The King's Quest

The King's Quest
(word count 300)

On his twenty-first birthday, the king came of age. The morning ceremony was held in the public square for all to see.

'Yes, they could see me, but I could see them as well. I saw the fear behind the smiles.'

'I must not fail.' the king thought, looking out over his domain.

Everyone knew of the curse. For five-hundred years, the welfare of the kingdom reflected the truth of its power. The king must marry a woman he loved or the welfare of all would slip into darkness.

Time passed and beautiful young maidens from near and far were paraded in front of him. None could stir his heart.

Soon, the effects of the curse were everywhere. Crops failed. Raids from nearby kingdoms had taken a toll. In desperation, the king sent for Witch Brazdag who lived in an outlying village.

An old ragged woman bent with age came before him. She knew what he wanted. Abruptly, she tossed the seeing bones to the floor and bent to read their message.
The king leaned forward to hear her words.

"Your love not be where you look for she. For a heart you hope to bind, you look and never find."

With that, she picked up the bones and shuffled away.

Failure! He would never find her. In a moment of recklessness, he mounted a horse and sped into the night.

Deep in the forest, an unseen branch knocked him from his steed. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"The village of Gimstone. My daughter found you in the woods several days ago."
Just then a beautiful young woman entered the room with a tray of food.

The old woman was right. He had not found his queen. She had found him.