A
ranger rode alone through the dark forest under the gnarled and knotted trees
and starless black sky. Darkness had overtaken the land and poisoned all of the
plants and water throughout, driving all of the animals and people away.
The ranger made his
way quietly down the path, weary from his long journey. As he rode he
approached a great rock face. There a small stream appeared, springing forth
from the base of the great rock as if it was flowing by magic. The ranger
propped himself against a nearby tree, slowly drinking from the mysterious
stream. As he sat his eyes began to grow very heavy and soon sleep engulfed him
entirely.
A soft glowing light
appeared on the horizon off in the distance. The ball of pure starlight floated
across the land towards the ranger, 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. It was a women’s voice.
“Help us young hero
for all is not as it seems. Deep in the heart of the forest, an ancient evil
has festered and spread across. Our people and our lands have been cursed,
ravaged by a parasitic beast. An ancient evil has trapped us inside our own
minds, taking our bodies to do with as they please. You must fill your canteen
with the water from this sacred river and bring it me to drink. Then I will be
strong enough to expel this evil from our land. You must come to us in secret,
undetected by the evil or they will take you as well. 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 that had just played before
him. The ranger quickly drank from the stream, and then quietly began to say
the prayer the dream had given him as he filled his canteen.
Next he stripped off
his clothes and fashioned himself coverings with the leaves from nearby trees.
Then he cut himself a long staff from a nearby ash tree and mounted his horse,
making his way in search of the unknown kingdom.
The ranger roamed
searching for weeks for the castle, living off the land and in the forest. As
the weeks went on he grew very thin and his skin became caked with dirt. His
beard grew wild and untamed and soon did not resemble his former self at all,
but that of a lowly hermit.
Then one day, out in
the distance he saw a great castle. The surrounding farmland around the castle
laid scorched and burned. The ranger dismounted and approached the castle walls
and wandered into the courtyard. He strode along 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 the walls,
an army poured out single filed into the streets. Following closely behind was
a timeworn, sickly looking king on his horse, and behind him, being pulled by
chains, was a beautiful princess. The princess stumbled and fell in the thick
mud only to be yanked back onto her feet by the grotesque king.
The ranger advanced
toward her, offering her his hand. She looked at him reluctantly, hesitating to
take the hand of a hermit. Then she looked closer, she could see through the
knotted wild hair and dirt caked skin. “It’s you” she murmured under her
breath, “you have finally come”.
Without hesitation,
he silently offered her his canteen and began to speak the ancient prayer she
had taught him. She drank long and slow. The wind carried the words on its back
through the whole kingdom…
Then a blinding
light filled the courtyard!
High-pitched screams
erupted from around the kingdom. All of the soldiers surrounding the ranger
dropped to the ground writhing in pain, even the king himself, fell from his
horse screaming an unnatural scream.
The light dulled and
slowly faded away, revealing the army around them to have vanished. The ranger
himself returned to his normal appearance, freshly bathed and shaven. The king
struggled to pull himself to his feet, years of old age returned to him. The
grass grew green and lush again them, the flowers returned to the gardens.
“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 her weight in land for you to settle.”
From then on the
ranger lived in the kingdom with the princess for the rest of his days, never
again bothered by the evil that once ruled.
Authors note: I got my
inspiration from the stories of the Twenty
Two Goblins, using the idea of a creature using the body of people like
the goblin in the story using the dead. In the original story, the Goblin lived
inside the body of a dead man as a host. The King, who was taking the body
back, had to answer all of the goblins riddles in an attempt to capture him. This
was also why I chose to incorporate a riddle into my own story. I found it to
be a very interesting concept for a story, so I wanted to incorporate it into
my story. I also really enjoy the classic Arthurian style story and love to use
it whenever I can. I also wanted to use an Arthurian style story because I had
just finished rewatching Lord of the Rings. The story reminded me of one particular
scene, where the King Theoden was possessed and evil ruled the land. Then when
the Gandalf and the other fellowship members arrive they are able to expel the
evil, much like they are trying to expel the goblins. It was a fun chance
to kind of nerd out with my own story from the readings.
Story Bib Arthur Ryder's
translation of Twenty-Two GoblinsImage Info
