Wendell and Wira
He’d been flying for hours. Soaring and gliding on the wind currents and he’d seen no sign of life below in all that time.
I’m doomed, he thought to himself.
How am I ever going to reverse this spell if I can’t even find a human being to help me? He was flying above the earth in the form of a rather large, nondescript, grey bird.
She hadn’t even had the decency to turn him into something regal or proud like an eagle. No, she had to make him ‘nondescript’ and grey to boot. What was she thinking? The she he was thinking about was the wizard Mariel, who up until three days ago had been his main squeeze in the palace.
How was I supposed to know she was a wizard, he asked himself.
How was I supposed to know she was the jealous type? Who the hell am I talking to? This had been happening more frequently since his misfortune. He found himself talking to no one in particular as he flew through the skies looking for any sign of intelligent life below. Earlier that day, he had been chased by one of the great eagles, who thought he would make a wonderful meal for her fledglings. He had only barely escaped with his tail feathers intact.
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She was used to traveling the road alone. Her profession dictated that she ever be on the move. There was no settling down for a bard. There was always some message or news that needed to be conveyed to the next village or monarch. She had lived this life for the last 10 years and she envisioned herself living it for the next 50 or so. As long as she could walk, she would be a traveling minstrel and story-teller. She’d left the village early that morning before the villagers had awoken. It was always easier to leave before they could delay her with this and that request. Her bag, which was slung over her shoulder, was already weighed down with letters to friends and families in neighboring towns.
The road was well kept for this part of the country, which said to her that there was someone who had something to gain from having a well maintained road. Perhaps a wealthy merchant in a nearby town, or then again, someone of nobility, who couldn’t stomach riding over bumps and holes in their fancy carriage. She pitied those people. They would never know the joy of walking amidst the trees and flowers as the wind blew through your hair and the scent of spring blooms assaulted your senses. No, walking was what she preferred to riding in some stuffy carriage. Just then, a shadow passed over her and she looked up to see a rather large bird soaring through the sky.
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He was beginning to despair when a flash of color from below caught his attention. He circled around and sure enough, his eyes had not deceived him. There was someone down there. He didn’t really care who it was, as long as they were alive and breathing. He started his descent, something he had had to perfect over the last few days. Flying was not something he came to naturally and he had had a few close calls in his first couple of days in this form.
Wira watched as the bird circled back and then suddenly decided to head in her general direction. She’d seen many birds in her travels, but this one seemed to be very nondescript in appearance. As it got closer, she realized she could not tell just what sort of bird it was.
Now that’s strange, she thought to herself,
I know every breed of bird. How could one have slipped past my studies? As he got closer, he was able to make out that the person was a woman.
Now what is a woman doing traveling out here all alone, he thought.
Wait….A woman traveling alone in the wastes…This does not bode well for you….Perhaps we should rethink our strategy….If he had had hands, he would have hit himself over the head to shut himself up. As it was, all he could do was mentally chastise himself for once again, talking to himself.
She’s watching me, he thought.
Oh well, nothing to do about that now. He proceeded to land on the road in front of her.
Now what in the world is this bird doing, she was thinking as it landed in front of her. Birds as a rule did not make a habit of landing directly in front of travelers. They tended to land in trees and on buildings and stayed away from people in general, unless of course those people were eating and then they made a regular nuisance of themselves. She stopped where she was and stared at the bird, still attempting to determine just what kind of bird it was.
Is it staring at me, she asked herself.
Yes, I am staring at you, came a voice inside her head. The voice was distinctly male and it sounded very annoyed for some reason. She shook her head from side to side as though she were trying to get water out of her ears. She’d been walking for hours and hadn’t eaten anything yet today, so she chalked it up to hunger playing tricks on her. She started to move forward, with the intention of moving around the bird, but it had other plans. It hopped to the same side of the road and was once again in front of her.
Where are you going? Came the same voice in her mind.
I didn’t fly down here just so you could look at me and then walk away. I need your help. Again, she shook her head.
Birds don’t talk she kept telling herself over and over.
This isn’t really happening.
Of course it’s happening, now will you please stop being so dense and just listen to me? He was quickly loosing his patience with this woman.
How does one get hair that color, he thought to himself. Why couldn’t he find himself someone with at least a smattering of brains in their head? She suddenly came to the realization that the bird was reading her thoughts.
Ok, this is no ordinary bird, she thought.
Somehow I have to guard my thoughts. “You’re a bird, how is it I can hear you in my mind?” she asked it, using her voice. This was definitely one for the story books, she thought.
I heard that, he said.
I will not be reduced to some child’s bedtime story. Get that thought out of your head right now woman. You can hear me, because I am not really a bird. My name is Sir Wendell and I am a member of the King’s personal guard.
Damn, she had done it again. “A guardsman you say? Well if that’s the case, why are you all the way out here and not back at your castle getting your king to lend you aide?”
Guarding thoughts, guarding thoughts.
Good question, but the answer does not concern us at the moment. Stop asking questions that have no bearing on the situation at the moment. Suffice it to say, he can’t help me and you can.
“You think I can help you? Look, I’m no magician; I’m a bard, a minstrel if you will. I sing and tell stories for a living. I am not what you need and even if I were, why should I believe you? A nondescript bird lands in my path and tells me he’s a king’s guardsman under some sort of spell and you really expect someone to believe that? I wasn’t born yesterday you know. You’re probably some demon or changeling trying to trap me in some vile plot of your own….”
Would you please just shut up and listen to me? What is it with you women and your incessant need to talk, when what you should be doing is listening? He was really beginning to dislike this woman. Not that under other circumstances he wouldn’t have found her exceedingly attractive. For she was a very beautiful woman. Curves in all the right places and not a blemish on what skin he could see. And if she was half as good at singing as she looked, she would be a most acceptable companion, but as soon as she opened her mouth to say something, the whole picture went up in flames for him.
“Shut up is it? Is that what you want? Very well.” She immediately stopped talking and before he could register what she was doing, she was around him and moved quickly down the road.
Where the hell are you going? He quickly leapt into the air and flapping wings, he flew ahead of her and once again landed in the road to face her as she approached. “You’re not going to leave me alone are you?” she asked.
No, I’m not. You are the first person I have seen in 2 days and if you don’t help me now, I’ll just keep pestering you until you do.She sighed and put her bag and lute down on the ground, then she sat down herself and waited for what would come next.
Finally, she was being sensible. He hopped up to her and said,
Ok, why don’t you tell me your name first? It will make things easier I think. She laughed silently to herself and said, “My name, Wendell, is Wira; though how that is going to make things easier, I don’t know.”
Wait a minute, he thought to himself,
Wira? He’d heard that name somewhere before, he just couldn’t put his finger, oh, claw on it.
Well, it’s not important at the moment. What is important is that I need you to help me get this wretched curse lifted. I’m needed at the castle and they are probably wondering where I have gotten off to. “Wait a minute. You didn’t go to anyone at the castle first to see if they could help you? Wendell, that makes absolutely no sense. Surely there must have been someone there who would know what to do? Doesn’t the king have a magus of his own? He should be able to take care of this in no time.”
Here we go again; she just couldn’t be quiet and listen; always with the questions.
Look, I’m not an idiot. Of course I tried that, but for some unknown reason, you seem to be the only person so far who can hear me. As for the king’s magus, well…..it was the magus who put this spell on me, so I certainly wasn’t about to go there for help. Now, will you kindly be quiet and let me explain what I need you to do? The magus told me how the spell could be lifted, but of course the magus didn’t think I would find someone who could hear me and thus tell it to. There is an incantation that you need to recite, but there are some stipulations to how you are to do it. Just hear me out before you say anything. First of all, it must be recited during the first full moon of the month, which just happens to be tonight. Second, you must stand in the middle of a ring of dead fish. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of getting those. These claws are good for something besides scratching in the dirt and clinging to tree limbs. Third thing is this; you must lie on the ground with me standing on your stomach as you recite the words, inside the circle of dead fish. Simple isn’t it? She sat there staring at him as he went through the list of things she would have to do. She was perfectly fine with the first two; it was the third one she had problems with. Not that she didn’t spend many nights sleeping on the hard ground; but she didn’t make a habit of having large birds standing on her when she did.
Oh well, I suppose I can do this one time, she thought. Wonderful, he said. Damn! She had done it again. “Alright, you go catch the fish and I’ll wait here.”
You won’t leave? “No, I won’t leave” she said, “I’ll stay right here until you return.” Feeling rather pleased with himself, he flew off to go find a nearby water source where he would be able to find enough fish before the moon rose. He hadn’t told her the last requirement, but he figured he would leave that until the last moment, when she couldn’t refuse him.
She was patiently sitting in the road, playing her lute when she saw him returning with the first few fish in his claws. He dropped them on the road near her and without a word, left again to go get more. It would take a goodly number of fish to make a circle large enough for her to lie in. She didn’t know if the fish had to be touching each other or if they just needed to form a circle. After numerous similar trips, Wendell had succeeded in piling up over 20 fish of varying sizes and types. He could of fed a small platoon with those fish, but as it was, they were just going to be wasted once the curse was lifted.
“So, I place them in a circle is that it? Do they have to be touching?” she asked.
The magus didn’t go into that much detail. I suppose we could try it and see. If there are enough to make the circle big enough for you, then make them touch each other. She lay down on the road and said, “Put one down at my feet would you?” and she placed on above her head. Then she stood up and began placing the remaining fish on either side to form the circle. There were enough to make the circle complete and Wendell felt very pleased with himself. “Alright then, that’s done. Now, what is this incantation I have to recite?” He was quiet for a moment, taking the time to pull the exact words from his tiny bird-brain.
Let me see….It went like this… Fish for a fishmonger, laid out in a circle.
Under the first full moon of the month.
Lying inside as the day of one’s birth.
The curse will be lifted, drawn back to the earth.
Yes, that’s it. Do you think you can remember that or do I need to say it again? “No, there is no need to repeat it. It is simple enough. I have just one question though, what is meant by ‘lying inside as the day of one’s birth’?
He was afraid she might question that verse.
Oh well, nothing to do for it but to tell her. You knew she would have to know sooner or later. Shut up! Of course I knew. Well Wira, you see, I forgot to tell you the final thing the person must do in order for the incantation to work. It seems it’s necessary for you to lie naked within the circle….So, shall we get started? “Naked! You have got to be mistaken! We are in the middle of the road and you expect me to lie naked, in the middle of a ring of dead fish, with you standing on my stomach? Just what do you take me for? I’m a respectable bard, well known in and around the five kingdoms. And you have to audacity to ask me to lie naked in the road? I should say not!”
Alright, it was time to pull out all the stops. He hung his head as low as he could and hopped over to the nearest fish. Taking it in his beak, he moved it out of the circle and then returning, he did so with the next one.
I was afraid you might react this way, he said to her.
It’s alright. I release you from service Wira. You may leave and continue on your way. I shall not hinder you further. He moved towards the next fish, but was stopped by Wira’s foot in front of him. She had watched him closely as he began to dismantle the circle. She was a little surprised at how well he had taken her refusal to help him. “What will you do now?” she asked him.
I will have to continue in my attempts to find another who can hear me and is willing to help. However, the longer it takes to have the curse lifted, the more likely it is that I will lose the memory of just what it is that needs to be done. It’s been only 3 days since I was cursed and already I am having trouble remembering the incantation. If I cannot find someone soon, it will probably be too late. No, stop it. Don’t start feeling sorry for him or you know what will happen. She couldn’t help it. It was in her nature to feel compassion for the down-and-out of the world and this guardsman most certainly fit the bill. “Look Wendell, if I agree to do this for you, there are a couple of stipulations of my own you will have to comply with.” He lifted his head from where it had been hanging on his breast and looked up at her.
I will do anything you ask of me Wira. I am yours to command. “Well first of all, I want you to be blindfolded. I see no reason why you should have the pleasure of seeing me in the nude. Second, I would like to move off the road and somewhere more secluded and out of view of anyone passing by. Lastly, I would ask that you allow me to wrap your feet in my blouse, so as not to scratch me while you are standing on my stomach. Are you agreeable to this?” His heart was about to jump out of his throat.
YES! We shall do it all as you wish. He quickly began picking up fish in his beak and claws and flew off into the bushes on the side of the road. Returning he said,
I have found a suitable spot. If you will follow me, I shall show you. It was a suitable spot indeed. The ground was covered with soft, green clover and the bushes were tall enough that once lying on the ground, no one would be able to see them from the road. She started arranging the fish in the circle again as Wendell continued to deposit them in the clearing. When the circle was complete, she began to undress. First her shoes and stockings, then her skirt. She stood there in her underpants and blouse and said to Wendell, “If you will approach, I shall use one of my stockings to cover your eyes.” Wendell approached and she tied one of her stockings over his eyes. He stood there as she finished undressing. Standing naked in the clearing, she laid her blouse down on the ground and said, “Don’t be alarmed. I’m going to lift you up and place you on my blouse. I shall tie it around your feet and then lift you onto my stomach once I am lying down.” He stood perfectly still and felt her warm hands grip him around his chest, keeping his wings tucked closely to his body. As she tied the shirt to his feet, his heart began to race. His entrapment was about to be ended and he would once again be free. Mariel would rue the day she had ever met him once he was restored to his full manhood.
She was sitting on the cool clover now, inside the circle of dead fish and she reached over to lift him onto her stomach as she lay down. “Alright, are you comfortable?”
Yes, quite. Do begin if you please. “Very well. Here we go….
Fish for a fishmonger, laid out in a circle.
Under the first full moon of the month.
Lying inside as the day of one’s birth.
The curse will be lifted, drawn back to the earth.”
Suddenly, without any warning at all, the grey bird was gone and in it’s place, weighing heavily on her body, was a full-grown man. She looked at him and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was very handsome. He was also very naked. But for her stockings tied around his eyes and her shirt around his feet, which was making things very awkward at the moment, he was as naked as she was and he was lying directly on top of her. “I think you had better move” she said. “I’m finding it rather hard to breath and something is poking me.” He quickly lifted himself from her body and sat up in the grass. He reached up to remove the blindfold and she quickly reached out and stopped him. “No you don’t. Not until I have gotten dressed again.”
“My apologies dear Wira. I shall of course wait” he replied. “Although you do have me at a disadvantage, as it would seem I too am currently without the benefit of clothing.”
“That is true Wendell, but then I am not the one who got himself cursed in the first place am I?” She quickly untied his feet and donned her blouse as well as the rest of her clothes and then gently untied her stockings from head. He blinked a few times and looked up into her eyes. A smile began to form on his face and he said, “Dear lady, I ask your forgiveness for my previous behavior. I was quite rude to you and I am not of a habit of being rude to lovely ladies. I am forever in your debt and am yours to command. Anything it is within my power to grant you is yours for the asking.”
She thought about that for a moment and said, “Can you still read my thoughts?” “No, I cannot. That seems to have been a part of the curse and is now gone.” She felt relieved at that news and wondered just how a guardsman could make her such an offer as he had just done. “First, I think we had better find you something to cover yourself with.” She reached for her bag and began rummaging through it. Finally she found what she had been looking for. She pulled out her purple cloak, trimmed in rabbit fur and handed it to him. “I know it is not much, but it’s fit for a king. I didn’t think you would wish to wear one of my other skirts and I have no other shoes. Perhaps you will be able to find someone in the next village you enter who will take pity on you.”
He took the cloak from her and wrapped it around his waist to cover himself from her eyes. She was no longer the irritating, clueless, beauty of a woman he had taken her for at first meeting. She had a generous soul and was kind to the core. He could now see what he had not been able to see before. He had been the one who was callous and cruel, not she. He stood and said, “Milady Wira, will you do me the honor of accompanying me back to my kingdom, where I shall tell all who care to hear, of the wonderful kindness you have shown me this day?” She walked over to him and looking him in the eyes said, “Wendell, if you so much as whisper a word of what took place here today, I myself will hunt you down and place the curse back on you. Are we clear about that?”
He smiled at her and said, “It was never my intention to divulge the details of it, only to say that it was you who was my savior. I would not dream of mudding the name of Wira the Illustrious with the petty details. Yes, I know who you are. It took me a little time to remember where I had heard your name, but it did finally come to me. We have met, you and I some years ago when we were both much younger.”
She looked at him closely, trying to place the name with the face, but she was coming up blank. He could see she was having trouble placing him, so he took pity on her and said, “I have not been totally honest with you Wira. My name is not Wendell and I am not a guardsman in the king’s service. My name is Daricon….King Daricon and we met at my inauguration ceremony. You performed for me that day and I have never forgotten the sound of your voice.” She almost fainted right then and there, but he steadied her by taking her arm in his hand He was giving her time to gather her wits as she stood there staring at him.
“King Daricon, I do indeed remember you now. It has been some years since that day. But I don’t understand. How is it you were cursed by your own magus?” “Well Wira that is a rather long story and not one I particularly relish relating to a lady such as yourself. You see, I am well aware of your penchant for using what you learn in your songs and stories and mine is not one I would wish having told in every tavern and inn in my kingdom. However, if you wish to accompany me, I shall relate the story in a way as to not embarrass myself. I would however, ask you to promise me that you will not relate it to anyone else.”
“How can I refuse such a royal offer? I will indeed accompany you and at the first village we come to, I shall find you something appropriate to wear.”
She collected her bag and her lute and together they went back out to the road and began their trek back to Daricon’s kingdom. She did eventually compose a ballad, which detailed the King’s curse and subsequent rescue, but she changed the heroine to a hero as well as making a few minor adjustments so as not to embarrass the King.
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