Picture from
http://nicola-b.deviantart.com/art/The-Four-Seasons-69541558?q=boost%3Apopular+night+day+season&qo=116Instructions:
Imagine that you're sitting against a tree. A storyteller is sitting on the other side of the tree. On a piece of paper, list five stories you would like to hear. Choose one of the ideas, and write down what the storyteller says.
Prompt:
The old man sat with dignity, as though he knew more stories than I could ever imagine. I visited this story teller many times to learn the ways of life and magic. A small autumn breeze brushed by his storybook, a bright blue volume created from leather and paper. He was also a writer, and wisdom twinkled in his gray eyes. he seemed to be out of a story book himself. A long velvet green robe engulfed him, while a chain held a simple crescent moon around his neck. The cane he always possessed was leaning against the tree with me, a favorite apple tree, now dotted with golden leaves which fell when the wind rustled the branches. My cat Selene purred in my lap as I waited for the next life lesson.
"Stories," He always said, "Teach us the internal world of the mind and heart. They reveal who you are through agents of magic."
Today, with a calming breeze and the only sound a soft shuffle of leaves, he gave me a look that said listen, don't talk. It was a bad habit of mine, asking questions during a story, but I was learning quickly that the story would stop if I asked too many.
"Now Diana, you must be quiet during this tale. It is about many things, but you will miss them if you get too distracted."
"Yes sir", I replied.
"Then, let's begin. In the land of Vita, there were four courts. The court of summer, the court of fall, the court of winter and the court of spring. Each court was ruled by a fay king and queen, and each fay royal was responsible for the season. This tradition was passed from generation to generation, and the responsibility fell to each fay royal's children to follow the cycle of the year.
Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of Vito, there was another land called Somnium which lay across the ocean named Noctis. Somnium was often a chaotic place and only had two courts on its land, the court of dark and the court of light. Each owning a separate shore, neither land came in contact with each other. For a long time the world of Vita was believed to be the only realm. But, one day at the coronation of a new Winter King and Queen, the Winter Prince left the land of Vito and found the land of Somnium. Bataar was never one to fit in to his race. While fay danced, sung and prepared for the seasons, Bataar dreamed of becoming much more. He always watched the tide and wished to understand the winter lights that graced the sky. He was a curious soul, and his parents grew tired of his constant adventures which ocurred during his seasonal classes. After his parents were crowned, Bataar decided he wouldn't be the best Winter King, so he set off to find out what else the world would offer. He left the Winter country and traveled to Spring. There, he met Giliana, the princess of the Spring court. She wondered why he didn't accept his role as Winter prince and asked him to stay with her for awhile. Bataar knew that staying with Giliana would be fun, and he did stay for longer than he could remember. Eventually, something pulled him toward the land of Summer. This time he met a boy named Junius. Junius was the prince of Summer and taught Bataar about the importance of responsibility. Although Bataar understood what Junius told him, he still couldn't be convinced to stay and fulfill his role to be the Winter King. He journeyed to the country of Autumn where he met the wise queen Satomi, who taught him about patience. While Bataar experienced many things, he was not satisfied with all he learned. So he found a boat and crossed the ocean Noctis. As he passed on the water he noticed the sky became dark. Once he crossed the ocean, he came to the court of darkness and was captured by Tatianus, the king of darkness. Frightened for a while, Bataar stayed within Tatianus's kingdom not willing to leave the palace and learn about the outside world. Then, he was visited by Valour a knight in the kingdom of Tatianus. He told Bataar he was leaving and the real kingdom he came from was ruled by King Baldur and Queen Esperanza. Bataar agreed to go with him and both escaped the kingdom of darkness. As they left the kingdom, the sky lightened until both wanderers stopped at the small town of Aurora. Bataar explained that he was the Winter Prince and he was expected to become the next Winter King but he didn't feel he could fill the role. Valour told him that once he reached the kingdom of light, he would find the answer to all his questions. They arrived the next day and Bataar found the king and queen were expecting him.
"Welcome" Esperanza smiled, "We knew you were lost and invite you to the kingdom of light."
Bataar thanked them and began to learn about the wonders of the world. He learned of the winter lights and discovered knowledge and strength. He fell in love with the princess Estel. But after a long while, he began to feel homesick. Bataar knew he couldn't run forever, so he bid the king and queen farewell. Estel didn't want him to leave without her, so the king and queen told Estel she could live with Bataar as long as she visited them often. Estel agreed, and Bataar brought back the day. Once day arrived, Estel went to visit her parents, creating night. So Bataar found who he was and became the Winter King while Estel became the Winter Queen."
I listened to the entire story in silence, and realized the storyteller was done.
"So what's the story about young Diana?"
I scrunched up my forehead and thought for a while. "It's about a lot of things, like you said. Though I don't understand why he went back and became the Winter King."
"The only way to understand that, is to experience it my child."
He motioned for his cane and smiled a wise smile. The story was over.
