The Forgotten Land: The Return of the Giants

One Stone, Three Curses

"I am but a man bound to this stone forever," the handsome man responded. He held up a slender wrist and she saw that a manacle with a black chain kept him bound to the stone, and with only a few feet of chain between his and the rock. "I have been here for quite some time, and so I have learned a great many things. I shall give you what you seek, if you wish it, my lady."

The young woman was outraged with the injustice against the handsome man. She asked her, ‘What could he have done so wrong to be tied up like an animal?’ But she did not dwell on the thought for long, because the words he said tempted her.

"What do I seek? You mean you can grant wishes?" The curious girl said, stupefied.

"Yes, my dear sweet girl. I can tell from your eyes that there is something you want indeed, is there not? Wish for it, and it will come into being."

The young woman knew what she wanted, for it was always something she longed for in her dreams. She knelt on her knees and pleaded,

"Please, oh noble one, I wish for a chest filled with gold and all the gems I can think of."

The man did not smile at her wish, but his face was usually devoid of emotion. Hee lifted his hand and pointed out to the forest, his silver hair flowing freely one the air as the wind blew against his angelic face. Finally, he snapped his fingers  and then he relaxed.

"Go home," He said, "Your wish has come true."

The young woman did not pause to thank him, but she did run home as quickly as she could. Strangely, she did not get lost on the way back to the village, and she was thankful for this at least. 

The girl ran into her house and sure enough, she saw a chest of wood, engraved with symbols she did not understand. 

She opened it and she nearly fainted with joy. For what she saw was more riches than she had ever seen in her entire life. The young woman did not hesitate to brag about her good fortune with others, and soon others set out to find the Pond too, yet all went home in disappointment. Meanwhile, the girl had a stately mansion built for herself, full of all the best things gold could buy. 

She dressed himself in fancy clothes and strutted about the town as if she were noble blood. Pretending as if she’s one of the princesses who reigns in the Northern Kingdom. 

After years of enjoying her life. Her friends got married one by one. Some already have children of their own, while some pranced around the city with the man of their dreams beside them, walking hand in hand. It was soon that she decided she needed someone too. So the young woman set out into town to find a suitable one. Yet, she felt that none of the brutes and the sailors or even the merchants were good enough for her.

"I am someone with a good status now, why should I settle for a mere fisherman?! I do not need to marry a peasant." She said, so she went out into the forest again, this time with a new purpose.

She found that it was not difficult to find the pond again, and so she boldly walked up to the pond and again she beheld the handsome man.

But when she looked at the man, he was different somehow. Though she could not find words to describe it. The man’s eyes that used to be as gentle as the ocean was sharper, and less delicate. He was closer to the shore than he had been before. The handsome man stood out in the lake, not three feet from his rock, the chain on his wrist chiming in the wind. His blue eyes sparkled with recognition and he waved to her.

"I take it you have come for another wish?" The handsome man asked calmly.

"Please, thy noble steed, I wish to have someone beside me, someone to love me. A man from nobility. Someone with strong hands and a good brain. Someone whose face would silence a jarring crowd.” The young woman requested.

The handsome man again pointed his hand out to the forest, and then she saw that his fingernails were long and sharp like talons of a mighty eagle. His silver hair whirled about him and he snapped his fingers once more.

"Go home. You shall see that your wish has been granted," the man said.

The young lady once again did not bother herself to thank him and ran out into the forest back home. She again had no trouble and so when she got home she was still full of energy to see what awaited her.

To her astonishment, a handsome man stood outside her house. He was riding a horse and sported a handsome smile that could make women drool and sigh. He was as mysterious as the moon and yet as spectacular to behold like the sun. So she loved him, but not more than he deserved, for her heart was full of pride and greed. She lived in peace for a while, and enjoyed taking walks through the town. Mostly she enjoyed bragging about her good fortune, and so it was not long until the town thought ill of her, wondering how she got so rich and how such a vile woman landed a good man.

"I wonder what he sees in her." 

"Maybe she’s hiding something from us?”

“She’s not even working. How did she get so rich?” 

Were some of the comments that circulated about her. Soon the young woman became enraged with the jealous words of her town mates.

"How dare they speak ill of me —" She would say, " —when I am the richest person in town? I should have control over them!"

So the rich young woman ran out to the forest again. She found the pond easier than she had before, even though she had put no effort into memorizing the way.

She saw the man standing on the pond, but he was very close to the shore now. The chain that bound him to the stone seemed to be much longer than it had originally, and it brushed against the water in the breeze. Through the fog she could clearly see his ocean blue eyes, and while they still shone blue, she saw that his eyes resembled a snake more than a human’s.

"You have come for another wish? My, my my, have you not so much already?" The handsome man said.

"Don't be ridiculous! There is still so much more I need! My noble steed, I wish to be Queen of this lowly place! I don’t care what happens to the King. I want to replace him because he is doing nothing! I want to replace him, so that I may rule strictly over my impudent subjects." the woman said proudly.

The man did not respond with words, yet he did the same motions with his fingers. When he was finished, he told her the same words that he had told her many times before. So the young woman ran home again.

As she walked through the town, she saw that the villagers bowed before her and gave her praise. They led her to where her mansion was to be and there her King was waiting. And yet in its place stood a castle of vast size. It had rooms made of ivory or gems or gold, and its towers glistened in the sun like crystal. It was enough that a normal man would be shocked to see, yet for the greedy young woman it was barely enough to quench her thirst for more. 

No sooner had she sat on her throne was she overcome with greed and a lust for power, and the riches she had received from the man on the Lake did not prove to be enough for her. So she burdened her new country with heavy tax and raided nearby kingdoms, all for new wealth to add to her coffers. Yet despite this, she gave her gold to no one, and so the kingdom she reigned became incredibly poor.

Years passed in this way. The young Queen grew into a very old one, but her love for power did not falter. If anything, it increased, adding to the suffering of her people. Yet the handsome man had granted the king absolute power over her realm, and so nothing would change until her death.

Not only that but her subjects were getting tired of how the Queen was running her Kingdom. They question her intellect and how she became Queen. Some were rebelling against her, conspiring. And the Queen knew all of this, making her feel anxious almost every single day. 

"Who can help me?" She hissed as she walked back and forth. And before she could take another step, the Queen stopped and became still as an ear to ear smile crawled up to her face.

"The man in the pond..."