The Red Unicorn

Rebecca D. Bruner

        

         The urgent clanging of bells wrenched Mirrin from slumber. Weary from gathering medicinal herbs in the thin mountain air, she had only meant to rest a moment, but long shadows now stretched behind the trees. She scrambled to her feet, and ran to the edge of the cliff.

         Her eyes widened with horror as she looked down to see the people of her village scurrying in panic. The odor of burning thatch smote her nostrils. Armed men with torches swarmed through the streets, setting houses ablaze. A swelling crowd fled in the direction of their lord’s fortress, seeking refuge, while the church bells pealed the alarm. Mirrin stifled a sob.

         She hoped desperately that her own parents were among the throng flooding into the keep, though she knew joining them would be impossible. The climb down the cliff was treacherous. Long before she could reach the bottom, Rillec the Wolf and his mob would have laid siege to the castle.

         Trembling, she peered into the forest. The fair folk were rumored to haunt these woods. Mortals who saw such creatures were seldom seen again. The few who returned would sigh their lives away, eaten up with an insatiable longing for just another glimpse of an elf or unicorn.

         Once more, Mirrin stared into the angry flames. No matter what might be lurking in those woods, it couldn’t be more dangerous than the band of outlaws down below.

Mirrin turned and fled into the forest’s deepening gloom. She ran until her feet were raw and her lungs on fire. She was on the verge of collapse when she glimpsed the lime-whitened walls of a humble cottage in the moonlight. Mirrin staggered forward, and knocked at the door.

         Firelight danced over the strange woman’s face, revealing a beauty worn away by years of care. Mirrin’s gaze wandered upward to the stone chimney behind her hostess. A great black shield, emblazoned with a rampant red unicorn hung above the mantelpiece. The image glowed like molten metal in the firelight. Mirrin could picture the creature shaking his proud head in fury and impaling his enemies with his terrible horn.

         She shivered and studied the woman with growing apprehension. A shield that magnificent didn’t belong in a peasant’s hut. The scowling old woman didn’t look much like a fairy, but perhaps Mirrin should not have been so quick to accept her hospitality, or to tell her own story…

          “You are very lucky,” the woman said, “though you likely haven’t the wit to see it.”

         Her reproachful tone startled Mirrin.

         “Perhaps you think you’d be safer with your loved ones…” The old woman shook her head. “They’re already as good as dead. Rats in Rillec’s trap.”

         Mirrin’s voice quavered. “What will he do to them?”

         “Rillec is not called ‘Wolf’ for nothing. He’s cunning and tenacious. He’ll assail the castle with catapults and flaming arrows. His men will dig under the foundation until your lord’s fortress crumbles around him. If that should fail, he will wait for winter. Starvation and disease will prey upon your people, until they have no more strength to resist.”

         “Is there no hope?” Mirrin’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

         The women gazed up at the shield with a wistful expression. “If Rillec were challenged by the Knight of the Red Unicorn, he might be defeated.”

         “Would Rillec really agree to a single combat?”

         “He has a score to settle with the Unicorn Knight. He’ll accept the challenge. Pride will drive him to his doom.”

         “Even if he were killed, would his followers lift the siege?”

         “Once their leader is dead, Rillec’s men will desert or fight amongst themselves.”

         Mirrin studied the fantastic shield. “Do you think the Unicorn Knight would agree to come and help us?”

         “That may depend upon you.”

         “How do you know all this?”

         Her hostess leaned back and stared into the embers. In a rich, melodic voice she began to tell her tale.

         Long ago, my father was the steward of a powerful duke. After years of faithful service, he was his most trusted advisor.

         The duke had provided apartments for our family within his court. I spent many happy hours chasing about the duke’s castle as a prattling tot with my two brothers whom I called “Elwick” and “Will.” Elric, my elder brother, soon outgrew this childish epithet, but I stubbornly persisted in mispronouncing my younger brother’s name for years, because I knew how it annoyed him. I was often the victim of Will’s cunning pranks, and I did what I must to settle the score. Despite these squabbles, we loved each other dearly, though our carefree childhood days passed by all too quickly.

          In time, our well-beloved duke died, and all his subjects mourned his passing. His son, Lord Mavorin, assumed his father’s seat. He then bestowed knighthood on my elder brother and took my younger brother as his squire.

         Duke Mavorin held a great feast and called his nobles to swear fealty to him. Only Sir Othric, who had once vainly arisen against the old duke, dared to spurn the invitation. In the midst of the feast, Othric’s herald appeared, denouncing the young duke as a bastard, and defying him to prove in battle that he was worthy of his seat.

         Many of the vassals were eager to demonstrate their loyalty and valor by defending their duke’s claim. Others seemed to be weighing the young duke’s mettle. Would their new liege lord prove himself worthy to be feared as well as honored?

         Duke Mavorin gathered one hundred of his knights and retainers, including my two brothers, and rode out against Sir Othric. The morning they departed, they were a fair sight in their shining armor and bright livery.

         I kissed my brothers goodbye, and bade them ride forth to glory! Being only a naïve girl, I found it thrilling to imagine them going off to battle, and I envied them.

         My father did not share my enthusiasm. As the steward, he had to manage all the duke’s affairs in his absence, and he was now worried for both his sons.

         I watched him pace the floor in his study, peering out the high tower window for any messenger bearing tidings of the battle, but none came.

         After many days, he saw riders approaching in the distance. He called me to him, since my young eyes could better discern the standard they carried. The wind spread the banner so I could clearly recognize a white charger on a sable field, my elder brother’s coat of arms.

         I flung my arms about my father’s neck.

         “They are safe!” I exclaimed, “Elric is safe.”

         “Why do they ride under Elric’s banner, and not the duke’s?” he pondered.

         We raced down to the courtyard. I embraced Elric with joy, but he had little time to speak with me. My father began interrogating him about the duke and the battle at once.

         “Perhaps it would be best to speak of this in private,” my brother suggested, and they retired to my father’s study.

         I turned to my younger brother. “Brave Will,” I exclaimed, “tell me of all your valiant deeds!”

         My brother’s face was grim. “Be thankful that you were born a maid, and not a man,” he said. I thought he was mocking me, but there was no mirth in his tone. “You will never find yourself face to face with a man who means to kill you.” He turned and walked away, leaving me dumbfounded.

         I ran to catch up with him.

         “I’m sorry!” I cried.

          “You know nothing of battle, Glynnis,” he snapped.  “It’s not a matter for jest.”

         “What happened?” I asked earnestly.

         “Othric’s men ambushed us. We were riding to meet them in battle, but they surprised us on the road.” His face darkened at the memory. “Have you ever seen a man slain? Do you know what it’s like to watch someone bleed his life away?” His words were bitter, almost accusing. I did not know what to say.

         He went on, “Othric has taken Duke Mavorin hostage. He demands a ransom in exchange for his safe return. Elric suspects this was his intent from the outset.” Will lapsed into a sullen silence. I could not guess how my brother had been so profoundly altered. He seemed quite unlike the lighthearted prankster I remembered.

         Since I could learn no more from Will, I rushed to my father’s study to discover what my elder brother had told him. Father perused the letters Elric had brought, and the color drained from his face. I turned to my brother.

         “Is it true that Sir Othric is holding the duke for ransom?” I asked.

         “Indeed, it is,” my father interjected, “and the amount he demands for his release is twice the annual income of all Lord Mavorin’s lands put together. We cannot possibly raise such a sum.”

         “What shall we do?” I asked, my head spinning. Only a few weeks before, our family had been secure. My father’s position had seemed unshakable. Now the whole world was turning upside down.

         “I shall challenge Sir Othric to single combat,” my father announced. “If I defeat him, he will trouble us no more, and the duke will be set free.”

         Elric and I exchanged anxious glances.

         “Do you really think that’s wise, my lord?” he asked.

         “It is the honorable thing to do.”

         Elric held his peace. If our father was convinced this was his duty, nothing could dissuade him.

         My father called for Giles Clarric, the man who had always served as his secretary. He had watched me and my brothers grow up, and he loved us like an uncle. Though the devoted secretary would never breathe a word of his concern, I noticed him biting his lip as my father dictated his challenge.

         Othric soon responded, arriving with an entourage of squires, pages, grooms, and guards. He also brought Duke Mavorin, who was bound and blindfolded like a common criminal.

         Until that day, I had only seen tournament jousting, where knights try their skills and compete for prizes. I had never before witnessed a contest like this, where my own father’s life and the future of my home hung in the balance.

         I sat alone in our family’s box, since both my brothers were assisting our father. Sir Othric rode up before me and saluted. I turned away, making no reply. I could hear him laughing behind my back.

         “You’ll speak gently to me before long,” he said as he rode off.

         Soon, my father came to salute the box.

         “May heaven smile upon you, Father,” I said. There was no time for long goodbyes.

         My father and Sir Othric took their places in the lists. The flag signaled them to start, and they rode toward each other at full speed, each one’s deadly lance leveled at his opponent’s breast. At the first stroke, Sir Othric threw my father from his horse. He struggled to gain his feet, but Othric bore down upon him with a naked broadsword. Under the rain of his blows, my father fell, never to rise again. It was the first time I had witnessed a joust to the death, and it was my own father who had fallen.

         A wild shriek escaped from my lips. Will’s angry words throbbed in my ears, “Have you ever seen a man slain?” Then the blackness swallowed me, and I fell to the ground.

         “Are you well, my lady?” a low voice murmured.

         Gradually, the pounding in my temples abated, and I became aware of someone’s arm about my shoulders. I opened my eyes. As the haze in my head began to clear, I realized with a start that it was Sir Othric himself! I pulled away from him, and nearly swooned again.

         “Leave me alone!” I screamed. “How dare you touch me?”

         “I had to help a lady in distress,” Othric replied with a smirk. He bowed and departed.

         Shuddering, I staggered to my feet and hurried to join my brothers at our poor father’s side. Hearts heavy with grief, we bore his body away and laid him to rest in the churchyard. He had lived and died a man of honor, but now his labors were at an end.

         Ours, however, were just beginning. Almost before the last shovel of earth was poured into my father’s grave, Othric sent a new demand for ransom. He threatened to kill the duke if Elric, who was now steward, did not comply with his terms.

         I fought off an eerie sense of foreboding, as my brother called for the secretary and responded with another challenge to single combat. My brother was a strong knight in the flower of his youth. He would surely fare better against Othric than my father had.

         Elric himself shared my apprehensions. Before his bout with Othric, he fastened our father’s spurs to young Will’s heels and knighted him in the duke’s name, thus ensuring that he could succeed him as steward.

         Once again, the two combatants took their places in the lists. Elric fought fiercely, deflecting Othric’s lance, and piercing his armor on the first pass. On the second pass, both lances were splintered by the impact as the knights collided.

         While their attendants hurried to bring replacements, I got a good look at Elric. He appeared winded, but still strong. I began to hope that perhaps he would defeat the despicable knight.

         On the next pass, Elric was swept out of the saddle. He hit the ground hard, and when he made no move to rise, I knew that he had taken his death wound. Will ran to him, and removed his helmet. He searched in vain for signs of life. With a heavy heart I watched him close Elric’s eyes.

         My throat grew tight. Hot tears trickled down my cheeks. I grasped the arms of my chair, my back like steel.

         Meanwhile, Othric had commanded that Duke Mavorin be brought before him. He drew a dagger with which to execute our wretched lord. The duke’s handsome face seemed peaceful, despite the threat of impending death. Suddenly, my younger brother pushed between Othric and the duke. They exchanged words I could not hear, then Othric put up his dagger and his guards led the duke away. I sighed with relief. For the moment, Duke Mavorin had been spared. Then, Othric rode up to greet me. I braced myself for his onslaught.

         “How fare you now, my haughty maid?” he asked. “Who will defend your virtue when all your kinsmen and your lord sleep in the churchyard?”

         His words made my skin crawl. The blood pounded in my ears. I drove my nails into my palms to keep from swooning, lest I give him another excuse to lay his bloody hands on me.

         To the churchyard we bore poor Elric’s body, and laid him to rest. As Will and I observed the funeral rites, I had the uncanny sensation that we were reenacting my father’s burial.

         When it was over, I sat beside my brother in the study that was now his. I took his hand.

         “Must you challenge Othric now? I don’t think that I could stand to lose you as well.”

         He smiled. “Never fear, Glynnis. Fortune is a fickle mistress, but her wheel does bring some up, even as others are brought down. Only a month ago, if you had told me I would soon become a knight, I’d have said you were joking. But now I am one.

         “I never dreamed of becoming lord steward myself and yet, here I am. Perhaps fortune will continue to smile upon me, and I will find a way to defeat Sir Othric, even though others have failed.”

         He looked so serene in the face of mortal danger. After witnessing the death of his nearest kinsmen, my younger brother was being called upon to assume responsibilities far beyond his years. Manhood had been thrust upon him too soon. Before long, he would risk his life in the lists, and I wanted him to know how much I appreciated his sacrifice, so I called him by his proper name.

         “I pray you are right, Rillec.” I said.

         That night, I could not sleep. As I lay brooding, I was startled by a knock at my chamber door. I quickly threw my mantle about me, lit a candle, and pulled the door open a crack.

         There in the passageway stood Giles Clarric, the secretary. I knew not why he should be there at such a time of night, but his face was grave.

         “Master Clarric! What’s wrong?” I asked.

         “My Lady Glynnis, you must flee from here at once,” he whispered.

         “What do you mean? Why?”

         “Not an hour ago, the lord steward, your brother, dictated to me a message for Sir Othric.”

         “Well, of course he has to challenge him...”

         “This was no challenge, but a proposition. If Othric will depart in peace, Lord Rillec has offered to become his vassal. To sweeten the bargain, he has promised Othric your hand in marriage along with your dowry.”

         I was appalled. I did not want to believe him, but I knew Master Clarric too well to doubt his word. Suddenly, Rillec’s serenity in the face of danger took on a sickening aspect. He had been confident, not that fortune would smile upon him, but that he could contrive a way of escape for himself.

         “I am glad,” the secretary continued, “that your father did not live to see his own son behave like such a coward. It would have broken the good man’s heart.”

         “What of the duke?” I asked, remembering Rillec’s urgent conversation with Othric in the lists. Had my brother merely been playing for time?

         “The steward has given Duke Mavorin up for dead. Othric may do with him what he will.”

         “This is horrible!”

         “Yes, my lady, and I beg you to make haste. The message will undoubtedly be delivered to Sir Othric by daybreak.”

         “But what should I do?”

         “Fly, my lady, and God give you speed.” With that, he hurried down the passage and out of my sight.

         Of all the horrors that had befallen me, this was the hardest to bear. Though I had lost my father and Elric, I would always treasure their memories in my heart. But Rillec had plotted to deliver me into the bosom of his foe. Now that I knew my brother was capable of such cruelty, even my fondest memories of him would be tainted forever.

         Feeling desperate and friendless, I disguised myself in mail that had been poor Elric’s, and stole out of the castle with only my horse for a companion.

         My own brother had betrayed me; where could I turn for aid? Hoping to get as far from home as possible, I fled into the mountains. I soon found myself lost in this very wood.

         At length, I reached a clearing where I could glimpse the stars. My bones were aching and I was too weary to care what would become of me. I dropped from the saddle onto the smooth turf at the foot of a tree, and cast my helmet aside. Clasping Elric’s shield to my chest like a blanket, I fell asleep.

         I was awakened with a start by the terror-stricken neighing of my horse. I hardly remembered where I was, or why. The stars had almost disappeared, and the sky was growing lighter. I vividly remember the wild look in my horse’s eyes, her ears laid flat against her head in fear.

         I tried to soothe her, but she bolted away into the forest. Whatever had terrified her was rapidly approaching. The earth shook beneath me, and the sound of galloping hoof beats echoed through the trees.

         I struggled to my feet and raised my shield. I forgot to draw my sword, though such weapons were impotent against the mighty creature who thundered into view.

         He was a unicorn, but one unlike any I had ever heard tell of. He was enormous, as tall and broad-chested as the strongest war horse. A great dark horn protruded from his brow. His mane and tail were long and wild, flowing about him like a restless wind. As the light grew stronger, I realized that his coat was not white, but red, a deep, rich sorrel, such as I had never seen on any living beast.

         At the sight of him, an intense, almost painful longing stirred within me. I sank to my knees in fear and awe, thinking that to be riven through the heart by his mighty horn would not be a bad ending. I could think of no better way to die than to be slain by one so majestic, so beautiful.

         The mighty beast checked his mad career toward me. Snorting, stamping and shaking his mane, he began to canter in a wide circle around me. I remained frozen where I knelt, hardly daring to breath. The marvelous creature drew nearer in ever-tightening circles.

         The unicorn slowed to a stop, lowering his great head to my face. A spicy, invigorating scent hung about him. The warmth of his breath and the velvet of his muzzle caressed my cheek and neck. I sat frozen in wonder, half fearing he might suddenly rear up and trample me.

         To my astonishment, the wild thing dropped to his knees and gently laid his great head in my lap. I could feel my tears welling, as I looked down into his solemn eyes. I, who had been left utterly friendless, had now finally found a friend. I had been driven from my birthplace, but I had the strange feeling that I had, at last, come home.

         I laid down my shield, and began to stroke his fiery mane, and recount to him all my sorrows. Though he spoke no word, I could see in his eyes that he understood all I said.

         I wept upon the unicorn’s noble neck.

         “When my own flesh and blood has betrayed me, who will protect me?” I cried.

         The unicorn pressed his soft nose to my cheek. Then, with a mighty snort, he rose to his feet. Lowering his head, he struck the device on my shield with the tip of his horn. A blood red stain spread forth from it to cover the rampant stallion, dyeing the snow-white charger crimson. Then he etched a new mark onto the shield’s face. When he had finished, it bore the perfect image of a red unicorn, as it does to this day. He had forever marked me as his own.

         He stamped his hoof, and nickered, nodding his head and looking at me with expectation. Suddenly I understood that the unicorn was offering to be not only my friend, but my champion.

         I ran to him, flinging my arms about his neck, and burying my face in his beautiful coat. He nuzzled my hair affectionately, and then pushed me towards the helmet and shield lying nearby, urging me to take these up once more. I donned my brother’s helmet and slid the wonderful shield onto my arm. I clambered onto his great back, and we were on our way.

         It was all I could do to hold on, as he galloped through the dense wood. I clutched at his mane with both hands, and drove my knees into his sides. To fall at such a speed would have surely meant my death, yet nothing had ever felt so thrilling.

         The rising sun transformed the treetops into a glowing canopy of green. When we reached the narrow road that had brought me to the forest, the great unicorn careened down the path like a mountain goat, barely checking his speed as it wound down the steep hillside. The trees melted into a shimmering blur as we sped past.

         We raced on until we reached the castle of the duke. The unicorn charged into the lists, just as the sun reached its zenith. An awe-struck hush fell upon the crowd as we entered the arena.

         I remember the startled look on Rillec’s face as we rode past. He was surrounded by assistants as he reluctantly donned his armor. Since he could no longer use me to bargain with, he was apparently being forced to fight Othric. He was whiter than a sheet.

         Pacing back and forth astride his horse, Sir Othric railed against Rillec’s cowardice and demanded a more worthy opponent. The red unicorn snorted and stamped his hooves. Othric turned about in amazement to see a knight clad in the armor of a dead man astride an enchanted steed. I saw him swallow hard, then lower his visor and level his lance.

         He charged toward us with his spear pointed at my breast and, for a moment, I could almost sympathize with Rillec’s fear. I raised my shield, and clutched the unicorn’s mane.

         The great, red unicorn lowered his head. He sped toward Othric, his deadly horn aimed at the knave’s heart. The impact rang in my ears and jarred my teeth as his horn pierced the knight’s armor. He drove it clear through Othric’s body, sweeping him off the back of his horse with the force of the blow. He shook his proud head, and Sir Othric fell to the ground, lifeless.

         A mighty cheer went up from all the duke’s supporters. Othric’s entourage retreated in haste, lest the fiery beast turn upon them next. They evaporated like fog in the heat of the sun. I was not certain who freed the duke, but the next thing I knew, he was coming toward me as I sat astride the magnificent unicorn.

         He bowed low, saying, “Great champion, I am deeply in your debt. You and your noble beast have delivered me. How can I repay you for your valiant deed?”

         At that very moment, I saw Rillec approaching. He, too, bowed down saying, “We, his subjects, are abundantly grateful to you for rescuing our beloved lord, Duke Mavorin.”

         I seethed with rage. Rillec had planned to abandon his duke to death, yet now, believing his secret was safe, he expected to resume his role as steward.

         I pulled off my helmet. My golden hair fell down my back. The spectators caught their breath as they recognized me at last. I pointed at Rillec.

         “Coward! You tried to sell me to Othric to save your own neck. You were too afraid to fight in your duke’s defense.” Turning to the duke, I said, “My lord, don’t be fooled by his innocent face.  Your honest steward is no more than a wolf in the guise of a lamb!”

         Rillec’s jaw dropped in shock. For a moment he stood dumb, staring at me and the red unicorn. Then, shaking his fist, he shouted, “I swear, you’ll pay for this Glynnis, you and your bloody beast!”

         Before the duke could speak a word, Rillec had fled. He vaulted into his saddle and raced away like a hunted animal. The duke sent forth men to search for him, but he could not be apprehended. After many years, rumors reached us of Rillec the Wolf, an outlaw who had gathered a band of mercenaries and begun to terrorize the lands round about. His followers were all outlaws who had been driven from the society of honorable men.

         Mirrin broke in, “This is the same Rillec who has besieged my lord’s castle?”

         Glynnis nodded.

         “And you are the Red Unicorn Knight?”

         “I was once. I have not yet told you the end of my tale.”

         Mirrin held her peace as Glynnis continued.

         The courtiers were jubilant over the defeat of Sir Othric and the rescue of their beloved duke. They decked me and my unicorn in garlands of flowers, and prepared a magnificent feast.

         I was half afraid that the fearsome beast would lash out against the crowd of adoring strangers that now encircled him. To my surprise, he behaved like a gentle palfrey, graciously accepting the adoration of all. He seemed content to abide in the best stall of the duke’s stable.

         The duke spoke again and again of rewarding me for my valor. He made me sit beside him at the high table. I could not remember any meal so sumptuous. The roast pig, the pigeon pies, the cakes, the wine were all the best I’d ever eaten. But then, bread and water would have tasted heavenly to me that day.

         My heart exulted both because of the feat that my unicorn and I had achieved, and because I had returned to the haven of my home. The only reward I wished from the duke was a place in his court, though none of my kinsmen remained to serve him. I took a sip of my wine and summoned my courage to ask this of him, when he suddenly stood up to address the assembly.

         “Good people, I owe my life to this lady.” Motioning me to stand, he continued, “By her valor, she delivered me from the hand of the foul Othric, and exposed the treason of Rillec, who might have ruined me.”

         The crowd roared their approval, and I blushed with pleasure. He went on, “Such service is worthy of the highest honor I can bestow.” Taking my hand, he dropped on one knee, and said, “Lady Glynnis, will you be my bride?”

         The room erupted in applause. I was dumbfounded. Since childhood, I’d lived in awe of Lord Mavorin, watching him grow to manhood with a mixture of adoration and envy. It seemed that his was a world of unattainable prestige. He was destined to become the master over everything in my sphere of experience.

         Now, he offered to make me mistress of all his dominion. The life of ease I’d coveted could be mine. What’s more, he had the means to protect me from hardship or danger. Having lost all my kinsmen, I thought he could provide me with the security I lacked. This seemed to be the answer. I need never again fear being cast forth from my home if I became his duchess.

          “What say you, Lady?” the duke asked softly. Still too overwhelmed to speak, I nodded my acceptance.

         We were married at once, to the great delight of the courtiers. They escorted us from the banquet to the chapel with singing and dancing. The merrymaking went on long past sunset, but at last the eventful day drew to a close. My lord carried me over the threshold of his chamber. I went to his bed a maid and arose the next morning a duchess.

         I awoke to find that my lord had already arisen, for he had many affairs to set in order. I lay in bed pondering my new good fortune, until there came a gentle knock at the door.

         The duke had sent a lady in waiting to attend me. Her name was Amilea. She was ten years older than I, and her demeanor was pleasant. I liked her at once.

         She brought in an armload of magnificent garments, explaining that, since I was now a duchess, I needed clothes befitting a lady of such rank. From among the dresses, I selected a glorious gown of blue silk, embroidered with gold, and trimmed with ermine, and with it a beautiful cap of blue velvet, adorned with pearls. I had never even touched such finery before.

         Amilea dressed me in my new attire and I gleefully stepped out onto the balcony to greet the morning. Looking down over the manor, I suddenly noticed a great commotion in the direction of the stables. Men were running from everywhere and shouting to one another.

         For the first time, I thought of the red unicorn. What if the stables were ablaze and he were trapped? I knew I couldn’t bear it if any harm came to him. Picking up my heavy skirts, I raced down to the stables, my gentlewoman calling after me in alarm.

         Upon reaching the stables, I was relieved to discover that there was no fire.

         “What’s wrong?” I asked a groom as he raced past me.

         “It’s the unicorn, my lady,” he cried over his shoulder. “He’s gone mad!”

         I rushed into the stable, to find the unicorn all in a lather, his wild eyes rolling. He was thrashing and kicking in every direction. Several grooms were trying to get close enough to throw a rope about his neck, but he swung his deadly horn at them and they were forced to back away.

         I charged in, reaching out my hand and crying, “Be at peace, dear heart. I am here.” At the sight of me, he bared his teeth and uttered a shriek. I tried to come nearer, but he shied away from me with loathing. So desperate was he to flee, that he turned his hindquarters to the stable wall and bludgeoned it with his hooves, until the boards snapped. Then he forced his way through the hole he’d broken in the wall, and raced into the wilds. I ran into the stall, peering through the hole in shock. With a bitter cry, I collapsed on a pile of straw, the tears streaming down my cheeks.

         Soon, Amilea caught up to me. Gathering me in her arms, she raised me to my feet and guided me back to the duke’s chamber. She sat me down, and laid a soothing hand on my shoulder.

         “It’s a mercy you weren’t killed, my lady.”

         “He ran away from me!” I sobbed. “He couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

         “I suppose it is to be expected, my lady,” said the gentlewoman.

         I stared up at her, bewildered.

         “They say only a maiden can tame a unicorn,” she explained.

         Suddenly I realized the terrible truth. I had thoughtlessly broken faith with the red unicorn, prizing my own comfort and protection more than his devotion. When I had nowhere else to turn, I had put my trust in the mighty creature, but when a way to safeguard my own fortunes presented itself, I had been all too quick to seize it, never counting the cost. Like Rillec, I had sought my own safety at the expense of one who loved me.

         “I should never have done it!” I moaned. “I want my unicorn back. I don’t want to be a duchess.”

         “But you are a duchess, my lady, and there are some choices that cannot be undone.”

         A bitter truth, and how well did I know it!

         Amilea went on, “The duke is a kind and noble gentleman. He deserves a good wife.”

         I was forced to admit she was right. Lord Mavorin should not suffer for my folly.

         “And so what did you do?” Mirrin wondered.

         “I lived as his wife for thirty-five years. In time, I learned to love him for himself instead of for the image of prestige and protection I had once idolized. Even so, my heart ached with longing for what I had lost. When my lord died four years ago our son succeeded him as duke. I hoped that, perhaps, now I was alone again, the red unicorn might return to me. So, with my son’s leave, I came to live here in the forest.”

         Mirrin pitied the old woman, for whom even the greatest pleasures of the ordinary world had been spoiled forever by a glimpse of the enchanted realm. Even a life of wealth and privilege had given her no satisfaction. She had left it all behind to live alone in a thatched hut, for nothing more than the hope of drawing near to the unicorn once again.

         “And has he returned to you?” Mirrin asked.

         Glynnis shook her head sadly. “I have seen him far off once or twice, and I have often heard him in the night. But no, he will not return to me. Only a maiden can tame the red unicorn.” Glynnis looked at the young girl pointedly. Mirrin shifted in her seat and dropped her gaze.

         “Have you stopped to wonder why you were so lucky? By pure chance, you were beyond the reach of Rillec and his men. Have you considered that perhaps you were spared for a reason?”

          Mirrin frowned as she studied the lady’s face. What did this woman expect from her? Then, all at once, she began to understand.

         “It must be your decision, child. I can write letters of recommendation to my son, the duke. You can start a new life as a serving woman in his house, and forget about your father and your mother, and the others you love who are trapped in Rillec’s siege. Perhaps, in time, you will find an honest husband who will give you a home, and a family to replace the one you will have lost.

         “Or you can take up the shield of the red unicorn. You can become the Red Unicorn Knight and by his help, deliver your family and your people, and put an end to Rillec the Wolf, once and for all.

         “But I warn you, if you are not as you seem, a maiden chaste, confess it now, or he will surely trample you beneath his deadly hooves.”

         For a long while, Mirrin pondered the choice before her. She considered the life Lady Glynnis offered her as a serving woman in a duke’s court where she would be provided for and assured of a position. She pictured the faces of her mother and father, trapped within the keep, waiting for starvation and sickness to prey upon them. She could turn her back on them and begin a whole new life in security and comfort. Or she could commit herself to become the Red Unicorn’s knight and forever forsake the life of an ordinary woman.

         She need not admit her cowardice to Lady Glynnis. She could lie to the old woman, and deny that she was a maid. But in her own heart she would always know that she had not been brave enough to deliver those she loved.

         “I am a maiden,” she declared at last.

         Mirrin pulled the heavy cloak about her shoulders.  Bright stars glittered above the clearing that stretched before her. Pale moonlight reflected from the great black shield with the crimson unicorn that she clutched to her breast. Hardly daring to breathe, she strained her ears for the one sound she was both dreading and longing to hear: the approach of thundering hooves.

 

Copyright 2008, Rebecca D. Bruner

Cover: "Wizard and the Cloud Dragon"

The old wizard and a dragon find their place in the world together.

Copyright 2008, Michelle J. A. McIntyre

Specializing in colored pencil works on fiber-enhanced paper, more of the work of Michelle J.A. McIntyre can be found on her Webpage < www.fantasyrealmcreations.com > and online store < www.cafepress.com/pawgifts >. She creates a variety of fantasy art subject matter including dragons, unicorns, gryphons, fairies, and centaurs.