Week 5 story telling: The Ranger

     

      A ranger rode alone in the dark forest among the gnarled and knotted trees, darkness had overtaken the land and the ranger was weary from his long journey. As we rode a small stream appeared before him, springing forth from the base of a great rock as if flowing by magic. The ranger propped himself against a tree next to his horse, and soon sleep engulfed him entirely.      

A soft glowing light appeared in the distance. The ball of pure starlight floated closer, whispering incantations in the old tongue as it drifted nearer. Then just out of arms reach the illuminessence stopped, suspended in defining silence and darkness.  Then, a soft voice spoke out from the light, a women’s voice.

“Help us young hero for all is not as it seems. Deep in the heart of the forest an evil has festered and begun to spread. Our bodies and our lands have been cursed; ravaged by a parasitic beast, an ancient evil that has trapped us inside our own minds. You must fill your canteen with water form this sacred river and bring me to drink, and then I will be strong enough to expel this evil from our land. You must come to us in secret, undetected by the evil for this plan to work. You must come to the castle neither dressed or undressed, neither armed or unarmed, and neither in company or alone.”

The Ranger jolted awake with a gasp for air. He quickly drew his sword and readied himself for any oncoming threats, still confused by his visions. The ranger quickly drank from the stream, and then quietly began to say a prayer as he filled his canteen.

Next he stripped off his clothes and fashioned himself covering with leaves from the nearby trees. Then he cut himself a long staff from a nearby ash tree, strong and thick. He then mounted his horse and made his way to the unknown kingdom.

The ranger searched for weeks for the castle, living in the forest growing very thin and dirty. He grew a huge beard and soon did not resemble his former self at all, but that of a lowly hermit.

Then one day on the distance he saw a great castle, the surrounding gardens and land scorched and burned. The ranger dismounted and approached the courtyard inside the castle gates. He wondered the streets as a beggar, searching for the spirit that reached out to him.

    Soon trumpets sounded and the gates to the great hall opened. From inside an army poured out, followed by a very old, sickly king on his horse. Behind him, a beautiful princess followed in chains, being pulled by the old king. The princess stumbled and fell in the thick mud. 

The ranger advanced toward her, offering her a hand. She looked at him reluctantly, hesitating to take the hand of a hermit. Then she looked closer, she could see through the dirt caked skin and knotted wild hair. “It’s you” she murmured under her breath, “you have finally come”.

He offered her his canteen and she drank slowly and the old tongue could be heard along the blowing of the wind…

Then a blinding light filled the courtyard!

High pitched Screams could be heard from around the kingdom, from the men surround the ranger and even the king himself.

The light dulled and slowly faded away, revealing the army around them to have vanished. The ranger himself returned to his normal appearance clean and fresh shaven. The king was found slumped on his horse, years of old age taken from him replaced with rosiness in his cheeks. The ranger continued to survey the scene, the grass growing green and lush again, the flowers returned to the garden.

“Thank you kind ranger for your heroic deeds. You have saved my people and my kingdom from the evil inside us all. For your bravery I offer you my daughter’s hand in marriage and as much land as you can settle.”

From then on the ranger lived in the kingdom with the princess for the rest of his days.

Authors note: I got my inspiration from the stories of the 22 goblins, a creature that lived inside of the dead. The Goblin would live inside the dead body of a host and the king had to answer all of the goblins riddles in an attempt to capture him. I thought it was a pretty interesting concept for a story and gave me some good ideas. I had also just finished rewatching Lord of the Rings and this story reminded me of one particular scene, where the king and the land a possessed by evil.