Well, this isn't beta read and it's super late, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.
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Methuselah's Curse
by A.
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A long time ago there lived a King and a Queen who longed for a child yet remained childless. Then, one day, a baby was found at the castle gate. None of the guards recalled seeing anyone leave it there. It had rained in the night and lightening had scorched the earth where the babe had lain. Now the Queen had a trusted friend and advisor, Dryas, a wise woman. The Queen took the infant to Dryas and asked what should be done with it. Was this child, perhaps, meant for her and the King as a daughter?
Dryas looked the baby over. She had stubborn blue eyes and a tuft of reddish hair on her small head.
"This is no ordinary child," Dryas told the Queen.
"What does it mean? Is she cursed?" The Queen wrapped her fingers tightly around her dress.
"Not cursed, no," Dryas whispered then smiled warmly at the Queen, "She will bring great happiness, but also great sorrow."
"Is this not the way with all children?"
Dryas nodded, "Yes, but I can tell you this. One day, this girl's body will cease to age, while she is still a young woman."
"Are you saying she will die? How?"
"A crystal. She will grab hold of a crystal and fall under its curse."
"What is the curse? Can it be stopped?"
"This I tell you, raise her right and she will do right, raise her wrong and she will do wrong. There is nothing more I can tell you."
And so the King and Queen adopted the child as their own and they named her Rebecca. Rebecca was a happy girl and brought the King and Queen much joy. Always mindful of Dryas' words, the Queen was careful to raise her child rightly, instilling in her the values of hard work and charity. She was schooled in spinning, weaving, cooking, riding, swordplay, and caring for the sick. Rebecca became known throughout the land for her kindness and generosity.
The King had all crystals outlawed in the Kingdom; save for the one piece that Dryas wore around her neck for he knew Dryas would never bring harm to his child. The punishment for possessing a crystal for any other was banishment from the Kingdom with the promise of death to any that dared to return from their exile. But none were ever banished for the people willingly accepted the decree. None could fault a father for protecting his child.
Things should have remained quite happy were it not for the fever that swept throughout the Kingdom and plagued the rich and poor alike. In the castle, the Queen fell to it. In a matter of days, her skin turned gray with red splotches and she was unable to eat. Though the King had the best healers in the realm at the Queen's side, and though Rebecca kept vigil over her every day, the Queen's body continued to weaken and her breath became painful and shallow. On the fifth night of the Queen's illness, the King sat and the edge of her bed, praying for her recovery. With one weak hand, the Queen squeezed the King's arm and whispered in faltering gasps, "Promise that you will continue to raise Rebecca right and keep her safe from harm." The King promised and his beloved Queen died afterwards.
All the Kingdom mourned the death of the Queen, but none so much as the King and Rebecca. Each night, Rebecca cried so hard for her mother that no one in the castle could escape the sounds of her grief. The King fell into a deeper sorrow at the distress of his child and declared that whatever Rebecca willed would be so. Anything she wanted should be hers. Anything that might fill some of the void left the Queen's death.
Dryas, upon hearing this, warned, "Mind you do not spoil the child. You vowed to your Queen to raise her right. Do you want to see her to go to her ruin?"
"I want to see her smile again," was all the King could answer; he could not help but spoil her. Gradually, Rebecca started to accept his gifts-jewels, gowns, banquets-and to enjoy them. The King was pleased to see his daughter's depression fade.
Dryas could only watch sadly, "Rebecca is not truly happy and you have allowed yourself to forget your promise and your Queen."
Angered by Dryas' words, he ordered that Dryas should leave the castle. Rebecca had become spoiled and vain, but she still remembered her mother in Dryas' words, her sewing, and her cooking. Even after Rebecca had quit her honest chores, she would still sit by Dryas and hear or stories and remember her mother. She demanded of the King that Dryas stay, but he would not have it.
"She accuses me of forgetting the Queen and ruining you, my dearest Rebecca, I will not have her say such things to me," the King insisted firmly.
The next day, with tears in her eyes, Rebecca met with Dryas one last time.
"Where will you go?" Rebecca asked.
"A convent in the North," Dryas replied and smiled to Rebecca. The older woman reached out one aging hand and brushed it through Rebecca's long golden-red hair. "I am too old to start over anywhere else." She pulled her hand back and touched her own long brown hair, streaked with gray. "I fear the worst for you, Rebecca, not because I wish it but because I know it will happen. I shall always look after you though."
"Don't go then," Rebecca whispered though they both knew the King could not be ignored.
Dryas reached behind her neck and unhooked the silver chain around her neck. She held it up for a moment and the light caught in the crystal and reflections of sunshine glittered across their faces. "Remember me," Dryas whispered.
"Always," Rebecca answered as she accepted the crystal into the palm of her hand. Dryas turned to go, but Rebecca pulled her into a tight embrace. Dryas returned the hug, but only for a moment before letting go. She removed the crystal pendant that hung around her neck and pressed it into Rebecca's hand. Without another word or gesture, she turned and walked through the castle gate, not looking back.
The seasons came and went and with each passing month, the King continued to entertain Rebecca's every whim. The King meant well, but without Dryas' help, the values the Queen had cherished were no longer rigorously instilled in Rebecca. And though inside her heart was good, Rebecca grew more and more spoiled and haughty.
One day, Rebecca went for a ride around the castle, as was her custom. She came upon a wandering peddler and pulled her horse in front of his cart and pulled her sword.
"What business have you at the castle?" Rebecca demanded.
"Forgive me, my lady," the peddler said, bowing slightly, "I had not meant to intrude and I am no danger. As you can see, I am but a stranger in this land. I have only come to see if anyone in the castle might be interested in purchasing any trinkets from other lands," he paused, assessing her with his eyes, "As I can see that you are a lady of some refinement, perhaps I can show you some of my more valuable items?"
He opened a box sitting next to him and rummaged through it. She sidled her horse up alongside him and peered curiously into the box. The peddler pulled out a small, golden cup and held it up. "Now this," he said with some pride, "came from the East, farther than many have traveled. It once belonged to-"
"What is that?" Rebecca interrupted and pointed to something in the box. The peddler followed her line of sight. Something large was wrapped in a piece of worn red velvet.
"Oh, it is nothing," the peddler insisted as he reached in and unwrapped the item. "It's not but a worthless crystal."
Milky white and clear crystals were jumbled together. Other than Dryas' crystal, Rebecca had never seen one before due to the King's decree. She thought it was beautiful.
"Crystals are forbidden in this kingdom, you'd best turn it over to me," she told the peddler, "Of course I will give you a fair price for it."
"It is not for sale, miss, as I am going to destroy it."
"Destroy it?" she questioned, "Why?"
"It is a cursed thing. I would like to destroy the entire thing, but will settle on this as there is one piece missing."
"And what happens if that piece is found?"
"It is said that the one who possesses the intact crystal will live to be older than Methuselah himself."
"Why is that a curse?"
The peddler leaned forward, "Whoever possesses it will regret having possessed it."
"The whole thing is utter nonsense."
"Probably, but what is the harm in being certain?"
"Perhaps I may hold it then, sir?" She asked sweetly, though truly intending to steal the item from him.
He hesitated for a moment then said, "All right, my lady, I cannot see the harm in it." He offered the crystal to her, and, sheathing her sword, she took it from him. As soon as she had it in her hands, Rebecca backed her horse away from the peddler's cart.
"As daughter to the King, I shall see his decree enforced, no one may possess a crystal in this land."
It was at this moment that the peddler caught sight of the crystal pendant dangling from Rebecca's neck. Rebecca brought the crystal in close to her body, intending to slip it into the folds of her cloak.
"Miss, no!" The peddler cried, but it was too late. The crystal around Rebecca's neck, Dryas' crystal, fell into place on the large crystal. It suddenly glowed then morphed into one glorious gemstone. Rebecca's looked down, amazed, and brought one of her bare hands out to touch the clear stone. The moment she touched it, however, her whole body stiffened and blue lightning slithered over her. Then she fell from the horse onto the ground.
Fearing her dead, the peddler quickly turned his cart around and fled from whence he came.
It was only an hour later that a guard found Rebecca on the ground and carried her back to the castle. Much to the relief of the King, Rebecca was not dead, but had merely been knocked unconscious. He went to see her where the maidservants had rested her on her bed. His eyes fell at once to the heavy crystal around her neck. He demanded what it was and a servant told him she had it on when they had brought her in and that it burnt the hands of any that tried to remove it.
The King sat by Rebecca's side throughout the night, but she did not wake in the morning. Nor the next evening. Nor the next day. Nor the next. And the King remembered what the Queen had told him, what Dryas' words had been: She will grab hold of a crystal and fall under its curse.
It was the crystal and there was none who could remove it from her. The King drew into a deep despair and the Kingdom along with him. Not long thereafter, he died, and the servants abandoned the castle. Knowing not what to do, the left Rebecca tucked safely in her bed, and spread her story throughout the lands they wandered to.
And many, hearing of the fabulous crystal and the beautiful lady, came in search of one or both. But none could stir Rebecca from her slumber or take the crystal from her. And she slept, her body never aging, and her beauty never fading. And after many years, her story became a legend that no one believed and the world forgot about the lady who slept through the ages.
But one day, a man came to the castle, which was overgrown with vines and the moat choked with grass. He was dressed from head to foot in a simple brown garment and carried no weapon. Not a prince or a fortune seeker like the others. He entered Rebecca's sleeping chamber. He stood over Rebecca for a long while as if deciding something, then, from within his robes, he pulled out a small hammer and chisel. He raised them over the crystal and chipped at it. It only took him a few moments when the crystal shattered into small fragments.
As soon as the crystal was broken, Rebecca's eyes popped open and she gasped, frightened when she saw the stranger.
"I will not harm you," he told her gently.
"Who are you?" She demanded and then took in he surroundings. The walls were crumbling, her blankets were moldy and moth eaten, "Where am I?"
"This is the home you grew up in," the stranger told her, but not the age you grew up in.
"What do you mean? Where is my father?"
"The King of this land died over two hundred years ago," he whispered.
"You're a liar!"
"I am not lying to you, child," his voice hardened slightly, but was still kind, "You will have to learn to give respect and to earn it from others. So do not accuse me of lying." He paused and then held a hand out to her, "Come, take a walk with me and I will explain."
Having no alternative, Rebecca took his hand and he helped her to her feet. He walked her around the castle while he explained about the stories about her and the crystal. And looking around, Rebecca could indeed see the remnants of the home she once knew. They went full circle and returned to her bedchamber.
"And this all occurred because I wanted the crystals for myself, because I did not believe their power."
It was not a question, but her companion nodded, "It was not entirely your fault. It was circumstances in many ways, the death of your mother, the indulgences of your father. No one meant for it to happen."
"How do you know of my mother and father?" Rebecca asked.
"It was long ago that I stopped for shelter in a convent far to the north of here. There I met an old wise woman who told me a story about her Queen, her King, and a child named Rebecca. She heard the stories of what happened to you and asked that I try and help you. She knew somehow, that I could."
"Dryas," Rebecca whispered, and clutched instinctively at the crystal Dryas had given to her on the day she left. Of the large, clear crystal, it was the only piece that had remained around her neck.
"Yes," the man said, "that was her name. And though it took me long to find you. I do know that I can help you."
"And what of the crystal?" Rebecca asked, pointing the fragments scattered on the floor and on the bed.
"I shall hold onto them for safekeeping, and, perhaps one day entrust them to your care."
"I thank you for releasing me of the curse, sir, and offering me assistance. Before I go with you, I would like to know your name," she smiled at him, still frightened, but friendly.
"Of course," he grinned back at her, "My name is Darius, and I am a man of peace. You will trust me over time, especially as you come to understand your special nature?"
"Special nature?"
"Let us leave the castle, Rebecca, and travel to a Holy place where we shall find refuge. You need time to learn about the world as it is now and grieve the loss of your years."
Darius went and scooped together the crystal fragments and put them in a pouch while Rebecca watched him. When he was done, he offered her his arm, which she took and they made their way to the castle gate. "I shall explain all to you… in time," Darius told Rebecca, "For you have all the time in the world."
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The
End
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