The Queen With The Frozen Heart 4

Thursday, May 8, 2014

The Queen With The Frozen Heart 4

During the years to follow the prince would wander further and further away from the castle, from his mother and from his human companions. In these years he grew in size, in valor, kindness, sorrow, wisdom and magic.

Even if the pain of loneliness never really left him alone, he would not succumb to his mother’s faith. He kept is hope and trusted to find his father one day. That one day he would have a family again, one day he would not be alone but he would have a father and a mother. And at the nights he returned to the castle he would whisper this to his mother while she slept alone in her bed.

He would stay awake at her side, sing her little songs and tell her about his adventures in the forests. At first the queen tried to get the prince teachers. Wise and able men and women who would teach him to be a prince, to read and write, to hunt and fight. He would do his best and excel them in all, until they left him alone. And then he would run off to the forest and return a day, or two, or week, or two, later.

While he would be roaming the forests, the wind would sing stories to the prince, and tree leaves would rustle their gossip to him and the rivers would laugh and gurgle to their own jokes with him. There would always be an animal cub or puppy to play with, a new story to learn or a new adventure to embark. And without noticing it, the prince had learned the language of the animals and of the nature.

He knew his mother longed for her, just like she longed for his father. But her heart was hidden behind the wall of ice. Safely ensconced there so she would feel no further pain. It would thaw a little when she saw her son and then freeze all over again when he would go out wandering about.

But the prince could not stay for her. He knew that it was his destiny to find his father. To do it he needed to go out to the world. And so he started staying away for longer and longer times. Wandering further and further away. Trying to talk with the northern wind, asking for news beyond the limits of his country. He would ride his bear cub until they would find a new river or creek running from north to south and they would ask for any news it would know.

When the birds would fly by to the north, when it was time for the snow to melt in faraway places and the plants to grow again. They would stand waiting, the prince and his bear, and ask the birds to go looking for his father, the king on their way to the north.

- He is tall and handsome, with black hair and dark eyes like mine, the prince would explain, please, look if you can find him. And listen, just in case, maybe you'll hear something new that might help.

And the birds would promise to help. Because they knew him and had learned to love him. Like the land loved the promise that he was to its continuity.

When the leaves would fall in the faraway places and everything stayed the same hi his home. When cold would make the birds return but his country remained as warm as ever, the prince would be waiting. Waiting or hear something new, waiting for a keen eye to have seen something different. Waiting to have something to bring hope to his heart.

After the birds had passed once again, without anything new to add, he would vanish to the forests and roam them further and further. Closing to their northern most point, and he would sit on the mountain peak. Gazing into the air, trying to see beyond. Willing for his father to appear, wishing for something to tell him where to start looking for him.

The night would fall and he would sit under the stars, waiting and willing, wishing and hoping. Hoping even when all the hope seemed lost. Because his roots were profound in the earth and the earth knew how to abide its time and was teaching it to the prince also.

Finally the cold mountain air and the darkness around him would make it impossible to stay and he would need to start looking for lower places to spend the night in them. He would jump from cliff to another and call the wind to lift him and help him to reach a place for his foot. Or for the earth to hold out for him. When it would rain he would ask the rain to go around him, so he would not get wet. And so much did they love him that they all did his asking. Even the fire would leap to him and start burning when he would ask it to.

It had been many long years ago that the prince lost his father. So many years that it was hard for him to remember his father’s face. But he still could remember the king’s voice and the touch of his hand over the prince’s head, and how he would smell when he would hold the little prince in his arms. And how strong those arms had felt, how invincible he had seemed.