Was it her own desire, then, that had brought this stranger to her? Wasn"t he, in fact, doing things that she had always wished someone would do? But who was he? Was he even real, or just a figment of her imagination? Oh, but it was impossible to think with him kissing her! His lips were insistent and enticing, and she began to feel herself giving in to a fate that, uncertain as it was, was infinitely more pleasant than any other she had encountered in her meager life so far.
A new, warmer longing was rising up from within her. She wanted his kisses to go on forever, but at length she became aware that he was reaching beneath her nightgown. He placed his warm hand on her stomach for a moment, allowing her to become accustomed to his touch. Slowly and gently he began to move his hand, exploring her body carefully and thoroughly, and ultimately leaving every part of her that he touched yearning when he abandoned it for another. His other hand still held her hair in its grasp, preventing escape, though her desire to escape had abated. In fact, her arms, seemingly of their own accord, wound themselves around his neck, and her lips began uttering soft sounds that were unintelligible to both of them.
The stranger carefully released his hold on her hair.
He once again placed his lips on hers as he slowly and carefully peeled the edges of her nightgown down over her shoulders and torso and legs. With her fully exposed to his hands, he began to caress her more earnestly, feeling every inch of her from head to foot, as if attempting to see her through his touch. She trembled beneath him as he slowly and meticulously continued his intimate examination, seemingly fascinated by every little curve and indentation. She didn"t wonder about his reaction to what he discovered, for she could feel his own rigid body against hers throughout his administrations.
But he was in no hurry, regardless of his growing excitement, and his very adept fingers gradually gave way to an even more skillful tongue. Clutching the extravagant bedding in her hands, she felt herself submitting completely under her mystery lover"s captivating seduction.
Meanwhile the stranger"s strong hands held her firmly as he continued to rouse her with his tongue. She nearly fainted from the pleasure he was giving her, and just when she felt that something within her very core would certainly burst, he raised himself over her and positioned her limbs to accommodate his larger form.
But she struggled against him in sudden panic as it once again occurred to her that she had no knowledge of who this man was. He paused and held back, unwilling to take her by force. With her whole being tremulous with desire, she desperately reached out her hands in another attempt to touch his face but, even in the dark, he easily intercepted her wrists and held them firmly over her head to prevent any further efforts to discover his ident.i.ty.
Being thus laid open and pinned, her fears seemed pointless, especially while her body was overcome with such an intense craving for the man, whoever he was. He kissed her lips very tenderly, as if to make amends for the unrelenting hold he maintained on her hands, and she wrapped her legs around his torso, at last giving him the consent he had been waiting for.
His kiss suddenly became rougher as he abruptly thrust himself into her willing body. Her head turned away from him in a reflexive movement as she stared mutely into the blackness that surrounded them, momentarily overcome by the many sensations that were flooding through her. But in the next heartbeat, she turned back toward him and received his lips anxiously, breathing his warm breath and tasting his tongue with her own.
Giving herself completely now to her unknown lover, she began to respond, moving her body to enhance the extreme pleasure he was giving her. Longing to hold him, but unable to use her arms, which were still detained by his grasp, she clung to him with her legs. They continued in this way long into the night, until at last, they both lay quiet and sedate.
On the following morning she woke up alone, and try as she might, she could not find a single man within the walls of the castle that day. Instead she discovered many different rooms- rooms that were filled with rich fabrics of every material and style; rooms containing shelves upon shelves of thread and yarn of every single thickness and shade; rooms containing baskets of varying shapes and sizes; rooms for growing flowers; one room was filled with every kind of b.u.t.ton that had ever been made. In short, for every occupation the lady could ever wish to engage in, there was a room filled with a wide variety of materials for that craft.
And so it was that, although the young woman was obliged to pa.s.s each day in her own company, she nevertheless had everything she could wish for to interest her. And each night her mysterious lover came to lie beside her in the dark, always leaving before daylight, so that she never once caught a single glimpse of him. Weeks came and went in this way and, although she came to love the nights, she began to tire of the isolated days, in spite of the variety of materials that had been provided for her amus.e.m.e.nt.
One day, recalling the words of the white bear when she first came to the castle, she rang the little golden bell and wished to see the bear. He immediately appeared. But she was unsure of how to proceed.
"Who," she began cautiously, "is the master of this castle?"
"It is I," replied he.
She was silent for a moment. She longed to ask him for information about the man who came to her each night, but it occurred to her that her lover might have deceived her about the white bear. Perhaps the bear would be angered by the discovery of their nightly intimacies. Oh, how she wished her mother were there to advise her!
This thought gave her a new idea, and she asked the bear if he would take her to visit her family. The bear immediately agreed, upon condition.
"Soon after you arrive," he warned, "your mother will try to take you aside and speak with you privately. Avoid doing so or you will bring bad luck upon us both."
The girl was reluctant to agree to this condition, for a private interview with her mother was precisely what she wanted. But finally she consented, as she was now anxious to see her family, and thought perhaps there would come another way to find the answers she sought.
Servants were immediately called upon to pack her bags, and then she was once again whisked away on the back of the white bear. In a very short time they appeared before a huge mansion.
"You have arrived," the bear told her. "This is where your family lives now."
She was very pleased by this, and hurried to be with them. But the bear held her back a moment longer with the stern admonition, "Heed my warning! Do not go off alone with your mother, or it will fare badly for us both."
Hers was a happy homecoming indeed, with none of them wanting for anything, and she did not forget her promise to the white bear. As the bear predicted, her mother made many attempts to get her alone, but each of these she managed to elude.
But her mother was not to be easily put off, and finally that persistent lady succeeded in arranging a private interview between herself and her daughter, where she posed many questions to find out how things really were in the castle of the white bear. It was not long before the girl had confided in her mother about the mysterious man that entered her bedchamber each night.
Her mother was deeply alarmed by all her daughter said and, giving her a candle, instructed her to take it with her on her return to the castle and hide it beneath her pillow.
"When the stranger is asleep, light the candle that you might learn his ident.i.ty," her mother instructed her. But she added, "Take care not to tip the candle, letting the tallow fall upon him."
With this advice the young woman journeyed back to the castle, hiding the candle amongst her belongings.
Evening came soon enough, and it was the same as it had been before; as soon as the darkness enveloped her bedchamber, her anonymous lover came to her. She had missed him while she was away and longed for his touch in the darkened chamber. He did not leave her waiting, for he had yearned for her also during her absence.
As a lover, she knew him well, and yet she still wondered whose tongue it was that tasted her lips. Whose hot breath seared her delicate skin? Whose strong and nimble fingers stroked and explored the many soft and hidden places of her body, and whose unyielding arms held her in their strong grip? Whose body filled her so completely, in so many ways, and with such violent frenzy?
And still, she could not hold back from partic.i.p.ating wholeheartedly, dubious though it was.
At last her lover slept beside her. She felt under her pillow for the candle she had placed there earlier and, disregarding the bear"s warnings about bad luck, lit the candle and placed it before the stranger"s face. There she beheld the most beautiful prince she had ever dared to imagine, and she immediately fell so deeply in love with him that she felt she must kiss him that very instant. She bent over him to gently touch her lips to his and, as she did so, a drop from the burning candle fell onto his chest. He immediately awoke, demanding, "What have you done?"
The lovesick girl could not fathom his displeasure until he explained that he was indeed a prince, who had been promised at birth to marry a princess whom he did not love. When he refused the marriage, his stepmother had placed an evil curse on him, wherein he would appear as a white bear by day, and return to his human form by night. His only chance to escape the unwanted marriage and the curse was to remain unseen by his true love for an entire year.
"Now I must go to the castle that is east of the sun and west of the moon, and marry the dreadful princess," he told her.
She wept bitterly when she heard this, but neither tears nor pleading could change their fate, and they spent that evening clinging miserably to each other in the dark.
The next morning the wretched lady woke up alone. The castle and the prince had both disappeared. The only thing that remained was the little bundle of rags that she had brought with her on her very first journey there. She cried until every tear she possessed was lost forever.
"I must find him and get him back," she decided at last. But where was the castle that was east of the sun and west of the moon?
She picked up her bundle and set out on the nearest road. After traveling only a short distance she came upon an old woman sitting by the roadside. She asked the ragged-looking woman if she knew how to get to the castle that was east of the sun and west of the moon.
"Are you the true love of the prince from there?" asked the woman knowingly.
"Why yes," replied the startled girl. "Do you know the way there?"
"No," cackled the hag, thinking it a great joke. But then she added more kindly, "Take this golden apple, it may be of use to you in your travels."
So the girl took the golden apple from the woman and continued down the road. In a short time she chanced to meet another old woman on the side of the road. This one she also approached for directions to the castle.
"You must be the true love of the prince," the old woman surmised, just as the other had.
"I am she," owned the girl. "Please can"t you tell me the way to his castle?"
But this old woman could offer no more information on the location of the prince"s castle than the other. She gave the girl an enchanted hair comb, instructing her to wear it if she found the prince, as it would bring her good luck to do so.
With still not the slightest idea of how to find her prince, the heartbroken girl continued doggedly on and, at length, met with yet another old woman along the road. With this woman she shared a similar exchange as she had with the other two. This woman advised her to seek the East Wind for the information she desired and, giving her a magic feather, instructed her to thrust it out before her and follow it to the home of the East Wind.
Accordingly the girl tossed the magic feather out in front of her, which was immediately picked up by a strong wind that came from the west. Following the magic feather, she now made much better time and quickly found herself at the doorstep of the east wind. Her journey was far from over however; for the east wind knew not the location of the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. So he took her to his brother, the west wind, who took her to see the south wind, until finally it was determined that the north wind was the only one who could help her after all.
And so, after many days and nights of travel and much hards.h.i.+p, she hopped on the wings of the north wind and was on her way to the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon.
When the North Wind at last dropped her at the entrance of the long-searched-for castle, she was a frightful sight and, try as she might, she could not gain entrance there. Frustrated, she sat under a large window to think of what she could try next. Unconsciously, she began to play with the golden apple that was given to her by the first old woman on the roadside. She repeatedly tossed the apple into the air, catching it as it came down.
Now the prince"s evil stepmother caught sight of her playing with the golden apple from her window high above. The greedy woman instantly resolved to have the rare treasure and offered the girl anything she wished in exchange for it.
"I wish to see my true love, the prince," announced the girl boldly.
The prince"s stepmother was taken aback by this audacious reply but allowed the girl inside so that she might ultimately find a way to get the apple from her.
"If indeed you are the true love of my stepson, the prince," began his crafty caretaker, "then you could no doubt pick him from one hundred men."
"Of course," replied the girl.
"Well then, in that case, I shall grant you an opportunity to pick your true love from among one hundred men, in exchange for that golden apple."
"Gladly," agreed the girl, holding out the apple, but then as an afterthought, she added, "of course, I will also need a bath and a new dress."
The stepmother agreed to her conditions with a wicked laugh, s.n.a.t.c.hing the apple from her, and then quickly ringing a bell to summon a servant. Dismissing the girl to the care of the servant, she wandered off to gloat over her treasure.
The prince"s true love was bathed in scented water and then given a beautiful golden gown to wear. Remembering, suddenly, the words of the second old woman by the roadside, she swept her hair up in the enchanted hair comb.
When these preparations were completed, she followed the servant to the dining room. But upon arriving there she found herself in an empty room, with only one place setting on the table. A handsome young manservant entered, bringing her an a.s.sortment of delicious treats for dinner.
"Am I not to dine with the prince?" she asked him.
"After dinner, madam, you will be brought before the prince and allowed to choose him...or any other that you wish." He said this civilly enough, but with such a smirk on his face that she drew back as if she had been slapped.
"I have come a very far distance to find my prince," she replied haughtily. "I can"t imagine why you would dare to imply that I might choose another man besides him!"
"Perhaps it was wishful thinking" was his rejoinder. "You see, I am one of the other ninety-nine men you will be choosing from."
"I do see," she replied curtly, thinking to herself, You will be punished for your impertinence when I marry the prince! You will be punished for your impertinence when I marry the prince! She ate what she could of the dinner in silence. She ate what she could of the dinner in silence.
Shortly after the meal, she was led to the room where she would at last see her beloved prince. The servant left her at the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it. There stood the prince"s stepmother.
"Where is the prince?" demanded the frustrated girl.
"He is just beyond that door," his stepmother replied, pointing to yet another door at the far end of the room.
"But," she added, just as the girl was rus.h.i.+ng toward that portal, "there are a few things you should know before you rush in there." She smiled as she continued. "There are one hundred men in that room. All of them have been placed under a spell so that they cannot move from the place where they stand, and they cannot utter a sound. It was necessary to do this, for, if you truly love the prince, you must find him among the men without his help."
"I do not need to hear him speak to find him, nor will he be required to come to me," replied the girl.
"Also," continued the stepmother, ignoring her remark and smiling wider, "since you strengthened the original curse by bringing light upon the darkness, you must now relinquish the light and once again enter the darkness to find and save your beloved prince."
The girl gasped. "Do you mean to say that I must distinguish him from ninety-nine others- in the dark?"
"If it is really true love, it can be done," the cruel woman replied, again dismissing the girl by ringing the servant"s bell. But before leaving the girl alone, she turned to add, "Be careful to whom you speak in the room, for your choice of a "true love" will be determined by the first man you speak to." And she was gone.
The girl turned to the servant who answered the bell, an older woman who regarded her kindly. "I should be grateful if you could offer any advice," she implored.
"Remove your clothes," said the old woman calmly.
"What!" exclaimed the girl.
"Remove your clothes," repeated the woman. "That is how you know him and you will choose the man you know."
"But, what if..." she paused, uncertain.
"It is the only way," replied the shrewd old woman. "You will not get another chance after this."
Seeing the wisdom in the old woman"s words, she quickly removed her clothing. Then she opened the door and walked into the blackness beyond. The door closed immediately behind her.
Although the room was silent, she could feel the presence of the men who crowded the large room. Slowly she moved forward. It occurred to her suddenly that she hadn"t even touched the face of her prince, for he had thwarted her every attempt to seek his ident.i.ty. She had only that one glimpse of him by candlelight. She knew him only as a lover. Would that be enough to help her now?
All of a sudden, she felt someone beside her. She reached out her hand in the dark and discovered a man standing there. The thought of the smirking servant crossed her mind, and she recoiled instantly. But the man reached out a steady hand and held her. With her heart racing, she let him draw her near. His hands slid down the length of her body, touching her intimately. She tried to concentrate on his hands and recall exactly how her prince"s hands had felt when they were touching her. Were these his hands that caressed her now? The man reached a hand between her legs, prying her open and thrusting a finger inside her warm body.
But something was wrong. The fingers that were digging into her flesh were cold, not warm like her lover"s. With a small cry of horror, she tore herself from the impostor"s hands.
The next man she encountered had much warmer hands. Like the former, he touched her body intimately, without reserve. Did all men grasp and clutch at a woman in exactly the same manner?
But there seemed to be something familiar in this one"s touch. She turned up her face towards his in the darkness. His lips immediately came down on hers in a soft kiss. Pressing her body close to his, she slowly wound her arms around his neck, thinking this man could be her prince. Her body began responding to his warm kisses and caresses, and yet, a slow dawning crept up within her that this man could not be her prince after all, for his kisses were much too wet!
And so it was that, as she went up and down the length of the room, she searched in vain for her prince. There were indeed a few times when she believed she might have found him, but in her fear of choosing the wrong man she always held back from speaking. Yet she clung to those men who reminded her of the one she loved and, yes, even allowed a few of them to take her, right there in the room, thinking that she had at last found her prince, only to discover moments later that he could not have been him after all.
Her whole body shook with frustration and anxiety over the enormity of the task that lay before her. She was in a constant state of arousal as she wandered about the room, doing unimaginable things with complete strangers. And as the night wore on, she could not determine one touch from the next, but only hoped for a miraculous sign that would enlighten her and free her from the degrading search she had been forced to endure. And all the while she knew that her prince was there, silently listening to her moans and cries as she traversed the room, and perceiving her inability to quit the arms of each impostor before giving a little bit of herself to him.
Tears poured down her cheeks as she pressed on, discouraged, but unable to give up until she found him. She wondered if she had encountered the servant from the dining room yet, and if so, how far she had allowed him to go with her. Was he one of the men who had taken her right there on the floor, easing the aching hunger she felt, if only for the moment?
Blindly she stumbled on, praying for a miracle. And there, in front of her, stood yet another man. She approached him with the tears still on her cheeks.
Abruptly the man clutched her in a fierce embrace and crushed her lips under his. She could not remember having ever been kissed so violently and struggled to get away from the savage grasp that was bruising her skin. He did not relent, however, and she almost cried out for help, but at that same moment she remembered that she could not speak. If she spoke out she would not only lose her prince forever, but possibly be obliged to remain with this brute as well! A real terror seized her, as she realized that the violent stranger might force himself on her, without her even being able to utter a single word.
But the man seemed to collect himself and he loosened his hold somewhat, although not enough so that she could escape him. For several moments he simply held her close to him, and she could feel his heart hammering inside his chest. His face was buried in her hair and, momentarily mesmerized by the smell of it; he relaxed his hold on her slightly as he inhaled the sweet scent.
Thinking this her opportunity to bolt, she twisted herself out of his grasp and turned to flee. In that instant, the enchanted comb fell from her hair, releasing it, even as her captor reached out for her. Her loosened tresses fell directly into one of his hands and he closed it tightly around them. She was abruptly obliged to halt her escape.
Very slowly, and purposefully, he wound her hair around his hand, round and round, bringing her closer and closer to him, until her face was only inches from his own. Something within her stirred. With his hand still clutching her hair, he gently pulled backwards, forcing her head back and positioning her lips directly below his own. She felt his familiar warm breath on her lips before he claimed them in a gentle kiss, just like the old familiar kisses she now remembered. She shuddered to think that she had almost run away from him. But why had he been so violent with her when she first approached him?
She blushed suddenly as she imagined her prince standing there in the dark, listening to the sounds of her lovemaking with those impostors who managed to fool her into thinking that they were him. She realized that it was anger that had made him grab her so brutally.
But he was tender with her now, as his body entered her right there where he was obliged to stand until she released him. They clung to each other in the darkness and, finally certain of her true prince, she whispered, "I love you."
Upon this admission, they were at once returned to the castle of the white bear, where they were both once again lying together in their very own bed. There were one hundred candles lit about the room, and the two gazed at each other, amazed by all that had happened.
The prince and his true love were married, of course, and have lived happily together since that day. And though she loves nothing more than the sight of her handsome prince, his wife sometimes dreams about that unknown lover, and, on such occasions, he comes to her.
Even now, this very evening, the prince is waiting outside her bedchamber door until it is fully dark, when he will slip quietly in...
Goldilocks and the Three Barons