A Fairy Tale

A Fairy Tale

The Hooded Man

Once upon another time in a far away kingdom, deep into the forest there lived a widow. Her husband had died three summers past, she was now poor and he left this world without granting her a son or daughter. Her life was simple, every day she would gather berries in the woods. She would rest at the great oak where she sang with the birds. When she had finished picking berries she went hope to make pie. And thus her life had been for three summers and winters, until one dark and stormy night.
The wolves howled to the moon, the mouse left it’s hole to go hunting like it had done so many nights before, the tree’s had lost their grace and the only pleasant thing to look at was the warm fire in the fireplace, where the widow of course had placed herself. Suddenly she could hear knocking on her door, not one or two, but three knocks! Three knocks on her door! The rain outside was heavy and the lighting would occasionally strike, “Who would come to my door this late?" She thought to herself. Again, she heard knocking on the door. Three knocks.
The door creaked as she opened it. There was a man, in dark greyish robe made by runecloth with extended into a hood covering his face. “How can I help you?” the Widow asked politely. The man hooded figure replied “I was lost in the wood when the storm began, I need shelter for the night” The widow simply smiled politely and said “Then you shall have it! Come inside, here you’ll find food and shelter, a warm fireplace and a large cosy bed.” The hooded figure thanked the widow and was let inside. She fed him some of her delicious pie of which he ate three pieces that she had carefully cut out for him. During most of the night, he told her dark stories of the north and long forgotten tales of heroes, magic and witchcraft. Though at some point during the night he stopped and said to her “I am a powerful enchanter of the Kirin Tor, I’ve staggered around the wilderness for days in hope to find someone. And I found you.” She looked at him and even though his face was covered by a hood, she knew he looked at her too. He continued “ I see that you a poor and you have to live here, for you cannot buy a house in the city. And I can make you a deal, if you let me stay here for three days and three nights without pulling off my hood I shall conjure up a fortune for you. But a pact like this will have consequences, if you feel the urge to see my face and pull my hood down. Your mind and soul will forever belong to me.” As he had given her a chance to become rich she dared not refuse and they settled the deal. The first day went casually for the Widow, while the hooded man was sitting in her living room all day she could not know, but he was inside when she returned late at the afternoon.
Again they talked for long that night and evening, after feasting on the delightful pie. At the end of the living room there was a large piano, the hooded figure asked politely if he could play on it for a while. The widow was surprised and asked “Are you a musician too?” His reply was “I am many things, musician, enchanter, scholar of many arts and expert in the holy light” She nodded at him and smiled as he sad down at the old piano and played the most beautiful and enchanting melodies. Only one thought came into the mind of the widow. If the man was that gifted in everything he did, he must be beautiful too. She went closer to him and thought about pulling down his hood to see his face, but she remembered what would happen if she did and pulled away.
Night fell upon the woods.
The next morning she went out to pick barriers in the woods once more. While picking them up she couldn’t help but to pick flowers too she ended up having a beautiful bouquet of Kingsblood and Wild Steelbloom. For she thought it a fitting gift to this mystery man whom was playing these melodies for her and entertaining her with stories and company in general.
She came home a little later than usual, not that the hooded man took any notice as he sat at the piano playing a fast and almost aggressive tune. This was not a melody of the widow’s liking but she dared not insult his more different music. So she brought him the flowers and thanked him for being there. She then went on to bake a blueberry pie. That evening the man would leave her house shortly. Much to the widows surprise he came back with a red and black velvet dress as a gift for her. Much flattered she accepted it, and as the hooded man returned to the table to eat pie she went to her room and changed clothes. The widow had not looked more beautiful on her own wedding night many years before, she thought that he might have wanted her to dance with him. But one cannot dance with his face covered by a hood. So she sneaked towards him and touched the tip of his hood, but regret and pulled back. She than asked him to play some more for her on the piano, so he did. Night fell upon the woods once more, and there was only one day and night left until she would be rewarded with fortune.
Her morning went as usual and she was out in the woods. But when she reached the oak there was a wounded gnome that crawled towards her who shouted aloud “Go! Run far away!” As much as this startled the widow she simply turned her face away and went straight home.
There she met with the hooded stranger who gave her a red rose as she came home. She went directly into the kitchen to make a pie thereafter. She could hear the man playing her favourite balled, how he knew what she liked she had no idea. But nevertheless it was a delight for her to hear and made the pie making all that more entertaining. As the dined that night, she knew that it was their last day together before he would wander off once more. She told him how she would love to have him visit in the future but he didn’t respond to that. As it became night he played on the piano, her favourite balled once more. As she looked at him playing she could not stop thinking, who is he? What is behind the hood? I have to see before he leaves me, she thought. She walked up to him and pulled the hood down. He turned around to look her in the eyes, she screamed loudly at the face of which she saw. He was an atrocious monster to look at, a living dead, with blazing eyes of which she felt burned her inside. She fell to the ground and he stood up, walking slowly towards her and knelt down, he took off his gloves for the first time. They too were hideous and clawed.
As he took a grip around her he exclaimed “So you want to see? See! Feast your eyes! Glut your soul on my accursed ugliness!"

Spoiler:

She screamed “Sorry sorry!” But it was too late now, she had broken the pact. The room turned misty and dark, and the eyes of the monster became shadowy fire. As she looked at him, she knew it was over. The hideous Monster stood up and began shouting in a dark language. She could not move and not even scream, for the sight of him alone was paralyzing. Even if she moved, the dark aura which he had around him would pull her back to the ground. She heard a loud and chilling cackle from him. He looked at her once more and shouted “Now I will feed on your soul, and you shall become my mind numb minion! For Nassulra Othlar shall be your eternal master now!"