A Birthday Gift...

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An Ogre's story of love, the true fairy tale.
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This story takes place many, many generations ago; back in the days when living life WELL was more important than living life easy. A time when honor, fortune and love ruled the days and magic was everywhere, and everywhere you made it. During these times, people were tyrannized by curses, but the curses very often didn't have the final say...

Once upon a time, in a kingdom further than just up the road, an ugly ogre and a beautiful maiden had been imprisoned together for a time in a dark, foreboding tower at the furthest most edge of the territory; he in the dungeon and she in the uppermost room, never knowing one for the other during their stay. At times the ogre, deformed and somewhat truculent from his years alone in the dungeon of the tower, had escaped his tiny, dank cell and had several brief encounters with the regular world but always found himself caught once again and returned to the tortured loneliness of his solitude. You see, at one time the ogre hadn't been so terribly ugly-in fact one could say he was handsome in a misshapen sort of way, but he had run afoul of the wrong sorts one day - magical, terrible folk, and had come away cursed for what he was sure was the rest of his life with his increasing unattractiveness.

After his release from the tower, he spied the maiden as he was skulking around the outskirts of a local feast. He was skulking because he was terribly hungry, and the feast was what he really wanted but he dared not go in for fear that his ugliness would scare the joyful townsfolk. As he lurked around the edge of the music, laughter and dancing, a few of the townsfolk discovered him and appalled as they were by his appearance welcomed him into the feast and allowed him, for a brief moment, to feel as a normal person might.

He'd spied the beautiful maiden from time to time on his past escapes into life, and was smitten with her beauty and presence from the first glance. The glow she carried with her lit up every place he glimpsed her, no matter how low the torches burned. To say he was scared to catch her eye was to say that the sun lit things up just a little! He was sure that he would never be able to talk to her, without her dismissing him out of hand for his appearance and who he was. But he knew of her story, and was amazed to find that she too had been imprisoned in the tower and that they had spent so much of their years separate yet next to each other- roommates of sort- prisoners of similar cubicles, yet on different levels and for vastly different reasons. His confinement was due to his curse, and the increasing unsightliness he bore about himself, hers for reasons not fully crystalline to any but her.

But at the feast, in the midst of the laughter and joy the townsfolk were allowing to creep into his miserable existence, he lost himself to the brief delusion that he was a regular man, and somehow was able to turn his attraction from afar into the smallest bout of courage and was able to speak to the incredible beauty. He'd only seen her from across a crowd in the past, but would think of her beauty when he was alone at night. His false sense of acceptance strengthened his bravado and the ogre was able to overcome his inherent fear and talk to his longed for beauty- if just in a brief, halting fashion.

They exchanged names; hers a magical name suited to such a wondrous creature, his simpler and plain. Much to his wonder and surprise, not only did his introduction to her convince him that her spectacular outward appearance was matched by her inner radiance; he was finding the source of the glow that was draped around her in such a glorious fashion. He was shocked to feel as if, not only was she speaking to him out of politeness and pity for his sorrowful countenance, she almost seemed to be speaking as if she viewed him as an ordinary, real man! His heart leapt as his words seemed to carry beyond the confines of his bedraggled and beaten face, to be heard and paid heed to by the only angel his heart would ever know.

He departed the feast that night, leaving all the happiness and chatter behind as you would leave a dream behind the next morning, to return to the cave he inhabited where he shared his meager space with an horrible troll that only came forth when the moon was in the right house for those type of creatures to be known. As he laid his unfortunate self on his pallet to sleep, his soul felt more fortunate than ever before, as he had been given a glimpse into the lucky uncursed world and for the space of a night, had almost felt as if he'd fit into that place despite who and what it was he had become. Also his soul danced with the dreams of his angel, lovely in the light of the feast with the music, laughter and dancing swirling about her as if paying tribute to her exquisite presence. So it was with a seldom-worn smile on his lips that the ogre drifted off into the realm of dreams, where even a soul such as his was able to find a partner.

The next day was awash with things to do, for the ogre was only hindered in life by the curse he bore, the rest of his faculties were just as sound, if not superior to, most. In fact, he had enjoyed some little prominence in the past for his skills as an artisan, and his intellect and kindly nature were well respected by the few who had come to know him in his travels throughout the various kingdoms he had explored. So as he went about the daily tasks of creating a living and surviving in his small, cramped world, his mind focused on the mundane tasks around him and he put the events of the previous night aside. Amazingly, as he went about his routine he was shocked to come upon his gorgeous maiden, wandering about in the edge of the woods leading to his cave. More amazingly, she smiled as she saw him!

"Good afternoon, fair lady." he stammered, hardly able to think at the moment.

"And to you as well, oh great and terrible ogre." she answered, the corners of her captivating eyes turned up in a secretive smile.

"What is it that begs the visit of one as pleasing as you so far into these treacherous woods?" the ogre cautiously ventured.

"Well, I was told in town that this is where I might find the man I had such a nice talk with last night.", she replied sweetly, her voice sounding to him as the music had last evening, only more heavenly.

"Ah, well then," he deflected, "you must have gotten turned about somewhere on the path, for there is none such here, only myself and a small troll in a cave." inside him though his heart was sinking, because for the briefest of seconds, he'd fancied that maybe she'd come to see him. But as soon as she mentioned the man she was looking for, he knew it would not be his fortune to speak with her that day.

"But sir, it is YOU I have traveled here to see!" she laughed, her wondrous eyes flashing, the peals of her laughter as light as the flaps of a butterfly's wings.

"Um, oh." he was stunned. In fact, almost in shock because she had actually called him a MAN, and had made a joke of the fact that he was such a terribly ugly creature! Could it be that this fairest of all nature's creatures actually saw him for what he felt inside?

"But I am tired from so long a journey, and I would much rather rest than try to decipher the difficult ums and ohs of the ogre language, right now." she teased, her acceptance of him being carefully measured with mirth.

"Um, oh." was his reply, and he cursed himself for having misplaced his brain for the moment. Still yet he was trying to let it sink in that here she was, joking and laughing with him, not at him as he had been used to from most folk for most of the recent years. You see, of late the ogre had become accustomed to several reactions from the people that crossed his path- sheer revulsion, abject disgust, or just a carefully measured tolerance for him until folks had gotten whatever it was they needed of him, THOSE were the responses he was most familiar with.

"Well, perhaps we need change your name from Lusmore to Um, oh!" she joked, her giggle tinkling across the small space that separated them.

"And perhaps yours to Jester, rather then Huldre!" he parried, his wits finally seeming to function again. "And of how may I be of service to my fine visitor this lovely day?" he asked.

"No service," she responded, "I just came in hopes of continuing to talk, as we had at the feast."

Confusion and fright welled up inside his breast, almost pushing aside the longing for companionship and his enchantment with her, for here is what he dared not hope for, happening right at this very place! If only she knew of how their talk last eve had sparked his soul, carrying him to a spot so far outside himself that he no longer felt the horrible curse surrounding his every step! Surely she must be a goddess, or faerie princess, to have such great beauty and sweet soul together at one time. He had best watch his P's and Q's, for to anger either a goddess OR faerie princess could be dangerous indeed, and cursed as he was already, the next could be even worse, and he had no desire to find this true. But the magic he'd felt during their talk washed over him, and his fears turned to joy as they laughed and chatted together for some time, speaking of things small and large: hopes, dreams, and wonders of their world.

Soon the afternoon turned to evening, and darkness started to fall so the ogre, fearful of her safety in the woods after dark, made his wonderful new friend cut short their pleasant, glorious discourse and bade her make haste to return home.

"But Lusmore, I am frightened a bit to travel these woods at dusk, and I may not find my way and get lost!" she ventured, "Besides, it is YOUR fault that I have let the sun escape me, so it shall be your fate to have to walk me out!" she teased.

"That I can do, Huldre!" Lusmore replied, keeping his joy at the prospect of more time with her in check.

And so it was that a relationship between the two began, an odd pairing most thought when they were seen together, but a joy for the ogre to be living. His heart would leap at the very thought of her, his breath could not be caught when he'd see her. Her laughter was heaven's music to him, her every wish his most fervent desire to fulfill. This much was true, the ogre had fallen for the first time in his pitiful life deeply in love, for there was not an inch of her he didn't treasure, not an ounce of her he would change, from her silky auburn hair, to the delicate toes she tread every lovely step with. Most thought him very lucky, for his Huldre WAS beautiful, and he knew she had many, many admirers, but in his thoughts he was more blessed than any creature in the world.

Things carried on this way for a time, and Lusmore became more and more enraptured by his love, and seeming to feel his love returned. But as life is a great and terrible host, there were trials and sorrows along the way. The ogre battled monsters, planted the fields for her family when they were ill or could not, even gave of his meager living to keep her living in a lifestyle suitable for one he felt so much for. The work was difficult, the toil great, but no price was too much for him to pay, just to feel the brush of her lips on his cheek or to see the smile that outshone the sun. And to hear her laugh and watch her enjoying herself when she was pleased was far more than he'd ever imagined! Yes, he was deeply in love with Huldre.

But tragedy soon overshadowed his idyllic days with her - not in his life, for he was of a mind that anything that happened to him was of no consequence as long as she was part of his world, but in his fairest of maidens life fate was being a cruel teacher. Huldre had suffered a loss of the ability to work for a time and her home was jeopardized, then her cart was destroyed so she had no way to get about to the markets and festivals, but Lusmore did his very best to see that those things were not as big a burden on her as they might be. A death in her family followed, and she was even returned to her former prison for a short time. These things, though he tried to help her cope with them, the gentle ogre could not relieve.

Shortly after these things occurred, his radiant light became despondent and no amount of cheer or help the ogre offered seemed to brighten her spirit. Cruel fate had not won out over him, and so he thought perhaps his strength could nurture her though these hard times, but life was to deal him his most crushing blow. His joy was great at one space as it seemed his sweet love had made the turn to coming back to her beautiful former self, and Lusmore the ogre thought that he may even ask for his maiden's hand, but joy is too often just momentary. It was shortly after he felt the hope that his Huldre would return to her old nature that there was an argument, a horrible row in which Lusmore, in an attempt to help the only love he'd ever known, had made a grave error in judgment and had hurt his Huldre at a time when more discomfort in her life was more than she could bear. Huldre screamed at him and Lusmore wept openly, but the point of no return for her had been reached, and it was then that the strangest of couples was no more.

Feeling again all the ugliness he bore in his cursed form, his heart no longer even in his body, Lusmore the ogre wandered, soulless and empty through his days, tears and pain his only, and constant companion. He even returned himself to his dungeon, vowing to live out his days there, apart from the now cursed real world. He stayed in his dark, solitary prison for a long time, constantly thinking of his one true love, missing her so terribly that each day he woke to the realization he would have her in his life no more, his heart was torn apart afresh. He lost all desire for life, the once persistent spirit to overcome he possessed no longer at work in his soul. But still he wished for HER. You see, even though the ogre had lost the light of his soul only after finding it in her, his love for her was still so strong that it would somehow keep him alive, even though that was the least of his desires. After a time, the constant pain of not being with his love became bearable, much as people who live with physical pain become accustomed to the torturous feeling.

He did become a bit functional, finding ways even from his dungeon, to try and let his faerie princess know that he still thought of her with kindness and dear love, bordering perhaps on the crazed, but it was the only sense of relief he could find from the daily anguish he felt. Time passed, and from his dungeon he would hear news of her passed along from a few kind folk that had grown to do more than just tolerate his deformed presence. The memories he carried of her swept over him at these times-thoughts of her striking beauty, her gorgeous nature and radiant spirit stirring up all the love he had in him.

Over time his love had found another, was starting a family and building a home with this one, and as painful as it was for Lusmore to hear and think of, his one truest desire for her had always been for her to be happy, and to have all that she wanted from life so he was truly able to hope that she'd found her happiness. He resigned himself to being just a memory to his princess, most likely fleeting and soon lost, but hopefully a pleasant one for the time that he made her memories. Also he was resigned to the fact that he would never lose the memory of her, that what heart he may yet have was totally, irrevocably hers, a spot of magnificent warmth and hope in his life, brief though it may have been.

Finally, his feelings became manageable, and he saw that her happiness was all that ever truly mattered to him, and that to do the one last thing to allow her to be happy, he had to let her carry on with the new life she was creating. So it was coincidentally near his love's birthday, that Lusmore (a fitting name, pronounced- "Lose more") the ogre, decided that the memories she had given him were gift enough to last a lifetime, and he would free her from the prison he had started to keep her in within his heart. But as it was her birthday time he still felt the need to give her something more, something she may be able to look back on and maybe smile over-or maybe, just maybe, bring back a thought of him. One of his greatest joys was the fact that Huldre always enjoyed hearing his stories, for in being cursed and outcast as he had been most of his life he had become used to making up tales to keep himself amused in his loneliness.

So it was with that thought that he decided to write her a tale to read, a tale that he'd put his heart and love into, just to remind her one last time that his love for her overpowered every other feeling he'd ever known. A birthday gift and a farewell to the greatest joy he'd ever feel. So much for happily ever after.

This is my gift to you Huldre - Happy birthday, I love you.

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4 Comments
thruholewizardthruholewizardalmost 9 years ago
wonderfully descriptive

needlessly cruel and pointless , I am a witch who would have changed the outcome if I had passed that way

chytownchytownalmost 9 years ago
Thanks***

For the read.

stiffNDNstiffNDNalmost 9 years agoAuthor
Anonymous reply

Here's the description from the Lit homepage for Sci/Fi & Fantasy...

Sci-Fi & Fantasy - Erotic tales set in futuristic or fantastic worlds. (10976)

And here's the description from the same page for Non-Erotic...

Non-Erotic - Fiction without a sexual focus. (3560)

Perhaps if you knew of what you spoke, your comment might actually be worth considering....

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 9 years ago
Even if you had posted this correctly in Sci/fi

It would have been bad.

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