Deep in the Forest of Mayfair, what seems like aeons ago, there lived the second-to-the-last unicorn, a strapping stallion by the name of Maximillian. The last unicorn lived far to the north in the Hinterlands, and was an ancient, wooly variety; a distant cousin really, more of a great shaggy one-horned goat, but that is another story for another day.

Maximillian, or Max, as he was known by the other forest denizens, was a lonely chap, being the second-to-the-last of his kind and all. He was also victimized by the well-known stigma of only being able to associate with the 'pure' members of the human species. And, unfortunately, gangs of virgins didn't exactly roam the Forest of Mayfair, looking for equine companionship. Although, were that sort of thing to occur regularly, Mayfair would be the place for such an occurrence. For that matter, virgins were fairly scarce in the area, what with it being vaguely feudal times and all, and the nubile young ladies in the area were picked at the peak of perfection, as often as possible.

The horn of the unicorn possesses magickal healing powers, so Max whiled away his time healing forest animals who had escaped hunter's traps, the occasional faerie who had been cursed with a pox of boils, and the other typical maladies that befell the residents of an enchanted wood. But what Maximillian really, really wanted was a beautiful virgin peasant girl of his own. A girl would hike up her skirts, clamber up onto his back and ride him bareback through sunshine and flower-dappled meadows. And she would sit cross-legged by the cold water stream that flowed through a secret grove, and he would lie beside her with his head in her lap, as she plaited his radiant mane, and wove garlands of meadow flowers for him to wear proudly around his neck.

Max wanted to be loved by someone that was his, and his alone. Being the second-to-the-last unicorn in the world, and someone who wasn't inclined to get out much, he had no idea that this was a silly, unlikely to occur, dream. And that is precisely the kind of idealistic belief that allows this story and others like it, to be told.

***

One day, a beautiful virgin peasant girl was picking berries on the edge of the forest near her father's farm. Her name was Anansie, and it was only the inaccessibility of the farm by the outside world that had kept her pure. She wasn't stupid, she knew what happened between men and women, thanks to the foul-mouthed troll in the area; she'd just never done that sort of thing herself. Anyways, she thought she knew this part of the woods like the back of her berry-stained hand, having lived near them her entire life. But as magickal, enchanted, sometimes-cursed forests seem wont to do, the further she wandered in and the better the berries seemed to grow, the more the woods seemed unfamiliar. But she was very single-minded in her purpose, which was to pick enough berries for her mother to make several pies, and when she finally filled her basket, only then did she realize that she was hopelessly lost, dirty and tired.

Anansie wandered around the gradually darkening woods, mentally berating herself for getting lost in the Forest of Mayfair. Everyone knew that not everyone that ventured into the woods would safely venture back out. She wasn't terribly concerned about that because bad things didn't happen to her as a general rule. She did have a big basket of berries to eat, was reasonably sure that she could find water to drink if she got thirsty, and while she wasn't afraid of the dark, she was starting to feel cold and exceptionally exposed.

***

Night was falling on the Forest of Mayfair as Maximillian made his way back from the May Faeries Ball. A goblin had played a merry prank on the attendees, and everyone there had ended up with a terrible rash. The goblin had been caught and punished, but no amount of threats or flatteries could get him to reverse his spell, forcing the unicorn to be summoned to heal everyone.

As he meandered back towards his glen, he remembered the thicket of berries near the edges of the woods and decided to have himself a well-deserved evening meal. The faeries had offered him ambrosia and honeyed dew, but he was leery of their trickery, and chose instead to accept their thanks as his only payment. Favors and thanks came in useful once in a while. He cantered through the woods, anticipating the succulent sweet fruits that lay ahead of him, and whinnied happily to himself.

Approaching the thicket, he stopped and cocked his head and sniffed the air. Something smelled strange and different. He wasn't sure what it was, and while he knew he had to follow it to the source, the berries looked so tempting and he had anticipated their fruity goodness for so long, and he was so hungry, that he decided to eat his fill before investigating the strange yet enticing essence. Maximillian strode deep into the bushes and gently nibbled the rich fruits from their thorny canes, closing his eyes in sublime happiness. If only he could share this moment.

***

Anansie huddled among the roots of a large tree, hugging the basket of berries to her chest as she heard something large crashing through the underbrush near her. She was now afraid. Utterly and completely terrified. Thoughts of golems and virgin-eating trolls and goblins and ghosts and wolves ran through her brain as she stifled the tears that threatened to course down her pretty pink cheeks, biting back the sobs that would reveal her location to the horrible monster that lurked mere yards away from her. She silently wished she'd had a chance to experience more out of life before she was to be gobbled down by monsters, and said a silent goodbye to her family, when she suddenly heard her own name being shouted from a distance.

"Anansie! Anansie? Are you here, girl?" It was her father, searching for her!

***

At the sound of the male voice, Maximillian's head snapped up and he whirled around, seeking its source. "Humans!" he said to himself, and dashed away in the other direction, forgetting about the strange feelings he had felt only moments before. He sprinted as fast as he could, along the game paths and over crystal streams until he reached his sanctuary, his secret glen, and he collapsed in a tired heap. Tired, but safe from harm.

***

Anansie let out a tiny squeal of fright as the large beast thundered past her, dropping the basket of berries in near-terror.

"FATHER! FATHER! I'M HERE!" she screamed, standing up and waving as she saw torch lights approaching her through the black woods. She ran towards the figures in the distance, and vowed to herself that never again, for the rest of her days, would she ever set foot in the accursed woods that had nearly claimed her life, not moments before.

***

And she kept that promise, to her dying day.

 

This story was originally going to have the two of them meet, fall in love, and then something unfortunate would happen to drive them apart. Death, betrayal, broken hearts; it's a theme, you see. But after I introduced Anansie into my world, the story took on a life of it's own, and the pair chose their own fates. Maximillian chose to flee a perceived danger, staying safe in his world, and Anansie was too scared to ever explore the wide world to find her fortune, instead she played it safe. I've been known to do the exact same things, from time to time.

As always, this story is copyrighted by me, June 2000.