The Tale of the Foolish Prince

The Tale of a Foolish Prince

/Blast this godforsaken forest/

The prince's chainmail had caught on a thorn bush that, if asked, he would have sworn wasnt there a moment before. His horse complained as it brushed against the thorns as well. It was early morning, but they had been up for many hours. What had seemed like a safe place to sleep was in fact very unsafe, he was lucky to have escape with his life and luckier to have escaped with his horse. Too wary of the forest dangers to sleep again, they walked, and walked, and walked. In the dark, dense woods. His fairy godmother had gifted him a helmet of darkvision, but his horse had no such vision enhancement. That meant leading his horse on foot. What a bullshit quest.

Find the pools of gold and glass, free the princess. Easy right? Except that he is not to touch even a drop of water from either pool, he must slay the guardian, whatever that is, and use it's blood to revive the princess from her current state, which is assumed to be glass. The pools were supposed to be in a clearing, but so far the forest had been dense, or very dense.

Though he recently had gotten directions from what he was certain was a witch.

The old hooded hag had asked for some of his food, and not wanting to end up cursed, gave her the last of his fresh bread and cheese. Then, without even asking what he was doing in the forest, pointed him in the direction of the pools and told him to watch out for werewolves. The moon was full after all.

"Do you, perhaps have a silver sword, or even a dagger?" he had asked her, trying his best not to shake as he asked for more than was offered by the witch.

After laughing a evil, gleeful, cackle, the woman produced a beautiful silver blade from her cloak. He took it and admired it.

"Smart boy," she said, surprised. But she was gone when he looked up to thank her.

Pointed in the right direction he might have been, but he was lost now. What he wouldn't give to just, wander into a clearing. It didn't even have to be the correct one!

And just like that, he stepped into the light of the morning. With no trees to block it, and the ground was covered in foot tall grass, he stood in a clearing.

Definitely the wrong one. This one had a tower in it, not in the center, closer to the trees on the opposite side the prince had appeared from. It loomed just taller than the trees, almost as if it could grow along with them.

In front of the tower were a variety of plants ranging from your average tomato bushes to magical ruby roses. Behind the tower there was a creek, it did form a small pool about 50 feet from the tower, but it wasn't isolated, nor did it have a twin.

He led his thirsty horse and his parched self to the water and drank. It was fresh, it relieved some of his drowsiness.

Refreshed, he investigated the tower. It was very old, and definitely lived in. While there were no footprints around the tower, someone had to be alive to take care of the garden.

Another witch, it must be! He'd heard the stories, a witch steals an infant princess at her naming day and raises her, until the day a dashing prince or (he shuddered) a lowely knight, came to save her. And only a witch would cultivate such dangerous plants as fire breathing snapdragons.

One thing a hero is always told before embarking on a quest, is to stay on task. This prince knew that. But surely, if there was a princess in this tower, and he rescued her, and slayed her captor, no one would care if this wasn't the quest he had been initially given. Heck, if it wasn't even a princess, a prince would do, he could rescue anyone he didn't care as long as there was a glory, a reward, and a hand in marriage waiting for him at the end of his journey.