copyright 2000 duana r anderson
. . . the lake mirrors the silvery moon
whose crystal light shimmers
upon her ivory feathers
her eyes are darkened by sorrow
as memories float like ghosts
from the past to haunt her
locked into this curse
for all eternity
she sings a mournful
Swan Song
for if she cannot be free
she would rather die . . .'
Part I Episode I - Heir
In a time when kings ruled supreme and lands were fought by the blood of men, there lay the Kingdom of Ether. It was the most splendid of all the kingdoms that surrounded it, and because of that, it had many enemies who wished to possess it. It was a prosperous kingdom with rich fertile fields for growing corn and grains, a deep wide valley where fruit orchards flourished, great mountains where precious jewels and metals could be mined, thick forests of timber and it was bordered by an expansive inland sea of fresh water, that was plentiful with fish of all varieties.
King Logan was the sovereign lord of the Kingdom of Ether and with his beautiful wife Queen Evaine, he ruled the land with kindness and wisdom from Castle Bijou. Under his charge the kingdom did not fear from his neighboring enemies for King Logan was a very powerful leader skilled in the ways of war and good to his army of solders. But alas, as King Logan grew older he became concerned that once he died his kingdom would fall into the hands of his enemies. For try as they would, he and his beautiful queen could not conceive a child to become heir to his throne.
So it was that the king, in desperation, sought another means by which to conceive an heir. It was rumored in his kingdom that there lived a powerful sorcerer in the great dark forests that bordered his lands to the west: Nomansland. It was said also that this sorcerer could perform amazing feats of magic, even perhaps sow the seeds of life into a barren womb.
So, King Logan set out to find this sorcerer. With a caravan of men and horses to carry his most precious jewels, gold, exotic spices and rich tapestries, he traveled deep into the great dark forest to the west and into Nomansland. Many days and weeks passed as the king and his servants traveled without any sign of human life, and indeed, no sorcerer did they find. Finally, when King Logan was about ready to turn back home defeated, he came upon a beautiful garden well hidden behind a wall of trees. The king thought it strange that such a garden could flourish without the sun's light to sustain it. He thought surely it was a garden nourished by sorcery. In this garden was a large luminous lake and beyond it a castle made of crystal. King Logan felt certain that this must be where the great sorcerer dwelled.
He told his men to stay put and unwrap the precious gifts he had brought as he ventured to the crystal castle. As he approached the portal of the castle, a thunderous voice cried out: "Who is it that dares enter my lands uninvited?"
The king could see no location from which this voice had come and he thought the owner of it must be powerful indeed.
"I am King Logan, from the Kingdom of Ether. I have traveled long and hard for many weeks to find the great sorcerer who is said to live in these very woods. I beg pardon of you, but in my desperation, I wish to seek his favor."
At that the Sorcerer Razvan materialized beneath the great crystal archway before him.
"I see." stated the sorcerer, "And, what favor is it that you seek?"
King Logan explained his dilemma to the sorcerer.
". . .And, so you see, I knew of nowhere else to turn."
Sorcerer Razvan seemed to consider the king's words for a long time, then said, "The price for this gift will be very high. It may be more than you wish to give."
King Logan said, "Great Sorcerer, look yonder at my servants and see what precious gifts I have brought for you in return. I am a great king, and have much wealth and can give you anything your heart desires."
"Hmmm. . ." pondered the sorcerer, "but, it is not wealth, nor jewels nor gold that I desire. It is a flesh and blood woman that is my want, a beautiful woman with which to spend my days and nights."
The king smiled easily, for there were many beautiful women is his kingdom that would gladly marry a great sorcerer. He thought himself very fortuitous that the sorcerer had wanted so very little. So it was that King Logan agreed to the sorcerer's bargain, in exchange for a precious vile of green liquid, that would grant the imbiber fertility and bear him an heir.
"In exchange for this fertility potion I will come to the Kingdom of Ether in a decade and an half from the birth of your heir and take a woman of my choosing, as is our bargain. Remember, it will be my right to choose whomever I wish."
King Logan hesitated for a moment, for if the sorcerer could take any woman he wished in his kingdom, this also meant he could take his beautiful Queen Evaine. But, he considered, he and his queen were already beyond their years of youth and in a decade and a half they would be even more so. Surely the sorcerer would want a woman who was young as well as beautiful. He concluded that his beautiful Queen would be safe from his promise and agreed to the sorcerer's demands by taking the vile of green liquid.
With the arrangement finalized, each man giving his word of honor to hold up his end of the deal, King Logan and his entourage packed up their belongings and began the long journey back to the Kingdom of Ether. On the final day of the journey King Logan had a fresh steed made ready for him and, in his enthusiasm, he rode ahead of his men all day and all night until he was well within the walls of Castle Bijou, built high upon a hill overlooking the rich lands of his kingdom.
With the precious vile carried beneath his exalted robes he entered the bedroom chamber which he and his queen shared. He gave the vile of green liquid to his trusted valet and directed him to combine it with corn liquor in two crystal goblets as he'd been instructed to do by the sorcerer.
The night was well into it's twelfth hour and the moon shone bright onto the huge bed of cherry oak with four posts carved like the necks of swans and a feathery canopy above. There, buried beneath layers of pearly satin his queen lay fast asleep, her silvery tresses splayed out upon the feather pillow like fine spun silk. King Logan hastily unencumbered himself of his robe and lay down beside his queen. He awoke her quietly with a kiss. Queen Evaine thought she must be dreaming as she awoke to see her husband, the king beside her after so many months. The king related quickly his tale of finding the sorcerer and of the precious vile of green liquid that he had been granted. The queen was overjoyed with the prospect of at last being fertile and being able to bear her king an heir to his throne.
The king and queen cheered their good fortune with the crystal goblets of the tincture which had now lost its emerald glow and become quite frosty and pale. As soon as they partook of the fertility potion, both became wild with lust. King Logan ripped the pearls from the queen's bodice of her sleeping gown in his haste and buried his face between her full soft breasts. Queen Evaine moaned with rapture as he bruised her breast with his large calloused palm and suckled her greedily. The king ground his painful erection against her bared thigh wanting only to find root in the moist opening of her flesh.
Queen Evaine parted her thighs and lead her husband's huge penis into her smooth vagina. The king raised himself up over his queen on strong arms and thrust deep into her womb. The feel of her was more snug and hot than he had ever before remembered. The queen cried out with pleasure and pain for the king himself seemed more swollen and hard than ever she could recall.
Their bodies slick with the sweat of their labors slid together with frantic passion. It seemed to King Logan that he could last forever as each thrust seemed to take him deeper and deeper into her very core. Their mouths ground together feverishly as they joined their bodies in the most intimate of pleasures.
The moon fell beyond the western horizon and the dawn emerged over the eastern Sea of Tranquillity, its tangerine glow echoing off the surface of the water that lay as smooth as glass. Still the crowned couple consummated their passions with their lusty coupling. Finally, when the king believed he could thrust no more, he envisioned the son that would be heir to his kingdom and his seed erupted from his mighty staff into the deep recesses of the queen's receptive womb. Queen Evaine's hungry netherlips drank greedily of his seed at the moment of his release and her womb tightened in spasms of ecstasy as she succumbed to an onslaught of convulsing orgasms of which she had never before been the beneficiary of.
The couple lay exhausted amidst the turbulent satin sheets now damp and aromatic with the memory of their joining. They fell into a deep exhausted sleep, close in each other's arms and dreamed of the son they were want to receive. * * *
The seasons changed slowly, from spring to summer to autumn, when at last, nine cycles of the moon to the day when she had first conceived Queen Evaine went into labor. It was late October and the leaves of the orchards were painted with new frost. The King, who had been away on a hunting expedition, was summoned at once and rushed home to his queen to witness the birth of his heir. King Logan was filled with torment as he listened to the screams of his queen from outside the birthing room. He cursed his own desire of wanting an heir many times as the hours passed and still the queen cried out in anguish. At last, he could stand it no more and he burst into the room where a midwife and many servants were gathered around his suffering queen. The look of her shocked him and hurt him deeply for she seemed to have aged many years. Her skin was deathly pale and her thin robes were saturated with sweat and blood. Her beautiful face was contorted into a hideous mask of affliction. King Logan nearly fainted at the sight of her.
Instead, however, he gathered his strength and went to her side. The queen eyes were shut tight as she tried desperately to thrust the life within her free. Her breath came in shallow gasps. The king enclosed her slender hand in his own and pleaded with her to beg his forgiveness. Queen Evaine opened her eyes, lashes wet and fluttering against her cheek.
"My king," she whispered, her voice now so weak, "do not blame yourself. I wanted a heir as much as you. . . and now, with your strength beside me, he is nearly here."
With that, the queen bore down hard and gave one final thrust and the newborn babe was freed of her womb. The queen lay back heavily within the arms of her king and smiled. A small cry filled the room and King Logan laughed and wept with gratification. The midwife cut the cord that lay planted in its mother's womb and then entrusted the new babe to the servants to clean and bathe. She then quickly began the task of thwarting the flow of blood from the queen's battered womb.
Too soon, however, the midwife cried out, "There is too much blood! I cannot halt the flow!"
King Logan's sudden exuberance dwindled quickly into shock and fear. Forgetting his newborn babe, he held his queen and smoothed the lines from her clammy brow. Queen Evaine lie still in his embrace, her breath barely a whisper.
"My love!" the king cried urgently, "Do not leave me now, when all our dreams have been fulfilled! Do you hear me woman?"
The queen's eyes fluttered operand she motioned for him to bend his ear to her. "Do not be sad my king, on this the most glorious of days. I will die a happy woman knowing we have at last the son we have always wished for."
A last breathe escaped her lips with these words and Queen Evaine died in her husband's arms. For a long time King Logan wept and held his dear wife in his arms. His shoulders shuddered with each heartfelt cry of deepest sorrow. His tears drenched his dead queen's silvery tresses so that they clung to his cheek.
Finally, the midwife gained her courage and brought the newborn babe swaddled in rich fabrics befitting a monarch to the king.
"Here, Sire. . ." she said, "This is your child, the love of your loins and the sacrifice your queen so humbly gave."
King Logan looked up unseeingly at his newborn child. Then his eyes beheld the beautiful pale creature with silvery curls held within the arms of the midwife and he felt his heart swell immediately with love and pride.
"He is beautiful as his mother!" he gasped, "He is perfect."
A look of plain shock widened the features upon the midwife's face. "But, Sire. . ." she began, "You have not a son, but a daughter!"
Suddenly, the words of the sorcerer echoed back into his mind: "In exchange for this fertility potion, I will come to the Kingdom of Ether in a decade and an half from the birth of your heir and take a woman of my choosing, as is our bargain. Remember, it will be my right to choose whomever I wish."
The king now realized his mistake in trusting the sorcerer. The price was indeed terribly high and much more than he wished to give. He had lost his most adoring queen, and now, because of his stupidity, he may even loose his new daughter. He had been tricked. Enraged, King Logan roared loud and long. His voice bellowed through the walls of his castle, shaking the thin glass of the window panes and echoing out into the courtyard. With it, could be heard the high-pitched wail of the baby, Princess Aaleigha.
. . . the lake mirrors the silvery moon
whose crystal light shimmers
upon her ivory feathers
her eyes are darkened by sorrow
as memories float like ghosts
from the past to haunt her
locked into this curse
for all eternity
she sings a mournful
Swan Song
for if she cannot be free
she would rather die . . .'
Part I Episode I - Heir
In a time when kings ruled supreme and lands were fought by the blood of men, there lay the Kingdom of Ether. It was the most splendid of all the kingdoms that surrounded it, and because of that, it had many enemies who wished to possess it. It was a prosperous kingdom with rich fertile fields for growing corn and grains, a deep wide valley where fruit orchards flourished, great mountains where precious jewels and metals could be mined, thick forests of timber and it was bordered by an expansive inland sea of fresh water, that was plentiful with fish of all varieties.
King Logan was the sovereign lord of the Kingdom of Ether and with his beautiful wife Queen Evaine, he ruled the land with kindness and wisdom from Castle Bijou. Under his charge the kingdom did not fear from his neighboring enemies for King Logan was a very powerful leader skilled in the ways of war and good to his army of solders. But alas, as King Logan grew older he became concerned that once he died his kingdom would fall into the hands of his enemies. For try as they would, he and his beautiful queen could not conceive a child to become heir to his throne.
So it was that the king, in desperation, sought another means by which to conceive an heir. It was rumored in his kingdom that there lived a powerful sorcerer in the great dark forests that bordered his lands to the west: Nomansland. It was said also that this sorcerer could perform amazing feats of magic, even perhaps sow the seeds of life into a barren womb.
So, King Logan set out to find this sorcerer. With a caravan of men and horses to carry his most precious jewels, gold, exotic spices and rich tapestries, he traveled deep into the great dark forest to the west and into Nomansland. Many days and weeks passed as the king and his servants traveled without any sign of human life, and indeed, no sorcerer did they find. Finally, when King Logan was about ready to turn back home defeated, he came upon a beautiful garden well hidden behind a wall of trees. The king thought it strange that such a garden could flourish without the sun's light to sustain it. He thought surely it was a garden nourished by sorcery. In this garden was a large luminous lake and beyond it a castle made of crystal. King Logan felt certain that this must be where the great sorcerer dwelled.
He told his men to stay put and unwrap the precious gifts he had brought as he ventured to the crystal castle. As he approached the portal of the castle, a thunderous voice cried out: "Who is it that dares enter my lands uninvited?"
The king could see no location from which this voice had come and he thought the owner of it must be powerful indeed.
"I am King Logan, from the Kingdom of Ether. I have traveled long and hard for many weeks to find the great sorcerer who is said to live in these very woods. I beg pardon of you, but in my desperation, I wish to seek his favor."
At that the Sorcerer Razvan materialized beneath the great crystal archway before him.
"I see." stated the sorcerer, "And, what favor is it that you seek?"
King Logan explained his dilemma to the sorcerer.
". . .And, so you see, I knew of nowhere else to turn."
Sorcerer Razvan seemed to consider the king's words for a long time, then said, "The price for this gift will be very high. It may be more than you wish to give."
King Logan said, "Great Sorcerer, look yonder at my servants and see what precious gifts I have brought for you in return. I am a great king, and have much wealth and can give you anything your heart desires."
"Hmmm. . ." pondered the sorcerer, "but, it is not wealth, nor jewels nor gold that I desire. It is a flesh and blood woman that is my want, a beautiful woman with which to spend my days and nights."
The king smiled easily, for there were many beautiful women is his kingdom that would gladly marry a great sorcerer. He thought himself very fortuitous that the sorcerer had wanted so very little. So it was that King Logan agreed to the sorcerer's bargain, in exchange for a precious vile of green liquid, that would grant the imbiber fertility and bear him an heir.
"In exchange for this fertility potion I will come to the Kingdom of Ether in a decade and an half from the birth of your heir and take a woman of my choosing, as is our bargain. Remember, it will be my right to choose whomever I wish."
King Logan hesitated for a moment, for if the sorcerer could take any woman he wished in his kingdom, this also meant he could take his beautiful Queen Evaine. But, he considered, he and his queen were already beyond their years of youth and in a decade and a half they would be even more so. Surely the sorcerer would want a woman who was young as well as beautiful. He concluded that his beautiful Queen would be safe from his promise and agreed to the sorcerer's demands by taking the vile of green liquid.
With the arrangement finalized, each man giving his word of honor to hold up his end of the deal, King Logan and his entourage packed up their belongings and began the long journey back to the Kingdom of Ether. On the final day of the journey King Logan had a fresh steed made ready for him and, in his enthusiasm, he rode ahead of his men all day and all night until he was well within the walls of Castle Bijou, built high upon a hill overlooking the rich lands of his kingdom.
With the precious vile carried beneath his exalted robes he entered the bedroom chamber which he and his queen shared. He gave the vile of green liquid to his trusted valet and directed him to combine it with corn liquor in two crystal goblets as he'd been instructed to do by the sorcerer.
The night was well into it's twelfth hour and the moon shone bright onto the huge bed of cherry oak with four posts carved like the necks of swans and a feathery canopy above. There, buried beneath layers of pearly satin his queen lay fast asleep, her silvery tresses splayed out upon the feather pillow like fine spun silk. King Logan hastily unencumbered himself of his robe and lay down beside his queen. He awoke her quietly with a kiss. Queen Evaine thought she must be dreaming as she awoke to see her husband, the king beside her after so many months. The king related quickly his tale of finding the sorcerer and of the precious vile of green liquid that he had been granted. The queen was overjoyed with the prospect of at last being fertile and being able to bear her king an heir to his throne.
The king and queen cheered their good fortune with the crystal goblets of the tincture which had now lost its emerald glow and become quite frosty and pale. As soon as they partook of the fertility potion, both became wild with lust. King Logan ripped the pearls from the queen's bodice of her sleeping gown in his haste and buried his face between her full soft breasts. Queen Evaine moaned with rapture as he bruised her breast with his large calloused palm and suckled her greedily. The king ground his painful erection against her bared thigh wanting only to find root in the moist opening of her flesh.
Queen Evaine parted her thighs and lead her husband's huge penis into her smooth vagina. The king raised himself up over his queen on strong arms and thrust deep into her womb. The feel of her was more snug and hot than he had ever before remembered. The queen cried out with pleasure and pain for the king himself seemed more swollen and hard than ever she could recall.
Their bodies slick with the sweat of their labors slid together with frantic passion. It seemed to King Logan that he could last forever as each thrust seemed to take him deeper and deeper into her very core. Their mouths ground together feverishly as they joined their bodies in the most intimate of pleasures.
The moon fell beyond the western horizon and the dawn emerged over the eastern Sea of Tranquillity, its tangerine glow echoing off the surface of the water that lay as smooth as glass. Still the crowned couple consummated their passions with their lusty coupling. Finally, when the king believed he could thrust no more, he envisioned the son that would be heir to his kingdom and his seed erupted from his mighty staff into the deep recesses of the queen's receptive womb. Queen Evaine's hungry netherlips drank greedily of his seed at the moment of his release and her womb tightened in spasms of ecstasy as she succumbed to an onslaught of convulsing orgasms of which she had never before been the beneficiary of.
The couple lay exhausted amidst the turbulent satin sheets now damp and aromatic with the memory of their joining. They fell into a deep exhausted sleep, close in each other's arms and dreamed of the son they were want to receive. * * *
The seasons changed slowly, from spring to summer to autumn, when at last, nine cycles of the moon to the day when she had first conceived Queen Evaine went into labor. It was late October and the leaves of the orchards were painted with new frost. The King, who had been away on a hunting expedition, was summoned at once and rushed home to his queen to witness the birth of his heir. King Logan was filled with torment as he listened to the screams of his queen from outside the birthing room. He cursed his own desire of wanting an heir many times as the hours passed and still the queen cried out in anguish. At last, he could stand it no more and he burst into the room where a midwife and many servants were gathered around his suffering queen. The look of her shocked him and hurt him deeply for she seemed to have aged many years. Her skin was deathly pale and her thin robes were saturated with sweat and blood. Her beautiful face was contorted into a hideous mask of affliction. King Logan nearly fainted at the sight of her.
Instead, however, he gathered his strength and went to her side. The queen eyes were shut tight as she tried desperately to thrust the life within her free. Her breath came in shallow gasps. The king enclosed her slender hand in his own and pleaded with her to beg his forgiveness. Queen Evaine opened her eyes, lashes wet and fluttering against her cheek.
"My king," she whispered, her voice now so weak, "do not blame yourself. I wanted a heir as much as you. . . and now, with your strength beside me, he is nearly here."
With that, the queen bore down hard and gave one final thrust and the newborn babe was freed of her womb. The queen lay back heavily within the arms of her king and smiled. A small cry filled the room and King Logan laughed and wept with gratification. The midwife cut the cord that lay planted in its mother's womb and then entrusted the new babe to the servants to clean and bathe. She then quickly began the task of thwarting the flow of blood from the queen's battered womb.
Too soon, however, the midwife cried out, "There is too much blood! I cannot halt the flow!"
King Logan's sudden exuberance dwindled quickly into shock and fear. Forgetting his newborn babe, he held his queen and smoothed the lines from her clammy brow. Queen Evaine lie still in his embrace, her breath barely a whisper.
"My love!" the king cried urgently, "Do not leave me now, when all our dreams have been fulfilled! Do you hear me woman?"
The queen's eyes fluttered operand she motioned for him to bend his ear to her. "Do not be sad my king, on this the most glorious of days. I will die a happy woman knowing we have at last the son we have always wished for."
A last breathe escaped her lips with these words and Queen Evaine died in her husband's arms. For a long time King Logan wept and held his dear wife in his arms. His shoulders shuddered with each heartfelt cry of deepest sorrow. His tears drenched his dead queen's silvery tresses so that they clung to his cheek.
Finally, the midwife gained her courage and brought the newborn babe swaddled in rich fabrics befitting a monarch to the king.
"Here, Sire. . ." she said, "This is your child, the love of your loins and the sacrifice your queen so humbly gave."
King Logan looked up unseeingly at his newborn child. Then his eyes beheld the beautiful pale creature with silvery curls held within the arms of the midwife and he felt his heart swell immediately with love and pride.
"He is beautiful as his mother!" he gasped, "He is perfect."
A look of plain shock widened the features upon the midwife's face. "But, Sire. . ." she began, "You have not a son, but a daughter!"
Suddenly, the words of the sorcerer echoed back into his mind: "In exchange for this fertility potion, I will come to the Kingdom of Ether in a decade and an half from the birth of your heir and take a woman of my choosing, as is our bargain. Remember, it will be my right to choose whomever I wish."
The king now realized his mistake in trusting the sorcerer. The price was indeed terribly high and much more than he wished to give. He had lost his most adoring queen, and now, because of his stupidity, he may even loose his new daughter. He had been tricked. Enraged, King Logan roared loud and long. His voice bellowed through the walls of his castle, shaking the thin glass of the window panes and echoing out into the courtyard. With it, could be heard the high-pitched wail of the baby, Princess Aaleigha.