The Jeweled Man

There once was a young mage girl called Elise.  She could not be apprenticed to all of the Towers of Wizardry because she could only cast one spell, a spell of petrification.  However, even this spell of hers was faulty; she could not turn things into stone, like any normal mage.  Everything she petrified turned into jewels.  This talent earned Elise many who would use her gift to make themselves richer than kings.  She refused them always, seeing those people as the snakes they were.  She made her way through life using her talent as little as possible, and soon the rumors of her gift faded.  She became an accomplished washerwoman instead of a great mage as she had once dreamed.

As Elise walked to her favorite washing spot along the river, she spotted a handsome man.  Though it was obvious that the man was no longer quite in his prime, well, Elise was older too.  She approached him and learned his name was Alan.  The two found that they had much in common and began spending a lot of time with each other, while Elise did her washing. 

Eventually, Alan took Elise to his special spot in the woods.  It was so beautiful that he refused to set any traps there.  In this glade, far in the woods, did Alan and Elise become lovers.  Whenever it was possible to ignore their other obligations, the pair would again go to that special glen.  It was there that Elise showed Alan her special gift.  She transformed a lily for him, and he adored it.  He left it in the glade, knowing that if anyone else saw it, there would be trouble.  Soon, Elise had transformed a large portion of the glen.  The towering trees became dark ambers with leaves of emerald, yellow daisies became gold citrines, and even the spring was transformed into a still, glittering pool of pure diamond.  The glade, which had once been merely beautiful, was now breathtaking with everything sparkling and flickering rainbows dancing about the area.  Alan’s and Elise’s love grew as their special place grew, and they were happy and content with each other.

One day, whilst the lovers were going about their usual business, a young hunter happened across the jeweled glade.  He stared in wonder at the place and plucked a small amethyst violet to prove it wasn’t a dream.  He ran back to town to sell the exquisite flower.  The youngest son of the local Baronet was in the market at the time the hunter ran in.  He spied the flower and bought it from the hunter on the spot.  The Baronet’s youngest son was called Talbot, after his family’s holdings.  The Lord Talbot then took the hunter aside and demanded to know where he had gotten the violet.  The hunter swore up and down that he had not stolen or robbed anyone, that he had instead found a glorious place far in the woods where everything was a jewel.  The Lord Talbot demanded that the hunter take him to that place.  The hunter did not particularly wish to go back to the enchanted glade, figuring that it was probably somebody’s sacred place and was likely well guarded, perhaps by a dragon or two!  However, the Lord Talbot persuaded him to venture back with the point of his sword.  So the hunter took the Lord Talbot to the jeweled glade.  The Lord Talbot feared guardians too, though nothing as fantastical as dragons.  He thought that it was perhaps a place of the Bright Elves, or maybe the Lightborn, and he did not want to cause a diplomatic incident.

Finally, the Lord Talbot and the reluctant hunter reached the glade.  This time, however, Alan and Elise were also there.  “What are you peasants doing in such a place!?  Get out!  This land belongs to the Talbot holdings!”  The Lord Talbot looked about greedily.  All of these jewels would be worth an empire!  And with peasants about, the land could not belong to someone, or they would have objected, surely.  The Lord Talbot smiled and began to imagine what he would do with all of his wealth.  Why, he would let his brother fight over who gets the traditional family holdings, but he would ascend and rule over the entire country, or maybe, even over the world!

“This is our place, and we will not leave it. You leave, and let us live in peace.”  The Lord Talbot froze and stared at Elise.  “You dare to order me about?!  I am a Lord!  I will have you killed for such impertinence!”  Elise was stunned.  This was a noble?  She really would be killed.  What had she done?  “No, you will not touch her,” spoke Alan.  “This is not your land nor will it ever be.”

The Lord Talbot was incensed.  How dare these peasants try to order him about?  “Hunter.  Kill these worthless rats!”  The hunter hasted to obey the noble and drew back his bow.  Elise stretched forth her hand.  In an instant, the bow was transformed into glittering crystal.  The hunter dropped the knocked arrow in shock.  He looked at Elise and fled.  Alan watched the hunter flee, and then turned, “Perhaps you should just leave too.”  The Lord Talbot was now angry, terrified, and intrigued.  He started calculating.

“Perhaps I was a bit too hasty before.  My lady, you are certainly a great mage.  I do not wish to offend you.  Maybe we could reach an accord…”  “No, leave me and my guard,” Elise fell easily into the role the noble had given her.  “Do not come back if you value your life.”  The Lord Talbot glared at both of the shabbily dressed people before him and bowed.  “As you wish.”  As the crashes of the noble through the still living brush around the glen faded, Alan and Elise turned to each other, relieved.

The Lord Talbot had other plans, however.  Though he had heard of mages living alone in remote places before, he did not believe that the peasant woman was a mage.  She had no regal bearing, no presence, and she could have done many other things to the hunter to stop him.  She could have easily erected a barrier around the place too!  No, he did not believe her a mage.  So when he arrived home, he sent for his servants that lived in the village.  He would ferret out who and what that woman was, one way or the other.  The servants returned quickly with information.  The woman was one of the washer women of town.  The man was a simple trapper.  Not satisfied yet with this, he sent them out again.  After a week of following up old rumors and gossip, the Lord Talbot discovered the evidence he wanted.

The two lovers were alone in the jeweled glade, enjoying each other’s company and doing their best to forget the disturbance last week.  Suddenly, an arrow whistled above them and embedded into the amber trunk of a tree.  With emerald leaves falling around them, Alan and Elise fled.  After they had run a ways, Alan stopped Elise.  “We cannot let him have it.”

“It is nothing, Alan.  I can create another place for us.”

“No!” cried Alan, “If we let this go, he will only follow you, us, again, and force you to produce gems for him constantly.  And me, he would kill me, or perhaps torture me every time that you refused.  I care not for myself, but I refused to allow such a thing to be done to you.  Neither of us is young… I wish to spend what remains of my life with you, away from the rest of the world.” 

Elise started sobbing, “But what can we do Alan?  The Lord Talbot has obviously hired a killer.  My love, I know that your heart is strong, but you are no match for an assassin.  I will not see you cast your life away for no purpose!”

Alan stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears.  “My love.  You will not have to.  Use your gift upon me.”

Elise stared at him in horror.  “I could not do such a thing!  I’ve never even tried upon a living creature.  And if it worked, you would be lost to me!  Just another stupid, glittering statue…”

“No, no.  Try it.  It is our only option.  We cannot fight nor do we have the resources to hire our own mercenary.  Please, try this.  It is our only option.  I trust you.”

Poor Elise was racked by indecision.  She could not possibly use her gift against her own lover!  But she could think of no other solution either.  She knew that greed would propel the Lord Talbot to find her, no matter what she did.  But what would happen to Alan?  She could not live without him…

“Elise,” Alan placed her hand upon his chest, just over his heart, “Do it.  Remember our love, and everything will be okay.”  Elise wept and willed her gift.

Meanwhile the mercenary was pocketing some of the fallen leaves while the Lord Talbot was dancing in glee.  “It will all be mine, mine!  And that stupid old woman, yes, she will be found.  She will make me even richer!  I will rule the entire world with her!”  The Lord Talbot tapped the diamond spring and laughed to hear the resonant tone.  Suddenly, there was a rush at the edge of the glade.  The mercenary immediately nocked an arrow.  The second rustle caused the killer to loose his arrow.  There was a high-pitched ping and then silence.  The mercenary checked his short sword for readiness and drew another arrow from his quiver, ready to nock if need be.

Just as the hired killer was beginning to calm, it happened.  A huge thing came into view!  It was over seven foot tall, glittering from a million facets, and made from a pale canary diamond.  The only things that interrupted the perfect clarity were a pair of dark star sapphire eyes and a huge, blood-red ruby where a heart should lie.  This man, this golem, strode into the jeweled glade as if it belonged there.  The mercenary shot all of the arrows he had as the golem slowly lumbered up to him.  He started to flee when he realized the hopelessness of the situation.  The Lord Talbot finally turned from his visions of ruling the world to see what the commotion was about.

“Stop right there!  I command you!”  shouted the brazen Lord Talbot.  The golem slowly turned toward him.  The mercenary took advantage of the distracted jeweled man’s distraction to hack at him with his sword.  Though the hired killer made enough through his contracts to have an enchanted sword, the magical blade failed to even knock a chip from the golem.  The golem moved faster than though.  The huge hand swept the mercenary right into a tree.  The body slide down, leaving a bloody smear down the amber trunk.  The golem again turned to the one responsible for everything.

The Lord Talbot ran.

Elise had been watching from the edge of the glade, trying not to scream at the brutality.  When everything was over, she ran to the golem.  “Alan!” she cried.  “Please, Alan.  Please be in there still.  Please… I love you.”  She sobbed, clutching the unyielding skin of her beloved.  The jeweled golem looked down at her and gently brushed her hair from her tear-streaked face.

“Oh, Alan…”  Elise wept even harder.  She would have been more content to die than never be able to hold her love again.  The golem reached down to the jeweled grass and plucked a flower.  He offered her a perfect lily, somehow untouched by Elise’s magic.  The sweet perfume of a living flower enveloped the couple.

The Lord Talbot seethed.  How dare that stupid peasant woman take his riches!  It belonged to him, by right!  He was a noble, claiming unclaimed land, bordering his family’s own holdings!  This was how the world worked!  As his inner tirade continued, the Lord Talbot got more and more worked up.  Eventually, his anger worked into blind rage, and he ran back to his gemmed glen.

He watched the woman and golem embrace.  He watched as the woman walked over to the spring.  He watched her wrinkle her face in concentration.  He heard the faintest trickle of water sliding over perfect diamond.

“No!” the Lord Talbot cried.  He charged into the glade, sword upraised.  He ran over to Elise, who looked up at him in surprise and terror.  The noble plunged his blade through her chest.

There was a noise like glass shattering, and the golem charged towards the Lord Talbot.  The lord was beyond reason and readied his blade.  The golem reached his enemy, but as he grabbed for him, there was a thundering crack.  The Lord Talbot was smiling maliciously as his blood-smeared sword clove the ruby heart of the golem in twain.  The golem fell to his knees.  And toppled forward, crushing the Lord Talbot.

Elise gasped her final breath.  She was glad to die.  But her last thought was to curse her power for causing all of this final misery.

Her blood mixed with the trickle of water that Elise had freed from her spell.

And the grove… changed.