nce
upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived an
Ordinary Farmboy, who was unremarkable in every way, except for a a Strange
sense of Humour, and a Personal Legend. (that had something to do with
becoming a Paladin.)
One day, whilst in a busy marketplace, he met a Visiting Princess, who
was armed only with a rogueish Wink and a charming Smile. Naturally, as
this is a Fairy Tale, he fell madly in Love with
her. Through her, he learnt that Magic exists, and that Life
must be Lived to the fullest, in the Quest of one's Personal Legend. (Whether
she learnt anything from him though is a question the wisest sages will
never know.)
Unfortunately, as the Princess ruled in another Realm,
she had to return to her world all too soon, and hence Nothing worth Scribing
down really ever Happened. (Except for a Moment's Midsummer
Madness,
but that is another Story.) Part of this was
the Farmboy's fault, because he felt (since everyone
around him told him so, and that dreams were for
children) that a Princess is a Princess, and a Farmboy is only a Farmboy,
and everyone knows that Farmboys and Princesses just -don't-
get along.
After the Princess had vanished from his life,
the Farmboy moped about for a while, before deciding
to be Sensible and forget
the meaning of Magic, and
to put his Personal Legends away and get
on with the business of Growing Up and tending
to the Farm. And so he lived, for the Longest Time, but he never
really managed to forget the Magic, or the Princess,
and his Personal Legends never
quite died away.
One
day, whilst looking for
a Chicken in the Corral
(which is a very strange thing
to do, as chickens do not
live
in corrals), a faerie
appeared
out
of the blue and asked him what his name meant.
Naturally,
this startled (and maybe
even scared, a little) the Farmboy, (since one
does not meet Faeries everyday, and certainly not in corrals) but he
felt -compelled- to Speak to her anyway, for such
is the way with Love. Her name was Elendryll, and she was armed with two
beautiful eyes, a wonderful, warm laugh,
and a mysterious felt-tipped quarter staff - for
she was a warrior-Elf. And she -Was- Magic, and she somehow
reawakened his Personal Legends, and banished the
Darkness,
because she Believed in him unlike Everyone else.
To this day, the Farmboy is still seeking to become a Paladin, and the
story is still being written, so it does not have an End. And God willing,
it never will.