A/N: I wrote this for my myths and legends class last quarter and figured more people could potentially enjoy it if I posted it on here than if I left it on my computer. So... enjoy.

The Magician and the Maiden

Once upon a time there lived a great king, who was notorious for his love of women. Then one day the king's eye was caught by the beautiful high priestess, whose prayers kept the land green and fertile. Together they gave birth to a daughter who grew up fair and true. And, though the king's attention wandered elsewhere, the priestess was delighted with her daughter, and for a time all was well. And so the young girl grew up under her mother's watchful eye, and over time blossomed into a lovely young maiden.

But it was not long before another pair of eyes began watching the young maiden. For at the border of the kingdom lived a powerful magician who ruled over large amounts of land himself. And though his territory was vast and filled with a great number of people he felt lonely. And it was while using his powers to search for a cure to his loneliness that his magic scried the young maiden, laughing merrily. And as he watched her, he felt his loneliness abate. Often after he had first spied her did the magician turn his magic to gaze at her once more. And soon his loneliness turned to longing, which turned to love for the smiling maiden.

But even as his love grew, despair began to take root in the magician's heart. For what profit was there in love left unspoken? And even as he long to confess his feelings to the maiden, to win her love and surely as she had captured his, he could not leave his land to fly to her side. For though his domain was great and prosperous, it was only kept that way by his magic arts that warded off all those except for the ones that the magician made expressly welcome in his lands. And though his power was great, he could not keep the wards up around his land unless he was in them, and so he feared for the fate of his kingdom should he try to go to the young maiden's side.

Long did the magician think upon a way to solve this problem set before him. And after much deliberating the only solution he could arrive at was to send a messenger to sue the neighboring king for his daughter's hand. The magician was loathe to ask her for marriage when he had not yet won her heart, indeed she had never even met him, plus he fervently wished that he could ask the maiden himself. Alas, he could find no other option, no way to accomplish his desires. And so it was with a hopeful, yet heavy heart that he sent forth his messenger to the neighboring king.

When the king received the message a great joy filled his heart. For well he knew of the lands of the magician, which were vast and thriving, so surely there was no better husband for the fair maiden. So then he called her before him, making sure that word of their meeting did not reach the girl's mother, whose heart would surely not rejoice as the king's own did. And when the maiden came before him he said unto her, "Fair daughter glad is this day! For the magician whose country borders our own has sent word that he wishes to take you as his wife. Rejoice in knowing that no better or truer husband could be found for you." At this the magician's messenger gave her the bouquet of flowers he had been given for her by his master, who wished to send his love at least a small token of his own on this day. And as the maiden replied her eyes were downcast, but she spoke in a voice that was clear and true, "Father, if this is a thing you require of me then I shall do as you bid." And as she smelled a bouquet a small smile came unbidden to her lips and she hoped that these flowers meant that her new husband was kind. And so that very day the maiden set out and the magician reached out his powers to her, that she might quickly and safely make her way to his home.

But all was not well in the kingdom. For though the priestess knew nothing of the events that had transpired, in her heart she could sense something was amiss with her daughter. After a day passed and she saw no sign of her daughter she began a feverish search for her. But her search was without fruit, as she could find no trace of her daughter. Desperate she went to the king's advisor, a wise man who was said to see and know all that transpired in the kingdom, to ask after her daughter. Moved by a mother's grief, the advisor told her, "High Priestess the king is to blame for your daughter's absence. The magician who rules the lands next to ours begged the king to give him your daughter in matrimony, and the king, greatly pleased by the offer, bade her to go to him. But fair lady do not let your grief overwhelm you, for though your daughter may no longer be under your wing, she has assuredly found a marvelous husband in a great magician who controls such vast and prosperous lands."

With this, rage entered the woman's heart and she went before the king. She lamented the fate that had befallen her daughter and bemoaned that she had not been told of these deeds that had taken place without her knowledge. Then she commanded the king that he bring her daughter back to her. The king, however, denied her, and would not give into her demands. At his words the high priestess's white-hot anger turned to cold fury, and she spoke this to the king, "Woe is this day, for soon you shall rue the day that you made this decision and your refusal of my request. For I shall retire my chambers and I shall not quit that place to perform my duties until my daughter is returned to me." And with that she returned to her rooms and cried for her lost daughter.

So too did the young maiden cry in her room the first night in her new country. She cried for the loss of her beloved mother and the loss of the friends she would never see again. But also she cried for confusion. Had she not be brought to this strange place to become the magician's wife? So why then were there no preparations being made, no excited buzz of an upcoming royal wedding? Late into the night the maiden cried until she drifted into an exhausted sleep.

The magician was aware of his love's sorrow and despaired at the thought that he might be the cause of it. But he could not yet marry her, for he had decided that he first wished to win her love. For when he made her his own he wished that she would become so freely and with a glad heart. So it was that on the morning after the maiden's first sorrowful night the magician began to woo her, hoping to little-by-little earn the maiden's love. He spent as much time as he could by her side, while being ever aware of her needs and desires. And so it was under the magician's gentle and loving care that she found her heart, which had ever been filled with her mother's affection, began to give itself over to the magician, until he was first in her thoughts and her own true love. And it was on that day that the maiden and the magician were married and their love for each other and joy of having found their hearts true desire spread and filled their kingdom with happiness.

But even as the magician's lands filled with joy the kingdom of the high priestess's filled with her grief of the loss of her daughter who was first in her heart. Because she would not perform her priestly duties to ensure the fertileness of the land the fields lay fallow. Pestilence struck the land and famine plagued the people. Drought too began to settle on the land and the people, fearing for their lives, begged the king to save them. The king, seeing the plight of his people, in turn begged the high priestess to leave her chambers and once again perform the rituals required of her. But no matter who came to her chamber door and no matter how they begged her only response was, "I shall not quit this place to perform my duties until my daughter is returned to me." And soon the king found the other words the high priestess prophesied that day were also coming to pass, because as he saw the sad state of his people he began to regret sending his daughter away, and rued his refusal of the high priestess's wishes. And soon he found he had no recourse but to send a messenger to the magician's domain and beg his daughter to return to her mother once again.

And so the messenger came before the court of the magician and spoke of the trouble of their land, and of the heavy weight of sorrow and fear that had settled on all their hearts. The magician found himself little affected of by the misfortunes of strangers who would steal his beloved wife from him, but it was different with the young queen. For though she loved her husband and her heart did not wish to leave him; she was greatly saddened by the plight of the friends of her childhood, and was loathe to ignore their cries for help. Seeing his beloved's troubled countenance he spoke to her, "Go to your people. Though in truth I would wish it that you would never leave my side I cannot bear to see you in pain. So I bid you to return to your native lands and relieve the suffering of your heart. Only tarry a moment, there is one promise left to make." And so the magician left the room and returned quickly with a pomegranate. "I have no doubt," he told her, "that once you return to your father's land that your mother will do all in her power to keep you with her. But our power is stronger still, so I shall cast a spell and you shall make a promise and then you can be assured of your return to me." With this he split open the pomegranate and handed it to his young queen. "In this pomegranate lies the spell I have cast and here is the promise you may make to me. Each seed in this pomegranate is a month of the year and for each seed you eat is a month you spend with me and for each month you do not eat a seed for you shall spend with your mother. Tears of both sorrow and joy ran down her face and she smiled at her beloved husband. She then ate nine of the pomegranates seeds before return the fruit to him. Husband and wife embraced and she promised to return to his side in three months time, before she painfully broke away and hastened to her mother's arms.

Great was the mother's joy to find her daughter returned to her, but it was not long before she learned of the promise her daughter had made. In a fit of anger the high priestess vowed that she would only do her duties and allow the land to fill with life while her daughter was at her side. And from that time to this has the high priestess spent three months of joy with her daughter, and let then land decay in her sorrow at her daughter's loss each year. And her daughter has spent each year in the joy and company of those she loves.