The Fountain Nymph - by

The Fountain

From his earliest memory, his dreams were shared with others. He didn’t see them, these others, but he knew there was more than one. He didn’t know how many, but it always seemed as if one of the many was in trouble, and needed help, yet he could never find them to give aid.

As he got older, his dreams began to get more and more vivid. He kept seeing an overgrown garden with a fountain in the center. In the middle, there was a beautiful female statue, poised as if waiting for some one to help her step down from her perch. He also began hearing a female voice calling for help.

He wondered if he was going crazy, until his twenty-first birthday. On that day, after the elaborate celebration had wound down, and all the guests had left or retired for the evening, his parents sent for him.

The look on his parent’s faces had him worried; they looked as if they were carrying the weight of the world instead of just the kingdom on their shoulders.

“Son, there is something you need to know, tonight,” his father started the conversation with a long sigh and an even longer look.

“Father, if this is about my finding a bride, I promise…..” he replied.

At this, his mother broke in, “In a way it is yet isn’t,” she said with a shake of her head.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“All we can tell you is.” his mother began.

“Mora.” His father gave her such an intense stare it was as if they were talking to each other without even saying a word.

“Duncan, we are allowed to tell him. At least this much, is his to know!” Mora exclaimed.

“What?!? What am I supposed to know? What is going on?” he asked, looking at both parents in confusion, concern and with a bit of fear.

“Fine, but you do it Mora. I will not anger them on this point.”

“Son, Jaysin….Please don’t ask any question until I’m done. As a matter of fact, you won’t be able to ask anything even then, for I can’t tell you any more than this. You will need to listen carefully to what I do say, for your own safety, and ours. You will be shocked, you may even feel hurt by what you find out, but please remember, your father and I both love you and there are rules that we had to follow.” She gazed at her son and husband with love as she paused to gather her thoughts. “Twenty-five years ago, I met your father. He had dreams, exactly like yours. On his twenty-first birthday, his father told him the same things as I tell you now. The kings of this castle are only allowed to marry one type of woman. We are only allowed to tell our sons about it and yet we can only tell them some of it, when they come of age. It is a sacred binding. A deal made between the forefathers of our peoples. Your father was sent on a quest to find his bride, just as we will send you on yours. You stand here before us, the next king to our people, our pride and joy, so it is obvious that he was successful. You are to go in search of a Sacred Fountain, this fountain is where you will find your bride my son.” Mora paused to take a drink and watched as Jaysin absorbed what she was telling him. “You will bring her back to us, along with a casket of water from the fountain, and some piece of the stone that lies within. This is your proof that you completed your journey. You must leave tonight. Before dawn crosses the horizon, you must be off of castle grounds. Your gear is packed and a horse is waiting for you near the North Gate. Jaysin, we can tell you no more, just remember, head North and follow your dreams, they will lead you in the direction you need to go.”

Nymph by Bonnie Ramsburg

Mora looked at Duncan with a raised eyebrow, “Fine,” he said. “She is reaching out to you, it is up to you to find her and if the need is worse than when I went after your mother, you must fight to save her and vanquish the evil that threatens both our lands. Now go, change your clothes and leave. But know this, we don’t send you on this journey lightly. If it weren’t preordained, you would have more leeway. God speed son, and be safe!”

Jaysin was so shocked that he mutely left the throne room and headed back to his chambers to change. He then headed out to the North Gate of the Castle and mounted his horse. Unbeknownst to him, his mother and father watched him from the window of their bedchamber, Duncan with his arms wrapped around Mora, she with tears silently streaming down her face.

As they stood there watching their one and only son begin his journey, they both flashed back to the very first time they met. Duncan had followed his dreams, and Mora had led him into the deepest, darkest forest her father could find away from their native land. He had to find where she waited for him and break the spell that was laid upon her by the jealous water sprites. What they couldn’t tell their son, what he had to find out for himself, was that the bride destiny had handpicked for him was a water nymph, and there was a battle going on between the nymphs and sprites. With the birth of every new king, a nymph was imprisoned in stone in the Sacred Fountain until the prince came of age and was ready to marry. Jaysin’s journey wouldn’t necessarily be the same as theirs, so they could only give him the basic knowledge and hope for the best.

When Duncan finally found the fountain in his dreams, he didn’t know what to expect, but when he gazed upon the lovely statue, he felt as if he had loved her several lifetimes. He felt compelled to touch her hand, and after that caress, to bestow a kiss upon it. While he was marveling at the strength of his feelings for this lifeless stone, he didn’t realize that the kiss had started a transformation-she wasn’t lifeless any longer- until she spoke his name and brushed a soft hand over his head to get his attention. He helped her from her perch in the center of the fountain, gathered the items he was required to take home, and left that forest never to return. This was their story, and they couldn’t wait for Jaysin to bring his nymph home to them where she belonged, not only as his bride, but also as a lost daughter of the waters that flowed through the fountains in the castle grounds.

Nymph Fountain at Riga, Latvia