To Wake a Captive Dreamer: Prologue
Master Post
Prologue:
Once upon a time there lived a king and queen. They reigned over a prosperous kingdom and were wealthy and happy. They lacked only one thing to make their happiness complete, and that was a child. Before many years had passed, their wish came true, and the queen gave birth to a son. All the kingdom rejoiced at the birth of the young prince, lavishing rich gifts on him, except for one man. An evil wizard lived in the kingdom and he was filled with a jealous rage, for he had been in love with the king many years ago. He hated the queen and the newborn prince for gaining the king’s love when he could not, but he hated the king even more for slighting him.
On the very day of the prince’s birth, the evil wizard came to the queen, sneaking past the armed guards of the palace. He laid a curse upon the child, swearing that the prince would pay for his father’s misdeeds. The king discovered the wizard’s presence and had him banished immediately, but the damage was done. The queen wept bitterly for the fate of her child and the king decided that they should flee to a faraway kingdom. They vanished without a trace, hoping that if the wizard could not find them, his curse might never be fulfilled.
At first they were afraid every day, but as time went on and it seemed that the wizard had not followed them, they became content. They lived happily in exile for many years and the young prince grew up strong, handsome, and wise, with eyes as green as leaves in spring and hair as golden as honey and flax. The king and queen could almost believe that the curse and their previous life had been nothing but a bad dream. They were certain that the wizard could never find them.
All this time, though, the wizard had been working strong, dark magic to find the young prince. Finally, on the prince’s fifteenth birthday, his long search was rewarded. He went immediately to the place where the prince was. He easily separated the prince from the group of young noblemen with whom he was celebrating, pulling him into a dark passageway.
The wizard meant to kill the prince, but when he looked upon him he was overcome with lust. He resembled the king greatly. With a howl of rage and despair, the wizard forced the prince to lie with him. The prince was untouched and he begged the wizard to show mercy, but the wizard refused to relent. He finally left the prince broken and despairing on the ground.
When the king and queen learned what had happened, they were horrified. They sent guards into every part of the kingdom and the wizard was quickly found. His actions were so evil that his magic had deserted him. He no longer had the power to flee and he was thrown into the deepest dungeon where he remained to the miserable end of his days.
The damage to the prince, however, could not be undone. The curse had been fulfilled and he became a shadow of his former self. Eventually he learned to smile and laugh again, but they were merely echoes. Thorns grew up around his heart so that no one could reach him and, safe behind his impenetrable wall of brambles, the prince was asleep.
Part 1
Master Post