Jump to content

Princess of the Seals


yopplwasupxxx
 Share

Recommended Posts

gScO_GWB9vGRB08i3z2QGGBKudrhKOAxNcNfjb0n9emnJa3gPV9VgBkZ15vPIKUL54_DGjflB2xRCv3jtrLxOj1zlkfP48KpdUBzIOElRptCn5562d0Lf59asKC6J5OV0AcY8u15

THE PRINCESS OF THE SEALS

BY

OTTO THE TARCHARMAN

 

AS RECORDED FROM ORAL TRADITION

 

    Once upon a time there was a mighty king of the Highlands known as Otto the Third. He lived in a great city and for many years this town prospered, as the king was known as just and wise. Merchants came far and wide to pay him homage, and legends say during this time gold lined the streets and no child never starved, for even the lowest of beggars carried with them bullion and gems. The people rejoiced under his rule and minstrels sung praises of his name from when the rooster called till the shine of twilight’s moon.

 

    However, eventually many other lords and chiefs came envious of the monarch’s lot, and soon they devised a diabolical plot of invasion, hoping to divide the riches of the north amongst themselves. In a coalition of numbers greater than men had seen since the times of yore, they set to attack and pillage the great city from which the king ruled. And while the king was a righteous and brilliant man, he could not defeat the hordes when so greatly outnumbered. He summoned his eldest son- a noble ilk named Otto-Josef and great in his own right -and told of him,

 

    “My son, we are at war with many nations, yet we are only one and alone in this unrighteous affair. You are unmarried and many lords have desired their daughters wed to thee. Take my largest ship and greatest sailors, and sail to the rulers of the world. In wise council, marry the maiden whose father shall help us most in our time of need. In this, you shall swear to the cross.”

 

    The prince, a strong son of worthy stock, did as told of him and swore himself to this honorable deed. He took with him many shiphands and mariners from the coasts of Vasiland and Ayr, and also with him took one of the king’s wisest men, an elderly priest known as Danung. The largest of the king’s ships did he take, heralded as the Vyrdeivüngir, and he filled its hall with many riches of the king’s estates. He also wore the finest furs and silks of the Colborn Vault, and with oils of Rhen and southern lye did he clean himself to a stature of purity, and on his hip he wore a sword of pure adamant. His men heralded him as the spitting image of Joren Reborn, and poets sang that he was the most handsome of all princes of any age.

 

    They sailed from the north across the Five Seas of Man and travelled where few would dare. During the year of his adventuring on the high oceans, he accomplished many daring feats, from slaying the champion of Ba’as, whose magick did he shatter through the slingshot Parranguney, to retrieving the necklace of lost Maria from the home of the gnomes. He did many more as well, but such are tales for other times.

 

    The prince gained a fearsome and acclaimed reputation throughout the realms beyond the waves. Hubris grew inside him too, however, and he soon forgot the oath which he gave his father, for he had become very proud of his accomplishments few could achieve. He said, “I have done what few men could dream and fewer could ever do. My men proclaim me the strongest and most beautiful of all princes, and so it is only fit that I marry the fairest of all royals.”

 

    But the wise man Danung chastised the prince, and reminded him of his duty, “Remember the oath you gave your father, and do not let personal vanity hinder your path to seeing it fulfilled!” The prince did not heed the priest’s words, however, and allowed the sin of pride to consume his heart.

 

    Eventually, after a year of wandering and adventuring, the prince decided to finally find a maiden whose father would assist his. The ship docked in the fantastical western city of Nuvanorös, to meet with their ruler and do what his father commanded of him. He was accepted eagerly into their court, for he had become famous in all where singers parlayed. After a great feast, the prince proclaimed to their ruler,

 

    “Harken ye, Protector of Alduun and Lord of Nuvanorös, for I am Otto-Josef, the Prince of Kuzorav and heir of the Highlands, and I have come on the behest of my lord father. The home of my patrimony has come under assault by folk of wicked intent, and sent I was to find friend and kith-father for assistance in this event of spears and blood.”

 

    The ruler responded, “O noble son, you did not come in frivolity! For my eldest daughter remains without man and in my household do I have the greatest swordsmen in all of Ae, who wield with them broadswords of giant-make. Present now my soldiers and present now my sweet child of female cloth.” He showed the prince a thousand swordsmen of Alduun’s bosom, and Otto-Josef was greatly impressed. However, when the ruler presented his daughter, the prince found her comely and plain, and not a match for a man of his looks or power.

 

    He told the ruler, “Sovereign of the Western Shores, your warriors have no match and hospitality has no bounds. Yet I swore to myself to take only the most beautiful of all brides, to which your daughter is not.” Angrily the ruler cast Otto-Josef out of his court, and he took to the seas once more.

 

Danung once again came to chastise the prince, exclaiming, “Your highness, remember the first vow, the true oath, that you made to your father, for it is greater than any selfish desire!” But again the prince did not heed the words of the wise man.

 

They sailed next the lands beyond, and reached the city of Justern, where the udder of cows give silver and the hens lay eggs of topaz. Docking in the great bay, the prince and his entourage were eagerly accepted into the hall, as in Nuvanorös, with great pomp and purpose. The prince once more proclaimed,

 

“Harken ye, High Minister of sparrow’s brood and Captain of the Oedikos, for I am Otto-Josef, the Prince of Kuzorav and heir of the Highlands, and I have come on the behest of my lord father. The home of my patrimony has come under assault by folk of wicked intent, and sent I was to find friend and kith-father for assistance in this event of spears and blood.”

 

The magistrate responded, “O noble son, your deeds are known from the mountains of Urgwun to the rivers of Balay! My eldest daughter does remain without man and in my household do I have the greatest archers in all of Ae, whose eyes are better than the eagles in the sky. Present now my longbowmen and present now my sweet child of female cloth.” He showed the prince a thousand archers who carried with them bows of yew, and Otto-Josef was greatly impressed. However, when the magistrate presented his daughter, the prince found her comely and plain, and not a match for the likes of himself.

 

He told the magistrate, “Keeper of Odrin’s Light, your archers can hit the very sun itself and hospitality has no bounds. Yet I swore to myself to take only the most beautiful of all brides, to which your daughter is not.” Angrily the magistrate cast Otto-Josef out of his court, and he took to the seas once more.

 

For a third time Danung came to the prince, and warned him of his oaths to his father, “Your Highness, remember what words you speaketh when kissing the cross of Godan, for they are greater than any lustful desire!” But again the prince did not heed the words of the wise man.

 

They sailed next to the where the sun and moon both lingered, and reached the metropolis of Baasz, where the horses were stripped in black and white and gods were more numerous than the sands of the beach. Docking the mouth of the River Ipa, he was introduced with parades and festivities from the dense streets, and brought to the court of their shah. Once more the prince proclaimed,

 

“Harken ye, Dux of Magia and Scion of the Rudra, for I am Otto-Josef, the Prince of Kuzorav and heir of the Highlands, and I have come on the behest of my lord father. The home of my patrimony has come under assault by folk of wicked intent, and sent I was to find friend and kith-father for assistance in this event of spears and blood.”

 

The shah responded, “O noble son, your gait is as profound as the zodiacs of the sky! My eldest daughter does remain without man and in my household do I have the greatest charioteers in all of Ae, who can ride atop any terrain and are as quick as the lightning bolt. Present now my riders and present now my sweet child of female cloth.” He showed the prince a thousand chariots and their riders, and Otto-Josef was greatly impressed. However, when the shah presented his daughter, the prince, like the other two before her, he found to be comely and plain, and not a match for the likes of himself.

 

He told the shah, “Master of the Elephants of Gilgrun, your chariots can chase the very lion from its den and hospitality has no bounds. Yet I swore to myself to take on the most beautiful of all brides, to which your daughter is not.” Angrily the shah cast Otto-Josef out of his court, and he took to the seas once more.

 

Again the wise man chided, “Your Highness, do you forget why you took to sail in the first place! Keep true to the words of your lot, for it is the only part of worth man has!” As before, though, the prince did not heed the words of the priest.

 

Now during the travels of Otto-Josef to the different courts of man, there was a daughter of the Lord of Seals who caught the eye of the handsome lord, and fell in love with him at first sight. But her lot, being of the seals of the sea, did not have the beauty to seduce to the prince, nor did her household bear any warriors able to assist his home. She was not deterred, however, and sought the advice of a witch who lived on an island in the middle of the ocean.

 

The seal princess gave the witch offerings of pearls and sea foam, and bidded, “Woman, my heart yearns and breaks! There is a man, a baron of great renown, who I deign to make my own. I have heard his wishes of fulfilling his father’s vow, but my station is never fit to bequeath him such. What shall I do, or am I cursed to live the life of despair for something I can never attain?”

 

The witch had heard of the prince, but she divined the dark spirits and also knew of his personal desires and vainglories, and she said to the seal princess, “You need not worry, for his oath is void to his lustful intent, where he cares not but the stirring of his loins. Find the sea urchin which dwells in reefs of the south, and prick from it three needles, along with three brussels of sumac growing on the river’s edge. Make from it a tea and chant these words,

 

‘Saul, o Saul, defiler of All

Make from me the bosom

And turn me into the precious doll!’

 

    “Through this hex shall you be made in the fairest of all maids, and woo the prince you shall. Drink too shall he from the potion, and he shall be forced to stay with thee once the ruse has been uncovered.” The witch bid the princess of seals farewell and she went to accomplish the tasks.

 

    She gathered the ingredients and brewed the drink, and upon draining its contents she transformed from the body of the seal to the most beautiful of women, with golden locks and eyes which shone like the sun. 

 

    On a rock in the sea did she wait, and when Otto-Josef’s boat passed the lonely isle, the prince saw her and came immediately entranced by the beauty of the disguised seal. He proclaimed boldly, “By the stars of Julia’s virgins, the fifty martyrs, what is that over yonder? Is she the fairest of all maidens?” Ordering the boat to dock by this barren rock, he went as quick as he could to meet this maid whose beauty must surely have been of royal brood.

 

    Danung, however, saw this as a trap and warned the prince, “Barbovic lord, do nei be taken by the outward appearance! I sense something wicked which auras from the den of this child. You must hold true!” But never did the prince listen to the priest, and again he followed the pattern of deafness to the wisdom of his elders.

 

    They met with great enthusiasm, and upon inquiry he learned that she was as well as princess, though she never revealed of what kingdom she dwelled. Otto-Josef cared not, for he believed he had found the match to his selfish desires, as well as something to sate the oath he made to his father in wanton disregard. Never did he ask her what her father shall do for his, nor did he inquire more beyond her basic appearance He said to her, “Elegant and gorgeous, you are, and if you will be mine, I shall make you my wife.”

 

    She readily accepted, but told of him, “Prince, prince! It shan’t please me more than to be the spouse of ye. But as custom, drink this tea which I have made, as is the tradition of my people.” The disguised seal gave the drink to Otto-Josef which the witch had told her to make, and under her breath did she chant the words of magickal allure.

 

    “Anything, o anything!” He shouted and drank the contents without a second thought, and immediately he felt something amiss. Through the powerful curse, his body began to turn to that of a seal, and as if on cue, so did the princess’ once enchanting appearance turn as well. He bellowed, “Wicked woman, what have you done to me! What have you made of me!”

 

    The princess of seals only laughed and it was the wise man, the priest who saw all, who answered, “O my prince, my foolish son! What have you brought upon yourself?”

 

    And so the prince, in his hubris, failed both the vow he made to his house and the selfish oath he made from his pride, cursed in both and forced to live in the court of seals.

 

    Some legends say he lays out the shells of the beach to be found by wanderers, and when you place your ear to it, you can still his wailings from being cursed. Many a woman would walk the shores of the beach, hoping to find the prince whose life was taken from him, and with a kiss of true love could they break the curse and turn him back to the long-awaited heir.

 

    Others say that he grew to love the princess and came to rule to the kingdom of the seals, where upon they had many children and from him do the most majestic of creatures, the narwhal, come into existence. At Haense’s worst hour, it is reported that the newly-christened king of seals would return to save the realm.

 

    Lastly, there are even a few who claim that to this day the prince actively searches for a cure to his ailment, and when one sees a lone seal wandering the shore to never touch or hinder it, for that very beast could be the prince once taken by his own pride.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...