In the thirtieth summer of the reign of King Lune, the armies of Elontia were deployed against the sorcerers and witches of the north. They battled fiercely, driving back the evil-doers that would sicken the lands and strike fear into the hearts of the free people.
In one battle, Prince Laydor battled the Witch of Ebaal, and there he came face to face with her, fighting in mortal combat to dispel her evil grip on the land. In his moment of victory, as he struck the final blow, she chanted her last curse, and, as she died, the prince stumbled back and fell, wounded.
Prince Laydor's company brought him home to his father immediately, to tend to his strange ailment. The doctors of the court examined him and could not explain what they saw, for the prince's feet had become cold and hard and appeared to be turning to stone.
The king gathered his wizards and they listened to the tale of the prince and looked upon his ailment. "It is a foul curse, my lord," they told him, "for she has stricken him with a wound that only the kiss of true love can heal. Until he receives such a kiss, his body will slowly turn to stone."
The king was greatly distraught by this news and asked them, "How long do we have until the transformation is complete?"
"A year and a day from the time the curse was cast," the wizards replied.
This relieved the king, and he went out immediately to summon the princess to whom the prince was betrothed. She arrived within the week and went to the prince's chamber to free him from the spell. But, when she bent and kissed him, there was no change in the young man's countenance, and the wizards discerned that the spell had not been broken.
In anger, King Lune sent the princess home, swearing that neither she nor any of her sisters would ever marry his son, and he called for the princesses of other neighboring countries to come and look upon his son and cure his disease.
Now Prince Laydor was King Lune's eldest son, and was widely renowned for his strength, his quick wit and his charm. The people of the land revered him, for he fought valiantly and with a true heart and always protected the innocent. Women dreamed of floating along on his arm, his beauty mirroring itself in them. Boys played at knights with sticks and would quarrel over who got to play the part of good Prince Laydor.
And so, it was no surprise that princesses streamed to the castle in scores when the king announced that the one to free the prince would win his hand in marriage.
Within the month over a hundred princesses and noble ladies had come and gone, each trying their hand at the cure, and each failing. As the time passed, the king's anger grew, for he realized that none of these women truly loved his son – instead they coveted his reputation and his handsome face. At the end of the third month, the king despaired, for every eligible princess and noble woman had passed through his castle, and still the prince lay cursed. The stone had worked its way to his knees, and the pain and numbness wore on his normally high spirits.
The king went out from his palace and sought out the temple of Malinia, the goddess of love, and he threw himself down in front of her altars and cried out, "Why, oh Malinia? Why have you departed from this land and left my son with no savior?"
An elderly priest approached him and comforted him, saying, "Oh king, do not despair. For thus far you have only gathered a small number of the eligible women of the land – perhaps the lover of the prince is not among the nobles, but among the free people that Prince Laydor has so valiantly protected?"
King Lune's spirits rose greatly at these words, and he immediately sent out messengers to spread the word to all the towns and villages in his lands. Soon, all sorts of women were streaming in from all ends of the land to line up before the castle. Scribes took down the names of each lady who tried the cure, and soon stacks of scrolls covered with names mounded high by the castle gates.
But still, there was no cure for the prince.
The king's distress grew as time passed, and by the eighth month, the prince's waist had begun to turn gray and cold. The stream of women had dwindled from a torrent to a trickle, and soon no more stood in line by the gates. The king demanded that any women who had not yet entered his courts be summoned, and the scribes poured over their lists and the census.
The ninth month came, and still there was no change. The king had made a daily habit of visiting Malinia's temple, imploring her favor. Now he ceased his visits and banished her priests and priestesses from his city.
He called forth the his best knights and the foreman of the scribes and asked, "Are there none left? Is there no eligible woman in all this land that might save my son? Is this world come to such depravity that there is no love left for my child?"
"My lord," the scribe replied, "all princesses, all noble women, all common woman, even the serving maids have visited Prince Laydor's bedside. All single women in the land, but for the priestesses serving in the temple at Rishael have tried and failed at the task."
"And why have these priestesses not visited the castle?" the king demanded.
"My lord, these priestesses serve a strange god who demands that they set aside the desires of the body and the desires of the mind. They scorn Malinia and you had them banished from your city several years ago."
"Summon them now," King Lune cried, "for they are our only remaining hope!" And so saying, he sent a company of knights to the temple at Rishael.
Within the week, the knights had arrived at the temple, a simple structure amid the fields of peasants. They called together the priests and priestesses of the temple and laid out the order of the king.
"We cannot do this," replied the priestesses. "We have no desire to win the prince's hand, nor do we wish to uphold the worship of Malinia."
The knights pressed them again with the king's order, but again the priestesses declined.
"We have no desire to marry the prince," said they, "and so we would fail at the task."
At last, the leading knight stepped forward and said, "The king demands your presence. If none of you will come willingly, then we shall have to take you by force."
"Then I will go to the king," said a woman's voice, and a young lady stepped forward to present herself. She was a plain girl, slightly overweight and with a squint. Her hands were callused from working with the peasants and her clothes bore stains and the signs of age.
The knights studied her for a moment, comparing her to the other priestesses, many of whom were fair of face and body, and were inclined to force another to come with them. But the senior priest stepped forward and said, "Our God bids this priestess to do what she can to help you. Accept the offer of this priestess, for she has been blessed by His hand. If she is unable to cure the prince, then return if you must for one of the others, but do not anger the God by scorning the offer He is making you now."
The knights were convinced, and they took the priestess with them back to the castle. The king heard of all that had transpired, and consented to the agreement, saying, "I do not know this strange god that forbids his priestesses to honor a prince, but Malinia has already turned against me, and so my only hope is in the grace of this god."
The priestess went then to the prince's chamber, along with the king and the king's wizards and looked upon the prince. Stepping forward, she spoke to him, saying, "Prince Laydor, the princesses of the world wish for your hand, for they see you are a mighty and noble man and that your reign would mark a golden age. The peasants and the maids dream of you, for you bring justice and wealth to even the lowest of your subjects. Your father believes, however, that none of these women love you, for they have failed to break this curse.
"I tell you, though, that these women have all loved you – your face, perhaps, or your heart. It is not a lack of love that has failed to break your curse. But the curse bestowed upon you demands that true love be extended to you, and none of these people have brought such a love to you. The love of the body, though it is a form of love, is a selfish love and is extended with the desire of a return.
"As a priestess of a jealous God, I have not this kind of love for you. As the priestess of a just God, I cannot love you in this conditional way. But as the priestess of a gracious God, I look upon you and see you in need. As the priestess of a generous God, I wish to give to you whatever I have that will bring life into your body. And so, all that I have to give you, I now release to your will."
So saying, she stepped forward and placed her lips to his forehead. For a moment, the room seemed packed full with light and music and the scent of wildflowers. The wizards reeled away as though struck, and the king fell to his knees.
The moment passed, and the prince rose from his bed, freed from the poison which had frozen in his blood.
Feasts were held. Carnivals and parties cropped up throughout the land. Joy overflowed from the castle and Prince Laydor was paraded through every city, village and town, delighting the people with his presence and being delighted by their love, which grew more strong and true. For they saw now that he was a man after all, but loved him just the same.
The priestess returned to her temple, saying that her God had much work for her to do yet, tending the fields with the peasants. But she said the prince and the king and even the wizards were welcome to visit as often as they like, and so they often did.
