A Thief of Nightshade(41)
Jullian stepped up behind her. “Rose Red, Snow White and the Bear Prince.
This one, you probably recognize.”
“Sleeping Beauty. And this one, Rapunzel?”
“Yes. Then, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Frog Prince,” Jullian said.
“I couldn’t leave out Hansel and Gretel, though it creeps me out.”
Aubrey scoffed. “Seriously?”
He studied it in silence before remarking quite sincerely, “I feel for anything that fears being served for dinner.”
“I suppose that would be terrifying.
What about this one? I don’t recognize it.”
It was a rather haunting image of a King upon his throne, his hands clutching a delicate silver crown. His head was upturned and blue tears streamed down his cheeks.
He wrapped his arms around her.
“Ah, the Goblin King. Curious story.
Sad.”
She was intrigued and leaned back on him. “Tell me more.”
“The version I heard is a tad watered down from the real thing, so I suppose I shouldn’t worry about you waking up from nightmares as well.” He scooped her into his arms, careful not to spill her coffee, and walked back to the bench. “You wake up from mine enough as it is.” He grinned, waiting on her to roll her eyes before continuing.
“High in the mountains was a kingdom we’ll call Seren, where a beautiful young princess lived with her father. They lived a peaceful, happy life, despite the sorrow of having lost her mother when she was just a babe. She was allowed to roam anywhere in the castle and even into the town itself, among the cobblestone streets and shops, but her father was very overprotective and she was never allowed to wander from the protection of the world of Man, for deep in the mountains behind Seren, lay Koldavere, the city of Goblins.”
“Young girls are never obedient. You can tell this—” Aubrey started.
“Are you telling this story or am I?”
Jullian asked.
“Sorry,” she laughed. “Go on.”
“But, like any young girl would, she grew tired of her gilded cage and one day, when all the people of her father’s kingdom were busy getting ready for the spring festival, the princess snuck away from her handmaiden and went down the mountain to the forest. There, for a little while, she found solace in the serenity, but as the day grew long, so did the shadows of the trees and all the creatures that dwelled in the darker places of the wood.
The young princess was having such fun that she lost all track of time and suddenly found herself lost with nothing but the twinkling stars above her and the vague outline of the mountain to guide her home.
“Now, the passage back to Seren lies at the east base of the mountains but it is very hard to see in the daylight, let alone the depths of night and so she missed it entirely and took a dreadfully wrong turn that led her past the hidden gates to Koldavere and right to the entrance of the Goblin Keep. There, like living shadows, the goblins took her, leaving her for quite some time in a damp and frightening cell at the underground prison. But all is not lost, for our princess was a very smart young woman indeed and she knew that whoever requested an audience with the Goblin King must have their wish granted, lest they be someone of importance or a foreign visitor carrying gifts. Goblins are, you see, very resourceful beings, finding their talents in the art of metal-working and made their livelihood not just through their mining but also by selling their wares and occasionally some poor passerby would be snatched up and eaten only for the Goblins to find out later that the visitor bore a message of great worth.
“So after not eating or drinking anything for two days, the princess made her request and, as was custom, was taken to the King’s throne room. The doors were opened to reveal the oddest room the princess had ever seen, filled with beautiful sculptures made by the Goblin King’s own hands; crude replicas of those in his former life, for he was very lonely indeed.
“The King, weary from his long day and hungry himself, had just had his table set for supper when she arrived. He grumbled and cursed and even spat, angry for the interruption, but the moment he looked into the mirror that rested atop his fireplace and saw her in its reflection, he was immediately overcome with an emotion he’d never known before and it brought tears to his eyes. Without looking at her he asked, ‘Have you come to take me to the afterlife?’
“She
walked
into
the
room,
marveling at the figures. ‘No,’ she said, ‘I have been taken as your prisoner, but I bear a message of great importance. You must release me at once or I will never tell you.’
“The King rose and came around his throne and the princess gasped, for he wasn’t a Goblin at all, but a young man, not very much older than she was. ‘What message do you bear that cannot wait? I will not let you go, but name anything else that you desire and it shall be given to you.’
“The princess was disheartened by the King’s response, but was determined not to let him get the best of her. She was terribly hungry so she asked to eat supper with him. The King was delighted and that evening they dined together. He inquired as to her manner of arrival and all about her father’s kingdom and she happily told him, regaling him with tales of her antics in the castle and how she’d driven her nursemaids mad when she was a child.