| The Faithful Servant My thought was to create a lesbian fairy tale I could actually read to kids (without getting arrested) There was once a woman who had seven children - and she was greatly pregnant with her eighth. She knew that a ninth and a tenth would soon follow. So she told her eldest daughter, who was only one year and ten, "Daughter, though you are still a child, I must send you out into the world for I have no food which to give you, and soon will have no room to provide you with shelter. You need to go out into the world and find a master to provide you with work." The daughter being faithful and humble, gave her mother one last hug, and one last kiss and went on the road to town. The Journey took a night and a day, and since she had no food or money she had become powerfully hungry by the time she had arrived. She ignored her hunger and set about finding work, going from house to house until nightfall. Having no food, and exhausted from a two days of walking, she slipped into a stable.. She stole handful of oats from a protesting horse and slipped into a bale of hay and went to sleep. When the dawn came she opened her eyes and beheld a beautiful boy's face, though his clothes were simple, "This stable belongs to my master - you cannot sleep here." The girl rose and wiped the straw from her hair, "Stable boy - does your master have work for a young girl? I have nowhere to go, and I have had no food save the oats I have stolen from your horses.." "I am not a stable boy - I am a knight." "I see, and you are dressed as a stable boy as part of some clever disguise." "Well", the stable boy was reluctant, but admitted, " I am a page, and cleaning the stable is part of my duties. However, I am aware of a woman in need of a servant girl." "Please tell me." "I will on one condition." "What is your condition, sir page?" "There will be times in her service you will need things, - both tangible and intangible. Ask me before you ask anyone else. You don't even need to accept my help, just see that I have the opportunity." "I will - I swear it." "Go west, to the edge of town you will see a small house with a large flower garden. The garden will be walled in, but you will see flowering vines peeking over the top. Tell the mistress of the house you have need of food, shelter and work - she will provide all three." "Thank you." And so the girl ran west to the edge of town where she saw the house and the wall, and the flowering vines peeking over the top. She also heard a girl singing. The tune was like a lullaby her mother had taught her - even if the words were slightly different. The girl knocked on the door and it was answered a by a tall woman with black hair mixed with streaks of gray. Her face was lined with age and her eyes seemed tired, and the girl told the woman about her needs for work, for food and shelter. And she was willing to do whatever she asked of her. The woman smiled at her, "Yes - you will do nicely. You know you are a very comely maid." "Thank you Mistress," she seemed kind. "First I shall bring you food and clean clothes. And a bath. And then we will discuss what you will be doing." The mistress of the house drew her a bath, and poured her a bowl of soup, and brought her clean clothes that would be her uniform. There were shelves filled with books, she had only seen one book in her life before today, and that was at the temple. And their were curious things, odd things covered in symbols. "Are you some sort of Wizard mistress?" "Some sort, but mostly a scholar. Sometimes people pay me to find lost valuables, or make potions. Minor enchantments. Protective wards. But that does not matter. What matters young lady is your duties. My daughter has grown melancholy, and lonely, your duty is to spend time with her and fetch her things that will make her happy. You will put her needs before your own. Do you swear to do this?" "I swear, mistress." "You must also understand I do not let her leave this house, or allow anyone besides you in. The world outside is a dangerous place, my heart would break if anything were to happen to her. Even if you do not understand, you must swear to respect my wishes." "I swear mistress." "Good, let us go meet your new mistress." The mistress of the house took the girl out to the garden, her daughter was called Emalia. "Emalia, darling, this girl is to be your personal attendant. She will obey your every wish." The servant girl stood in awe, the garden was filled with every kind of flower, of every color. And there were statues, young girls, well detailed in natural looking poses. Emalia was older, perhaps by two years than the girl, she was tending to the garden and looked up. She saw the girl and heaved a heavy sigh. "Mother I need freedom, not a servant girl." "Precious, I beg to differ. The world outside is too dangerous, Whatever you need she will bring to you." Emalia hung her head low, "Yes, mother." The servant girl meekly looked down to the ground, "You have a very lovely garden Mistress Emalia." Emalia smirked, "I should. All I have to do all day is read, sew, and tend the garden." "And the statues?" "Stone friends to keep me company." Emalia took the servant girl on a brief tour of her friends - young girls Emalia's age done with expert hand and in careful detail, "This is the Reader, and the Ponderer, and this one is the Reacher, the Smiler, and that one..." The last statue lay on the ground her eyes staring at the sky. It was ugly a girl nearly starved to death, skin taught over bone a fine dress hanging loosely. Her mouth open as if she was about to speak. "...is called Last Words." "She is ugly." "Mother was feeling very sad when she made that one. She fancies herself a bit of a sculptor. I hear there are nice sculptures in town - I wish I could see them." "Have you tried sneaking out?" "Several times - my mother puts up wards. I cannot leave without her knowing." "Is there anything I can bring for you? Anything that will make you happy?" "I have reached an age, three and ten, where I have noticed beautiful boys. And I peek out over the wall and watch as they embrace their lovers. I would have one embrace me." "But your mother won't let me bring any boys into the house." "Then find a way to bring his embrace - even if you cannot bring the boy." "I will see what can be done." The servant girl told her mistress that she had to go out into town to fetch something for her daughter. Remembering her pledge to the young page, she sought him out and asked for his aid. "Well the solution is simple. I shall give you the embrace and you shall pass it on to your mistress." And so it was that the page and the girl embraced one another for the longest time until the girl's whole body felt warm. She was careful to hold onto that warmth and bring it back with her to Emalia. She passed by her mistress who said, "You went out to fetch something for your mistress - yet I see you carry nothing. Were you unable to find what you needed?" "Mistress - I carry exactly what your daughter asked for," and then she went into the garden. In the garden she sought out her Emalia. "Mistress I carry the embrace of a beautiful boy and I will, with your permission, give it to you." And Emalia gave that permission and the servant girl held Emalia for the longest time. Untill Emalia could feel the warmth of that embrace. On the second day Emalia and the servant girl were tending the garden, "Servant girl - I had at one time looked over the wall of my prison and seen lovers kissing. Bring me back the kiss of a beautiful boy." "Yes mistress, right away." and so the servant girl went out into town and sought out the page and told the boy her problem. "Well, the solution is simple- I shall give you the kiss and you shall give it to her." "Sir page will you be so kind as to give me several kisses so I will not have to keep coming back, should my mistress desire more?" "As many kisses as your mistress wishes from me." And so the page and the girl kissed for the longest time and the girl went back to her mistress's house. And the mother saw the girl and spoke, "Again you go out, and again return empty handed." "My hands are empty - but nonetheless I do carry what your daughter has asked for." And in the garden the girl approached her mistress, "I have the kisses of a beautiful boy on my lips, if mistress will give me permission, I will give them to you." Emalia gave that permission and the servant girl gave every last kiss she been given by the page to her. And so this went on for a while, Emalia sending the servant girl out for hugs and kisses. Sometimes the servant girl asked for kisses for herself (which the page gladly gave), only to give each and every kiss to her mistress. The servant girl even fell into the practice of giving her own kisses and telling her mistress they were from the boy (she was not sure if she would accept kisses from a servant girl). And sometimes Emalia would give hugs and kisses for the page which she gladly passed on to the boy. Sometimes adding in her own hugs and kisses as a reward for being so helpful. And it came to pass that one day as the servant girl came home with her cargo of affection when Emalia's mother approached her, "Servant girl do not go into the garden it is not safe for you." "But mistress I pledged to serve your daughter and put her needs before my own. And so I do not fear any danger to myself," and the servant girl went out into the garden Emalia was stooped poised to trim a rose bush - but the girl did not move, or twitch. The servant girl ran up to Emalia and found that soft skin had been replaced by hard stone. The servant girl turned back and saw her mistress, Emalia's mother, staring down at her, "It was horrible - I saw it all, her skin had turned to stone before my eyes. I cannot know what witchcraft is responsible. But I will redouble the wards to make sure you are safe here." I will have you take her place, I will teach you to read and write and I will have a servant bring you all your needs, I will redouble the wards and protect you from the world. I will call you Emalia and you will call me 'mother' and we will be happy. And this time I will be a good mother - this time, I will do everything right." The servant girl looked up with pleading eyes, "Mistress - I know it was you. You turned your daughter to stone." "She didn't feel any pain, she didn't even feel it happen. She is preserved, protected, innocent for all eternity." "But why?" "You ignored my wishes - you may not have brought boys into the house - but you brought their lust." "It was just kissing. It was only what she asked for." The mistress of the house walked over to the statue Last Words, "It always starts that way - innocently enough. Hugs and kisses and gentle touches. My Emalia kept the company of a beautiful boy. Her first love and she was so happy, and I was happy because she was happy. And they would sneak off to cuddle and kiss one day and I was tending to my work, And there out of my sight and hearing the boy asked for more than my daughter wished to give. So she refused, asking instead that they go back to cuddling.. He asked a second time - she still refused. When she refused a third, he simply stole from her what he desired. And he took also her smiles, and the light in her eyes, and her innocence and her trust. A thousand curses cast on that boy's body. A face so hideously ugly he would never catch any girl's eye ever again, boils and warts and the smell of rotting meat. Revenge did not warm my Emalia's heart, not did the garden that I made for her. Nor did the wards I erected to make sure nothing could ever harm her again. Nor did the lullabies I sang or the food I cooked. I hired a servant girl to be her friend, maybe a companion would heal her heart. But we just watched her waste away. I did all that I could catching her at her last breath, her last words. I kept the servant girl, I couldn't stand to be alone, and she became like a second daughter to me, she even let me call her 'Emalia', and she called me 'mother'. But it came to pass she met some beautiful boy. I begged her to stop, restricted her to the garden, acquired a servant for her. All she did was sneak out. She insisted this boy was different, he was kind. But they always seem kind at first. So I froze her, before it could happen, before her heart could be broken." "Mistress, you might as well turn me to stone now - I have experienced everything the previous Emalia experienced, every kiss, every hug. Even love." "I see - so I have already failed." The mistress dropped to her knees. "Mistress, free your daughter." "She'll die." "But don't you see mistress? She is forever on the verge of death - always just dying. And neither you or she can find peace." The mistress of the house looked down at her daughter forever stone forever on the very edge of death and knew the servant girl spoke the truth. She broke the enchantment and returned the stone to flesh. And Emalia, the first Emalia,- gaunt, with only skin pulled taught over bone, in the finest white dress, drew her very last breath and looked her mother in the eyes, "I love you," and then at last her soul fled. There was a long silence before the mistress spoke in a shuddering voice, "She's gone." He then spoke the words of magic and the first Emalia's body was swallowed by the earth, where it could rest. "Mistress, will you free the others now?" "How do I know if I do, nothing bad will happen to them?" "Mistress I only know that if they stay here nothing *good* can happen - they will never fall in love, never have children or grandchildren, never see the world. Never know another summer or winter. Never be women." And again the servant girl spoke the truth. And so the mistress freed them - one by one, turning the immortal stone back to mortal flesh, and told them they could go home to mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. The last of the Emalia's went outside of the house for the first time three years, "It will be good to go home again, to see my mother and father, to see my brother who ran about the house with a wooden sword saying he was going to become a knight." "Well dear sister." The page was there, just outside the mistress's house and embraced and kissed the Last Emalia (whose birth name it turns out was Morgan), "It is good to kiss you in person - not that kissing your servant was such a dreadful chore mind you." And it was that the servant girl came to live in the knight's household, and Morgan became the personal attendant of the Dane, and the servant girl worked in the kitchen and was able to send money home to her mother and father. It was some thirty days later that Morgan and the servant girl returned to the garden finding their former mistress staring at the spot of ground where her daughter had been. She was singing the same lullaby that the servant girl had heard Morgan sing when she first arrived. The mistress's hair was unkempt and eyes red with tears. Morgan and the servant girl took their former mistress's hands gently in their own, "Mistress there is one more who must be freed from this garden." And the three of them went out into the world. |