Long before Mellrose was even born, when Darius was but a young prince of 22 or 23 years of age, it was decided that he should take a wife, for his father, the King, was getting along in years, and it was ordained in the law of the land that a prince could not receive the Crown until he had taken a wife. Maidens from neighboring kingdoms were brought before the young prince, but none seemed to awaken in him feelings of love. In the midst of this processional, a young woman suddenly appeared as if from thin air. She was radiantly beautiful and moved and spoke with such grace and charm that she almost immediately ensnared the young prince's heart. The bewitching creature, who introduced herself as Madeline, charmed also the King and Queen so it was decided that Darius and Madeline would marry immediately.
After the wedding celebration and the passing of the old King, it began to become clear that Madeline would not be the wife or queen that anyone, least of all Darius, had expected. She demanded rights equal to those of the King - to be able to command her own army, the right to make her own ordinances and decrees, and the power to grant or take land away from her subjects - when everyone knew the role of the Queen was merely that of a figurehead. Several years passed and Madeline bore Darius several children (some of whom were illegitimate, but Darius never need know), but she remained fixated upon obtaining power equal to that of Darius. One evening, she flew into a fit of rage, screaming that if she was not granted equal power in the kingdom, Darius and all his subjects would live to regret it. Alas, unmoved by her impassioned speech, Darius refused to give into Madeline's demands and she, in her rage, revealed the secret power she possessed but had long kept hidden from her husband, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Stunned and sputtering, Darius called for his royal guard to search for the witch. The search lasted nearly three months until Madeline was finally found living near the sea. The guard, having caught the witch unaware, was able to restrain her with ropes. They demanded that she return to her husband immediately or the illegitimate children, the identity of whom she thought she had succeeded in concealing from her husband, would be put to death. Furious, Madeline demanded to be let go, for she would rather lose her dear children than be kept as a pet to a fool king, but vowed to bring a curse upon the king and his guard for treating the witch as they had. Reluctantly, the guard released her, and Madeline spoke a terrible curse unto them, indeed:
"Every child born to you,
on the eighth day of his life,
will I take for my own
that I may ease the sorrow
of my children lost.
And may you live forever
and see each son borne you
snatched from his mother's arms
and brought to my own breast."
Saying nothing more, Madeline vanished for a second time in a cloud of smoke, never to be seen again.
Thus it came to be that King Darius and the members of his guard were cursed with immortality and the burden of watching each and every male child born mysteriously die when he reached eight days old. No one else in the kingdom knew about the terrible curse, and those who fell under its power vowed never to reveal its nature. So many years passed and the King ached for the companionship of a new wife - a wife that would know her place in the kingdom. Mellrose had been brought up for just such a purpose and was brought to Darius to be his wife. Darius delighted in his new queen, and most of all the fact that she didn't question why they must never have children.
THE END
Author's Note: This story is adapted from the story Lilith, from the Adam and Eve unit. The original story tells of Adam's first wife, Lilith, who was created from the dust as Adam was. Because they share the same origin, Lilith demands to be seen as an equal to Adam rather than helper and when she was refused, she flew away from her husband. I made the story about the King of a nation because Adam is often referred to as the Father of Mankind and made the Lilith character into a witch because it is said that Lilith has taken her revenge out on babies by injuring them on certain nights of their lives, which I found made me think of a witch's curse.
Bibliography Information: Lilith. The Legends of the Jews. Louis Ginzberg. 1909.
Jada, your storytelling is really good! I love the language you use that makes the story have that old-timey appeal. That kind of language is sometimes difficult for me to even read, so it is really impressive that you can write a story using it! I also like that you transitioned it from the original Biblical story plot to one that was centered in the times of Kings and Queens. That was a unique twist.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I had no idea that Adam's first wife was a women named Lilith?! I always heard the original Adam and Eve where Eve was created from Adam as the first woman. So I guess I learned a lot from reading your story and the one it was adapted from.
HI Jada, reading you story I wouldn’t have been able to tell that it was inspired from Lilith in the Adam and Eve unit. I think you have done such a great job at retelling it in your own way. It sounds like a destiny fairytale. I would never have thought to tell it this way. Very unique in your craft.
ReplyDeleteYou did such a wonderful job with this retelling! I couldn't figure out where your story originated from until you explained in your author's note. In the past I had only heard very little about Lilith, and your explanation has cleared up a lot! It's sad that this tale views women as a subordinate to man, but at the same time it's fine since times along with theses views have changed. I've learned a lot from your reading!
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