The story continues...

There is a passage through the northern sea, rare and hard to find that takes you across boundaries that cannot be seen but are felt. There are no maps that can guide you but that which is marked upon your soul. Heroes and fools alike may find their way to cross such borders and are taken into a kingdom filled with great and wondrous magic. These stray fellows, these sailors, whose fortune leads them to new lands unknowingly may find themselves in lands were reason and logic are not the rulers and even more rare is the fellow that finds his way back. Yet back they have come, filled with such tales of mystery and magic, else I would not be telling you this tale tonight. The sea is there is clear as glass and water as sharp and cold. This Crystalline Sea holds many secrets both above and below. It is said that at certain times a man can catch glimpses of entire cities below it’s depths full of a strange and beautiful human like race. So tempting is the vision to a lost and hungry man, alone on the sea that many have died trying to swim down to its gates.

This tale is not of those wondrous places below the water but in the land that the sea takes you too. For if you are lucky enough to survive the hazards, the temptations and the tests that lay in the path you may reach that shoreline. Far north in this cold and lonely place stands the maiden in her crystal cage. Three keys are needed to set her free and three tasks are needed to obtain the keys. Many have tried and all have failed for this is a tale whose ending has not yet been told.

In a kingdom of great wealth, a King and his Queen had fortune to spare. Their son was strong, brave and handsome. Their daughter was winsome, beautiful and charming. All was as it should be and there was great happiness. The Prince was of an age to seek adventure, embarking on a quest to fulfill his own fortunes and fame in his own power and the Princess would make a fine match that would bring even more wealth and prosperity to the kingdom. Plans were made and the King and Queen were well satisfied and content.

But plans go array and children have plans and dreams of their own. The Prince was not much of a fighter, not did he have a particularly adventuresome heart. He was rather fond of his comforts and good food, but most of all, he loved his books. He would have gladly given up all the princely duties and lessons to pursue the truth behind the histories, philosophies and mysteries of the kingdom. What he longed for was the quiet life spent among the scholars at the various universities. His request to study beside the gentle monks and scholars, bewildered the King who saw in his son only what he wanted to see and would not be swayed away from his expectations of the Prince. The Prince loved the King and Queen, and being of a malleable spirit, desiring to please them, he reluctantly set aside his dreams and began the journey forth to fulfill the King’s.

The Princess, however, wanted nothing more then to travel among the lands, meet different and exciting people and have grand adventures. She thought little of marriage and was reluctant to become someone’s bride in an arrangement that had little to do with love and more to do with politics.

Her request to set forth on her own was meet with anger by the King and immediately denied. “Princesses do not go off traveling unless it is to their betrothed lands and only with a proper escort. Princesses do not go adventuring. It simply is not done. You will stay here and you will marry a prince as agreed upon.”

“I do not agree.” The Princess retorted for although she loved the King and Queen dearly, she was of a more stubborn nature then her brother the Prince. “I shall marry none who does not please me, and I say this now, none shall.”

The King fell into a lamentable fury and had her taken to her room where she would stay until she saw reason. He set a guard to ensure that she did not run away. It is difficult to say at this point who was at fault for both were set on their course and neither would compromise or budge. Tales were set out of her plight and princes rode forth by the dozens to rescue the maiden from her folly and her father.

“I shall stay put.” She would tell each one. “Only of my own accord shall I leave.”

The stories grew and spread across the land of this un-woe able princess and the promise of the kingdom to the man who could teach her to love. Princes and lords came from far away hoping to win a princess and a fortune.

Seeing the number of suitors their argument had wrought, the King seized his advantage, holding court after court, party after party, forcing her to attend, hoping that there was at least one man who would make her bend. The Princess held fast but each time she ventured out she grew more frightened. She had become less a maiden to be loved and more a prize to be won and conquered at any cost. It was only a mater of time, she feared, before the tale turned dark.

“Hello Katy”

Her body froze in recognition of that voice with her mind rejected the information as impossible.

“Would you care to join me for a hot meal and conversation?”

She slowly turned around and spotted Teren leaning against the wall of the tavern, a slight smile playing across his lips. Teren, whose story bleed into her life with his melodious rich tones that could make ice blush and butter feel bland if he so desired. All these years and while she had grown up, he looked exactly the same. She moved towards him reluctantly and gladly, her curiosity awakened.

“How did you know I was here?” She asked more harshly then she intended. After all was is not his fault that she was out here, cold, always verging on hunger and in search of a ghost?

“I didn’t. I had hoped that you would find your way here, but nothing is certain when a tale is spinning itself around you.” His eyes looked far away for a moment before they re-focused on the girl before him. “I am pleased to see you. I see that you have questions for me. I find answering questions to be an exceedingly more enjoyable endeavor when they are taken in conjunction with hot food and cool drinks, especially after a long day’s travel. Are you sure you won’t join me?” A slight pleading quality crept into his voice as he softly added. “I could help you if you let me.”

Katy paused for a moment, quickly realizing how little she knew of the path before her and how this bard, however exotic, was familiar enough. “Provided you buy.” She answered with a rueful smile of her own.

Relief flashed across Teren’s face as he opened the door with a grand flourish and bowed deeply as she passed through. Where the inn of her childhood was warm and welcoming, this tavern was dressed in a utilitarian nature. Lighting was dim and the simple wooden chairs and tables stood empty, as business was slow. Katy knew from experience that would change as the men and women finished up their work and those without families, sought the company of others to keep the loneliness at bay. She watched as Teren crossed the room with an air of familiarity to the sole waitress tending to the small fire and spoke to her with brief but friendly whispers. Katy felt strange as the slightly older woman flashed a smile, glancing at her with a knowing look before disappearing into the back kitchen area. “If my reputation was not in tatters before…” Katy’s thought drifted off as Teren returned to her side and escorted her to a table beside the fire.

Teren stared thoughtfully in the flames as if listening to a far off story while Katy tried to gather her thoughts. The silence as they sat grew until at last Katy spoke plaintively “You must think me a fool.”

Teren looked startled at her words and replied earnestly. “I doubt that very much.”
Before he could continue, the waitress appeared with bowls of hearty soup, a loaf of bread and two mugs of watery ale.

“Anything else luv?” She asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“No, thank you Em.” Teren answered.

“Right then, I’ll be in back if you need me.” She giggled with a slow wink at Katy. Katy could feel the blush grow on her cheek that had little to do with the warmth of the fire.

“It is your fault, you know.” Katy grumbled in irritation and embarrassment.

“Mine?” Teren answered allowing the barest hint of amusement to creep into his voice.

“Yes, yours.” Katy continued tartly. “You and your stories and the dreams and this unsettled feeling I should be doing something but I don’t know what and here I am is a remote village and nothing makes sense.” Katy shook her head as if to clear out her thoughts and took a breath. She continued more slowly, “I don’t know why I am chasing fairytales but I just could not shake this feeling of truth that resonated within me when you told me about your maiden trapped in crystal. It is like a puzzle that I am on the verge of solving, that only I can solve. How is that for ego?” Katy gave a self-depreciating laugh. “Now I have you laughing at me!”

“Never.” Teren replied with understanding in his eyes.

Something in his voice encouraged Katy to ask the question that she was afraid he would answer. “Is it true, your story? Is there really a princess lost in a cage far north? She needs to be freed, doesn’t she? And I can do it. I know I can. It sounds so crazy. I sound crazy but I think I am the only one who can.” It was, she thought a strange kind of relief to finally speak aloud her feelings even as she dreaded the mockery she half expected to receive from him.

“I do not think you are crazy” he replied softly but firmly as he caught her eyes with his. “There is more to this world the most people are willing to acknowledge. But for those few dreamers willing to look beyond the veil of this reality, endless and amazing wonders await. I believe you Katy and I believe in you. But let me ask you this, are you willing to let go of all that you were taught as the end of reality and the beginning of dreams. Are you willing to step inside the fairytale and become the story instead of the listener? Only then will the answer to your questions of truth be found.”

Katy stared at him, not fully understanding. “Beyond? I…I don’t understand. You speak in riddles, as if magic and spells are real. The are simply embellishments to amuse and entertain.” She answered with a growing sense of uncertainty. “Right? Yet…”

“Yet the dreams whisper and tease away at your sense of reality. The truth of my tale is lost if you strip away the magic.” Teren sighed. “I wonder sometimes at the growing trend to be dismissive of our dreams and of magic.”

“Should I just accept all things blindly then?” Katy replied with a touch of pique.

“Of course not.” Teren replied mildly. “You search for answers but are you wonder if you are even asking the right questions? You feel your quest is foolish but continue anyway. Oh Katy, there was more magic in moment you started on your journey then in the casting of any spell.”

She flushed before blurting, “Magic. I don’t…I mean you speak of spells and enchantments as if you believe they are real. Have you…are you magic?” Katy looked at him as a dawning realization came to her. “How is it that you look exactly the same? It has been ten years Teren and you have not aged. How is that possible?”

His blue eyes sparkled. “Haven’t I? I admit the years are a difficult thing for me to add up but I accept your compliment, my gracious lady!” He laughed lightly, the sound warm with a secret joy. “I am a well traveled man as is the nature of my profession. Several of the places I have had the fortune to visit are not easily accessible to most travelers and not found on any map. I do not mean to speak in riddles but it is difficult for words to fully describe what can only be experienced. These places of magic – yes, real magic, change a person and leave a kind of mark upon them. Perhaps what you see is that mark upon me.”

Katy pondered for a moment as Teren took a drink of ale. “If what you say is true,” she ventured slowly, “then I need to travel to one of these places. Is that what you are telling me?” She sighed with a slight shake of her head.

“You need to follow the story.” He replied. “I am sorry, I do not mean to speak in riddles.” He added catching the irritation in her face.

“And how do I do that, find these places you call beyond? Can you tell me? Can you help me?”

“I would do more then just tell you if you choose. I have knowledge and experience with the kind of places you seek and would assist you with that knowledge. I would like to travel with you if you would have my company.”

“You want to come with me?” Katy asked with a measure of surprise. “Why? Not that I would say no to any help offered but isn’t the whole point of quests to go alone or something like that? At least in the stories I am familiar with. Would we be breaking some unwritten questing rule or such that would doom us from failure from the start?”

Teren laughed heartily. “I think it would be safe to say you would be allowed a guide or two. Besides, you will still be doing the bulk of the hero work, I’ll just be along for moral support!”

He laughed again before growing serious. “Yet you asked me why and that is a fair question that deserves a fair answer. I am a bard, we tell the stories, making sure that the deeds of others are not lost. Sometimes the stories are part of our own adventures, sometimes they belong to others but every story longs for completion. This tale has been without an ending for too long and I wish to see it, help it to its conclusion if I can. This is a rare opportunity even for a well-traveled bard. I have no illusions; this quest of freeing a princess is not mine but yours. I am not the hero here, only a companion.”

“That is it. You only want to tell the story? Nothing more?”

“Is that not enough, especially for a bard seeking to become master of his craft? We are said to be quite arrogant, you know” Teren smirked. “I won’t lie to you Katy. I have my own selfish reasons for wanting to join you. I seek…” He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “I seek, not a princess but something else. Someone else. Only time will tell if I have success.” He looked into her brown eyes. “The choice, however, is yours. What say you?”

Katy took measure of his words, an undercurrent of meaning that she could not quite grasp. “I may be a fool but not so foolish to accept help that is so freely given.” A sudden impish smile crossed her face. “I would be glad of your company but if I ever see you sitting there with a knowing look while I struggle with some puzzle, I will feed you to the…to the goblins.”

Teren laughed and offered his hand. “Agreed.” He spoke as the two shook hands and shook in friendship.

It's raining lemurs!

Writing has been going slow but it has been happening so that is always a good thing as I feel the internal blocks start to give way. Letting go of old habits of self-criticism and fear is a slow process for me as is turning to a more joyful outlook on life knowing I have the power to choose better for myself. My children can be my best teachers as they remind me when I get too wrapped up in my doubts that the need to play is a universal right. As in right now! So off we go to the zoo on a cloudy wet day to enjoy and learn about the world beyond our little house of safety. I did want to continue to share my story so here is the next part.

And now, here she was chasing faerie tales. So many times, too many times, Katy had wondered if she had imagined that the tale had been told especially for her in the first place. After all, would it not have made more sense for one of the big strapping farm lads to go off in search of glory and save a maiden trapped in a crystal? Not a skinny eighteen year old with a head full of dreams and a heart yearning for adventure. ‘The trouble is that the young men I know lack imagination and I have too much of it’, she thought ruefully. All those years had past and not once could she shake the feeling that the story belonged to her, that she alone could free the princess. ‘How is that for false vanity’, she laughed to herself. “Or perhaps it is only I that is foolish enough to try.” Katy spoke aloud to the crashing ocean that was churning below her cliff topped perch. She sighed.

For years, her practical side had fought with the dreams she saw at night. For years the image of the young maiden trapped, unable to cry, unable to dream, frozen in an immovable cage haunted Katy’s dreams. No words or sounds could be uttered but a feeling of such pain and longing to be free could not be denied and Katy felt she had no choice but to try. Dreams of a woman trapped in a cold lonely place, her silent cries for release echoing in Katy’s mind as she woke up every morning. They had become more and more intense, more vivid every night until she could stand it no longer.

‘Please understand papa, I could not stay. Not even if the dreams had never come at night’, she begged to him silently across the distance miles. She hoped he could come to accept her decision even if he could not understand it. She knew she would never be happy living the life that was expected of her. Growing up in the inn, listening and watching the men drink their ales, faces ruddy with sun and drink, telling the same tired jokes and exaggerated exploits had given her a glimpse of her expected fate at a very young age. Year after year she watched and dreamed of something different. She wanted more. The very thought of settling down with one of the farm boys was enough to make her scream. Dull, earnest farmhands with no imagination and less intelligence could never satisfy her heart. Looking out across the horizon, perched on a lonely overhang, far from the provincial prison, she still shuddered at the fate that she left.

Perhaps it was her memory of that long ago bard with had colored her impressions of the small town. Katy sighed as her thought drifted once again to that evening and of him. She had half fallen in love with him at the tender age of five. ‘Foolish child’, she smiled. ‘Grew into a foolish woman. Is that how I got here?’ She wondered as she watched the ocean rhythmically wash wave after wave against the rocks below. She felt her tired mind’s questions and doubts grow quiet as she let the steady motion of the waves wash over her mind chanting its spell until her thoughts took her back to that evening so long ago.

The bard causally moved a chair closer to the fire and somehow managed to give the impression that the rickety old thing was as grand and as comfortable as a throne. “Please forgive my lack of song, Master Salte, for the tale I have in mind lacks the music that carries the other stories along. I find that as the warms of the fire falls on me, calls to me a little told tale of cold and silence.

Katy crept closer as he began. Not many were paying attention except for her and Papa. He did not demand attention but his voice weaved a spell that slowly spun through the room as his tale captured the listeners one by one until his voice was the only one echoing throughout the room. Though tired and exhausted, his natural charm called to the hopeful hearts of his listeners. Even Mistress Abbie was not immune as she listened by the door to the kitchen.

“I would image that you have no shortage of local tales but” glancing briefly at Katy’s enrapt expression with a secret smile, “I can see from the look in you face that a story of far away places and dreams will better satisfy.” He looked at Papa, never once betraying Katy’s presence as she felt a strange thrill that his words where for her alone. “Ah yes, I can see form the gleam in your eyes that there is an interest there!” He laughed a low warm laugh and Master Salte laughed with him.

“How far shall we travel? To the sea with the wild storms that challenge even the best of sailors, or perhaps we shall go to the mountains and beyond where gold lies hidden from sight and the paths twist and turn, leading a traveler astray. Or shall we go even further to the coldest of planes, where even the mighty sea must give way to ice settling into a deceptively clear calmness, reflecting the light and land in a mirror of insight.” He sighed a melancholy sigh. “That is where she is trapped in a cage of crystal.”

The sudden crash of thunder roared along the shore and broke Katy from her dreaming, her reverie. The impending storm sent currents of urgency through her, and yet she stayed and listened as each wave came crashing in with increasing ferocity. The wind blew roughly at her face until her cheeks were course as the rocks she was standing on. Katy knew she would feel the sting later and still she stood facing the oncoming storm refusing to give in until she had done what she need to do. She drew her cloak tightly around her as a weak shield of protection, holding on as the wind made effort after effort to steal it away. Her eyes watered with pain as she scanned the horizon, uncertain of what she will find, stubborn determination warring with the doubt deep inside her. And she knew that she must go on as she decided to enter the little village that she hoped held answers for her.

Once Katy had made up her mind to leave, that she could no longer ignore the call of adventure and discovering the truth of that long ago tale, she traveled towards the Rainan sea. She had enough money to get by but not so much to attract bandits. She knew that somehow she would need to supplement her funds if she were to travel for a longer time. For now her first task was to uncover the origins of the story. ‘My quest may be foolish,’ she had told herself, ‘but I do not have to be.”

It was far more difficult of a task the she had thought though her confidence in her path was strong at the outset. She traveled cautiously for she was alone with only her skills to protect her. Some might say an easy target and they would not be far off, she admitted to her self. Her pace was slow and careful of necessity. While she was a green adventurer, she was as prepared as she could be and her initial destination was not completely unknown to her. With as much research as she could uncover, she had narrowed down her starting point to three possible villages along the rocky coastline heading northward.

Maps were a rarity, not just in their small village but also throughout the kingdom. In this though, she had a bit of luck in the year before she felt the compulsion to leave. One of her customers was a kindly well-traveled gentleman who had developed a fondness for Katy and found her refreshingly intelligent in the small community. She had persuaded the older map to lend her his precious map for an evening and had drawn a rough copy. It had taken her all night but was well worth the effort. She had particularly studied the northern coastlines. Filled with caution and trepidation but confidence in a piece of paper, she had set out.

The first two villages had been of little help in her search and the road was long. It was with diminishing hopes that she set her sights of the tiny village of Gillony on the Northern Coast.

Summer Update

Well I look at how long ago my last post was and blush as the summer is almost over. Time flies when you are having fun and looking after two very bored children!

My latest Nia update is that I have slowly been working on my first routine, Sanjana and taught my first songs with Laurie and Fred's blessing. While marked for improvement, I was not expecting it to be so much fun! It continues to amaze me, just how much Nia gives me as a person, healing not only my body but my mind and my spirit. Each class is a promise and a challenge for me to grow stronger and more present in my life. Last two classes, Laurie asked us to come up with one word or short phrase for what Nia brings to us. My word on Sunday was self-love and on Wednesday, it was pretty.

So feeling a bit crazy but in that same spirit of growth and crazy fun, I signed up for Adult beginning Jazz classes at my daughter’s dance studio and it has been a blast. It is also fun to take the principles of Nia and adapt them in a new setting. Learning the steps and turns has been great at revealing and breaking some of my habits, encouraging me to find new adaptability and flexibility.

I have even managed to get some writing in on finishing an old short story I started years ago. My hope is to have it finished by end of summer.

Here is a brief excerpt for those willing to brave my prose!

The Crystalline Sea
By Christina Norman


She was five years old the first time the stranger came round the inn. It was a dark wet night as the rain was attacking the ground with a ferocity that drove travelers to seek shelter in every possible corner huddled miserably, trying to get dry. He wore the raindrops pouring about him as comfortably as he wore his blue travel worn cloak. The water on his handsome aquiline face and sandy blonde hair gleamed, giving him, it seemed to her, an otherworldly glow as she watched from her perch at the window. Just for a moment the glow seemed to intensify as he caught her watching him through the window and smiled almost knowingly. It faded so quickly that as he swept through the doors into the warmth of the inn, Katy immediately questioned if she even saw it in the first place.

Katy’s papa spied the newcomer and greeted him with his booming voice “Tis a cold, wet night you choose to visit the fine Amber Rose Inn. If you be seekin’ an evening stay, I’ve only the common room available, we booked up fast. However we have plenty of the finest stew in Merlin’s Bluff, all the credit goes to me Abbie. The bread is hot and the ale is cool. I brew me own ale, no watered down stuff steps foot on my watch ain’t that right Jonas?”

“Aye, Master Salte, youse speak nottin’ but the truth!” shouted Jonas sitting at a nearby table. The husky lad had obviously been enjoying several samples of Master Salte’s labor. He was sitting with his friends. The four young farmhands had gathered that evening out of the rain. Morning would come early and the calloused hands would once again, no matter the weather, plow and till, plant and fix, harness and tend. Tonight, those busy hands lay idle except to lift the mugs of ale to quench thirsty throats and spoons to feed hungry stomachs.

Betts, the pretty maid Katy’s papa had hired, twirled, flirted ans served with an deft touch as the weather had drawn more and more of the town folk and travelers to the inn for food and comfort. Master Salte knew from experience that foul as the weather may be, very fair would be his night’s earnings. Mistress Abbie, papa’s wife was busy in the kitchen, overseeing the roasts, pies, stews and breads that the inn’s patrons demanded and raved over. Too busy to keep an eye on a small wiry girl. She failed to notice Katy quietly observing the bustle and taking in the storm from her perch in a shadowy corner, instead of sleeping in her room.

Katy had bristled at Abbie’s commanding tone that she was to stay in her room and out of the way. At first it was simple defiance that drew Katy out to the common room unnoticed and that same bit of rebellion was why she stayed. Despite all of the activity, it was the same conversations, the same concerns that adults always seem to fret over, as it was every night. The men would talk about money – who had it, who did not and who needed it, weather and the effect on the current crops, farming, farming and more farming. The women would invariably turn the conversation to marriage, who should be, who wanted to be who wasn’t until finally the subject turned to babies. Yuck, bleh and double bleh! Katy did not understand grown-ups at all! And she certainly did not want to become one if it meant that one had to forget how to play jacks or if one was not allow to go running through the meadow at the back of the inn, chasing butterflies and counting bees.

It was the stranger in the storm, the stranger that walked through the doors of the Amber Rose that caught her interest. She felt a tingle of excitement. Something new, she thought. Katy was certain that something unusual, something amazing was going to happen. So instead of returning to her room, she stayed. Keeping very still, Katy kept an eye out for Abbie. She was determined she was not going to get caught and sent to bed.

The young man smiled at papa broadly and replied, “A place in the common room will suit me just fine. I fear the strength of your good ale would be wasted on a poor man like myself and will make do with water. I, however, must insist on a bowl of Mistress Abbie’s stew for I have been told for the last three town’s it is the finest in the district.” Words flowed like honey from his mouth, smooth and sweet to the ear, both in tone and flattery. Katy watched in fascination as he un-strapped from the pack he was carrying, a case and set it on the table lovingly.

“You be one of those traveling minstrels, aye?” Master Salte asked with a gleam of interest in his eyes not unlike his hidden daughter’s.

Mistaking the look, the young stranger started to pull out the bag which he carried his coins. “Indeed, I am. I assure you I have coin enough for the bed and meals. There will be no begging from me tonight.”

“Nay lad, I mean no harm. I trust well enough that you’d have asked for work up front if you needed it. We don’t often see your kind in these parts. Being a bit on the remote side and all with little to offer the fancy going city folk. Only during the spring and summer festivals do we get a chance to hear someone besides Ole Harry making a go at a tale or two.” Master Salte cleared his throat nervously. “It just seems a shame with the weather so awful and all, that perhaps you might help us pass the time by sharing one of your stories.” Katy’s ears perked up and she looked over with eager interest. A story! This was worth the risk of getting caught.

The handsome minstrel smiled a rueful smile, expressing both weariness and understanding. “I has been a long day of travel and I was looking forward to a quiet evening.” His brilliant blue eyes met Katy’s brown soulful ones for a moment. Katy stifled a gasp, certain she was going to be ratted out. Instead he flashed a warm smile at the child, and turned to her papa. “If you give me but a moment of time to savor my supper and to rest a while, I believe I have a tale for the telling.” Katy’s heart leapt with joy as her papa signaled to Betts to bring a bowl of stew.

“Of course, my friend. Of course.” Betts quickly served the young man supper with her brightest smile, sighing over his handsome face as she left for the kitchen. Katy waited and watched in sweet anticipation of the story that was to come.

That evening was the first time that Katy heard of the maiden trapped in a Crystal Cage lost in the Crystalline Sea. Little did she dream, how that story was about to take a hold of her life.