The Three Lords and the Stag

A traditional fairy tale in the torturous style of the Brothers Grimm, written for VCFA.

Once there was a great King who loved the thrill of the hunt. When the Queen became ill and died, hunting became the King's first love. Every evening before dinner, he would venture to the dark woods behind the castle, his royal longsword gleaming silver in its ruby hilt, his quiver of uniquely-crafted oak arrows tied to a velvet sash, his polished elder bow slung over his back. After a year of hunting in those dark woods, the King caught a glimpse of a white stag, and became obsessed with catching her. One night, the King finally caught up to the white stag in a dewey glade.

“Let me go, and I can use my power to grant you that which you desire,” she said, glowing under the dark sky.

But the King only desired to capture the white stag, and he snatched her up in an old sack and dragged her back to the castle dungeon. He then locked her in a cage, and everyone in the land marveled at his prize.

A week later, the King became very ill, and, knowing he was dying, called his three sons to him. With no valuable possessions to pass down to them, he told them of the white stag's power, and then died.

The three sons went to the dungeon and spoke to the white stag.

“Do you really have this power our father spoke of?” the sons asked.

The white stag simply repeated what she had said to the King: “I can grant you that which you desire.”

The oldest son, Hanzum, stepped forward first. He was charismatic and charming, prided himself on his wit and good looks, and loved nothing better than when his work was done for him. He said to the stag, “Can you bestow upon me an object that will keep me forever beautiful, and worshipped by those whom I rule?” The white stag said she could, and made for him a wonderful jeweled mirror. Then she said, “But beware, for while you are looking at yourself in the mirror, you will miss something you should have seen.”

The youngest son, Craven, stepped forward second. He was dark and quiet, rarely speaking to anyone, and when he wasn't sleeping, he often practiced dark magic in his chambers. He said to the stag, “Can you bestow upon me an object that will gain me a legacy, so that I shall be remembered forever?” The stag said she could, and made for him a magical staff. Then she said, “But beware, for even the powers of this staff cannot help you while you sleep.”

The middle son, Honnus, stepped forward last. He was the humblest and hardest-working of the sons, and often spent his time among the people of the kingdom. He said to the stag, “I desire nothing.” The stag looked at him, puzzled, and then said, “Very well. You shall have nothing. But beware, for when you are lost for what to do, you will have no magic to guide you.”

They decided to keep the stag locked up, incase they ever needed her powers again. The sons then parted for ten years and became Lords of their own countries.

The country of Lord Hanzum flourished, and his subjects worshipped him, paying tribute whenever they could afford it. They garnered him with gold, finely-crafted robes and delicious specialty cakes, but nothing made him happier than looking in his mirror, which he never stepped away from. One day, his subjects gathered near the castle's gorgeous fountain and said, “There could never be a better leader than Lord Hanzum. He is beautiful to look at, and all other nations envy us.” The people acclaimed him.

The country of Lord Craven was sullen and covered in clouds. He stayed in his chambers all day and slept, and practiced dark magic with his magical staff all through the night. The people of his country were starving, and most of them became assassins and thieves to make a living. One day, his subjects congregated in the castle's tattered square and said, “There could never be a worse ruler than Lord Craven. He loves nothing but his own powers, while we scrape up every crumb we can get, and have to live day-to-day with the fear of being robbed or murdered.” The people despised him.

The country of Lord Honnus was modest and fair. He found himself a young maiden and married her, living in a cottage instead of a castle. His people made their own lives without his interference, although he made sure they had all the food and tools they needed. One day, his subjects got together in a luscious meadow and said, “Lord Honnus is a man of the people, there can be no doubt. How great it is to live in a place where we can be successful by our own means.” The people prospered.

One day, while Lord Craven slept in his chambers, a thief crept in and stole the magical staff. Before he left, he slit the Lord's throat for good measure, then he went to the dirty streets and pawned the magical staff, which was never seen again. Thus, Lord Craven was remembered forever, as the white stag had promised him, but as a coward and a dastardly leader.

When the news reached other nations, there was outrage. Hanzum suspected trickery from the white stag, and he took Honnus with him back to the King's castle, where they rambled down the dusty steps into the dungeon and confronted her.

Hanzum said, “Our brother is dead, and I demand you bring him back. That is my desire.” But the white stag refused this request, and Hanzum drew his sword to attack her. As he did, she sealed him inside the magical mirror, from which he could never escape. His spirit remained inside, looking as dashing as he had when he acquired the mirror. Thus, Hanzum remained beautiful forever.

Honnus was lost for what to do. The white stag said, “There, now you have nothing, as you desired.”

Honnus sat on the stairs of the dungeon, pondering all that had happened in the past ten years, and remembering the day he had first met the white stag, thinking to himself what his request had actually meant. He wondered if his request for no magical object had made him arrogant in the eyes of the stag.

And then his wife, who had followed the brothers to the King's castle, came into the dungeon and opened the door to the stag's cage. Without a word, the white stag scampered off, making her way across the royal meadows and disappearing into the dark woods, where she was never heard from nor hunted again.

Honnus embraced his wife and they traveled home together, where a glowing fireplace and a warm meal waited for them in their cottage. Their country flourished unto the latest days.