The Legend of Eredom

The Legend of Eredom(julianna ziezio) The Legend of Eredom

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Eredom that lay far beyond the forests and hills, hidden in the mountains. It’s likeness resembled no other kingdom, as it was flat with only four triangular towers at the four points of the compass. The towers were grey with white roofs that were so similar to the image of mountains that it was hard to distinguish a difference between them. The rooms were arranged next to each other in a row on both sides of the court. However, the room occupied by the royalty stood about two steps higher, at the very end of the castle court, so that as royal highness went out of the room, every other person stood at both sides in a humble manner, and bowed so low that their noses touched the floor. Built it was on the highest peak of a mountain called Eteral, for from it, one could see the whole world. The home of mortals, the Ederas.

The Ederas were blessed with 700 years of life, but as they ceased to live they marched to their place of rest to the land beyond the horizon. There they awaited their last call and vanished from the face of the world.

Once grand, a castle full of laughter and joy; now lay forgotten by all. After the great battle that took place decades ago, now only mentioned by legends. The courage and bravery of the great king Eron, who had seen as many battles as he was old himself. It began with a turmoil in the village that lay North of the castle walls. It was a small village, and a family usually consisted of two parents and two children. It was very rare for someone to have five children. Actually, there was only one existing in the village, and that was the family of Abatos, the happiest and merriest people of all. They were very poor, but they were rich at heart. When a beggar asked them for alms, they would give it to him, even if it meant a small supper ahead. Many people were astonished and often asked them why do they do it, they don’t have enough for food, and they give it away? They said that they cannot live at peace and merrily eat their food, when they know that out there is someone on the verge of dying. When people heard that, they just nodded with their heads and went away with a new thought on their mind.

Peaceful and without war, the years passed and seasons changed. The seas began to rumble and toss out stones, on a stormy day, and harsh blows of the wind carried helpless leaves on their flowing wings.
Great peril arose in the East. There were rumours of a great magician, Aman, who appears after dusk or at dawn, taking on different forms and tearing the most helpless of creatures to their eternal doom. Don’t take me wrong, but what I meant by taking on different forms, I still meant that of a mortal. Sometimes of a noble and courteous gentleman, and sometimes of a doctor or a magistrate at court. He appeared the most trusted of men, however, only during daylight. As for the night, he took the form of a deadly creature, most ugly and revolting of all. A beast bearing the body of a scorpion and a tail of a dragon. The head was of a spider surrounded by a red fan-like crown that opened during attack.
You thought that’s the end? Oh, no. The beast could change it’s size according to it’s like. Sometimes that of a mouse – so to sneak into someone’s house. Sometimes that of a giant – to crush and demolish the peace surrounding the land.

The great king Eron, hearing these tales that tremendously troubled his people, decided to vanquish the beast once and for all. He went with hope that if he won peace would rule the land. His queen’s tender kisses and rolling tears sent him off on the dangerous quest. He knew that he might never see them again. The lights from the castle glimmering from afar, the sweet essence of home, guiding him in gloomy hours. A night of thunderstorms and thickening mists, he rode on his faithful horse, Erin, he rode through perilous realms, dark forests, to the beast’s den.

The magician was overjoyed when he saw the king in the distance; riding to conquer him, and he laughed in the face of the danger. He knew, that if the king fell the kingdom would be left unguarded. So, he stepped down his sinister tower and as it was sunset, he began to deform himself into a deadly beast.

As the king reached the beast’s den, he drew his sword that shone like a thousand stars, able to split and shatter everything that dared to step on it’s way. The horse’s mane flowed most delicately and gently embedded in the softness of the wind.
He crawled out towards the king very slowly, as if he had all the time in the world; with all his almightiness and terror.
Fear grasped the king’s throat, but now there was no time and so he galloped towards the beast. The sword cut through the burning skin of the beast. His voice engulfed by the roar of the beast. It was the fiercest and bravest of battles ever fought. A long struggle of life and death, met it’s end. The king had fallen, and was grieved by his people for many days, and banners of blackness were lifted up on the castle walls.
But hope, as lost as it seemed, wasn’t lost in the slightest bit. For the sword, found by some travelers, was handed to hand and eventually drifted to the hidden castle Eredom, and there it was carefully looked after, ensuring that no one of no royal hand could touch the sacred sword. For it was believed that this was the only weapon able to conquer the beast.
It was not known till much later that the magician had a secret weapon. Only true compassion could conquer it.

As the king had fallen, the people were left helpless, as the tradition required a fortnight to pass between the death of the king and election of another. That was enough for the beast to enter. The magician didn’t destroy it as such, for the buildings were left whole, but the people rot in their own evil. He wanted the people to feel the suffering in a different way. As he on took different human forms, he made daughters betray their mothers, sons to go against their fathers, for a sister to steal from her sister; and finally for a brother to condemn his brother to death. In this way, however dreadful it may sound, the magician destroyed people’s minds. Peace, happiness, and most of all compassion, were lost.

Save the kingdom of Eredom. For it was hidden too far in the mountains to be discovered by the blind eye of the beast. So it kept seeking it, and looking for it. Then, they would have to obey him and be crushed under his power. Meanwhile, the castle had been spared of his cruelty.

-//-

Long years after, the kingdom was bursting with joy at the preparations for a wedding. The bride was of course princess Erenin, daughter of king Eran, who was a distant cousin of the fallen king Eron. He was 4 years old at the time of the tragedy, and an orphan. He was the only living relation that the king had.
The bride was betrothed to the most noble and bravest of them all, prince Erion, from far lands overseas he came to seek a bride to be his eternal companion for life.
Servants were running up and down, preparing the feast, the dresses and all there needs to be on a royal wedding. Some in their rush and excitement bumped into the other – breaking some plates I shouldn’t wonder. All people were very happy, except..the princess herself. She wasn’t so sure about marriage, especially to a person she has never met before. Well, that’s not exactly true, for apparently she knew him as a child.
“Anyway’ said the princess ‘these days love is a rare feeling” she sighed and went to her room to attend to all the preparations.
Everything was ready, the hall, the feast, the decorations and all the rest. Lights streamed down the whole room and the magnificent essence of food, made their stomachs do caterpillars. The princess sat in her parlour awaiting the news of the coming of the prince. Seconds seemed like hours, and minutes like days. However, after a few thoughtful moments, there came a servant announcing that the prince has come and awaits her highness in the great hall.
The grand oaken doors have opened and the princess entered. The sound of trumpets brilliantly spread and engulfed the whole room with it’s carefully chosen notes. She was walking down the long pathway of roses, with the hand of her father firmly but gently holding hers. Slowly, she could make out the features of her future husband. When she nearly reached the top, her heart stopped. She recognised him. The boy that she loved so wholeheartedly during her childhood, always with that gentle and glittering smile of his, now standing before her, but in a form of a man. The moment they saw each other, they knew that they were meant to be.
The wedding day was a great celebration and everybody – and I mean everybody – was happy. Toasts were given, dances performed and fireworks lit. The last ones burst into the air sending a cascade of colours down on the happy couple. One couldn’t find a happier pair of love doves than these two. They couldn’t keep their eyes of each other.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t to last so long. The fireworks hit the air like cannonballs, giving a signal for the enemy, and therefore…the beast.
At last, it has found it’s long lost treasure and got a chance to unbury it and use it to it’s own likes.
During the years the magician got even stronger and bolder as hatred gathered in his mind. Now with a single blow of his tail, he could kill 50 men. With a single injection of it’s sting it could turn the whole body into ash.
People unaware of the danger, that has for so long abandoned their secret kingdom; continued the celebration. During this time, the beast managed to crawl out of it’s den and charge at the fortress.
As wine was pouring out, and the band of musician’s was playing loud, a great crash was heard from behind, and shouts of guards as little as there were, could be heard from the towers. Never has any battle reached the castle walls, and so there weren’t many guards trained, as tailors and waiters were more useful.
The first attack of the beast was on the towers, for they were the homes of the guardians of the castle. After that, it crashed and destroyed everything that was on it’s way. No matter people or rocks. When doing evil, do evil to all. People panicked and run for their lives. No one has thought of the old prophecy:
As the sun goes down,
And darkness abides,
Forgotten by all,
Least thought, though felt more,
The heart’s content,
The beast’s sour end.
The crash of stones and destruction of the once great, strong walls, destroyed during the entrance of the beast to the hall. It filled the whole room. As it moved it’s fat swayed from right to left, accompanied by a terrible odour that knocked some unconscious on the spot.
“So. We meet again. This time I am going to be king, and you will meet your doom” hoarsely squeaked the beast.
“No one, ever did or will take the throne of my ancestors. Creatures like you, should go back to where you belong and that’s were darkness and shadows lie” shouted king Eran.
He took all his men capable of holding a sword – they counted up to 400 men – and charged at the beast. Of this battle, Ederas made ballads that recovered the memory of the castle and brought hope to the hearts of men.
During the battle, princess Erenin and her mother queen Eriana stood aside hiding before the death spreading breath of the beast; whilst Erion and king Eran were bravely attacking the beast from behind. Suddenly, as the king cut into the beast’s leg, the fierce creature, with it’s tail it encircled the king and squeezed him so that he could barely catch his breath, and just about as the prince was to plunge his sword into the foul beast’s heart, the king passed and joined his ancestors in the land of the unknown. The sword has entered deep into the creature’s heart, but with no use for the heart of a beast is a heart of stone.
The queen was devastated and cried quietly at the loss of her loved one. Erenin so shocked not noticing her tears felling from her eyes , saw her mother’s pain and the prince about to share the same fate as her father, and she run out of the hide out and pleaded,
“Oh, foul creature, let your cruelty be achieved, but if it is your wish for the victim to be my love, please take me with him, for I can’t live a life without him.”
The beast got mesmerized and mystified immensely, at this strange response. So, it stopped the evil deeds. It’s heart received such a powerful blow, like it never experienced before, so it began screaming and screeching with pain. It released the prince and it’s skin turned to fire.
But this wasn’t the plan, this wasn’t the way the battle was to end. So , the beast grabbed the princess and screamed,
“If you will not give me your kingdom out of your own free will, I will kill her”
Then, when the prince heard that he turned away, for he only wanted to marry the princess for her money, and even though she sacrificed her life for him, his duty didn’t lie there.
However, the mother queen Eriana loved her child unconditionally, and returning to her senses after the loss of her husband, she made a desperate decision; for the life of her daughter was more important than all the treasures the world could give. So, through her tears she said,
“Please, spare my child’s life for it is more important to me than anything the world could give me.”
At those words, the beast went into such wrath that it burst to ash in front of their eyes, releasing the thousands of souls that it devoured.
The mother, father and their daughter got reunited once again, and the prince was turned out of the kingdom far beyond the seven seas, never to be seen again.
From that moment onwards, all people lived in great joy and love. Knowing that compassion makes their life whole.
And so, as all tales end, they lived happily ever after.

The End