh when I see you come back with your head bent and your eyes on the ground.'
'He laughs best who laughs last,' said the princess.
Happy at having got her way, the princess decided that the first thing to be done was to find some old white-haired boyard, whose advice she could trust, and then to be very careful in choosing her horse. So she went straight to the stables where the most beautiful horses in the empire were feeding in the stalls, but none of them seemed quite what she wanted. Almost in despair she reached the last box of all, which was occupied by her father's ancient war-horse, old and worn like himself, stretched sadly out on the straw.
The girl's eyes filled with tears, and she stood gazing at him. The horse lifted his head, gave a little neigh, and said softly, 'You look gentle and pitiful, but I know it is your love for your father which makes you tender to me. Ah, what a warrior he was, and what good times we shared together! But now I too have grown old, and my master has forgotten me, and there is no reason to care whether my coat is dull or shining. Yet, it is not too late, and if I were properly tended, in a week I could vie with any horse in the stables!'
'And how should you be tended?' asked the girl.
'I must be rubbed down morning and evening with rain water, my barley must be boiled in milk, because of my bad teeth, and my feet must be washed in oil.'
'I should like to try the treatment, as you might help me in carrying out my scheme.'
'Try it then, mistress, and I promise you will never repent.'
So in a week's time the horse woke up one morning with a sudden shiver through all his limbs; and when it had passed away, he found his skin shining like a mirror, his body as fat as a water melon, his movement light as a chamois.
Then looking at the princess who had come early to the stable, he said joyfully,
'May success await on the steps of my master's daughter, for she has given me back my life. Tell me what I can do for you, princess, and I will do it.'
'I want to go to the emperor who is our over-lord, and I have no one to advise me. Which of all the white-headed boyards shall I choose as counsellor?'
'If you have me, you need no one else: I will serve you as I served your father, if you will only listen to what I say.'
'I will listen to everything. Can you start in three days?'
'This moment, if you like,' said the horse.
The preparations of the emperor's youngest daughter were much fewer and simpler than those of her sisters. They only consisted of some boy's clothes, a small quantity of linen and food, and a little money in case of necessity. Then she bade farewell to her father, and rode away.
A day's journey from the palace, she reached the copper bridge, but before they came in sight of it, the horse, who was a magician, had warned her of the means her father would take to prove her courage.
Still in spite of his warning she trembled all over when a huge wolf, as thin as if he had fasted for a month, with claws like saws, and mouth as wide as an oven, bounded howling towards her. For a moment her heart failed her, but the next, touching the horse lightly with her spur, she drew her sword from its sheath, ready to separate the wolf's head from its body at a single blow.
The beast saw the sword, and shrank back, which was the best thing it could do, as now the girl's blood was up, and the light of battle in her eyes. Then without looking round, she rode across the bridge.
The emperor, proud of this first victory, took a short cut, and waited for her at the end of another day's journey, close to a river, over which he threw a bridge of silver. And this time he took the shape of a lion.
But the horse guessed this new danger and told the princess how to escape it. But it is one thing to receive advice when we feel safe and comfortable, and quite another to be able to carry it out when some awful peril is threatening us. And if the wolf had made the girl quake with terror, it seemed like a lamb beside this dreadful lion.
At the sound of his roar the very trees quivered and his claws were so large that every one of them looked like a cutlass.
The breath of the princess came and went, and her feet rattled in the stirrups. Suddenly the remembrance flashed across her of the wolf whom she had put to flight, and waving her sword, she rushed so violently on the lion that he had barely time to spring on one side, so as to avoid the blow. Then, like a flash, she crossed this bridge also.
Now during her whole life, the princess had been so carefully brought up, that she had never left the gardens of the palace, so that the sight of the hills and valleys and tinkling streams, and the song of the larks and blackbirds, made her almost beside herself with wonder and delight. She longed to get down and bathe her face in the clear pools, and pick the brilliant flowers, but the horse said 'No,' and quickened his pace, neither turning to the right or the left.
'Warriors,' he told her, 'only rest when they have won the victory. You have still another battle to fight, and it is the hardest of all.'
This time it was neither a wolf nor a lion that was waiting for her at the end of the third day's journey, but a dragon with twelve heads, and a golden bridge behind it.
The princess rode up without seeing anything to frighten her, when a sudden puff of smoke and flame from beneath her feet, caused her to look down, and there was the horrible creature twisted and writhing, its twelve heads reared up as if to seize her between them.
The bridle fell from her hand: and the sword which she had just grasped slid back into its sheath, but the horse bade her fear nothing, and with a mighty effort she sat upright and spurred straight on the dragon.
The fight lasted an hour and the dragon pressed her hard. But in the end, by a well-directed side blow, she cut off one of the heads, and with a roar that seemed to rend the heavens in two, the dragon fell back on the ground, and rose as a man before her.
Although the horse had informed the princess the dragon was really her own father, the girl had hardly believed him, and stared in amazement at the transformation. But he flung his arms round her and pressed her to his heart saying, 'Now I see that you are as brave as the bravest, and as wise as the wisest. You have chosen the right horse, for without his help you would have returned with a bent head and downcast eyes. You have filled me with the hope that you may carry out the task you have undertaken, but be careful to forget none of my counsels, and above all to listen to those of your horse.'
When he had done speaking, the princess knelt down to receive his blessing, and they went their different ways.
The princess rode on and on, till at last she came to the mountains which hold up the roof of the world. There she met two Genii who had been fighting fiercely for two years, without one having got the least advantage over the other. Seeing what they took to be a young man seeking adventures, one of the combatants called out, 'Fet-Fruners! deliver me from my enemy, and I will give you the horn that can be heard the distance of a three days' journey;' while the other cried, 'Fet-Fruners! help me to conquer this pagan thief, and you shall have my horse, Sunlight.'
Before answering, the princess consulted her own horse as to which offer she should accept, and he advised her to side with the genius who was master of Sunlight, his own younger brother, and still more active than himself.
So the girl at once attacked the other genius, and soon clove his skull; then the one who was left victor begged her to come back with him to his house and he would hand her over Sunlight, as he had promised.
The mother of the genius was rejoiced to see her son return safe and sound, and prepared her best room for the princess, who, after so much fatigue, needed rest badly. But the girl declared that she must first make her horse comfortable in his stable; but this was really only an excuse, as she wanted to ask his advice on several matters.
But the old woman had suspected from the very first that the boy who had come to the rescue of her son was a girl in disguise, and told the genius that she was exactly the wife he needed. The genius scoffed, and inquired what female hand could ever wield a sabre like that; but, in spite of his sneers, his mother persisted, and as a proof of what she said, laid at night on each of their pillows a handful of magic flowers, that fade at the touch of man, but remain eternally fresh in the fingers of a woman.
It was very clever of her, but unluckily the horse had warned the princess what to expect, and when the house was silent, she stole very softly to the genius's room, and exchanged his faded flowers for those she held. Then she crept back to her own bed and fell fast asleep.
At break of day, the old woman ran to see her son, and found, as she knew she would, a bunch of dead flowers in his hand. She next passed on to the bedside of the princess, who still lay asleep grasping the withered flowers. But she did not believe any the more that her guest was a man, and so she told her son. So they put their heads together and laid another trap for her.
After breakfast the genius gave his arm to his guest, and asked her to come with him into the garden. For some time they walked about looking at the flowers, the genius all the while pressing her to pick any she fancied. But the princess, suspecting a trap, inquired roughly why they were wasting the precious hours in the garden, when, as men, they should be in the stables looking after their horses. Then the genius told his mother that she was quite wrong, and his deliverer was certainly a man. But the old woman was not convinced for all that.
She would try once more she said, and her son must lead his visitor into the armoury, where hung every kind of weapon used all over the world—some plain and bare, others ornamented with precious stones—and beg her to make choice of one of them. The princess looked at them closely, and felt the edges and points of their blades, then she hung at her belt an old sword with a curved blade, that would have done credit to an ancient warrior. After this she informed the genius that she would start early next day and take Sunlight with her.
And there was nothing for the mother to do but to submit, though she still stuck to her own opinion.
The princess mounted Sunlight, and touched him with her spur, when the old horse, who was galloping at her side, suddenly said:
'Up to this time, mistress, you have obeyed my counsels and all has gone well. Listen to me once more, and do what I tell you. I am old, and—now that there is someone to take my place, I will confess it—I am afraid that my strength is not equal to the task that lies before me. Give me leave, therefore, to return home, and do you continue your journey under the care of my brother. Put your faith in him as you put it in me, and you will never repent. Wisdom has come early to Sunlight.'
'Yes, my old comrade, you have served me well; and it is only through your help that up to now I have been victorious. So grieved though I am to say farewell, I will obey you yet once more, and will listen to your brother as I would to yourself. Only, I must have a proof that he loves me as well as you do.'
'How should I not love you?' answered Sunlight; 'how should I not be proud to serve a warrior such as you? Trust me, mistress, and you shall never regret the absence of my brother. I know there will be difficulties in our path, but we will face them together.'
Then, with tears in her eyes, the princess took leave of her old horse, who galloped back to her father.
She had ridden only a few miles further, when she saw a golden curl lying on the road before her. Checking her horse, she asked whether it would be better to take it or let it lie.
'If you take it,' said Sunlight, 'you will repent, and if you don't, you will repent too: so take it.' On this the girl dismounted, and picking up the curl, wound it round her neck for safety.
They passed by hills, they passed by mountains, they passed through valleys, leaving behind them thick forests, and fields covered with flowers; and at length they reached the court of the over-lord.
He was sitting on his throne, surrounded by the sons of the other emperors, who served him as pages. These youths came forward to greet their new companion, and wondered why they felt so attracted towards him.
[Quick pause. This is a very funny trope that I keep finding in very old cross-dressing stories. The male characters find themselves mysteriously attracted to the female character pretending to be male. Think of Li Shang from Mulan.]
However, there was no time for talking and concealing her fright.
The princess was led straight up to the throne, and explained, in a low voice, the reason of her coming. The emperor received her kindly, and declared himself fortunate at finding a vassal so brave and so charming, and begged the princess to remain in attendance on his person.
She was, however, very careful in her behaviour towards the other pages, whose way of life did not please her. One day, however, she had been amusing herself by making sweetmeats, when two of the young princes looked in to pay her a visit. She offered them some of the food which was already on the table, and they thought it so delicious that they even licked their fingers so as not to lose a morsel. Of course they did not keep the news of their discovery to themselves, but told all their companions that they had just been enjoying the best supper they had had since they were born. And from that moment the princess was left no peace, till she had promised to cook them all a dinner.
Now it happened that, on the very day fixed, all the cooks in the palace became intoxicated, and there was no one to make up the fire.
When the pages heard of this shocking state of things, they went to their companion and implored her to come to the rescue.
The princess was fond of cooking, and was, besides, very good-natured; so she put on an apron and went down to the kitchen without delay. When the dinner was placed before the emperor he found it so nice that he ate much more than was good for him. The next morning, as soon as he woke, he sent for his head cook, and told him to send up the same dishes as before. The cook, seized with fright at this command, which he knew he could not fulfil, fell on his knees, and confessed the truth.
The emperor was so astonished that he forgot to scold, and while he was thinking over the matter, some of his pages came in and said that their new companion had been heard to boast that he knew where Iliane was to be found—the celebrated Iliane of the song which begins:
'Golden Hair. The fields are green,'
And that to their certain knowledge he had a curl of her hair in his possession.
When he heard that, the emperor desired the page to be brought before him, and, as soon as the princess obeyed his summons, he said to her abruptly:
'Fet-Fruners, you have hidden from me the fact that you knew the golden-haired Iliane! Why did you do this? for I have treated you more kindly than all my other pages.'
Then, after making the princess show him the golden curl which she wore round her neck, he added: 'Listen to me; unless by some means or other you bring me the owner of this lock, I will have your head cut off in the place where you stand. Now go!'
In vain the poor girl tried to explain how the lock of hair came into her possession; the emperor would listen to nothing, and, bowing low, she left his presence and went to consult Sunlight what she was to do.
At his first words she brightened up. 'Do not be afraid, mistress; only last night my brother appeared to me in a dream and told me that a genius had carried off Iliane, whose hair you picked up on the road. But Iliane declares that, before she marries her captor, he must bring her, as a present, the whole stud of mares which belong to her. The genius, half crazy with love, thinks of nothing night and day but how this can be done, and meanwhile she is quite safe in the island swamps of the sea. Go back to the emperor and ask him for twenty ships filled with precious merchandise. The rest you shall know by-and-by.'
On hearing this advice, the princess went at once into the emperor's presence.
'May a long life be yours, O Sovereign all mighty!' said she. 'I have come to tell you that I can do as you command if you will give me twenty ships, and load them with the most precious wares in your kingdom.'
'You shall have all that I possess if you will bring me the golden-haired Iliane,' said the emperor.
The ships were soon ready, and the princess entered the largest and finest, with Sunlight at her side. Then the sails were spread and the voyage began.
For seven weeks the wind blew them straight towards the west, and early one morning they caught sight of the island swamps of the sea.
They cast anchor in a little bay, and the princess made haste to disembark with Sunlight, but, before leaving the ship, she tied to her belt a pair of tiny gold slippers, adorned with precious stones. Then mounting Sunlight, she rode about till she came to several palaces, built on hinges, so that they could always turn towards the sun.
The most splendid of these was guarded by three slaves, whose greedy eyes were caught by the glistening gold of the slippers. They hastened up to the owner of these treasures, and inquired who he was. 'A merchant,' replied the princess, 'who had somehow missed his road, and lost himself among the island swamps of the sea.'
Not knowing if it was proper to receive him or not, the slaves returned to their mistress and told her all they had seen, but not before she had caught sight of the merchant from the roof of her palace. Luckily her gaoler was away, always trying to catch the stud of mares, so for the moment she was free and alone.
The slaves told their tale so well that their mistress insisted on going down to the shore and seeing the beautiful slippers for herself. They were even lovelier than she expected, and when the merchant besought her to come on board, and inspect some that he thought were finer still, her curiosity was too great to refuse, and she went.
Once on board ship, she was so busy turning over all the precious things stored there, that she never knew that the sails were spread, and that they were flying along with the wind behind them; and when she did know, she rejoiced in her heart, though she pretended to weep and lament at being carried captive a second time. Thus they arrived at the court of the emperor.
They were just about to land, when the mother of the genius stood before them. She had learnt that Iliane had fled from her prison in company with a merchant, and, as her son was absent, had come herself in pursuit. Striding over the blue waters, hopping from wave to wave, one foot reaching to heaven, and the other planted in the foam, she was close at their heels, breathing fire and flame, when they stepped on shore from the ship. One glance told Iliane who the horrible old woman was, and she whispered hastily to her companion. Without saying a word, the princess swung her into Sunlight's saddle, and leaping up behind her, they were off like a flash.
It was not till they drew near the town that the princess stooped and asked Sunlight what they should do. 'Put your hand into my left ear,' said he, 'and take out a sharp stone, which you must throw behind you.'
The princess did as she was told, and a huge mountain sprang up behind them. The mother of the genius began to climb up it, and though they galloped quickly, she was quicker still.
They heard her coming, faster, faster; and again the princess stooped to ask what was to be done now. 'Put your hand into my right ear,' said the horse, 'and throw the brush you will find there behind you.' The princess did so, and a great forest sprang up behind them, and, so thick were its leaves, that even a wren could not get through. But the old woman seized hold of the branches and flung herself like a monkey from one to the others, and always she drew nearer—always, always—till their hair was singed by the flames of her mouth.
Then, in despair, the princess again bent down and asked if there was nothing more to be done, and Sunlight replied 'Quick, quick, take off the betrothal ring on the finger of Iliane and throw it behind you.'
This time there sprang up a great tower of stone, smooth as ivory, hard as steel, which reached up to heaven itself. And the mother of the genius gave a howl of rage, knowing that she could neither climb it nor get through it. But she was not beaten yet, and gathering herself together, she made a prodigious leap, which landed her on the top of the tower, right in the middle of Iliane's ring which lay there, and held her tight. Only her claws could be seen grasping the battlements.
All that could be done the old witch did; but the fire that poured from her mouth never reached the fugitives, though it laid waste the country a hundred miles round the tower, like the flames of a volcano. Then, with one last effort to free herself, her hands gave way, and, falling down to the bottom of the tower, she was broken in pieces.
When the flying princess saw what had happened she rode back to the spot, as Sunlight counselled her, and placed her finger on the top of the tower, which was gradually shrinking into the earth. In an instant the tower had vanished as if it had never been, and in its place was the finger of the princess with a ring round it.
The emperor received Iliane with all the respect that was due to her, and fell in love at first sight besides.
But this did not seem to please Iliane, whose face was sad as she walked about the palace or gardens, wondering how it was that, while other girls did as they liked, she was always in the power of someone whom she hated.
So when the emperor asked her to share his throne Iliane answered:
'Noble Sovereign, I may not think of marriage till my stud of horses has been brought me, with their trappings all complete.'
When he heard this, the emperor once more sent for Fet-Fruners, and said:
'Fet-Fruners, fetch me instantly the stud of mares, with their trappings all complete. If not, your head shall pay the forfeit.'
'Mighty Emperor, I kiss your hands! I have but just returned from doing your bidding, and, behold, you send me on another mission, and stake my head on its fulfilment, when your court is full of valiant young men, pining to win their spurs. They say you are a just man; then why not entrust this quest to one of them? Where am I to seek these mares that I am to bring you?'
'How do I know? They may be anywhere in heaven or earth; but, wherever they are, you will have to find them.'
The princess bowed and went to consult Sunlight. He listened while she told her tale, and then said:
'Fetch quickly nine buffalo skins; smear them well with tar, and lay them on my back. Do not fear; you will succeed in this also; but, in the end, the emperor's desires will be his undoing.'
The buffalo skins were soon got, and the princess started off with Sunlight. The way was long and difficult, but at length they reached the place where the mares were grazing. Here the genius who had carried off Iliane was wandering about, trying to discover how to capture them, all the while believing that Iliane was safe in the palace where he had left her.
As soon as she caught sight of him, the princess went up and told him that Iliane had escaped, and that his mother, in her efforts to recapture her, had died of rage. At this news a blind fury took possession of the genius, and he rushed madly upon the princess, who awaited his onslaught with perfect calmness. As he came on, with his sabre lifted high in the air, Sunlight bounded right over his head, so that the sword fell harmless. And when in her turn the princess prepared to strike, the horse sank upon his knees, so that the blade pierced the genius's thigh.
The fight was so fierce that it seemed as if the earth would give way under them, and for twenty miles round the beasts in the forests fled to their caves for shelter. At last, when her strength was almost gone, the genius lowered his sword for an instant. The princess saw her chance, and, with one swoop of her arm, severed her enemy's head from his body. Still trembling from the long struggle, she turned away, and went to the meadow where the stud were feeding.
By the advice of Sunlight, she took care not to let them see her, and climbed a thick tree, where she could see and hear without being seen herself. Then he neighed, and the mares came galloping up, eager to see the new comer—all but one horse, who did not like strangers, and thought they were very well as they were. As Sunlight stood his ground, well pleased with the attention paid him, this sulky creature suddenly advanced to the charge, and bit so violently that had it not been for the nine buffalo skins Sunlight's last moment would have come. When the fight was ended, the buffalo skins were in ribbons, and the beaten animal writhing with pain on the grass.
Nothing now remained to be done but to drive the whole stud to the emperor's court. So the princess came down from the tree and mounted Sunlight, while the stud followed meekly after, the wounded horse bringing up the rear. On reaching the palace, she drove them into a yard, and went to inform the emperor of her arrival.
The news was told at once to Iliane, who ran down directly and called them to her one by one, each mare by its name. And at the first sight of her the wounded animal shook itself quickly, and in a moment its wounds were healed, and there was not even a mark on its glossy skin.
By this time the emperor, on hearing where she was, joined her in the yard, and at her request ordered the mares to be milked, so that both he and she might bathe in the milk and keep young for ever. But they would suffer no one to come near them, and the princess was commanded to perform this service also.
At this, the heart of the girl swelled within her. The hardest tasks were always given to her, and long before the two years were up, she would be worn out and useless. But while these thoughts passed through her mind, a fearful rain fell, such as no man remembered before, and rose till the mares were standing up to their knees in water. Then as suddenly it stopped, and, behold! the water was ice, which held the animals firmly in its grasp. And the princess's heart grew light again, and she sat down gaily to milk them, as if she had done it every morning of her life.
The love of the emperor for Iliane waxed greater day by day, but she paid no heed to him, and always had an excuse ready to put off their marriage. At length, when she had come to the end of everything she could think of, she said to him one day: 'Grant me, Sire, just one request more, and then I will really marry you; for you have waited patiently this long time.'
'My beautiful dove,' replied the emperor, 'both I and all I possess are yours, so ask your will, and you shall have it.'
'Get me, then,' she said, 'a flask of the holy water that is kept in a little church beyond the river Jordan, and I will be your wife.'
Then the emperor ordered Fet-Fruners to ride without delay to the river Jordan, and to bring back, at whatever cost, the holy water for Iliane.
'This, my mistress,' said Sunlight, when she was saddling him, 'is the last and most difficult of your tasks. But fear nothing, for the hour of the emperor has struck.'
So they started; and the horse, who was not a wizard for nothing, told the princess exactly where she was to look for the holy water.
'It stands,' he said, 'on the altar of a little church, and is guarded by a troop of nuns. They never sleep, night or day, but every now and then a hermit comes to visit them, and from him they learn certain things it is needful for them to know. When this happens, only one of the nuns remains on guard at a time, and if we are lucky enough to hit upon this moment, we may get hold of the vase at once; if not, we shall have to wait the arrival of the hermit, however long it may be; for there is no other means of obtaining the holy water.'
They came in sight of the church beyond the Jordan, and, to their great joy, beheld the hermit just arriving at the door. They could hear him calling the nuns around him, and saw them settle themselves under a tree, with the hermit in their midst—all but one, who remained on guard, as was the custom.
The hermit had a great deal to say, and the day was very hot, so the nun, tired of sitting by herself, lay down right across the threshold, and fell sound asleep.
Then Sunlight told the princess what she was to do, and the girl stepped softly over the sleeping nun, and crept like a cat along the dark aisle, feeling the wall with her fingers, lest she should fall over something and ruin it all by a noise. But she reached the altar in safety, and found the vase of holy water standing on it. This she thrust into her dress, and went back with the same care as she came. With a bound she was in the saddle, and seizing the reins bade Sunlight take her home as fast as his legs could carry him.
The sound of the flying hoofs aroused the nun, who understood instantly that the precious treasure was stolen, and her shrieks were so loud and piercing that all the rest came flying to see what was the matter. The hermit followed at their heels, but seeing it was impossible to overtake the thief, he fell on his knees and called his most deadly curse down on her head, praying that if the thief was a man, he might become a woman; and if she was a woman, that she might become a man. In either case he thought that the punishment would be severe.
But punishments are things about which people do not always agree, and when the princess suddenly felt she was really the man she had pretended to be, she was delighted, and if the hermit had only been within reach she would have thanked him from her heart.
By the time she reached the emperor's court, Fet-Fruners looked a young man all over in the eyes of everyone; and even the mother of the genius would now have had her doubts set at rest. He drew forth the vase from his tunic and held it up to the emperor, saying: 'Mighty Sovereign, all hail! I have fulfilled this task also, and I hope it is the last you have for me; let another now take his turn.'
'I am content, Fet-Fruners,' replied the emperor, 'and when I am dead it is you who will sit upon my throne; for I have yet no son to come after me. But if one is given me, and my dearest wish is accomplished, then you shall be his right hand, and guide him with your counsels.'
But though the emperor was satisfied, Iliane was not, and she determined to revenge herself on the emperor for the dangers which he had caused Fet-Fruners to run. And as for the vase of holy water, she thought that, in common politeness, her suitor ought to have fetched it himself, which he could have done without any risk at all.
So she ordered the great bath to be filled with the milk of her mares, and begged the emperor to clothe himself in white robes, and enter the bath with her, an invitation he accepted with joy. Then, when both were standing with the milk reaching to their necks, she sent for the horse which had fought Sunlight, and made a secret sign to him. The horse understood what he was to do, and from one nostril he breathed fresh air over Iliane, and from the other, he snorted a burning wind which shrivelled up the emperor where he stood, leaving only a little heap of ashes.
His strange death, which no one could explain, made a great sensation throughout the country, and the funeral his people gave him was the most splendid ever known. When it was over, Iliane summoned Fet-Fruners before her, and addressed him thus:
'Fet-Fruners! it is you who brought me and have saved my life, and obeyed my wishes. It is you who gave me back my stud; you who killed the genius, and the old witch his mother; you who brought me the holy water. And you, and none other, shall be my husband.'
'Yes, I will marry you,' said the young man, with a voice almost as soft as when he was a princess. 'But know that in OUR house, it will be the cock who sings and not the hen!'
33 notes
·
View notes
Text
Always/9
Fanfiction
Part 9
Elijah Mikaelson x reader/Elena Gilbert
AU TVD/TO story a/n: Thanks for reading. I posted it without adding tags. Sorry. 😓 And now I can't do it on phone here for some reason - 😫
😘💕💕
_______________
Weeks after
In California
"To lose oneself is a state that I don’t know how to describe. You feel like nothing is there anymore. You are there, but you are not really, You feel like you are caught up in the riptide and it's pulling you down and you can't do anything to break free. And you just sink. Forever sink. And you wish to swim, to move, to do something, to stop from drowning, but for some reason your legs, your arms are not moving. You hear voices calling you to do so. But you don't. You don't care what they are saying. And then there is nothing. Just nothing"-
Y/N/E wrote in her diary. She put the pen down and looked out to the ocean.
***
At the same time in New York, Elijah put his suit on, adjusting his tie as he looked then at his watch. It had plenty of time to meet his sister for breakfast before work. His phone rang and he answered.
"I will meet you there"- Rebekah said-"sorry, but I will be late a bit"
"Fine"- Elijah replied. Put his phone inside his jacket pocket.
He looked at himself in the mirror and straightened his sleeves.
Flashback
The first phone call after Y/N/E left for California, as soon as she walked in Vicky's holiday home
"Y/N/E-"- Elijah said as he picked up the call.
"Elijah-"- she said and then there was silence. Long silence. And Y/N/E then breaking it with-"I got here ok. I love you."
"I love you, too."
And silence again.
In his therapy session with Camille he voiced their inability to talk.
"We used to talk about everything. And I can feel that something is keeping her locked away. It's like she fell in a coma yet again. But this time I can't do anything. And I saw in her eyes that she was feeling that she was letting me down and I could not persuade her that it wasn't so"
"She had a break down. A silent one. It's not always the case that people scream or get hysterical. Many things happened at once. The loss of a child - even when it is due to a miscarriage can cause a tremendous pain. In her case it is so much worse. We all react differently to loss. Everyone grieves differently. She could feel she had let you down because she had lost the child and she blames herself connecting it to her brother"- Camille said.
"Through her brother?"- Elijah didn't quite understand how.
"The loss happened at the violent attack on her which was connected to her brother- she is transfering it - all the troubles she had with her brother are the cause of her shut down"- Camille continued.
"But she is not to blame for any of it"- Elijah uttered.
"But she unfortunately doesn't see it that way. I do hope she is still seeing a therapist."- Camille concluded-
"She is"- Elijah said.
He opened the conacts icon on his phone and looked at Y/N/E's name on his favourite list. But he didn't make the call.
But then the alert buzz popped out and it was an e-mail from her.
It was a video she sent. He clicked the play button and now listened to the song and the messages Y/N/E put inbetween pictures of them-
But you are always here with me Oh inside me❤️ I find my way❤️ Back to you❤️
Calling your name in the midnight hour
Reaching for you from the endless dream
So many miles between us now
But you are always here with me
Two words
In your hands
In your heart❤️
It's whole universe
You are always here with me
Elijah watched it and his heart fluttered, the words filling it with hope and love.
****
Days after
The Mikaelsons felt shattered, but they carried on. The most dangerous currents never could break them, not entirely.
"We don't give up! Remember what father taught us"- Rebekah said to Klaus-"never give up hope!"
"Where is this coming from?"-Klaus wondered-"Oh- is this the wisdom of Dr Salvatore- are you sure dating him is sane?"
"Please- you've all give up on Kol and done everything to ostracized him. It's not right. We have to pull him out of this shit and help Sophie get him back!"
"I have not ostracized him- he has done it. He left his wife, he turned his back on all of us. You've been there, you heard him how he spat on us and said he doesn't want anything to do with us and that is his life! After everything we've done for him- I just haven't got the strength for him anymore"
"Right. Is this your final?"- Rebekah asked.
"It is. I am sorry sister, but he made his choice"- Klaus said-"got to go. See you later"
Klaus hanged up leaving Rebekah fuming. She had always fought for them to stay one united pack of siblings. This time she felt she lost her powers to keep them together.
Elijah now called her.
"I am sorry I have to cancel breakfast. Father needs me in the office asap"- he said.
"What is this today- ditch Rebekah day?"- she said disappointed.
"Rain-check. Sorry got to rush"- Elijah said and hung up.
"Great. When I find the person who put a curse on us- I will not take any hostages"- she thought miffed entering their favourite artisan bakery.
****
The day went on and everyone was wrapped in their work.
Later in the evening, as Caroline finished for the day, she checked her phone smiling at Klaus' message.
"This is the first piece of the map that will lead you to the hidden treasure." - it said.
"Hidden treasure?! Right"- Caroline raised an eyebrow and now pressed the speed-dial.
A second later Klaus picked up saying-"Yes, love-"
-"Do you ever work?"- Caroline said with a sarcastic tone in her voice.
"All the time. So- watched the news. The interview was - well- you slayed him."- he replied.
"Well- they hired me to ask tough questions and keep it real. But now I have a meeting, so the treasure hunt will have to wait till tonight"
"Sounds perfect"- Klaus said smirking happily to himself.
In California, Vicky waited for Elena outside a doctor's practise.
As she saw her she asked immediately how the check up went.
Elena passed her the paper with the blood results.
"What?"- Vicky read and looked at Elena in disbelief.
"Yeah. I had to read it like there times."- Elena said tearing up-"I couldn't believe it. I am pregnant!!"
"Oh, Elena- that is so great!"- Vicky exclaimed.
"I know!"- Elena said smiling-" I don't know why I am crying - it's wonderful, isn'it?"
"It's amazing! I am so happy for you"- Vicky said hugging her friend.
"I can't believe it"- Elena muttered.
Vicky now looked at her friend in tears as well saying-"It's like a double surprise for Elijah."
"I have to change the flight. I need to fligh back asap."- Elena said.
"Yeah- come on. Don't need to pack. I am driving you to the airport now. I'll sed you your stuff on."-Vicky said.
"Yeah, thanks"- Y/NE smiled happily.
****
In New York, Kol drove to the place where the exchange of a large drug shipment was to happen.
"It's now or never"- he thought as he got out of his car.
After the Ball, after his cover got nearly blown, he met by an Agent as he went to his home.
"You will have turn away completely from your family and cut ties with them. Find whatever excuse you can. You have to be believable. We can't afford any mess like it happened tonight. The other guy needs to be sure he has got you in his pocket. Tell me if you can do it now. If not, you have to tell us now"
"I can. I have messed up so many times with my family that they would kick me to the curb."- Kol said.
"Good"- the Agents said-"you're a born trixter. Later"
But was he really a born trixter?
___
Caroline stood in front of the beautiful sailing boat where Klaus was holding his hand out to get on board smiling charmingly at her.
"You could have just sent me the address and the invite- it would have been just as right"- Caroline said still standing on the dock"
"It would not have been half the fun. And I know how you revel in the investigation- I hope you like sailing?"
"Well, I grew up in New Orleans. We have sailing boats down there. My ex was -"- and she stopped there.
"But I doubt he had taken you out in such beauty?"- Klaus said.
"Your confidence has no limits?!"- Caroline remarked.
"None"- Klaus confirmed smirking a bit.
From the first day they met - it was like they entered a dance of Paso Doble. Always so close and always one step away. Klaus figured out immediately that her heart was trempled on, but it didn't discourage him. And he did not push her, not in a way someone else thought and he had told her at the Ball-
"You are not ready to date. I see that. But please allow me to be there. Let's dance. And see where we get at the end of it"
And she went for the dance, then and everytime he had asked her out since. To a gallery opening, to dinner, to one event or the other. And behaved as a perfect gentleman. She was enchanted by him, but still kept her guard.
"So, are you coming on board? Or I should I leave the supper for the fish? I doubt they love cajun"
"No. I am coming on board."- Caroline said taking his hand now.
****
Elijah finished work and looked at the clock. It was nearly ten. He got up and put the tablet aside on the side table. Then walked out to the kitchen and got a beer out. The defeaning silence of the penthouse was nothing new. It was like a normal thing- or? No. This is not the normality he wanted. Not the normality he deserved. Why did the things turn out the way they did? Why him? He had done nothing but be there? Done everything in his manly power to make things better. Why? But there was no answer. Only complicated explications.
He took a swag of the beer and looked out through the window into the night. His thoughts wondered from one moment to the next - and strangely he felt a chill struck his whole body.
Flashback
Wedding night, Mystic Falls
"I want us to promise something here"- Elena said.
"I promise everything!"- Elijah smiled giving her a small kiss as his hands roamed up and down her back.
"Elijah, I am serious"- Elena put both her hands on his head making him look at her.
"Promise, that if any of us stumble along the way for whatever reason- we would be honest about it. If you stop loving me or feel like this is not it- you will tell me and be fair about it- no matter how hard it is"
"What are you talking about? We've been married for about five minutes and you already have worst case scenario that we won't make it?"
"Promise you will always be open about how you feel. Always!"- Elena said.
Elena had her quirky moments, he knew and loved her for it- so he said-
"I promise. Always! I love you. And it will be forever!"- Elijah said-"didn't you hear my heart?"
"Oh, I heard your heart. I am hearing it now, too. It will be forever!"- Elena gazed in his eyes as he swept her up taking her over to bed, both kissing wildly now.
The incisive ringing of his phone brought him back and he went back to the room to answer it.
"What are you doing?"- Rebekah asked.
"Just finished the budget for the new project for father. Having a beer. Drowning my sorrows. Thinking of flying over to California"-Elijah replied.
"No. Let it be. I know you love her like crazy, but no."- Rebekah said-"she wanted time and space. She can have time and space"
"Why did it get so fucked up?"- Elijah muttered.
"I don't know. But I know things will be good again. Right. Stefan and I are in this swanky new restaurant and you should come"
"Thanks, I know you mean well, but I am no third wheel"- Elijah said-"I am going to bed. I had a long day. You know how demanding father can be"
"Yes. That is why I would never work for him. Right. Talk to you tomorrow"
"Yeah, tomorrow"- Elijah said hanging up and went to have a shower.
****
At the marina, Klaus and Caroline finished with the very late supper, and commenting about the news of the day.
Caroline swayed up to look at the moon in its round glory.
"I've calculated out for this to be the perfect romantic setting and listened carefully to your forecast guy-"- Klaus remarked having noticed how her eyes twinkled away in the moonlight as he poured them some more champagne.
She turned thr gaze away to Klaus-"How many times have you produced this line?"
"Never. Didn't ever dated a news anchor before"- Klaus said.
"You said you never dated before"- Caroline caught him.
"True. Dating was never my strong point. Elijah did this. I never saw the appeal of it. Until now"- Klaus said.
"Oh, yeah. Now you will tell me that I am very special"
Klaus sighed a little as he took a sip of the champagne-"what did he do to have put you off men in such a manner?"
She looked at Klaus seriously putting the glass on the table-"Thank you for the food"- she stood up and now walked towards the exit part.
Klaus cursed himself for having asked the damned question and hurried after her apologizing for being tactless.
"Please don't leave"- he asked with a regretfully.
Caroline turned around just before the exit and faced him blazing at him-"Your charming moonlight suppers and your-"-she couldn't think what to add as anger and hurt blocked her linguistical skills-"flowers and those blue eyes - can just leave me alone!"
"I really apologize.This was out of order. Please- can we rewind and - Caroline, please- I am in love with you. Don't you see-?"
Caroline stood still. No one had declared it to her like that. So dramatically, so wholeheartedly. And she didn't want to think anymore - be hot and cold. He neared her now and their eyes met not being able to hide what was in their hearts. And they both disappeared in the kiss.
****
Elsewhere, Stefan and Rebekah got out of the taxi.
"Thank you for a nice time"- Rebekah said.
"My pleasure"- Stefan retorted as they walked towards her building.
"Really- I haven't had so much fun since- I din't even remember. And I feel sort if bad as my best friends and my brothers are going through a neverending tough time"-Rebekah babbled.
"I had a great time, too."- Stefan said-" life unfortunately is a labirynth of twists and turns"
And now they stood in front of her building and he took her by the hand and she felt like she was twelve- all the butterlfies inside her stomach flew up as he neared her and kissed her. And if she could fly she would have taken off at that moment. And then her phone crash-landed her back because it wouldn't stop even though she ignored it twice.
"It must be important"- Stefan said-"answer it.
It rang again and Rebekah got it out - seeing it was Sophie she first blurted out that she would call her back but then Sophie's sobbing voice saying Kol was shot made her freeze for a second replying-"How- When-What?"
The next thing she knew was that Stefan put her in a taxi and she was on the phone to Elijah and then trying to get to Klaus, who wasn't answering.
****
Y/N/E arrived somewhere around midnight. She got into the taxi. All the way in the car she felt uneasy and was impatient to get home. It seemed like the trip took twice as long. Her emotions were running high and she knew she had to balance them out. So, she focused on a mental game Bonnie taught her when she started feeling anxious.
**
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Kol was still undergoing surgery. The FBI Agents who worked with Kol now took the siblings aside explaining them what went off that evening.
"So- you are telling us that Kol- our brother was working for you all this time?"- Rebekah was stunned at the revelation.
Elijah was quiet but tried to get his head round it.
"I sincerely hope he pulls through, He did a great job"- the Agent said before he left them.
Sophie could now tell them that she knew about it all along. But she had to keep it to herself.
"He just had to do it"- Sophie said-"the whole thing with Jeremy was not letting him be."
Both Rebekah and Elijah just comforted Sophie now as she could not calm down, but refused to be given a sedative.
Mikael and Esther arrived completely devestated at the news.
****
Elena finally arrived to the building. She was home and it felt good even though a strange kind of uneasiness was not letting her go. She got into the elevator and pressed PH.
"Why is everything so slow tonight"- she thought as the elevator seemed to take forever to get up.
As she got out of it eventually, she remembered that she had no keys on her. She was miffed that she had to wake Elijah up as she wanted to surprise him. She rang the doorbell but there was no answer. She rang again and there was nothing.
She thought of calling the doorman for the spare key but she opted to give Elijah a call.
In the hospital, Elijah took his phone and simply answered it without looking who it was-"Yeah?"
"Elijah?"- he could hear Y/N/E's voice that threw him a bit and he authomatically said-"Y/N/E?"
"It's me. Sorry to wake you up, but I don't have my keys on me and can't get in"
"Can't get in?"- he repeated like shell- shocked.
"Yes. I am outside the door. I am here. I've just arrived"- she said.
"Y/N/E- huh, I am not at home. I am at the hospital."
"Hospital?"- she said worryingly.
"Yes. Kol's been shot"- Elijah then said.
"What?"- and the same how- when- what questions followed.
As he briefly explained she made her way to the hospital.
"Did you just talk to Y/N/E?"- Rebekah said having overheard his conversation.
"Yes. She's back-" 'Elijah said.
"Really? Just like that?"- Rebekah looked a bit gone out at Elijah.
Klaus and Caroline then appeared not long after together.
Elijah now went to get some refreshments for everyone as Y/N/E arrived.
It was somewhat surreal seeing her there. This was not something he expected.
They stood for a second as if they had been apart for a thousand years and yet at the same time not even a nanosecond. They went into a hug. Firm, warm, healing.
"I am so sorry"- Y/N/E whispered holding her husband tightly.
"He is tough. He will pull through."
"He will"- Y/N/E said as she now moved a little out of the hug.
They moved out of the hug slightly. Y/N/E put her palm on his cheek saying-"I missed you- so much"
He embraced her again, more warmly than before.
The moment broke as Rebekah came up to them announcing that Kol is out of the OR. He was still critical, though.
They suggested then to all of them to go home and rest. Esther and Rebekah stayed on. Rooms were arranged for them to sleep if they needed some rest as this was a private hospital, for which the Mikaelsons regularily donated.
****
After the night they had, both Y/N/E and Elijah just dropped into the bed. Whatever talk and all that needed to resurface had to wait as they needed to refresh.
Their phones woke them up at some time in the morning. Elijah had Rebekah on the phone and Y/N/E Vicky.
Elijah stayed on in the room, but Y/N/E ventured out to the kitchen. As she informed her friend about Kol, she started the coffee and put the bagels into the toaster.
"I don't know yet. He is on the phone to Rebekah. Yeah- we're hoping for the best. No. How could I tell him? How could I burst out in the middle of everything that I'm pregnant- "
Elijah now stood at the door and said astonished-
“You’re pregnant?!”
____
#elijah mikaelson#elenaxelijah#elijah mikaelson x reader#fanfiction#tvd fanfiction#elena gilbert#alternative universe
23 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
adenandajay
ChrisinLove
simpfam
Simpfam
crumbztoast
*Drinks Fizzy Faz Till My Head Explodes*
get-me-out-of-this-town
getmeoutofthistown
armandoswife
La gorda Bertha