The virgin in the white valley
Yoav Bar-Lavi
The great kingdom of Gilayda was in a green wide-open land. For years nothing has interrupted the peaceful routine in it, until one evening when workers from the iron mines stood in the hall and introduced before the king a strange egg-shaped object, very heavy, which they had found in their work. One of the consultants warned against the egg and advised to bring it back to the bosom of the earth, but in opposed to him all the rest suggested to crack it – maybe a big treasure is hidden inside. The king has considered the things and eventually commanded to put the egg in the royal treasury, locked in a box that no one else but him was allowed to open. And so the tumult has passed and the egg was forgotten.
Years have passed, the King aged and passed away, and his elder ruled after him. The last one has married with a greedy woman, who bothered him often in the matter of the locked box, because she has believed the rumors that reached to her ears, about a big treasure hidden in it. But the king said: "Before his departure, my father told me that in the box there is, kept safe, a strange egg that no one had knew its quality, but in and of itself he has assumed that a great evil lies in it. Therefore he has forbade open the box, and so I command as well."
After many years he has passed away, and so his wife, and his elder ruled after him. The last one was very curious about the egg in the treasury, and doubted that a trouble can come out from it after so many years. His wife tried to warn him: "Treasures you will not lack my dear! If your father and his father avoided from open the box, then leave it and remove it from your heart." But the egg in the treasury filled up every corner in the king's heart, until he surrendered to this urge. he went down himself to the treasury, opened the box, took the egg and presented it in front of his servants. They tried to crack it with a heavy hammer but with no success; but hither, when a first sunbeam laid on it, the egg shivered in its place, cracked, and a black worm came out from it. Immediately it started to bite and swallow everything that stood in his way: food, wood, stone and iron. Soon everyone realized that it brings nothing but damage, and spoke to kill it. For vain they tried to trampled it by their boots again and again, and to their horror they found out that it cannot be harmed by any weapon; its armor was invulnerable and nothing could divert it from its path, as if it was heavy as the entire earth.
The black creature grew and swelled up quickly, and within two month it reached to his maximal size, the size of a house; but it did not rest for a moment, and with its enormous appetite it eliminated crop fields, stone houses and everything that reached to its mouth. The best warriors were also helpless, and the brave ones who dared to approach it were also devoured by it. The king stayed helpless and regretted for shutting his ears to the words of his wife.
So the creature brought destruction on the kingdom, and no one had an idea.
Hither the king's nephew, a young man with dark eyes and hair, his heart tortured him about the disaster that his house brought upon Gilayda. And he swore an oath to atone it without saving any effort and risk, even if it will cost him with his life. He wore a sword, took a horse and went on to a journey. He made many days in the road, fail to find an advice against the malicious creature. He offered a lot of gold for the sake of any piece of knowledge about the creature's ways and the way to defeat it, but it also brought no benefit.
Hither one day in his way he met a mute man, which as an answer for his question he pointed towards a lonely house that seen far away at the horizon. On a winding tough way Galin rode at the edge of the abyss until he has reached there at the end of that day. He knocked on the door and it was opened by an old man, who listened to him and then said:
"You are dealing with an ancient great power, one of the darkness creatures. Those are fed by a human-product only, and die only when there is nothing left for them to eat; therefore it will probably not be a comfort for you to know that this worm will die after consuming all of your magnificent city, when its citizens are all dead or poor wanderers in the exile."
Galin's face fell down, but the old man continued: "Do not despair! I am sure that there is a way to defeat even such a power; it is yet hidden from my eyes, but there is someone who has the answer: far away in the desolated north there is a deep well, under which dwelt in his hall a sorcerer who answers all riddles; but his heart is completely dark: before answering the guest's riddle, he gives him a riddle himself, and the guest who doesn't answer pays in his life. These are the things and this is your choice."
"I must try my luck," said Galin after a moment. "But please tell me, what is the name of the dark-heart sorcerer by the people? How will I find my way to the distant well?"
"ask about 'the well of the dead'," answered the old man, "Because nobody knows the real name of the evil sorcerer, and as a prize for the one who will manage to discover it, he promises to give every treasure he chooses from among his great treasures. Many have tried and died, but do not despair! You are seeking an advice and not a treasure, and it is not impossible to answer his riddles, as it happened in the past more than once, otherwise no one would visit him anymore."
Since it became late, the young man was willingly acceded the offer of the old man to host him for the night. At the following morning, after the old man delineated the way for him and even renewed his provisions, Galin thanked him deeply, gave him gold and went to his journey northward.
He rode days and weeks, allotting only short breaks to himself and to his horse and making a long way. The more he progressed northward, the hills became higher and the flora diminished, and the green of his land was replaced by gloomy colors of brown and grey. Autumn had ended and winter arrived in its winds and rains to slow down his way, but he stood strongly in the way's difficulties and eventually reached the destination land: a rocky mountainous land, cold and deserted. There he did a while on the roads, aided by the instructions of the few passengers who came on the road. These, when heard the name of his destination, looked at him suspiciously, but directed him faithfully, and so he finally reached his destination. The sight brought no any delight to his spirit: A large well, surrounded with human bones and many crows, some of them fly above, others are standing nearby on the branches of a lonely naked tree, watching the events expectantly.
Then, after a short while, there was a sound of footsteps, and another person appeared there. He did not mind about Galin and his face showed fear and excitement. By the sequence of his movements it seemed that he has already been there before, and only right now made up his mind to try his luck. He climbed up and stood at the edge of the well, wrapped the rope around his waist, held it and slid down and gone in the darkness. The pulley rolled and squeaked, and eventually stopped when appeared an iron weight that was linked to the other edge of the rope. For a while there was silence, and then again there were sounded the pulley screeches, faster this time. All the crows answered with loud stridently cries, while gathering around the well's entrance. Eventually the poor man appeared again, without his decapitated head.
Galin who was sitting silent on a rock nearby, diverted his look away from the nauseating sight. In his ached heart he wondered what was the trouble, or maybe desire, that brought this man here towards his miserable end. His thoughts wandered to his city and the damned creature that destroying it. Eventually he regained his composure, stood up and banished the crows: not for vain he did his journey.
With a disgust he untied the rope from over the remains of the dead body, and then he did the same: wrapped the rope around his waist and started sliding down. He wondered about the reason for wrapping of the rope, and the answer for this was not late to come: from time to time he felt a cold touch, as if there are fingers who are trying to catch him from niches in the stone. He shivered. Later he was suddenly strangulated: cold fingers were strongly closing in his throat to choke him. Quickly he twisted his body and with the elbow he hit his opponent, whoever he is. There was a clear sound of breaking bones, and the fingers released him. From then on he continued cautiously, his arm was groping and ready to hit. It seemed to him that a long time has passed when eventually he felt a solid ground under his feet.
He found himself in a wide hall, slightly lit by torches. An unimaginable treasure was laid there in piles of gold and sparkling gems; but beyond them arranged in alcoves, stood lines of decapitated human heads: their eyes and mouths wide opened in the horror of death, and the hand of time do not touch them, as if they were just now cut off. Galin would probably get trembled if he had time for this, but now in front of him appeared a tall figure, wearing a dark robe, approaching. He felt trepidation but stayed on the place. The figure stood a step away from him and he could now see its face, which to his surprise did not seem old as he expected, its eyes showed wisdom and malice.
The sorcerer's lips moved and pronounced cold words: "Two in one day, just like in the good old days! I assume that you know the rules of the game."
"The rules are known, play me your riddle," replied Galin, using the tone of boors.
"Excellent," said the sorcerer, "Because have I fed up with manners, and the nice crows up there are also await for the second portion – although I doubt it if the weight will be affected from the lack of your head."
And then he told a riddle in rhymes:
One on his arc, he went away to war,
There he was silent, will no more shoot his arrows
And the arc has returned, abandoned, broken,
In its ached heart, it carried the news
All of his fifty brothers sadly trembled,
Played him a lamentation, sang him a farewell song
There was a deep silence when Galin was pondering the riddle. However his attempts brought no any benefit. The sight of the faces that were staring at him from the alcoves brought horror to his heart. Eventually, his amused rival started with a slow counting of five backwards. The time was running out, a sword was drawn from its scabbard. No any idea came up to Galin's mind, he stopped the sequence of his thinking and pondered of arrows, arc, sounds and…a harp! Of course.
"A string," Galin answered the riddle correctly, at the last moment.
"A devious snake you are," said the sorcerer. Yet he remained obligated to the rules of the game and returned the sword to its scabbard.
"You have one question to ask," he said reluctantly, "you can ask me everything you want to know, apart from my name. What would you like to know?"
"What is the way to defeat the black worm?" asked Galin.
"So you have awakened the worm," scoffed the sorcerer, "Then go to the cliffs, search the bright rock there and lay both your hands upon it. The rock will move away and a narrow path will be discovered to your eyes, in which you will pass across the mountains ring towards the valley inside it; there is dwelt the virgin of the white valley, who wears the pendant of the Fire-stone. If you will manage to win this object, feed the worm with it and it will be its last food."
Galin engraved the words in his mind. He climbed upwards with his strong arms and quit the cursed well, in front of the disappointed eyes of the crows, which flew away in bitter cries. The exit out from the dark hall to the opened air, together with the untying of the rope from over his waist, seemed to him like sort of a birth; and for the first time since he went away to his journey, his heart filled up with a true hope. With no delay he mounted his horse and started riding towards the cliffs that been seen far away at the horizon.
Weather got colder and snow has fallen from time to time, but he held on also in this journey and after three days he stood at the foot of the cliffs, watched thrilled at their tops above. He rode along them for a while, until he noticed a rock with a bright color, in clear borders. He laid down both his hands on it, and lo! It moved aside with no any effort and discovered a passage; there he rode in a narrow path which climbed up moderately, until he exited to the space at the other side. To the last light of the day he saw then the valley that is in the middle of the mountains ring, partly forested and entirely snow-covered, and the snow continues to pile up slowly. The path he was riding in led to the center of the valley, there stood a little hut, in which was hanged all of his hope for the future of his people, and also for himself – since the strong coldness has penetrated into the bones, and his provision has expired. As he eventually reached there he tied his horse nearby and knocked at the door, wondering what kind of a welcome is expecting to him.
The door was opened by a beautiful maiden with golden hair and blue-gray eyes. Somehow it seemed to him that he has already seen this face before, or similar to it, but where and when was he could not say. She wore no any jewel apart from a pendant with an ivory color, shaped as a half-moon, which its straight side is cracked all along. She wore a simple white gown which was well-suited her amazingly perfect figure.
Galin stayed speechless, but she, after looking at him deeply, smiled and invited him by her hand to go inside. "Please come in my dear guest, relax and take a rest from your journey's hardships," she said in a pleasant voice.
"Thank you very much my lady," Answered Galin, enchanted by her manners. He stepped inside and set down on a chair she offered him. The house was heated by a fire from the hearth, and the smell of a good dish stood in the air.
"First of all relieve yourself with a pottage, and then tell me your story," she said while serving him a bowl of tomato-pottage. He ate it with appetite, and as he finished, the maiden immediately refilled the bowl with another portion. He was relieved, his worries have gone and he relaxed at the warm small hut. His horse outside was fed and taken care of.
Who is this maiden? He wondered for himself, she is the most wonderful thing he has ever seen, is he dreaming?
After the meal he introduced himself properly and told her about Gilayda, about the evil that came upon it and his journey that led him up to this very moment in her house. The maiden has listened with great interest, but as long as he kept on talking her face became serious and she seemed troubled, as if she was trying to internalize many things that suddenly crossed her mind.
"And you magnanimous lady," he said at the end of his story, "where have you came from and what is your name, if I may ask?"
"My name is Ratin," she answered, "as an orphan I have wandered to here from the west at the dawn of my days, innumerable years ago. I have came here destitute, apart from a torn clothes on my body, the pendant on my neck, and my name which was given to me at the days that my memory does not reach to. By the grace of the forest animals I was raised in this valley that is my place, in which only I will live and not ask for anything else."
There was silence when Galin pondered the amazing story of Ratin, wondering in his heart how many winters have passed on her in this place. Eventually he broke the silence: "A happy face welcomed me, unlike your face now. Will you not tell me what is on you heart?"
"I ask your pardon, we will not discuss it for now. I will give the fire-stone in your hand, and tomorrow morning you go back to your land, to rescue it."
Galin has not answered. It seems that the desired salvation of his land was now given to him, but his mind did not rest.
"The hour late and it is time to sleep," She said eventually, "good night to you my dear guest." She turned towards her small room, and he also went and laid down on the bed which was made up for him. For a while he was still pondering, and his mind wandered and returned to the maiden Ratin. Hither before he has fallen asleep, she appeared before him with glittering eyes. He rose up to a sitting, expecting to her words.
"You had pushed me to tell you what is on my heart," she said. "I will not hide it from you anymore: By giving you the fire-stone, You should know that I am doomed, because this is the power that protects my place from the hand of time. Until the next winter, death will take me."
Galin was stupefied and spoke only after a while. "If all this was known to me, I would not mention the stone, which you had offered me with your kindheartedness; and now when this is known to me, I ask you to act as if you have never heard anything. You are allowed to retract and yet you will stay friend in my eyes. Indeed I am bonded with an oath, to do the best I can for the sake of my people – even if it will be eventually nothing but a pointless sacrifice against the malicious worm – but who knows? Maybe will be found a hidden unique quality in my sword, or a salvation from an unexpected place."
"It is a false hope, as you know," said the lady, "your sword will not help, and I do not retract. Don't you understand? My heart longed to you since the moment I seen you and heard you, a brave-hearted man who went to an extremely dangerous mission for the sake of his dears. Now it is the same for me, if my body will wither and die, or continues to live while my heart is forever withering inside it; because the oath you have took on yourself, indeed you should not break, and it will not be me who prevent from you the salvation of your land."
Galin stayed silent and was vacillating.
"Think about your family," continued the lady, and during this she removed the pendant from over her neck and laid it in the hand of her guest.
With a heavy heart and a refusing hand Galin held the precious object, and his fingers softly closed upon the lady's small hand, and so they have stayed for a while.
"Please hold me," she then said, "now only this can ease a little the coldness of my body, the coldness which you yourself have brought on me, without any knowing and intention, in this I am sure."
He sat her near him and embraced her. "My heart was also longed to you since I have seen you. Now my pain is seven times stronger! How cruel is the fate and how many intrigues it makes!"
"Now you see, from this reason I avoided from talking earlier, but here I was overburdened, forgive me!"
He kissed her lips and she then held his hand and led him to her room. Nothing has disturbed the night silence, but in their hearts there was a storm. For a long hour they have caressed, kissed and loved, and eventually fell asleep together, she in his arms.
At morning they woke up into their miserable fate. They had a humble breakfast together and diminished with talking. Galin saddled his horse and prepared for the long way. "May it be a cold comfort for you," he said, "now since I knew you, I don't wish to marry a woman in my life."
"Indeed it is a comfort for me, I will not deny this," she answered," but as the years pass the memory will fade, and then you will be free to choose a woman as you please, to maintain your dynasty.
"The memory will not fade, goodbye my beloved!" he kissed her, mounted his horse and went to his way with glittering eyes.
Thirty days have passed until the return of Galin to the capital of his homeland, which seemed now like a ghost town. Wide areas turned into rubbles, but many other were not damaged. Many of the citizens turned homeless and met their death in the frost and hunger, whereas others have escaped to the frontier. Among the ruins he noticed now the damned worm, continues consuming every good yard that was left. He stepped towards it, ignoring the warnings of the attenders, and let it approach almost up to him. The noise of grinding drowned out his ears and he looked with hatred at the enormous pharynx in action. Under a tantrum and desperation, he swung his sword and struck the mighty body. His sword bounced back and slipped out of his grasp and he was hurled to the earth. The worm suffered no any damage, but felt the blade and turned in a surprising speed towards the young man who was laid down on the ground. At the very last moment he threw the fire-stone into its mouth and escaped aside.
The worm got spasms, curved helpless, and eventually burned in flames that burst out from its body; the flames rose up high above and consumed the huge body quickly. This was the end of it and Galin has filled his oath.
He approached the ash pile and finished the last remnant of his hope to find the stone again, since it was indeed lost, and it was like his heart was pierced by knife stabbings at that moment. The people cheered and rejoiced, and only then noticed that the man who rescued them was none else but the king's nephew. However, he strolled around as a dead in front of their wondering eyes.
The rumor was spread out quickly, crowds of people returned to the city as individuals and families, and started in the work of rehabilitation of it. Galin was crowned to a king and his people obeyed him gladly; many laborers were involved in the work, the city was being built and the hall also was rebuilt from its ruins and stood complete in the midst of spring. Everyone rejoiced and praised the king, but he himself stayed sorrowful and his pain only grew up everyday, and he avoided from sharing it with anyone. At the nights he sometimes dreamed that he returns to the white valley, and his beloved welcome him in her house with the same smile on her face that he remembers from their first meeting; then he was waking up suddenly into the forlornness of his life.
One evening at the end of spring he wandered alone in his garden, watched the crescent and thought to himself: "The rebuilding of Gilayda is about to be completed, earlier than expected. Soon I will go again to a journey to the white valley, to share with my beloved the rest of her days; and I will bring her to a burial here in this garden which is viewed from my window, close to my heart."
Hither at the night he had a strange dream, in which a golden-haired beautiful woman is laying on her deathbed. First he thought that she is his beloved but later he realized his mistake: She is a woman who looks similar to her, and in both of the sides of her bed are standing her son and daughter, toddler twins; and she puts a pendant over the neck of each of them, and her hand upon their heads to bless them. At this moment the sight is replaced by the familiar dream, and once again he is knocking at the door of his beloved, but this time it was not her who stood at the door: instead of her appeared a man, smiling to him with evilness.
He woke up in panick. Who is that man? It must be that he has already seen this smile before, but where? He pondered the riddle for a while, until he realized beyond any doubt: He is the sorcerer from the well of the dead! One thing joined to another, until the whole picture was completed: His beloved and the evil sorcerer are twin brothers, even if this fact is hidden from them – or from Ratin alone, in any event. The lord of the well of the dead is therefore holding the other half of the fire-stone, which protecting his place from the hand of time! Galin could now remember how at the moment he asked him his question, the hand of the sorcerer played with something that was adorned to his neck, hidden beneath the wings of his robe.
A glimmer of hope was lit in the king's heart: if only he will manage to discover the name of the sorcerer, he will be allowed in exchange to demand from him the stone, with which he can rescue his beloved.
He deposited the scepter in the hand of his cousin, and once again went away alone on his horse. This time he went far away to the north-west, to search there the homeland of Ratin. He has rode a long way and summer has come; and during all this summer he wandered between mountains and valleys, until he arrived one day to a village that was dwelt on the foot of great mountains, that their peaks were hidden in the clouds. The faces of some of the women reminded him in something the face of Ratin; the village residents spoke in a foreign dialect, but by using sign language he has managed to communicate with them somehow. They listened to his story with a great interest, but about Ratin and her family they did not know anything, and therefore they led him to the place of their old leader – maybe he can give an answer.
"Ratin," the old man pronounced the name, and delved for a while in the deeps of his memories. His eyes which were almost closed, suddenly opened, lit up with a glitter, and a smile appeared then on his wrinkled lips.
"Negaloratin," he said then silently.
"What does it mean?" asked Galin.
"It is an ancient term in our tradition, which means 'the fire of life', and I guess that this is the answer for your question, sir."
"The thanks and the friendship of Gilayda are given to you and to your people forever," said Galin and turned to his way with no delay.
Summer has ended and cold winds hit the tops of the white valley's trees. Ratin fell ill and has not moved from her cold bed. She felt her approaching end, and continued thinking of her beloved man; she wondered if there is a peace on him and on his people, what are his doings, and what or who is in his mind at this very moment.
As a matter of fact, exactly at this very hour Galin was riding the hidden path that leads to the white valley; and this is after he went down once again to the well of the dead, and pronounced the name "Negalo" in the ears of his shocked owner, which was required to give his fire-stone pendant. The sorcerer embezzled his pledge and tried to destroy his opponent, but his magic power has abandoned him and he was killed by the sword of Galin.
With a great effort Ratin had rose up to a knocking sound. Their re-meeting was a boundless joy, and the frost which gripped the lady has gone quickly. She recovered, and the hand of time has not left any sign on her, apart from few gray hairs on her head.
After a last visit at his homeland, Galin stayed with her in her hut until the end of time, and their love has never diminished.