Transgendered Fairy Tales
by Kaleigh Way

On the border of a far off land, there was a small but lovely kingdom, ruled by the good King Brennus. The land was rich and fruitful and its people were happy.

But not everyone in the kingdom was happy. The only sorrowful person was Brennus himself, and he was wretchedly sad. He would walk on the terraces of his magnificent palace and look over his beautiful gardens, but he never smiled, not even at the pretty goldfish that peered from the crystal fountains.

No one had seen the king smile since the day his queen died. She had gone out walking one day, accompanied by her women, when at the very gate of the palace a horrible beast (some said a panther) had run across her path. The animal — whatever it was — hadn't hurt her. In fact, it ran right off, but the queen had been so frightened that she fell to the ground and never regained consciousness. The faithful servants did all they could to revive their beloved mistress, but there was nothing to be done: the lady was dead, and they had to return to their lord bearing the dead body of his beautiful wife.

King Brennus was so overcome with grief that he almost did harm to himself, tearing at his clothes and hair. The royal court went into mourning, and for months no one saw the king's face. After a while, however, affairs of state and other matters of importance claimed his attention, and he appeared again. He was just as good and kind as ever, and listened to his poorest subjects with the same patience as before, but he was no longer happy, and even his little son Lonan never saw him smile.

His melancholy grew so deep that his subjects began to fear that it would kill him. His advisors conferred to see what could be done to rouse the king from his apathy, and they all agreed that Uscius, his old friend and counselor, should speak to the king about a second marriage.

The next day, Uscius saw the king deeply absorbed in his grief, so he drew near and said, "Your majesty, pardon the liberty that an old and faithful subject takes with you, but it's time your mourning should stop. Your endless sadness causes everyone in the entire nation to lose heart. No one dares to laugh out loud, and trade is at a standstill. If I may be so bold, it is your duty to shake off your grief. In the name of your people, I beg you to marry again. A beautiful princess with a good heart will cheer you and heal your sorrow."

At first, King Brennus was mortally offended, and refused to listen to such talk, but later, as he reflected on his friend's advice, his sense of duty awoke. He informed Uscius that he would marry, as long as the princess was as lovely and virtuous as his dead queen.

Ambassadors were sent to countries near and far, until at last one of them found a princess who was reknowned for her beauty, her wealth, and her accomplishments. Her name was Ornice, and she was the widow of a young prince who had died in battle. It was clear that she would make an exquisite bride and queen. There was a problem, however. Princess Ornice had a son, Nessan, and she would not leave him behind.

The king's son Lonan was loved by his people, and everyone expected him to follow his father to the throne. Ornice's son Nessan, on the other hand, was older, and full of good qualities. Clearly, he might have reason to expect the throne.

In spite of this issue, the ambassador had written such a glowing account of Ornice's beauty, her enchanting voice, her wisdom and goodness, that Brennus asked her to become his wife. He sent messengers with costly gifts, and a honor guard composed of three hundred of the bravest and most handsome young noblemen in the realm, with orders to bring the princess, her son, and all her household back to his kingdom.

The wedding was arranged. The city was filled with decorations, and a feast was prepared to welcome the wonderful princess.

Ornice was everything the ambassador had said, and more. Brennus was completely charmed, and taking her hand, sat her by his side on his golden throne. Her conversation pleased him even more than her beauty, for her voice was sweet, and she spoke with deep understanding of many subjects.

After the festivities ended, Ornice took her place as the new queen, and did many good things for the court and the kingdom. She was very generous, but she was also very proud, and her good acts did not win the hearts of the people. Once the fascination with her beauty began to diminish, the people noticed that she took every opportunity to enhance her son's position and to harm Lonan's chance at the throne.

But, as it often happens, the two boys became best of friends. Lonan recognized that Nessan had all the qualities of a king, and though he loved and wished to serve his people, he was not ambitious, and would in true humility have stood aside as his friend took the throne in his place.

Still, Lonan kept this secret in his heart. It was prudent, in case he was obliged to take the throne.

And, it should be said: the people would have come to love Nessan, if it wasn't for his mother's intrigues.

Now, King Brennus was old. His long grief, though over, had severely taxed his heart, and he fell ill. Seeing that the king's time might be at hand, Ornice's jealousy and impatience lept to the fore. She came to see the death of Lonan as the only way to guarantee Nessan the throne. She spent many nights and days searching for a way to end the prince's life, but it was practically impossible, since Lonan was always either with his father, or surrounded by faithful and devoted bodyguards.

At last the day came that Brennus called his wife and his son and told them that he had decided to give up the throne, as soon as Lonan found a princess to marry who was as good and as beautiful as his mother had been. "I hope you will be a wise and just ruler, as I have tried to be," he concluded.

Ornice was doubly stung by the announcement: first, because her own son was not preferred, and second because she wasn't named as a model for Lonan's queen. It was also clear to her that if Lonan took the throne, the chances of killing him would be even more remote.

She had to move quickly, because Lonan had already chosen a bride, a lady of his father's court, whom he had loved for some time. King Brennus approved of the union, and the wedding was scheduled to take place in three days.

After the wedding, Brennus would formally resign the crown to his son, and retire with his wife and stepson into private life.

This was a very serious state of affairs, and Ornice saw it as the death of all her hopes for her son and herself. She saw the need to strike a sudden and decisive blow, and that very night, when all the castle was asleep, she went with a trusted servant to seek the wizard Coman.

She found him in a cavern, brewing potions over several tiny fires. Coman was a tall, bony man, who resembled a skeleton covered by the barest ration of skin. Without looking up, he called out, "I know who you are and what you want and why you are here tonight. You wish to destroy the young prince, Lonan. I cannot do it. Magic cannot kill, though it can do many other things."

"You must help me," Queen Ornice told him, her eyes glistening with rage. "Your magic may not kill, but my dagger can, and unless you do as I ask —"

The wizard interrupted her. "I am not afraid," he said, "but I will help you, because I know you will be good to me. I also know that Prince Lonan hates magicians and wizards, and if he becomes king, he will probably expel me from this country or put me to death. Now, as I said, I cannot kill him; I do not have that power. However, I can make it easier for you to kill him. I will create a potion that you must sprinkle upon his threshold. The moment he treads upon it, it will change him to a harmless girl. A girl without language — who can neither speak, read, nor write, nor understand anything she hears. And such a girl can easily be destroyed."

The queen laughed and rubbed her hands. "Quite so!" she agreed.

"Remember this," the wizard cautioned, "on the night of every new moon my power ceases, and the girl's understanding will return for six hours. Therefore, lay your plans carefully, so that once the prince is dead, no one knows who was instrumental in his destruction."

Saying which, the old wizard seized a long wand and drew a magic circle around a skull, and as he poured a dark liquid into it, he uttered a weird incantation. The queen and her servant watched with eager curiosity while he murmured other strange words and mixed curious and disgusting ingredients into the potion. When he finished, he handed the skull, with some instructions, to the queen, who carried her precious burden back to the palace.

It was still night, so she easily made her way to the door of Prince Lonan's room. His two bodyguards were fast asleep. Quickly, but with great caution, Ornice poured some of the skull's contents on the threshold, then fled back to her own chamber.

The next day the palace was in complete turmoil, for young Prince Lonan had disappeared. His bodyguard swore that no one had entered his apartment, and that they had in fact seen him and spoken to him that very morning. But after he had washed his face, no one could give an account of him. He seemed to have vanished without leaving a trace. Every inch of the palace, and then the entire kingdom, was searched, but the prince was nowhere to be found. His beautiful bride, and the good King Brennus, were nearly mad with grief, and nothing could console them. The palace fell into a deeper gloom than when the first queen died.

The only joy King Brennus knew in all this trouble was the company of a strange and beautiful girl with long blonde hair and large green eyes, who had haunted the palace ever since the disappearance of the prince. No one could say where she came from or what her name was — least of all the girl herself, since the poor thing could neither speak, nor read, nor write. The king often spoke to her, and hoped she could at least shake her head yes or no, but clearly the girl understood nothing that was said to her. She'd been found wandering the palace, wearing only a man's shirt, and was brought before the king. He had her dressed as a lady of the court, and kept her by his side. He treated her as kindly as if she were his own daughter.

The girl often opened her pretty mouth as if to speak, but words failed her. Again and again she took up a pen, but when she put it to paper, she had no idea how to begin. The king brought speakers of every known language before the girl, but she could make no sense out of anything that was said.

The queen often witnessed these scenes, and they drove her to distraction. She longed to be rid of the girl, but the affection of the king made it quite impossible. Then one day, the girl happened to see the name of the missing prince written on a piece of paper. She gazed at it long and hard, as if it meant something to her. The girl stared at and studied the name. She touched it with her hand, tracing the letters with a puzzled air. At last, she took the paper and tucked it in her bosom. She often drew it out and mused over the strange lines, turning it over and over.

By this time, Queen Ornice had had quite enough. Her nerves could stand no more. The night of the new moon was rapidly approaching, and the girl must be gone by then. But this was a difficult matter, and the queen was perplexed, to say the least.

One night, however, chance favored Ornice's plans. It was a very hot and dark night, and the king had taken a sleeping potion to cure him of the restless nights he suffered since his son's disappearance. The queen went quietly to the girl's bedchamber and threw a thick hood over the sleeping lass. Poor girl! She tried to struggle, but the queen was stronger, and had the advantage of surprise. She lifted the girl and threw her, headfirst, out the window and into the lake. She heard a cry and a splash, but didn't dare look out. She quietly returned to her own room, and noiselessly got into bed.

The next morning she woke up happy, knowing that at last the hated Prince Lonan was out of her way forever, when who should she see as she went to breakfast, but the same quiet girl with the big green eyes, sitting by the side of the king, with her hand upon his arm.

She didn't dare express surprise or ask any questions, but soon she was given the explanation. To her immense frustration, her own son Nessan had been the one to rescue the poor girl. He had been outside that night, waiting to catch a panther who had been stalking the lake by night. Nessan heard the girl's cry, and saw her drop, apparently from nowhere. Without a thought for his own safety, he threw himself into the water, and brought the girl to shore. She was wet and frightened, but uninjured, and of course unable to tell why or how she'd fallen.

The queen was unable to conceal her rage when she heard this account, and from that moment made no secret of her hatred for the mysterious girl. Nessan had named her "Tuila" — a name that meant silence, and he was evidently quite taken with her. The court imagined that the queen disliked the girl because she feared that Nessan would marry her, and the girl would make an awful choice as queen.

Or would she? Although the girl's past was a complete mystery, it was clear that she was a person of good breeding. Her manners were impeccable, and her taste and discernment were clearly superior. As long as she didn't need to speak, she seemed every inch a princess.

Nessan had her portrait taken, and copies were sent far and wide, to every kingdom known to man, in the hopes that someone knew who she was. He kept a copy over his own heart.

But before any sonnets, gifts, or offers of marriage arrived in response to the portrait, the night of the new moon punctually arrived, and the queen knew that she had to act. She had tried many times, at least once if not twice a day, to catch the girl alone, but each time she failed, for if the girl wasn't with the king, she was accompanied by Nessan, with whom she traded many smiles and happy moments.

Again, fortune favored Queen Ornice. On that very night, a few hours before the moon rose, some urgent business called the king into a secret session with his closest councilors. Tuila wandered through the castle, looking for Nessan, without finding him. At last, in a small empty room, she saw a piece of paper on a table with the name "Lonan" written on it. The girl stopped. She knew these symbols somehow. They meant something to her, she was sure, if only she could remember... She took the paper in her hand, and while she was lost in thought, the queen and her servant emerged from the shadow. They threw a bag over the girl, and quickly carried her, by a secret stair, down to a lawn overlooking the lake. She struggled, and cried out, but no one heard.

There were still some hours before moonrise, but the queen did not tarry. She and her servant removed Tuila from the bag, took her by the arms and legs, and prepared to hurl her headfirst upon a rock far below, where her brains would be dashed out. The spot was beneath a terrace not far from the girl's room, and it would easily be supposed that she had taken her own life.

Before the deed could be done, a low growl was heard, and a panther ran forward, between the women and the lake. The queen and her helper threw the unlucky girl to the panther, thinking he would devour her, but the beast bounded over the girl, and ran after the queen. Tuila fainted dead away while the panther quickly brought the queen and her servant to ground. He killed them both, but he did not eat them.

The panther returned to the lake, where he washed the blood from his paws and face. Then he went to sniff at Tuila, who still lay unconscious. Glancing around him, the panther uttered a few strange words, and suddenly took the form of the wizard Coman. Moving quickly but carefully, the magician sprinkled a powder over the girl, while repeating a incantation. "I restore to you the power to speak, the power to understand speech, and the power to read and to write, just as you had before. But of your prior life, of your life as a boy, as a man, as a prince, you will remember nothing. You are the girl Tuila, a princess and nothing more."

Then the wizard vanished.

Nessan rose early, to look for the tracks of the panther. Instead he found the awful remains of his mother and her servant, and the girl Tuila, lying senseless on the ground. Although she could have explained how she and the unfortunate women came to be by the side of the lake, she kept the truth to herself, and claimed she'd fainted and found herself there.

The king bore his new loss philosophically, which is to say that he took it surprisingly well. He was happy to finally hear Tuila's sweet voice, and pronounced her a princess of the realm. He then gave his throne to young Prince Nessan, on condition that he marry Tuila and make her his queen. Nessan was only too happy to oblige.

The king then retired to private life, and spent many happy hours chatting, taking walks, and playing chess with his new daughter in law, Tuila, although he usually called her "my daughter" or simply "my dear."

Nessan ruled wisely and well, and soon won the love and respect of his people, as did his lovely, gracious, and good Queen Tuila.

Of the wizard Coman, nothing more was ever heard. As for Queen Ornice, she was briefly mourned, and was not greatly missed.

© 2007 by Kaleigh Way