The Messenger
Emily had grown up in a small town near the palace of Gore.
She had lost her mother at a young age, and visited her grave often.
The Queen
Morgan le Fay had been an idol of hers since the first time she saw her. Morgan
had come to her village to heal a sick child with her powers and as she was
leaving, saw Emily sitting at her mother’s grave. She came over and spoke to
Emily for a little while, and before she left, used her magic to make a
beautiful rose grow at the headstone.
And since that day, Emily had dreamed of
living in the palace, spending time with Morgan le Fay. And one day, her wish
came true. By luck, she found her way into the palace as a maid when she was
fifteen years old. And from there she observed Morgan every day using her
powers to do good for all the people of Gore.
Morgan left one day, said to be
visiting her brother. No one in the palace or the country knew that she was on a
mission to steal from her brother. They knew of her brother, the great King
Arthur, but it seemed that their relationship was nothing but amicable. So when
she returned and told everyone how fruitful the visit was, no one thought anything
different.
Shortly after she returned, she summoned Emily to her throne room. Emily
was shocked, but pleased and hurried there. Morgan told Emily that she remembered
her from all those years ago, and appreciated her loyalty greatly. She had a
task for Emily. She then showed her a beautiful crown and asked Emily to deliver
it to her brother at his palace. Emily enthusiastically agreed and soon she set
off with several knights accompanying her.
When she arrived at the palace, she
was not met with the warm greeting she expected. When she had announced she had
a gift from Morgan le Fay, Arthur had seemed pleased until a woman had said
something to him quietly. Suddenly Arthur’s demeanor changed and he demanded
that Emily put on the crown. She was taken aback, and refused, because she had
been raised to believe that only royalty should wear things like that. But
Arthur insisted, and Emily placed the crown on her head.
Immediately she began
to feel a burning sensation where the crown was, and then . . . nothing.
Author’s note: I chose to use the original story of Morgan
le Fay and Arthur, where she steals his sword, and after a chase around the
countryside, sends him a poisoned crown via a young girl. I thought it was
awful what happened to that girl, so I wanted to look at the story from her
perspective. I chose for her to be innocent and under Morgan’s spell, so to
speak, because I don’t believe she would have put the crown on if she had known
it was going to kill her.
Bibliography: King Arthur and Morgan le Fay from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang link to online reading
Image information: Crown (headgear)
Hello, Caroline!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story! I had not read the original version of this story but your author's note did a great job of explaining the context. I honestly did not expect the poor girl to die, and you did a great job of convincing the reader that the queen was a good woman. Also, I think telling the story from the girl's point of view really added an interesting dynamic! Great work!
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI am not very familiar with Morgan le Fay but I had read a portfolio that did an interview with Moran le Fay as part of their project. In the interview, Morgan le Fay attempted to act innocent about her grudge against King Arthur but I did not like her character and felt she was being mischievous. Your story further affirmed her deceitful character, I felt very sorry for Emily who was unaware of the feud. You can see Morgan le Fay's wicked character traits coming out as she sent the innocent girl off to her inevitable death. Great story!
Hi Caroline!
ReplyDeleteI was a bit confused with your story until I read the author's note. I am not familiar with your story source, but the author's note clarified most everything. I like that you chose to tell the story from the girl's point-of-view as she was unaware of what was going on. It is sad that the crown is going to kill her, but it goes to show the negative traits of Morgan le Fay. Great story!
I have never heard of this tale completely, I’ve heard certain aspects of it but never the complete thing. I really enjoyed that you wrote it from the young girl’s perspective, she was innocent, naive and loyal and that cost her her life. It’s a nice change from story told from the protagonist’s or antagonist’s perspective because it lets you understand what the tale was like for others. Great story and I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteHey Caroline!
ReplyDeleteGreat twist to the original story. I had never heard of Morgan le Fay before this and I really enjoyed what you did with it. I like that you didnt make it a happy ending. To me happy endings happen way too often in stories so it is almost refreshing to read something different. I really enjoyed your writing!
Hello Caroline,
ReplyDeleteThis story is a bit confusing to start with. I had to read it multiple times after reading the authors note. I am not a fan of happy endings in stories and the fact that she was killed with the crown was a delight for myself to read. Other than being some subject I was not familiar with I really enjoyed the story.