Drekasal
King of Dragons
Come closer now, and heed this tale
Of His Majesty Valemon...
THE WHITE BEAR KING
collab with @ Cyanide-Latte
Long ago, in the age of magic, there once lay a summer land. A great kingdom, ruled by a wise king for many years. He was kind, and he was just, his wisdom matched only by the love of his people. His greatest joy, however, was his only son, the young prince Valemon, who was good of heart and just as beloved. The kingdom prospered, and there was peace.
At the edge of the kingdom, however, a shadow loomed, cast by a powerful witch. She was beautiful to behold, yet a darkness lay in her heart, an avarice beyond compare. For years, she eyed the king’s lands with envy, a prize just within her reach, yet one she could never fully grasp. But she was not without patience—the king had grown old through all those years, and the witch knew it was only a matter of time until he fell.
One dark day, the king died, and the kingdom mourned his passing. With a heavy heart, the prince Valemon was to succeed the throne, and the witch finally saw her chance. For what better way to seize her prize, than to marry the prince and become queen? She approached him at his weakest, promising to ease his pain, and to bestow power, wishes and pleasures far beyond his wildest dreams, all in exchange for his hand.
But the prince would not be so easily swayed, and spurned the witch’s affections, an insult which he would pay dearly for. The witch, in a rage, cursed Valemon, trapping him in the form of a great white bear. Only in the dark of midnight would he become a man, yet none could ever see him, or else he would be bound to the witch for eternity.
In shame and agony, the prince fled, refusing to accept this fate. On and on he ran, away from the warmth of his homeland, to the cold, bitter lands of the north, until at last, alone and weary, he could run no further.
In these winter lands, there also ruled a king, stern yet just. He had three daughters—princesses, all of them—the youngest of which was beautiful and gentle in every way. To her, the king would have given everything she asked—even a wreath made of gold— much to the ire of her sisters, who were neither beautiful or gentle. One day, she came across the exiled prince deep in the snowy wood, and when he spoke to her, she knew him to be no mere beast. Taken by his words and the golden chain he bequeathed to her, she brought him to her father’s court, and it was there that the white bear told his tale.
The prince asked for the youngest daughter to be his bride, so that she might help him break his curse, yet the king was loathe to part with his favorite child. Twice, he offered his elder daughters in his youngest’s place, yet the prince refused them. The king tried to drive him away through force, yet none of the king’s men could defeat the great bear. At last, the king conceded, and the youngest left with the prince to be his bride.
The daughter was brought to the prince’s castle, where she lived well and had no other duty than to make sure the hearth stayed lit. By day, her husband was away in the shape of a bear; at night, he came to her bed as a man. They were happy together, but after three years, the princess grew to become discontent. Three children she had borne for the prince, yet they were whisked away by him the moment they arrived, never to be seen again, and she longed to see her husband’s face.
When given leave to return home one day, she told her parents of her plight, and despite her father’s warning, her mother gave her daughter a candle, so that when her husband later returned, she may see the face of her beloved in the night. In doing so, however, the princess broke the sacred rule of the curse, and had thus forsaken the prince to the evil witch. Valemon was forced to return home as a bear, and despite her attempts to cling to him, his bride was left behind.
Ashamed of what she had done, the princess continued after the prince, determined to make amends. On her path, she came across the cabin of an old woman, who was secretly a sorceress herself. In her hands, she held a pair of shears, and wherever she snipped, ribbons of silk and cloth emerged from thin air. For the shears were blessed with magic, and could make anything that was so desired.
The old woman was a sworn foe of the evil witch, and taking pity on the princess offered the shears as a gift. With them, she fashioned a cloak of hiding, and boots that could walk the sides of mountains, amongst many other treasures. Armed with these gifts, the princess made her way to the summer land, where the witch prepared to wed prince Valemon in three days.
The princess begged the witch for a night with beloved, with the hag only accepting in return for the cloth snipped from the shears. She drugged Valemon with a sleeping draught, however, determined that her plans would not be disturbed. The next day was the same, with the princess offering another treasure for a night with her husband, and again the prince was drugged. That night, however, an artisan heard the girl’s weeping, and come sunrise warned Valemon so that he and his bride would not be thrice deceived.
The third night, the prince tricked the witch, and when his beloved came they were joyfully reunited. With the shears, she snipped away the fur of the great bear, and together they sought to put an end to the witch once for all. Upon the bridge which the wedding procession would ride across, Valemon ordered a trapdoor to be built, so that the next day, when the witch bride-to-be came with her bridesmaids, they would all fall.
The princess awaited them that day when they fell, though it was only the witch who survived. The rest had died with broken bodies, but the evil witch had a far worse fate. The valiant daughter drove the shears through the witch's heart, and the hidden curse placed upon them by the old sorceress did its work, robbing the hag of her magic, until that was left of her was a puddle of poison.
And so at last, prince Valemon was finally freed. He was crowned king, and the princess became his queen, and they ruled fair and justly, beloved by their people to the end of their days. The treasures were given to their three daughters, though the shears themselves were lost to the ages, never to be seen again...
Long ago, in the age of magic, there once lay a summer land. A great kingdom, ruled by a wise king for many years. He was kind, and he was just, his wisdom matched only by the love of his people. His greatest joy, however, was his only son, the young prince Valemon, who was good of heart and just as beloved. The kingdom prospered, and there was peace.
At the edge of the kingdom, however, a shadow loomed, cast by a powerful witch. She was beautiful to behold, yet a darkness lay in her heart, an avarice beyond compare. For years, she eyed the king’s lands with envy, a prize just within her reach, yet one she could never fully grasp. But she was not without patience—the king had grown old through all those years, and the witch knew it was only a matter of time until he fell.
One dark day, the king died, and the kingdom mourned his passing. With a heavy heart, the prince Valemon was to succeed the throne, and the witch finally saw her chance. For what better way to seize her prize, than to marry the prince and become queen? She approached him at his weakest, promising to ease his pain, and to bestow power, wishes and pleasures far beyond his wildest dreams, all in exchange for his hand.
But the prince would not be so easily swayed, and spurned the witch’s affections, an insult which he would pay dearly for. The witch, in a rage, cursed Valemon, trapping him in the form of a great white bear. Only in the dark of midnight would he become a man, yet none could ever see him, or else he would be bound to the witch for eternity.
In shame and agony, the prince fled, refusing to accept this fate. On and on he ran, away from the warmth of his homeland, to the cold, bitter lands of the north, until at last, alone and weary, he could run no further.
In these winter lands, there also ruled a king, stern yet just. He had three daughters—princesses, all of them—the youngest of which was beautiful and gentle in every way. To her, the king would have given everything she asked—even a wreath made of gold— much to the ire of her sisters, who were neither beautiful or gentle. One day, she came across the exiled prince deep in the snowy wood, and when he spoke to her, she knew him to be no mere beast. Taken by his words and the golden chain he bequeathed to her, she brought him to her father’s court, and it was there that the white bear told his tale.
The prince asked for the youngest daughter to be his bride, so that she might help him break his curse, yet the king was loathe to part with his favorite child. Twice, he offered his elder daughters in his youngest’s place, yet the prince refused them. The king tried to drive him away through force, yet none of the king’s men could defeat the great bear. At last, the king conceded, and the youngest left with the prince to be his bride.
The daughter was brought to the prince’s castle, where she lived well and had no other duty than to make sure the hearth stayed lit. By day, her husband was away in the shape of a bear; at night, he came to her bed as a man. They were happy together, but after three years, the princess grew to become discontent. Three children she had borne for the prince, yet they were whisked away by him the moment they arrived, never to be seen again, and she longed to see her husband’s face.
When given leave to return home one day, she told her parents of her plight, and despite her father’s warning, her mother gave her daughter a candle, so that when her husband later returned, she may see the face of her beloved in the night. In doing so, however, the princess broke the sacred rule of the curse, and had thus forsaken the prince to the evil witch. Valemon was forced to return home as a bear, and despite her attempts to cling to him, his bride was left behind.
Ashamed of what she had done, the princess continued after the prince, determined to make amends. On her path, she came across the cabin of an old woman, who was secretly a sorceress herself. In her hands, she held a pair of shears, and wherever she snipped, ribbons of silk and cloth emerged from thin air. For the shears were blessed with magic, and could make anything that was so desired.
The old woman was a sworn foe of the evil witch, and taking pity on the princess offered the shears as a gift. With them, she fashioned a cloak of hiding, and boots that could walk the sides of mountains, amongst many other treasures. Armed with these gifts, the princess made her way to the summer land, where the witch prepared to wed prince Valemon in three days.
The princess begged the witch for a night with beloved, with the hag only accepting in return for the cloth snipped from the shears. She drugged Valemon with a sleeping draught, however, determined that her plans would not be disturbed. The next day was the same, with the princess offering another treasure for a night with her husband, and again the prince was drugged. That night, however, an artisan heard the girl’s weeping, and come sunrise warned Valemon so that he and his bride would not be thrice deceived.
The third night, the prince tricked the witch, and when his beloved came they were joyfully reunited. With the shears, she snipped away the fur of the great bear, and together they sought to put an end to the witch once for all. Upon the bridge which the wedding procession would ride across, Valemon ordered a trapdoor to be built, so that the next day, when the witch bride-to-be came with her bridesmaids, they would all fall.
The princess awaited them that day when they fell, though it was only the witch who survived. The rest had died with broken bodies, but the evil witch had a far worse fate. The valiant daughter drove the shears through the witch's heart, and the hidden curse placed upon them by the old sorceress did its work, robbing the hag of her magic, until that was left of her was a puddle of poison.
And so at last, prince Valemon was finally freed. He was crowned king, and the princess became his queen, and they ruled fair and justly, beloved by their people to the end of their days. The treasures were given to their three daughters, though the shears themselves were lost to the ages, never to be seen again...
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