Come here pretty shadow
What stories will you tell?
Ah, my pretty little pet
So that is what you say?
A tale of dark love
Is what you offer me?
Tell it my little shadow
Tell me what you know
Of the cursed lovers
Who lived so long ago?


Raikah was a princess
A royal lady true
With hair of purest ebon black
And eyes of greenest green
No sun touched her star pale skin
Else she be banished to the lands of gloom
Three fairies gave her magic gifts
But each came with a catch
Everlasting beauty
To be touched by no bright rays
Else she should turn to dust and grave
A voice as pure and perfect
As a mortal voice could be
But should a harsh word
Ever touch her ears
Her voice would cease
And choke her where she stood
And last but never least
A secret gift
To be used only in the direst of circumstance
To save her dearest love
But should that love
Not feel the same
Then pain and darkness shall be his fate

So Raikah sat
In her tower room
No light but moon and candle
No sound but smiles and cheerful song
No love but that of a lap dog

Aiwin was a servant boy
A nervous bowing youth
With rough cut hair of chestnut brown
And eyes of hazel grey
Freckles dotted his sun tanned skin
From the days he’d played upon a farm
Magic had never touched his life
But he knew that it existed
He’d never seen a unicorn
Or touched a piece of fairy gold
But he believed
And for him
That was enough
In all areas he was a normal man
But he had his little gifts
He played a Sheppard’s pipe
Well enough to charm the birds
And he knew the country dances
Every single step
And when he could he drew
Pictures of people he saw
Things that he knew
But mostly he worked
Obediently following the orders
The castle masters gave

So Aiwin worked
Going through the motions
And one day
He was sent to serve the princess
In her tower rooms

When Raikah first saw Aiwin
She saw naught but a friendly servant boy
But when Aiwin first saw Raikah
He was smitten

Now dear ones
There’s a third person in this tale
Which you should know
His name was Tatwell
A ruler of the kingdom
Not far from Raikah’s own
He looked beyond his walls
And wanted only more
So, he contacted Raikah’s father
Told him
“Marry me to your daughter or prepare to face a war!”
This threat was only idle
Tatwell had no army and no way to get one
But Raikah’s father trembled
And replied
“Come, pledge your troth, and she shall be devoted to you for all of her days.”

It helped
That Tatwell had been blessed
By thirteen fairies at his birth
With perfect blond hair
And perfect blue eyes
And perfect chiseled body
And many other perfect things
All helped make him think
He was perfect himself

So Raikah’s father
Told her
He’d found her soul mate
A man who would love her
For all of her days
And Raikah was happy
For that was what she’d always wanted
She couldn’t wait
To meet this man
Who’d end her lonely days

So the servants gossiped
And Aiwin heard
No one he thought
Could love Raikah as much as he did
And he was upset
For though he knew he and Raikah
Could never be together
He’d still wished to tell her he loved her
And he wanted to hurt the man
Who would take Raikah from him

Raikah’s father
Held a ball
So Tatwell could meet his bride
Raikah’s fairy godmothers
Met her at dawn that day
With sad looks upon their faces
And gifts to give away
From one a night black gown
Simple but exquisite
From another, dancing shoes
Charmed with grace and fluid movement
And from the last, jewels
Enchanted to snare the attentions
Of the one who loved her most
With these things
Came warnings
“Do not just hand your heart away.”
“Remember your gifts, and what could happen.”
“Please, think this through!”
And with that
They disappeared

Tatwell’s own godmothers
Were no where to be found
For while they had arrived
He’d sent them away
Saying “I am perfect, I need no magic gifts from you.”
So, in thirteen fits of pique
They left
And with fey anger
Sought out Aiwin
“We’ll make you a lord for a single night, so that you might compete with Tatwell, who would take Raikah from you.”
They said together
The young man didn’t know what to say
Not one, but thirteen fairies
Had come to him that day
“What would you wish us to do? We can make you a god, an angel, anything you wish for this one night.”
Aiwin thought and spoke his mind
“I want naught but title, carriage and clothes. I would have her won by my self, not by magic or gold.”
And the fairies
Impressed by Aiwin’s humility
Gave him what he wished
And a small something more
“When you enter the castle at sunset tonight you shall have all you asked. You shall appear in every aspect the rich and noble lord. But you have honored yourself and us this day, so, we give you another gift. The gift is to cheat death, only once, and not on your own behalf. Use it as you see fit.”
Spoke the youngest fairy
And she and the others disappeared

So, the great ball began
And Tatwell stood
Bored beyond thought
And Aiwin
Garbed in noble cloth
Slipped through the dancing crowds

Then as the sun dropped
The last rays below the horizon
Raikah descended down the grand stairs
To Aiwin and the onlookers
She was a goddess come to Earth
But Tatwell simply rolled his eyes
And muttered
“Another one of these…”

Aiwin, with a blushing bow
Murmured “Princess Raikah,
May I have this dance?”
For he was snared
As the one who loved her most
And Raikah curtsied
“Truly sir, I would let you…”
At this instant
Tatwell arrived
“Princess Raikah. It is I, Lord Tatwell, who is your one true love. Let us dance the night away and then be married.”
With a sad look at Aiwin
Who her mind told her she knew
Raikah replied
“You honor me Lord Tatwell, with your offer and your pledge.”
And so they danced
And Aiwin watched and sighed

The thirteen fairies
Watching from a far
Raged and wailed
Then decided to act

As the night
Went on and on
And many of the guests
With bows and smiles
Left
Then the fairies struck

Into the mind
Of Raikah’s father
They placed a simple thought
That Tatwell was no lord
And the princess was a threat

With a scream
Of hopeless, helpless rage
He told the guards
“Seize them!”
And Tatwell grabbed her hand
And ran
“What have you done you stupid girl!”
Growled Tatwell
As he hauled
Raikah close behind
And then she choked
And her voice ceased
As it had been said it would

They spent the night
Running
And hiding
Raikah was worried
About Tatwell
Who was supposed to be
Her one true love
And Tatwell was worried
About his own skin
Fleeing from the palace guards
Who were themselves confused

Finally
Crouched behind a creeping bush
They were found
And as the sun began to rise
And its rays spread across the land
Tatwell found himself stabbed
Bleeding from his stomach
He cried
“But I’m the perfect man!”
Raikah
Tears falling from her eyes
Stood and gasped
“Please, forces save him!”
And as the golden light came down
To heal Tatwell’s wound
A beam of sunlight
Struck her face
And her skin cracked
And burned
And turned to char and ash

As the golden light touched Tatwell
It turned to red and black
And a voice began to speak
“You never loved my mistress, and it is you she died to save. So I, her little shadow, shall make you pay.”
And he began to writhe in pain
And scream
As blood dripped
From his ears and eyes and nose
With the little voice giggling
He thrashed and cried
While his skin melted
And all the time he was alive

Aiwin
Having shed his lordly clothes
Had followed the guards
On the chase through the woods
Finding Raikah
Dead
And Tatwell
Dieing
He began to cry
Taking out his Sheppard’s pipes
He played a mournful dirge
And from the satchel on his back
He took out his sketchbook
And the pages within
Staring at the drawings
Of Raikah in her living glory

Ignoring Tatwell’s pleas for help
He remembered the fairies’ gift
And said
“Bring me back Raikah Death. That is what I ask.”
And Raikah rose
Her skin cleared
And she became alive again
But her eyes remained dead
And her voice was still silenced

With a hand that trembled
He touched her cheek
And asked
“Where has she gone?”
And the youngest fairy appeared
“She’s gone Aiwin. With her last wish. Would you follow her?”
“Of course!”
“Then simply drink this.”
The fairy offered a bottle
Full of green fluid
That sparkled in the light
Like Raikah’s eyes

Aiwin took the bottle
And drank it in one gulp
And then collapsed
In a heap
The fairy smiled
And touched a hand to Raikah’s head
And she slumped beside him
Dead again
And with a kick
To Tatwell’s head
The fairy grinned
And cast a spell

Then Raikah knew
That Aiwin cared
And was her one true love
And Aiwin knew
That Raikah loved him
And that they’d be together forever

And with that knowledge
In their hearts
They floated up
And awoke
For just an instant
Long enough to embrace
And kiss
For the first and last time
Then the youngest fairy
Encased the pair in a crystal heart

“Come out little shadow, I know you are there. You’re the one who avenged Raikah, and because of you, Tatwell is dead.”
Spoke the fairy
And the little shadow appeared
And bowed
“I’m here fairy. What would you have me do?”
“Guard these two. And when the time comes, give them to someone who will watch over them and treasure them.”
The shadow bowed again
And sank with the crystal
Deep into the earth

And there they stayed
Forever together
Forever in love
And guarded by the little shadow
Until they came to you


Thank you lovely shadow
For that darling tale
I shall have to look in
On my crystal pair
Now, leave me
My little shadow
I have work to do
So, until I ask again
For a story or two
Goodbye my pretty pet
You’ve served me well
Seek another story
My darling dear
Another treasure
For me to keep
And hear