Ogni alba a il suo tramonto.
(Every dawn to its dusk.)
- Gabriele d'Annunzio
Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
- Macbeth, William Shakespeare
*****
On the morning of the wedding of Princess Beatrice of the kingdom of Trasimene to the south of the brooding shadow of the Black Mountain, news was brought to the royal court that the feared one-eyed beast had broken free of his imprisonment and was rampaging through the land towards Trasimene.
No village had been safe from the beast. He passed through like a terrible whirlwind leaving terror and destruction, scorched earth and smoke behind in his wake. The neighbouring kingdom of Ossaia, home to the princess' betrothed, Crown Prince Xavier, had had its grain stores, fields and the vanguard of knights sent to meet the beast decimated.
The beast was coming for Princess Beatrice, it was said, to avenge the loss of his right eye and the jewel she had stolen three years ago from the lair of the beasts in the Black Mountain.
King Theobald declared that the kingdom of Trasimene would stand and defend itself and the surrounding lands from any foe or nemesis.
Prince Xavier vowed that he would meet the beast in battle and slay him.
The courtiers, the noble lords and ladies and common folk all cheered, reassured that the combined might of two armies led by their king and his future son-in-law would vanquish the fearsome beast.
The princess, the youngest and the only surviving one of King Theobald's three daughters, said nothing. She took off her wedding veil and sent her handmaidens away.
When her betrothed expressed surprise at her gesture, she declared that she would marry the victor when the battle was over. Believing that this would double his triumph, the prince was satisfied and went to prepare for battle.
The king's subjects saw the wisdom of their princess' gesture, believing that it would encourage and strengthen the unity of the two kingdoms' armies against the beast.
King Theobald was an indulgent father and it surprised no one that the king did not question or contest his daughter's decision.
'He has come, father,' said the princess.
'Do not be foolish, Beatrice,' said the king. 'I am in no mood to lose any more daughters. Do not stray from the castle.'
'Yes, father,' said the princess.
Talk of the approaching battle drowned out the talk of the postponed royal wedding. The kingdom busied itself in preparations for the impending battle and fortifying its defences against attack. The sentries on the capital's watch towers were vigilant in scanning the surrounding countryside for signs of the one-eyed beast threatening the kingdom and the life of their much beloved princess.
Princess Beatrice went to join the king and his counsellors and generals at the council of war, but Prince Xavier and his advisers had been invited to the joint council and the prince was displeased by her presence. The king's counsellors and the generals who had fought alongside the royal family through many campaigns sought to intercede for her.
'But you cannot desire to confront the beast, my love,' said Prince Xavier to the princess. 'The vengeful monster seeks your destruction.'
The princess graciously acquiesced to the prince's wish.
YOU ARE READING
The Princess and The Gargoyle
AdventureOn the morning of the wedding of Princess Beatrice of the kingdom of Trasimene to the south of the brooding shadow of the Black Mountain, news was brought to the royal court that the feared one-eyed beast had broken free of his imprisonment and was...
