Tales of the Southern Islands

Legend of a dark castle

Thick gray mist was surrounding the area. If he wouldn't know this location so well, he surely would be lost by now. It was hard to see his own hand before his eyes, but he tried to continue the way, by tasting with his hands the parts of the hill, on his right side. Finally, he reached the door of his little house, or so he thought. With confusion, he noticed that the door was much heavier today.
Only as he went inside he saw, that he was standing inside a great hall and not his tiny living room. He sighted realizing that he had lost his way, but wait where was he now? He couldn't remember any house in this area that would be big enough to have such a big room inside. His entire house would fit in here.
Maybe he should just leave, who knows whose home he had entered? Suddenly fire began to burn on its own, at the candles on the side of the wall. Yes, he definitely should leave this place now! He was about to open the large wooden door, but something let him stop. A strange feeling told him, that he should follow the smell of flowers that surrounded him now. He ignored his better judgment and followed the invisible force, that lead him through the dark corridors, that where only lit by the light of the candles. As he walked he noticed, that this building was very old. It looked like humans hadn't been here for centuries.
Something definitely wasn't right here, but curiosity still had the best of him, so he continued to follow, until he reached a high stairwell. It led him up into a high tower, where he breathlessly arrived. After he had taken a short break, he entered a room. He didn't know what to expect, but the view front of him took his breath away.
He didn't care about the gold, nor the jewelry laying all around the room. All of his attention immediately went over to the beauty laying in the large bed.
„It's cold here, we are in the midst of winter. Which careless people left her here, dressed only in a summer dress?", he thought aloud, but then a fear overcame him, that the young beauty might be already death. Fast he took a mirror next to him and checked for her breath. It was faintly, but still there. He touched her forehead felling that it was indeed very cold.
Without wasting another second, he wrapped a blanked around the maiden and decided to bring her to a doctor as soon as possible.
Once he was outside the castle, it surprised him that the mist had disappeared. Wait he had been in a castle? This was impossible, the only castle in this area had been destroyed centuries ago, so where did this castle come from? He decided to worry about this later. Now it was more important to take care about the unconscious beauty. To his surprise it took him just a few minutes to arrive at his house. As soon as he had walked through the door, he asked his mother-in-law to get the doctor fast.
The doctor quickly arrived but couldn't find anything. The doctor was astonished, since he had never seen such a strange condition. While he talked with the young widower and his mother-in-law, the widower's son walked over to the beauty. He was a boy about 4 years, who had watched the beautiful woman in awe. She reminded him of his death mother. Realizing that the beauty wouldn't wake up from her sleep, like his mother, he gently kissed her hand, begging her in tears to wake up. To the surprise of all, the young princess awoke, from her century long sleep. Never underestimate the power of the truest kind of love.