An Achaean Fairy Tale: The Druid's Daughter

By: Greyda Posted on: March 25, 2004

There was once a very powerful Druid whose had placed his grove deep in a secluded corner of the Aerinewild, out of the way of travellers and curious folk who might disturb him. He had a beautiful daughter called Nylithia, whose kind nature was known to all the inhabitants of the forest. She loved to roam through the Aerinewild, playing with the animals and admiring the flowers which grew throughout the quiet wood.

Each morning as the sun came up, the Druid would set about to his studies, bidding Nylithia to stay close and take care to remain within the Aerinewild.

"The world is a dangerous place, full of liars and thieves who would take advantage of your kindness," he warned daily, and made her promise to stay close to home. Never did she think of disobeying, for she was happy with her father and sought nothing more than the love and comfort surrounding her.

One morning after Nylithia had promised her father to stay close to home, she entered the temple of Lady Demeter, planning to spend the morning in Her temple. As she sat chatting with Kalleah, the spirit of the hazel, a handsome knight entered, dressed in fine robes and heavy armor, looking as surprised as she to find another person there.

Dazzled by Nylithia's beauty and blushing furiously, he mistook her for one of Lady Demeter's spirits and, bowing repeatedly and apologizing for the disturbance, hurried away.

Leaving Kalleah giggling behind her, Nylithia followed the knight out of the temple, calling for him to come back. As she approached the passageway that led from the Aerinewild to the outer forest, she paused to consider her father's cautioning words. She knew that what lay beyond the Aerinewild was a larger forest, the Aurelianna, and that could not be so terrible. She wouldn't go further than that, she said to herself.

Moving the branches and leaves aside, Nylithia found herself on a leafy pathway through the woods, but did not know which way the stranger had gone. Seeing a shadow cross the path to the south, she went that way, thinking it was the knight. As she pressed on, she saw that it was not the same man she had encountered earlier, but a poorer, travel-worn wanderer.

"Ah, hello miss," he greeted her with a weary smile. "Might you have a bit of gold so I could buy myself some food?"

Nylithia, being the kind girl she was, felt her heart ache for the tired man, and took a few gold sovereigns from her pocket to give the man. But as she handed him the gift, he grabbed her by the wrist, and evil gleamed in his eyes as he pulled her to him and threw a handful of dust in the air.

Before she could blink, Nylithia saw she was now standing in a small encampment and the wanderer had disappeared. She gasped as a growl came from behind her, and whirled about to see six roughly dressed men approaching her, daggers unsheathed and a menacing glare in their eyes.

Nylithia begged for the bandits to let her go back to her father, for now she realized how dire his warnings had been all along. But the leader of the bandits was overcome with desire for the girl, and decided she would become his wife.

The Druid's daughter would have nothing to do with the evil man, of course, and refused to speak to him, other than to plead for her return to her father's grove. The bandit leader, upset that she did not return his affection, threw her into a cave, guarded by the bandits, until she changed her mind.

By this time, it had grown very late in the day, and the Druid was growing worried that his daughter had not returned home yet. Unable to summon her to his grove, he scoured the Aerinewild looking for her, and when he found no sign of her, he left the forest to search the outer Aurelianna for his beloved daughter.

It was not long before he came upon the deceitful wanderer, for the man had a habit of being found by those in the forest.

"Have you seen a beautiful young girl roaming through the woods?" he asked the wanderer forcefully. But the wanderer wouldn't answer his questions.

"I am but a poor, tired traveller," he said. "Might you have some gold to spare that I may get a bite to eat?"

As he asked this, the Druid realized what must have happened, knowing that his daughter's kindness could not let such a poor man suffer. Enraged, he forced the wanderer to tell him that Nylithia had been taken to the bandits' secret camp. But the wanderer escaped before he could discover the location of the camp.

Filled with despair, the Druid decided to ask an old friend, who had by now become the Sultan of Shallam, for assistance in rescuing his daughter. He journeyed far to the east until he reached the gleaming city of Light, striding up to the palace gates and demanding to be seen.

The Sultan greeted him heartily, and expressed great regret at his friend's situation, for he had met the Druid's daughter when she was a small child and was very fond of her. He sent out a decree to the city that whoever could rescue the girl would be rewarded handsomely.

Brave adventurers, young and old, set out for the Aurelianna to search for the missing girl. The ones that returned told tales of being magically spirited to a bandits' camp, barely escaping with their lives, but many more did not return at all.

As time passed, and it seemed as though none would be able to rescue Nylithia, the Sultan's son returned home from exploring the world. When he heard the Druid's story, the brave Paladin prince immediately offered to help, galloping off towards the forest astride a magnificent mount, his broadsword held high.

Like those before him, the prince found the wanderer quite easily, but was unable to press any information from him about where the bandits' camp lay. And so, for three long days the prince searched the Aurelianna, determined to find the captive girl.

As night deepened after the third day, the prince was resting amidst a group of trees when he heard a soft whisper coming from nowhere.

"Paladin, what is your business here?" asked the voice, haunting, distinctly feminine, and certainly Divine.

"M-my Lady, I am on a quest of honor," the prince stammered nervously, unsure of which Goddess spoke to him, standing and gazing about himself. "A girl has been taken by bandits and her father longs for her return."

A soft melody filled the air as a cool breeze swept through the thicket, green and silver drops of starlight appeared from the trees, weaving in and out of eachother until a figure appeared before the prince. He dropped to his knees as the goddess approached him.

"I am Demeter," she spoke quietly to the prince, "and this is My realm. I know of whom you seek within My forest, she is dear to Me... and I shall help you." With a graceful sweep of her arm, Demeter gestured to what seemed to be a tangled mass of brambles. Peering closely, however, the Divine glow illuminated a narrow passage through the thorns, and the prince knew his path lay within.

As he turned back to thank the Lady, he caught his breath. All was dark, and the Goddess had vanished. Lingering in his mind, however, were the faint words, "On you I bestow My favor," and he felt a swell of strength within him.

Leaving his steed outside the mess of brambles, the prince ventured through the passageway, thorns raking across his skin and scraping on his armor. His entry was little surprise for the bandits, who fell upon him immediately, jabbing with their daggers in an effort to overpower him. The prince fought them off bravely, his sword gleaming in the moonlight as he swung it powerfully, swiftly dispatching all but one bandit, from whom he demanded to know the whereabouts of their prisoner.

The bandit sneered at him, spitting out the words as he pointed towards the cave. "She is there, but you'll never get her out, you'll have to face our leader."

Dropping the ruffian to the ground, the prince strode to the mouth of the cave, seeing nothing but darkness before him. Cautiously moving forward, he inched his way into the cave.

The prince had taken only a few steps when, with a snarl, the bandit leader appeared from the darkness, armed with a dagger in each hand and slashing furiously. With a powerful blow the prince threw him off, steadying his feet and whirling his sword above his head, bearing down on his attacker. In one strike the leader was felled, and with a heavy sigh the prince felt Demeter's power leave him.

As the prince ventured further into the cavern, he saw Nylithia, fast asleep on the floor, her face dimly lit by a smoldering torch. Reaching a hand out to gently shake her awake, he realized he had seen this girl before.

Nylithia's eyes flew open in amazement as she beheld the stranger who had recently stumbled upon her in Demeter's grove, while the prince gazed back at her in bewilderment.

Without saying a single word, each realized what had happened, and the prince helped Nylithia to her feet. He led her out of the bandits' camp and onto his waiting horse, and began the journey back to Shallam where her father waited.

All of Shallam was out to celebrate the prince's victory as they entered the city, none more overjoyed than Nylithia's father, who thanked the prince over and over for the safe return of his daughter. The Sultan, however, was distraught because he had promised a reward to the hero, but there was nothing he could offer his son that he did not already possess.

"There is nothing I could want more than to have Nylithia by my side," the prince spoke to his father, for he had fallen deeply in love with her. "If she will have me, I would make her my bride as my only reward."

It is no surprise that Nylithia had fallen for the prince as well, and though her father was sorry to let her leave once more, he knew in his heart that she had found her prince, and they would, of course, live happily ever after.