Week 7 Story - The King of the Forest

There were once three brothers: Aye, Bie, and Cee. They were traveling west, to seek their fortunes. Aye was a blacksmith and a warrior. No one could match his craftsmanship or or his skill with a blade. Bie was a teacher and a scientist. He could make potions and medicines better than anyone, and people throughout the land sought his wisdom when they were ill. Cee was an artist. His songs moved kings to tears, his dancing made women swoon, and his paintings softened even the most iron hearts. 

Soon they had gone far indeed and were in need of a rest. As the brothers were traveling down a long narrow road, they passed what were once known as "skyscrapers," now overgrown with vines and weeds. They stopped and made camp. The structure was old and dirty, with no lights and no one around for miles. They had supped they settled down to bed, and each had dreams of finding prosperity.

The next morning they started on their way again. But no sooner had they figured out their course than a two-headed deer appeared before them in the path. 

"Hark," the deer said, in a deep but feminine voice.
"Who are you?" Aye demanded, drawing his sword.
"Why are you here?" Bie asked, furrowing his brow.
"How can we help you?" Cee inquired, fidgeting with his hands.
"I am the Prince of the Forest. My father is old, and he is on the brink of death. We need a new King, and he has sent me forth to find one," said the prince. "There will be a contest, and the winner shall be my husband, and become the new King of the Forest."

This sounded good to Aye, for he could practice his swordcraft and use his abilities to protect the spirits of the forest. It would surely be an easy contest for him to win, given all his skill in fighting. 
"I wish to participate in your contest for the throne," he said to the prince. "Very well," said the two-headed deer, and Aye vanished.
Bie also wanted to compete to become the King of the Forest. There were lots of plants, herbs, and minerals that he could use in his potions. He was sure to win, for he was certain that he was the most learned contestant.
"I wish to participate in your contest for the throne," he said to the prince. "Very well," said the two-headed deer, and Bie vanished.
Cee, too, wished to be the new King of the Forest. The forest was a beautiful place, where he could sing and his voice would echo through the trees; where he could paint beautiful scenes forever. He was, of course, quite talented, surely he would win.
"I wish to participate in your contest for the throne," he said to the prince. "Very well," said the two-headed deer, and Cee vanished. 

The brothers found themselves in a field, barren except for the grass and one enormous oak, gnarled and twisted but still reaching for the sun. The ground was flat and the sky was endless, stretching far beyond anything the Ancient Ones ever made.
There was a pile of stones, each perfectly smooth and round and all the same color. The deer walked around the giant oak in the center of the clearing. For a moment it disappeared from view, but out from the other side of the tree trunk walked a man. He had a deer pelt wrapped around his waist, covering his modesty, and eyes with neither pupils nor irises, just whites--except his whites were green, like the leaves of the forest. "Choose a stone with your left hand, and throw it to the middle of the field. What is revealed shall dictate the winner." the Prince of the Forest said. 

Aye was surprised, for he thought that it would be a test of skill and strength. But he chose a stone and threw it to the center of the field with all his might. The stone traveled far, and when it landed it cracked open like an egg, and a great flame sprung out. 
Bie, too, was surprised, for he thought that it would be a test of wisdom and knowledge. But he chose a stone and threw it, though it did not travel as far as his brother's. When it landed it cracked open as well, and a great spring flowed from the center.
Cee had thought the contest would be one of talent, and so he too was surprised. He shrugged and grabbed a stone and threw it, and it landed somewhere between Aye's magic fire and Bie's eternal spring. When it opened several flowers sprung from within, and continued to grow and grow until there were wildflowers covering the once-empty field. 

The Prince of the Forest turned to Cee and said, "You are the new King. From you life flows, not in its elemental form but finished, complex and sophisticated. You see beauty for what it is, and do not seek to change it or confront it, only to share it. And the Forest is beautiful." 

The Prince led all three brothers to the twisted oak, then stepped inside. The brothers followed and found themselves in the Heart of the Forest. Cee appointed Aye as the Captain of the Guard, and Bie the Royal Physician. The Prince and Cee were married, and ruled the Forest together for many years. 

"Deer" by John Bunting
Flickr

Author's Note:
After reading all the African Tales, many of which involved a great deal of magical realism, I really wanted to try to write my own magical realism story. This story isn't based on any one reading, but on the themes that I noticed are most common in magical realism myths. (1) Things just happen, and the characters don't react to the magic, only to the events that result from the magic. No one freaks out about the talking two-headed deer. (2) You don't have to explain things, especially not magic things. Why do the stones crack open? They just do. (3) There seems to be more emphasis on nature, ergo, a prince of the forest. Also, the scenery can change in, like, one sentence.

I tend to think way too hard about what to name my characters, so I just named them A, B, and C, but with some creative spelling. I also find that I always present some romantic element in my stories, and there's probably a psychological reason for that if I cared to get into it, but I don't. I did realize that I haven't really represented many same sex relationships in my stories, but I think that it's interesting to have it represented here. In a lot of old myths, people talk about marrying this random person they found on their travels like it's NBD. So, since women who are found in forests, or on the side of the road can marry the first guy that comes along and offers them something magical, why can't dudes?