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Unicorn

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Vawdias Main

The Great Eastern Tavern is a fair sized drinking and eating establishment rolled into one. It is capped with a very tiny inn upstairs, the only one in Hauder; a one room loft with three beds and a lone table. The beds are of clothed hay with no pillows and a single thin blanket for warmth. One man, a portly bearded fellow with more stink than noise, snores soundly away in one of the beds, uncovered at the moment, but totally content with what he has. An empty bed is beside him.

The third bed, on the other side of the vacant one, is occupied by a younger man, 21-ish, with a youth’s firm build and shoulder length brown hair. He sleeps in his pants, shirtless, and with his headband still tied about his brow. With him is his sword, a sheathed katana, tucked under the covers. He too is happy with the bed and sleeps quietly.

A girl, running on 15 and up the stairs, bursts into the room and goes straight to the younger man resting there. She calls him Lin, as in Lin Zaeld, and showers him with intruding attention, bouncing him awake with severe urgency in her voice.

“What…? WHAT?!” Lin snaps at her with a half thrown arm to wave her away.

“You told me to tell you when the unicorn came back! He did! This morning, just a few minutes ago, he did! And he took Pana! Why would he take Pana and not me? Get up!” She steals the blanket and tosses it in ball form to the far wall. The girl, Isha daughter of Josie, then takes hold of the katana. At this Lin bolts upright and violently rips it from her grasp.

“No one touches Lady Laina but me. Who knows where your grubby little fingers have been.”

The other man jostles and rolls over from the wake up crew. He pulls his blanket over him and snorts at the wall before falling into a rhythm of heavy breathing.

“He took Pana! Why would he ignore his vows to me?” Isha speaks with a raised whisper.

“What vow to you?” Lin puts his green shirt on and swings his legs off the side of the bed. He runs a hand through his hair and tightens his headband. “You never said this unicorn made any vows to you.”

“The ring vow. My father’s ring, the one mother held for him after he passed. I put the ring upon the Unicorns horn so that we may have our love bound in pure silver. It is a symbol of my love and his love for me. And he broke his vow by taking Pana! What would he want with that boy?”

“You put a ring on a unicorn horn?” Each word is separated by a brief pause. Lin takes his satchel from beneath the hay and wears it at his side. “You really are a foolish girl, aren’t you? Would you like it if I put a ring on you and claimed you mine?”

“That can’t happen! My unicorn-“

“It’s not your unicorn!” Lin raises his voice but quickly brings it back down to a respectable volume as he eyes the sleeping man becoming restless and impatient with his roommate. “You have violated this unicorn, attempted to steal its purity. Do you have any idea what you could have done?” Isha shakes her head, almost accepting her wrongdoing if for just a moment. “Let’s just say Pana may be the one to get the message that rightfully belongs to you. If the unicorn feels robbed of his purity he may have to try to ‘regain’ it from Pana. By who knows what means.”

“Oh, by the gods…What…We have to go to the Northern Wood. That’s where he eats, maybe sleeps there too.”

Fully dressed and equipped, Lin keeps his sword in one hand and takes Isha’s arm with his other. They hurry downstairs and exit with no response to the tavern master’s offer of breakfast stew. Their eyes squint in the morning sun, continuing to burn as they walk briskly into the sunrise towards a small thicket of woods. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“That’s cute, the warning sign. It looks like a five year old drew the skull and crossbones. The dripping blood is a nice touch too, but by winters end it will be gone, faded away.” Lin grins to Isha. The girl, however, seems to have realized the severity of her mistake, frightened only now by what she’s done as they stand on the threshold to the village-wicked forest.

“You don’t think Pana would kill my unicorn, do you?”

Maybe she doesn’t know how serious this is. Thinks Lin. He rolls his eyes in disbelief that her hometown friend comes second to her “precious beloved.” Her unicorn. Lin grunts out loud and covers it up with a smile when Isha looks to him.

“Well, let’s go.”

Isha nods in agreement and huddle-walks beside Lin into the forest.

The first obvious trait of the mysterious wood is the size. On the outside it looks to be the size of a city square or a farmer’s smaller crop. On the inside it balloons open to the size of an unexplored jungle. It stretches beyond as far as the eye can see. It isn’t misty or fog-filled as one would certainly expect from a mysterious wood, but rather the view goes on forever, marred only by trees and vines and a heavy dousing of ground flora.

“You said that the unicorn ate here, how did you know this?”

“I followed him here before. I came in, but only a few steps. I was afraid, but knowing that my unicorn loves me, I knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me if I were to scream for him.” Isha tightens her hold on Lin’s arm upon hearing something squeal.

They walk for a dozen minutes or so and Lin breaks away from her hold to dig something out of his satchel. A block of wood at first, then after an inset leaver is pulled it folds out into a crossbow. A secret button is pressed and the bolt chamber topples over itself and a new piece presents itself. Lin aims it skyward and fires an arrow with a thin cord trailing it. In a total matter five or more seconds the crossbow was retrieved and converted and is now lifting Lin and Isha high into the treetops much like a bucket is lifted from a well. The girl tries to scream but Lin has already covered her mouth. They dangle dangerously above the woodland floor.

For~rest!” A magnificent voice emanates from the air. It is followed by a human figure that materializes from a dropping leaf. A night skinned woman in a sand colored dress and oak colored hair stands looking around. She calls again in the beautiful song voice, her hands stretching up to her head and straightening the green-foliage crown resting there. Once more she calls and a jittery goblin man half her size waddles out of a mess of ugly brush. He wields a cleaver sized hatchet and a blood dyed cap carelessly dropped on his cranium.

“My forest is absent of all but you, Vaul. Tell me why?” The voice, still tugging at heartstrings with its pitch and tone, belongs to Simetra, the goddess of wildlife. She squats down to the goblin, Vaul, so she may look him in the eyes.

“They fear me. They take to their homes when I come to their woods.”

“You know why I wished to see you today?” She asks, returning to a standing pose, her head lifted by her wandering eyes.

“Aye, mistress. You would have me gather your unicorn.”

“Yes.” The word seems to draw out and echo into nonexistence. The sound should have been a visible mist fading away. “Does this trouble you?”

“Aye. You know I’m in love. It will be difficult for me.” Vaul lowers his head and hides his hatchet from his line of sight.

“I will find another-“

“Nay. I can do this, mistress. But, the woods…”

“The woods will be fine. I will keep them here myself. You will be in charge, as was intended.” Simetra caresses a loving hand down the side of his face; a hand that without notice becomes a dried leaf scratching across the surface of his leathery skin and lifting away. Vaul keeps his head low and his hatchet hidden from himself.

“He’s going to kill my unicorn?” Isha whispers to Lin in desperation. Her hold crushes him with fear strength.

“Shut up girl! I told you it is not your unicorn!” Lin wriggles to make her loosen up on him. He watches Vaul waddle away and follows his movement for some safe distance away from them. The inventive grapple mechanic is worked to slowly rappel them to the forest floor. Lin continues while putting the device away, “We will follow him to the unicorn and Pana. It seems our blessed lady of the beasts employs him as a sort of assassin. I’m sure she would not have him in this role if he were not an expert tracker.”

The woods spark to life with a young man screaming. Previously missing forest life make themselves unrestfully known, cutting and sweeping through the area with fearful abandonment.

Lin leaves Isha to trail him as he sprints ahead. His footfalls trace Vaul’s path until a clearing is reached. A circle of packed dirt floor is occupied by Pana, Vaul, and the unicorn. Vaul stands between the unicorn and the young man who sees Isha and calls her name.

“What are you doing here you idiot!” Isha slanders her friend as if it were his fault. “Why did you run off with my unicorn?”

“Aye, t’is the same mistake your lad made m’lady. You see, this here is my unicorn. I’d appreciate if you’d kindly remove the treacherous binding put on her.” Vaul is inching towards Pana while speaking. His hatchet, doused in rust and age, does not glimmer in the light that breaks through the canopy of trees.

“Her?” Isha stands dumbfounded. Lin, next to her, grins satisfaction at one less problem to deal with later. His sword is drawn and he carefully watches the goblin.

“Th-that’s right Isha!” Pana speaks at last. “This unicorn came into town and kidnapped me. It got into my head and started saying things. It said it loves me! Said it was devoted to me! It’s crazy! Possessed!”

“Nay, she is not possessed, nor is she wrong in the mind. She’s only confused, aren’t you deary?” Vaul looks to the magnificent mare and smiles a stomach churning grin. “’Cause she knows she belongs to me, right deary?”

The unicorn shakes its head and stomps its hoof. A voice spills into everyone’s head, “No Vaul, I do not love you. I love another. It is Pana that I love.” The rich female voice brings Isha to a pout.

Nay! You’ve chose wrong! You’ve not only robbed me of my inheritance, you’ve robbed me of my emotion! You are mine!” And with that Vaul lets loose the hatchet and sends it flying. It hits its mark, burying deep into Pana’s chest. The teen falls to his back with the force of the hit, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

Isha screams the name of her friend and is shoved aside by Lin who jumps into action. He reaches the goblin not nearly soon enough as Vaul has already reclaimed his weapon and has hacked off Pana’s head.

However, Lin is intercepted by the unicorn. The beast of legendary innocence and purity now impales Vaul on its swirled horn. The ivory-like piece protrudes a good four inches from beneath the goblin’s ribcage. He hacks a horrid sound into the air and immediately goes limp. A blood just as red as any man’s spoils the unicorns beauty, or adds to it, Lin cannot decide as he stands stricken with surprise. The hellish contrast of red splashed over silken white is fanciful and exotic. An artist would have the perfect excuse to create something so horrific just because of that wondrous contrast in the simplest of colors.

Unseen, Isha comes within striking distance of her fowled beloved. She hurls a log of dead wood that smashes and dirties the flank of the unicorn. She shrinks in fear as the beast turns and uses its front hooves to rip Vaul from his death post. Isha drops to her knees at the sight of the mare smiling at her with bloodlust.

The ring. The damned ring has driven it mad and turned this peaceful creature into a monster! Lin wades through thought, trying to regain control over his body to defend the helpless, stupid girl. Yes, this stupid girl got her friend killed because she stupidly fell in love with this unicorn. This girl unicorn!

“I have to get that ring.” And Lin keeps true to his word. His agility and blessing of unblemished fortune guides him in his attack. He strikes first at the mammal’s one weapon, but is unable to slice through the horn. Now having the unicorn’s attention, he works on defense as the beast comes after him, wielding its head like a freakish blade.

Isha comes to kneel beside Pana’s remains and begins to cry. “You stupid boy…I should have been with you. I should have accepted your proposal and you would have been engaged and this unicorn could not have brought this on you. I’m sorry Pana. If I had known this is what would happen, I would have accepted your love and learned to love you back…” She turns to look at the ongoing fight. The nomad who is only three days new to her village risking his life to save hers, even after her dreaded mistake of thinking the unicorn was a male and of thinking she could woo such a fantastic creature. She wipes the tears from her eyes with her dress and looks again to see the battle is over. She missed the final blow but can see the result—a long deep gash cut across the unicorn’s back. The attack seems to have severed ribs as it favored to the left. Rich red ooze spills out to the dirt on which the female unicorn now rests. She wonders if all creatures everywhere have the same colored blood as each other.

Lin is tired, not so much from the battle, but the effort needed to counter such a fine fighting beast. He breathes deep, his katana already sheathed; Isha may never have even seen the blade. He comes to the girl and hands her the cut ring. Even when dead the horn of the unicorn would not release the bind unless it was broken, a burden lifted no doubt from the soul of the animal.

“Thank you for freeing my forest from that wicked creature.” The voice of Simetra surprises Lin and Isha both. They stare clueless at the goddess and she smiles gently, continuing in her song voice. “Yes, the unicorn is a most terrible creature. Whores of the animal kingdom, there is no sense of purity about them. They are predators, giving themselves freely to their own sexual desires and to those who will have them, they then must go about and find an innocent to wash away their sinful deeds. Yune, the unicorn, gave herself to Vaul, the only creature in these woods vile enough to take her. But Vaul fell in love with her. I was the one who took his heritage of this forest from him, telling him it was of Yune’s fault and that by killing her would he reclaim it.”

“But Vaul never intended to do that, did he?” Asks Lin, quick to understand.

“No, he did not.” Simetra sits upon a stump newly lifted from the ground. She smiles again, “He thought by taking her as his wife that he could have her and the forest. The ring suggested otherwise. He thought that Pana had put it there and that he was the one binding his lover.”

“Because Pana was a male…and the unicorn was female. It was an honest mistake.” Isha grimaces and hangs her head.

“Yes, an honest mistake just as you made in assuming the unicorn to be male.”

“You said the unicorn, Yune, was a predator?” Lin stands confused about one detail.

“All unicorns are predators. Do not be fooled by their beauty. Much like the sirens that lure sailors to their deaths, so does the unicorn deceive with its beauty. What they cannot fool with the eye, they intrude into the mind.”

“I thought I could hear someone, the unicorn, talking, but only in my head.” Lin rubs his forehead.

“Yes. That is how the unicorn spreads lies about being pure, and innocent. They work this magic with their beauty to obtain the love of virgins, of those truly untouched. Indeed, it alarms many to think of the unicorn as such a vicious killer, but it is right there, the warning; the horn of the unicorn. That singular mark is a telltale sign that this is not an animal you wish to encounter, no more than any other creature with talons or claws or carnivorous teeth. Nature, I, try to warn you people by putting obvious danger marks on my predators.” Simetra stands and the stump vanishes, but then it never really was there.

The goddess walks and comes to a stop just before the two survivors. She lends that ever-beautiful smile of understanding, forgiving them it seems, of their ignorance and foolishness. She says nothing and is an autumn leaf lifting high and away.

“What a horrible creature! A vile, worthless entity!” Isha scoffs aloud at the unicorn.

“Stupid girl…Come on; let us take your friend back to his home. He deserves a proper burial after what you’ve put him through.” Lin nudges her shoulder with his own and makes to lift Pana over his shoulder. The boy was so young and is so light. If the unicorn were a carnivore as well there would have barely been a meal here. But with that ring, maybe “Yune” knew Isha would not be far behind.

“What will we tell them? No one will ever believe a unicorn was the cause of all this trouble. They’re more likely to believe you beheaded him.” Isha bends and takes Pana’s head by his hair, walking alongside of Lin, carrying the noggin like a water pail.

“Well, you’re right about at least one thing today. They won’t believe the unicorn tale, which is a deadly shame. So, we will tell them that a goblin came to eat the unicorn, scared it away, and had to settle on Pana. We were just a moment too late.”

“The stew wasn’t boiling yet.” Isha holds the severed head eye level and puckers at the smell.

“And he was your friend, huh?”

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