The Stone Maiden(With pictures!)
Once upon a time, a beautiful elven princess lived in a faraway land.
She loved to run through her forest home and make friends with the animals.
One day, as she neared her 18th birthday, her father, the Elf Lord, came to her.
"You have been arranged to marry the Dwarf King's son. It will bring great relations back to our homeland." The princess was saddened. She had only ever met the dwarves once or twice. She knew she would not love the the Dwarf Prince.
But, just as autumn had creeped upon the forest, so too did the maiden's birthday come. Adorned in her ceremonial wedding gown, the princess said one last farewell to her friends in the forest. The animal's hearts were as heavy as the maiden's as they scurried back to their homes. The princess turned to leave, but was met with a creature she had never seen before.
"My dear, why are you so sad?" The creature asked, brushing her gown gently as it circled her. The princess, longing for someone to comfort her, straightway told the creature her story, bursting into tears halfway through.
"My poor child," the creature's soft voice whispered. "If you would like, I can make your pain go away."
"You can?" the princess asked, softly, wiping her tears on her sleeve.
"Why yes," said the creature. "Simply take a deep breath, and blow outward."
The princess did as she was told, but immediately a chill fell upon her. Her body became stiff and dull, as a statue, while the creature's body regressed back into a child-like state. The creature's harsh cackle could be heard throughout the forest. "My youth!" it shrieked as it flitted away from the stone maiden and out of our story.
The animals hurried to find the source of the evil laugh. When they saw the maiden, turned to solid stone, they immediately knew what had happened. “The griffon!” they cried. The griffon, an evil being that steals the souls of others to keep her immortality, had preyed upon their beautiful princess. The forest creatures wept for the girl, not knowing what they could do.
All autumn, the animals came to her: bringing her gifts, singing to her―anything to wake her from her stone slumber. One kitten even tried a trick from a fairy tale the princess used to tell them; he tried to kiss her. But nothing worked.
Slowly, autumn faded into winter. As the birds began to fly south, they visited the stone maiden. The doves even left her a crown made of beautiful red flowers.
Winter became spring. Spring became summer. Seasons kept changing. Months turned to years. Her friends and family disappeared. And slowly, her beauty became hidden behind a nest of thorns. The woodland changed, but the stone maiden remained always the same, silently watching over her forest.
One day, a young human child stumbled into the forest. His tattered clothing caught on the branches of the trees and a chill made him shiver. He carried only a small yellow orb, hugging it close to his chest.
Faltering, he caught hold of a vine, pulling it away from the stone maiden‘s face. Awed by her loveliness, he began to strip away all of the vines that concealed her. He wiped away the dirt that had stained her gown and, as if the cold no longer bothered him, even remade the withered flower crown around her head.
He stepped back to look at the girl, but fits of coughing overtook him. He sat at her feet, knowing he wouldn’t last much longer. “I don’t know who you are, stone maiden, but I have only one more thing I can give you.” The boy fell into another spell of coughing. “This…this is a magical seed. It was given to me to help my dying mother, but I did…didn’t make it back to her in time. I’m dying now, too. And I…and I was going to plant it for myself. But maiden, caring for you today was the happiest day I’ve ever had. I live in poverty, and even if I were to live now, I probably wouldn’t make it to my 18th birthday anyway. So mai…maiden, I’m going to plant this for you. Maybe it will turn you into a real maiden. Thank you for the most wonderful time.”
The boy planted the seed at the girl’s feet, carefully covering it with dirt. He looked at her once more, then stumbled away, tears on his cheeks but a smile on his face.
Spring left and summer came. The seed never sprouted. But one day, mid-summer, a blue mist seeped out of the ground at the princess’ feet. It swirled around until it became yellow ball, as if the princess had her own little moon.
The next day, the maiden’s moon sprouted what looked like tiny golden wings.
And the next day, a little rabbit burst forth from the moon. It curled around, allowing the moon to reform while it lay on top.
Within the next few days the tiny rabbit opened it’s eyes. It watched the maiden with interest, as if looking for some movement. It shook it’s golden tail and floated down around the stone princess, leaving sparkles in it’s wake. It danced around the princess until night and slept that night on top of it’s little moon.
When he awoke the next day, the golden sparkles had formed a golden sash around the maiden. “Will you wake up?” He squeaked in a tiny voice. The maiden, of course, never answered, so he continued. “Come play with me!” A little miffed at being given the silent treatment, the rabbit said “Hmph,” and turned away. “I’ll make you wake up!” he later announced defiantly. He took a piece of the golden sash and made a little mortar to husk rice. He waved his little paw over the ground, and immediately tiny rice crops sprang up. He worked for days to grind the rice on his little mortar, resting only at night.
His finished rice all neatly in a pile, he cooked them in a little pot, then began to mold a bit into a small oval. Using leaves and twigs, he formed a tiny little bunny and offered it to the her. “Eat!” he said, but she only stared silently onward. “Hmph,” he grunted, and laid it down at her feet. That night he found it hard to sleep, noticing how big the sash around her had gotten.
The next few days, he worked his best to make many more rice bunnies, hoping that would finally make her talk to him. He filled up a little box and offered them to her, but she still stared blankly ahead. He cried and yelled and beat against her shoulder, but to no avail. Frustrated and lonely, he curled up on his little moon, wishing he could return to it. “How small it’s gotten,” were his last words before drifting off to sleep.
The next day, he was so exhausted that he never awakened. His snoring covered the slight crackling of the golden sash, which had fully gathered around the maiden’s neck.
In his dreams he saw the maiden, a young rabbit with beautiful golden ears and a flower chain around her neck. She danced with him, swinging him around and around. *Talk to me,* he begged her. *Please, let me hear your voice.* But she never spoke a word; she merely kept dancing around with him. *Tell me you love me,* he pleaded. *Because…* “…I love you,” he whispered aloud as he slept.
The maiden’s sash crackled loudly and started to cover her form completely. The waning moon vanished with a snap, but the little rabbit stayed afloat in midair, as if trapped. His body began to lose it’s hare-like shape and take on a completely different appearance.
When he opened his eyes, he saw human hands―his human hands. “Wow,” he whispered softly. He put his human hands to his head. No more long, slender ears―but hair, silver hair. On his head rested sparkling golden laurels, and a white robe was draped about him tied with a golden belt. “What…what happened?” he stuttered, amazed.
A soft voice murmured behind him. “Who are you?” it asked quietly. He turned to see his stone maiden, her golden hair flowing and her golden eyes dancing brightly. “Did you wake me up?”
“Yes,” he explained gently. He put forth his brand new human hand and tenderly stroked her cheek. “I was born from a wish that you would always be taken care of. I was born to love you.” He pulled her into his arms, holding her close, and delicately lifted her up, as a groom holds his bride. He kissed her gently.
“And I was born to love you, too,” she sighed, settling into his arms.
And that very day they were wed, and they lived together happily forever after..
And that is the end of the tale, my friends.
