Love & Loneliness/ The Tale of Coyote & Crow
In Literature, one of the most famous Relationships between the Fae is the Relationship of King Oberon and Queen Titania. Like much in Nature, their Relationship was both complicated, and yet very simple. Their disagreements would shake the Earth and disturb both the Human and Fairy Realms. Yet by the end of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' they were able to reconcile, and I would like to believe that their Relationship after became stronger, and I pray they do not punish me for presuming.
Challenges are a part of Life, whether we Will it or No. They change us and shape us. Going back to Shakespeare, he once said that, 'The course of True Love never did run smooth.'
This Tale is about Love. That complex and yet ever so simple thing. It is also about loneliness. Our Story begins in the Fae Realm. In an American Fairy Court. They had crossed the Seas on a sailing ship some Centuries ago. This Tale begins in the Court of King Azariel.
The Queen of this Court had passed on. It could be felt by all the Fae of his Court, in the overcast sky, and the rain that began to fall. The flowers wilted and refused to bloom for a time. It was rumored that King Azariel had chosen a Human Partner. None of the other Fairies had ever laid eyes on the Queen, but her Child was brought to the Fae Realm upon the Queen's passing.
This Princess, it was rumored, had very little Magic. She looked Fae, though she had small ears. Her name was Annwyl. She was different, and she knew it. She grew to know loneliness. She often kept her own company. Princess Annwyl, with her eyes of satin blue, could see past the false smiles of others, and knew that she wasn't fully accepted there.
No one had treated her poorly, but only because she was the King's Daughter. Annwyl was his only and favored Child. Even so, her Father, King Azariel, was soon to give her away.
The King's Court, it was rumored, was diminishing, and so, with all haste, a Marriage was arranged between his Daughter and a neighboring Prince. Prince Palencon was strong, and his Parents' power and armies were believed to be far greater. This Marriage would Unite both Courts, and any rumors about Azariel's Court would be quashed.
The preparations were underway, and Princess Annwyl awaited her Betrothed. As expected, he was everything a Fae Prince should be. He was handsome and charming, but his Emerald eyes drew a vale over his true Nature. One that the Princess could see through. She had no wish to Marry Palencon, but her Father insisted, and when King Azariel insists, his Will is done. Such is the Power of the King of the Fairy Court.
In her chambers the Princess contemplated escape, but she knew that any such attempt would be in vain. There were Guards posted all throughout the Palace and Grounds, and royal Dignitaries were filing into the Courtyard. Ladies buzzed about her as they created her Wedding Gown.
Soon she was at the Alter. The Elder evoked the Binding Words, and chanted the Spells. Their hands were tied together. Princess Annwyl and Prince Palencon were Wed. And so it was done, and she was sent to live with him.
The Prince soon revealed his true Nature. He was cruel and unkind. The only thing he expected of his new Wife was obedience. Lonely before, she felt more alone now than she ever did. She stayed until she could stand it no longer.
A Fairy Marriage is like a binding contract, and there were always consequences of breaking such a contract. No one had told her what would become of her. Annwyl might lose her Magic, be banished to the Human Realm, or any number of curses bestowed upon her. It was a risk she was willing to take. In her Mind she had made no Vows and thus she had not truly been Bound.
She took nothing with her, and she didn't know where she was going. Sneaking out of the Palace had proven an easy task in the Dark of Night, when all were in the Land of Dreams. Now she ran through the Forest.
'By all of Nature,' she thought, 'I renounce this Marriage. I will never go back'.
Almost as soon as the thought settled in her Mind, the World began to spin as Lightning lit up the Night. The Wind howled. A yip escaped her as she felt the powerful Magic take hold, burning inside of her. She ran faster, and soon she realized that she was running on four legs. Dread settled within her as the storm raged on.
She didn't know what she had become. She yip-howled instead of screaming. She barked instead of cursing. Princess Annwyl, a Princess no longer, ran until she callapsed from exhaustion.
She awoke the next day, free of Palencon and his Palace, but she was now cursed and utterly alone. She knew not how long she lay shivering on the Forest floor. Though she seemed to be covered in grey-brown fur, she was wet and cold. Afraid. Feeling defeated, and consumed by a hollow emptiness, she curled into a ball.
She heard a commotion. The underbrush crunched under heavy boots. Dogs barked. They were coming towards her. Fear gripped her and she dare not move. She had never met humans before nor encountered dogs. They drew closer.
Suddenly a Crow flew from a Tree. He beat his Wings and cawed loudly, distracting the hunters. It startled her into action, and she ran away from the Forest intruders.
Loneliness gripped her in her waking hours. She didn't sleep well. It wasn't long before hunger reared it's ugly head and clawed at her stomach.
She wasn't the only one who was hungry. Annwyl was unaware of the mountain lion that followed her, stalking her every move. She would've become it's meal, and her story ended, had the Crow not swooped down and began to attack the predator.
He dove down and pecked, flying back and diving down again. The Crow called out loudly, becoming as threatening as possible. The mountain lion snarled, hissed at the Crow, and fled.
The Crow glided down and landed on a low branch in front of Annwyl. He bowed. The Crow greeted her, calling her 'Lady Coyote', and she thanked him for the rescue.
She asked how she might repay him. He proposed an alliance. He help her find pray, and she share the meal. Annwyl admitted that she didn't know how to hunt. The Crow offered to teach her. Looking into his eyes, for the first time in a long time, she didn't see any concealed feelings, judgements, or hidden intentions. She agreed to hunt with the Crow.
Annwyl, the Coyote, was no longer alone. She didn't particularly enjoy hunting, and her first couple of attempts were unsuccessful. The Crow was patient and gave her more advice. It didn't take her long to learn. The Crow was excellent company, and a good Story Teller. The two Traveled together, enjoying one another's company.
Meanwhile, Prince Palencon raged in his Palace. Thick fog enshrouded his Court and a chill wind rattled the trees. He commanded his guards to find his missing Wife, but discreetly, so as not to alert the other members of his Court. He had heard her Oath and felt the Bonds of their Union break. But now Prince Palencon with his cruel Nature, wanted Princess Annwyl to suffer.
Time passes very differently between the Fae Realm and the Human Realm. What might seem like a day in the Fae Realm could see a Year pass in the Human Realm. And so it was. In the time it took them to find her, Annwyl had already been gone for a year. She had no reckoning of time. She was Living her new Life day by day, with no way to measure Time other than the Sun, the Moon, and the Seasons. Even so, she had no inclination to do so.
What was intended to be a curse seemed to be a Blessing, and Annwyl felt more Free than she had in her entire Life. She'd watch Crow fly overhead, and longed to glide on the winds along-side him. Instead she followed him on land when he was flying. They were rarely ever apart, inseparable, like two parts of the same being.
As time passed, her senses grew. But always the Crow's senses were sharper. He sensed the Fae before she did.
It was one who traveled alone. He moved slowly so as not to disturb the foliage. They were being hunted, and Crow knew it. Cloaked in a glamour, the Fae appeared invisible. Despite the guise, the Illusion was as nothing. Had it been more than one, the Crow would not have risked it but he felt he could fight one off.
He dove where he sensed the Fae to be, beak and claws doing his bidding. It had been so long since he had faught a Fae, that the Crow had forgotten just how powerful they could be. Attacked, the Fae dropped it's glamour. A force pushed the Crow away, and with a wave of his hand the Crow was transformed.
"Come now, Shapeshifter," the Fairy Guard hissed, "Let us see your True shape."
Usually, under normal circumstances, the change was as natural a part of him as breathing. Being forced to change was another thing entirely. Blinding white pain, a scream that he hadn't meant to utter, and the Crow's true form was revealed.
On his knees with his feathered cloak around him, the Shapeshifter gasped for air. He looked human. A young man with black hair and dark eyes.
"Filth," said the Fae.
He materialized a sword of ice, aimed at Crow's chest, and pulled back his arm to strike. In that moment he was met with the teeth of a Coyote. The Fae, surprised and injured, vanished.
Safe for now, the Shapeshifter gazed into Annwyl's eyes. No longer blue, the curse had turned them amber. They were the eyes of a Coyote, and yet they were still hers.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Crow said in a somewhat raspy voice. He paused a moment and then said, "Now you know what I'am."
'You're still you,' Annwyl said. 'Your shape matters not.'
Crow gave a small crooked smile. He then closed his eyes, and transformed back into a corvid.
Meanwhile, in the Palace of Prince Palencon, the Prince was given distractions to calm his mood. The King and Queen threw their son a feast, and ordered the best dancers to appear before him. One of the dancers caught his eye.
The dances of Fae Folk are Magical, and also used as a form of Communication. No instruments were present but Music filled the Hall. Her dance was entrancing, and unlike any he had seen. She moved with fluidity and passion. The Dancer's moves commanded attention. They demanded, and left no room for argument. What her motion and eyes communicated seemed to reach inside of him.
For the first time in his life, Prince Palencon had feelings that he had never before experienced. The dance ended. The music stopped, but their eyes remained connected. He ordered everyone out except for the Dancer who seemed to have taken hold of his very essence.
"I must know who you are," the Prince said once they were alone. "What spell have you placed upon me? And why in you do I see myself?"
"No Spell," said she, "I can't say why you see yourself within me, for I'am confounded and mesmerized as I see myself in your eyes."
Fairies are vastly emotional creatures. When they do fall in Love they fall hard. Even in the Human Realm, sometimes Love seems to be without reason. Fairies are also notoriously fickle creatures.
Just then the door opened, and Prince Palencon and the Dancer barely noticed. It was the guard who had found Crow and Annwyl in the Forest.
"My Lord," said the Guard, "I have found Princess Annwyl. She is in the Human Realm, cursed to the form of a Coyote. She travels with a Shapeshifter who takes the form of a Crow."
Palencon still could not bring himself to leave the gaze of the woman before him. He had almost lost himself in her eyes. He looked away quickly and glared at the Guard, causing the room to darken and the candles to flicker.
"You dare disturb me now?" He said coldly.
"Sire," the Guard said, dropping his eyes to the floor and putting a fist to his chest, "I only carry out your will. We have found the Princess, do you still wish for her capture?"
Prince Palencon was quiet for a moment, and then looked back at the woman in front of him.
"The Princess is nothing to me," He said. "Call off the Search and be gone."
The Guard bowed. "Yes, Your Highness," He said, and quickly left the room to call off the Search as his Master commanded.
Unaware that the search was over, Crow and Annwyl agreed, the safest place to take shelter was within a house. Crow had a small hovel in the woods. It was a bit dusty and untidy, but such was expected after his long absence.
He had shifted into his human form, cloak held tightly around him. He stayed awake. Despite the Ancient Laws of Entry, he couldn't sleep and remained watchful with the Coyote curled up and nestled beside him.
She was sleeping peacefully. She knew she was safe. With Crow she always felt safe.
She had moved in her sleep, and somehow rolled over to end up in his lap. He stroked her fur, in the same fashion as he had preened before to help her sleep. He thought about her then. About her wit and humor. The sound of her laughter in his mind. Her kind nature. How sometimes it seemed that they were of one mind and shared the same thought. He held her gently and close.
He felt a warmth in his chest. He may not have admitted it before, but he really cared about her. Overcome with the emotion that he was feeling, Crow bent his head down and gently pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I love you," he whispered.
Without meaning to, he drifted off to sleep. He awoke to Annwyl's voice calling his name. He awoke to amber eyes, but the body was not the same.
Where once there was a Coyote was a lovely young woman. For a very brief moment he thought he was dreaming. But she was there in front of him. Even with the change in appearance, he knew it was her.
Looking into his eyes, she wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him. On each cheek, on his forehead, and then she kissed him on the lips. If you were to ask them later in life, what the best moment was, this moment would be on their list. Though they would share many kisses in the future, this one was special.
"I love you too," she said.
From that day on, she denounced the name Annwyl, and chose to be called, Coyote. They couldn't say then what the future would hold, they only knew that they would share it Together.
Love can be brief, or last a lifetime. Love can be without condition, or forged in friendship and shared experiences. Loneliness may come in Love's absence, but loneliness doesn't last forever, you may not be as alone as you think, and, somehow, Love will always find a way.