I thought you might like to read a little story I wrote about the Raven King. Hope you enjoy it.x
The Raven King’s Ball
Once upon a time in a towering
castle there lived a Raven King. He was handsome and wise. He was advised by
his parliament of rooks and he was guarded by his army of crows.
But he had no queen.
One day his parliament advised
him to marry. It was decided that he would hold a great ball to which every
lord and lady of his kingdom and the neighbouring ones would be invited. They
hoped that he would meet his future queen at the ball. The jackdaws were sent
out with the invitations. Everyone for miles around was excited. Everyone was
busy getting ready for the ball. The dressmakers were busy as everyone wanted
new clothes. The jewellers were busy as everyone wanted new necklaces and
earrings. The hairdressers were busy devising new hairstyles. Everyone wanted
to look their best. The magpies chattered excitedly as they worked to get the
castle ready for the ball.
Eventually the day arrived and
everyone flocked to the castle to the Raven King’s Ball. The Raven King looked
magnificent dressed in blue black breeches and doublet, his long feathered
cloak brushing the floor as he danced elegantly. The White Stag danced proudly
showing off his perfect silvery blue antlers. The Woodland King in his russet
coat danced regally holding his tail high. The Jester danced making everyone
laugh as he leaped and twirled. The Frog Prince bounded across the floor
impressing all with his agility. All were handsome. All were dressed in their
finest. All danced divinely. But the Raven King was the handsomest of all and
he danced with every lady there.
He danced with Eden, the
beautiful woodland fairy, her wings shimmering as she twirled. Next came
paradise with her brightly coloured dress and flashing purple eyes. Then
Heavenly, all robed in white and silver with her feathery angel wings. Damsel
all dressed in blue, pirouetted elegantly in the King’s arms. The Raven King
was polite and attentive as he danced with each fairy, but as soon as the dance
was over he moved on to the next fairy.
Suddenly a murmur spread through
the crowd. All eyes turned towards the doors as a late guest arrived. She was
stunningly beautiful with coal black hair, creamy white skin and a flowing
purple gown. Her wings shimmered with purple and silver. She was the Midnight
Fairy and the Raven King fell instantly in love.
They danced all night.
When they talked, the Raven King
discovered that not only was she beautiful but she was clever, gentle and kind.
He knew that she would make the perfect queen. He led her to the balcony to
watch the sunrise and to propose. As the first streaks of rose coloured the sky
he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was about to ask the Midnight
Fairy to marry him and become his queen.
But when he opened his eyes she
was gone!
All that was left was a single
black feather.
There was a huge uproar as all
the guests searched for the fairy but no one could find her and no one had seen
her leave. The poor Raven King was devastated. He took himself to his tower and
vowed never to come out until his love was found.
The days went by, and then week
and still no one had found the Midnight Fairy. Until one day, one of the jays
who had been searching for her stopped to rest by a stream. He was tired and
fell asleep. A little later he was woken by the rustling of wings and opened
his eyes to see a beautiful raven landing on the bank of the stream nearby. It
was getting late and the sun was setting and as it sunk behind the trees and
the afternoon turned to dusk, the feathers fell from the raven and there stood
the Midnight Fairy. The jay was amazed.
In tears the fairy explained that
she had been cursed to be a raven by day and a fairy by night. The jay
convinced her to return with him to the Raven King’s castle. As soon as they
arrived the Midnight Fairy was taken straight up to the tower where the Raven
King had locked himself away after the ball. Only imagine his joy when he saw
his fairy love!
She told him about the curse but
he only smiled. What was wrong with being a raven he asked? He was a raven
after all. It only made her the more perfect for him. The Midnight Fairy agreed
to be his queen.
The next day the Raven King
married his Raven Queen. By day the two ravens ruled wisely together. By night
the lights of the castle shone brightly as the Raven King and the Midnight
Fairy danced happily together.
And they lived happily ever
after.
