Once upon a time, where two great rivers collide, there was a beautiful citadel that looked out over the plains to the west and, on the other side of the great river, a forest to the east. The forest was called the Dark Forest, because it was so thick in places that not a ray of sunlight touched the floor. Many mysterious beasts and monstrous horrors awaited in the forest, and few who ventured in returned.
And so the people little ventured into the dense wood. Food on the plains was bountiful, fish in the rivers were many, and the sunsets over the plains were magnanimous in their splendor.
So the people lived in the sunlight of the plains and the rivers, and did their best to forget about the darkness of the forest that loomed so near. And they were happy, except when they were not.
Elsbeth was the daughter of the king, and it was the day before her 25th birthday, the day when she would be declared a woman. Tomorrow would be a momentous day, for she would no longer be considered a child, and would state, in a grand ceremony, what she wanted for herself: either a marriage (and to whom), or a profession (and which one).
Elsbeth’s father the king had invited her to a special dinner on the eve of her great day. The only persons present were the king, his advisor, and herself.
“Elsbeth,” he said with a wheeze, “You are my daughter of whom I am most proud.”
“Thank you, dear father,” she said, with a squeeze of his hand.
“It is no secret,” he continued with great deliberation, “that I am dying.”
“Oh father, I wish you wouldn’t say so,” said Elsbeth.
He shook his head. “To avoid thoughts which brings pain is not the mark of a queen.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh.
“I know you know,” he said, with gentle firmness. “In fact, that is one of the many reasons that you are now ready.”
The peculiar emphasis he put on the last word made her perk up.
“Daughter,” he said, “It is time for you to be queen.”
“Oh no, father,” she said.
“Oh yes!” he said, in such a way that the raspiness of his voice could do nothing to shake the force of his unwavering conviction.
“You are ready.”
“But what about my brother Faolin?” she said.
“Elsbeth,” he said, reaching for her hand again, but taking it most gently, “You must accept the truth, dear daughter. Your brother is dead. Or if not dead, at least, he is never coming back.”
“No, you don’t know that,” she said.
“The kingdom needs a queen,” he said. ”You must accept what you cannot change.”
“But I can change it,” she said with a rising voice, and she suddenly became very bold. She stood up and addressed her father from above. The advisor looked uncomfortable.
“In fact, that is what I have been planning to tell you today. Now that I am officially a woman and can choose my own path, I am going to do what has always been in my heart to do. I will go out in search of my brother, and bring him home.”
“Oh, not this again,” her father said. “We’ve been over this so many times, daughter. We searched for him for so long, and lost so many knights to the Dark Forest. So many different gruesome fates for those knights, and so many whose fate was never known. Must we lose you too? What makes you think that you will succeed where all else have failed?”
“I don’t know for certain that I will,” she said. “But I’m going to try anyway. I have been training for this day every day for the last five years. And I’m going to do it differently than the previous expeditions: no huge forces, attracting too much attention. Just me.”
They finished their meal in silence. After a time, the advisor coughed politely, and then, presuming that he might add one thing, spoke up.
“Your highness certainly knows best,” he said. “But I must point out the implication if your brother ever were to return. He is technically the eldest—”
“Oh, bah,” she scoffed.
“—by only a minute, it is true. But even though you are twins, he is technically the eldest, and so if he returned, he would inherit the throne instead of you. A bit of irony, there.”
“I don’t want a throne. I want my brother.” Elsbeth said.
“Of course,” the advisor said, and the rest of the meal continued in silence.
When Elsbeth took her leave, her father said “Yes of course,” and his tone was not unkind, but she could tell that he was very displeased.
***
Late that night, the king sat in his private audience chamber with his advisor.
“Why not coerce her?” the advisor said. “You are the king, after all; you can make anything law. Forbid it!”
“No,” sighed the king. ”I have thought of that, but it will not do. What I need is for her to lead the country. That is something that you cannot force someone to do and do well: they have to want it. And she most certainly doesn’t, not right now. Maybe if I let her go, she will. But as she is right now, she’s no good to us.”
“But what if you lose your only heir?”
“Yes indeed,” the king said with a sigh.
The king dismissed the advisor but did not go to bed. He sat there, looking out over the map of the kingdom and the piles of treaties and racks of law scrolls to be reviewed and the list of judicial hearings scheduled for tomorrow, and in the candlelight, his face began to look aged indeed.
“Who else would be ready? What will happen to all this when I am gone if she isn’t here to inherit it? Will the kingdom fall apart?”
Feedback
What surprised you? Did anything confuse you? What do you think will happen next?
Author Notes
This is the first chapter in a bedtime story I have been working on. I’m operating on the belief, from my personal experience, that stories can have high stakes, tension, and epic adventure, and yet still be a wonderful soporific. I grew up reading and loving stories like this.
Shout Outs
Thank you for all the comments of encouragement, feedback on the writing, and prayers. It really means a lot to me. Shout-outs to Ethan, Jeanice, Janean, Dan, Micah, Emily, and Michaela!
What’s Going on in My Life
This coming weekend I am going to Bubonicon, a science fiction writing conference, which will have the likes of George R.R. Martin speaking. I look forward to reporting back on what it was like!
Besides that there isn’t anything too interesting to report on, so instead, here is a picture of my dogs. Sophie has the long tufts of hair; Champ is the other.
What’s Inspiring Me
Normally I talk about music here but lately I’ve been super inspired by reading Les Miserables. I’m only about 15% of the way through, but Victor Hugo is such a master of character and making you deeply empathize and understand people.
The bishop is as close to a picture of self-sacrifice as I could ever imagine, and has been teaching me a lot more about radical grace and surrender than most real people!
I’m sure most of you have seen one of the adaptations, but if you ever have time to read through 1200 pages of digressions into the sewer systems of Paris…
No, really, for me this book has filled my heart with joy. The adaptations are only a flickery shadow of his masterpiece.
Book of the Week
I quit sugar on 7/31 and as of this writing I’m still clean and feeling great about it! And this book has helped me more than anything else.
The Last Resort Sugar Detox is a short book which you can get as a free PDF, and it has really helped me. It’s eye-opening but also supremely practical on how to actually get yourself off of this insidious, hidden drug that we’re all addicted to without even knowing it. Read more here.
Did You Enjoy This?
Consider subscribing if you haven’t already.
Until next week!
Hey Levi! I think the relational conflict you set up b/t Elsbeth and her father is a great start to a story. Set against the backdrop of physical conflict (a missing brother) and potential conflict (a clash of authority should he return). Lots of threads to pull on.
My only critique (if you want it) would be that the characters seem to "declare" their feelings and intentions a little too directly. I understand this is a short-form piece meant to inspire a longer story, but from a writing perspective, a bit of subtlety and sub-text would go a long way to make your characters more human.
Thanks for sharing! I'm cheering for Elsbeth haha.