51 Stories from the Fantastic Realm: Bite sized stories weekly from Fantasy-Land. Updates Fridays.
43.43
The Unicorn
There was once a unicorn who had no interest in maidens. It lived aloof in a cave, and no matter how the king and his men tried to capture it, to bait it with the king's young daughters, the unicorn had no interest.
The king was at a lost. Its horn was the only thing that could restore his youngest daughter to health. A touch from it, and she would be healed. The unicorn didn't even have to be killed.
And for a while, all seemed lost, until one day, the king's wife said, rolling her eyes sarcastically, "Maybe it doesn't like young girls."
And the king stared at her with bulging eyes. "That's it," he said. "You must go."
"I – WHAT?"said the queen.
But the king had already made up his mind, and within moments, he'd had her gussied up to look like a much older woman.
"This is insulting," said the queen.
"I don't see a difference," said the king.
And so off into the forest went the poor queen, angry and distraught at the fact that she couldn't come home without the unicorn, for the king valued his daughter more than he valued her.
The queen met many animals along her way, griffins, dragons, and a huge bear, but all stopped from eating her once they heard her sad tale and all pointed her in the same direction.
And onward she went, tired and sick of her life, until at last, she came across a clear pool.
And it was only moments before the unicorn had appeared to her.
"You are not like the others," he said.
"No," she said."I'm old and bitter and I hate my husband."
"I can see that,"he said. "Your heart is heavy."
He tilted his head."And yet, you are wise."
"With great pain comes great wisdom," she replied.
"You sound weary," the unicorn said. "Come with me."
And so she did. And that was the last time anyone ever heard heads or tails from the queen, but it is said she had never been happier, and everyone talked for decades about how the queen had eloped to be the best of friends with the unicorn.
