FAIRY TALE FLASH - The Protector by Connor Sassmannshausen

Fate chose to intervene.
Fate offered the fae an opportunity...

I clamber into bed, and my mother tucks the blankets around me. “Tell me a story, mama.”

She smiles at me. It’s my tenth birthday. I should be too old for this sort of thing. But tomorrow I begin training to be a fae warrior.

“What kind of story do you want to hear?” she asks me.

“Why are there warriors?”

She sighs and begins my bedtime story.

“Long ago, at the dawn of time, the Great Beings fought for control of the world. Everyone in our world knows the story. War, Death, Plague, and Famine were rampant, leaving destruction in their wake. The fae alone stood against them. Our greatest warriors stood against them, but all but four fell before their terrible foes.”

It’s a simple tale, not meant to frighten me. I’m sure she’s leaving out bits that I shouldn’t hear, yet.

“And Fate chose to intervene. Fate saw the damage and offered the fae an opportunity. Four daggers were gifted to the surviving warriors that would allow each to kill one enemy, but at a terrible cost. War cannot be destroyed, just as Death, Famine and Plague will always exist. The beings that hold the power can be killed with the dagger.”

She pulls out the blade from the sheath on her belt, showing it to me, the metal glittering in the soft light of my room.

“Those great warriors took on the fell creatures, slaying them. They took on the powers of those they killed, becoming the Horsemen themselves. Fate took from them the daggers, and gifted them to others in the fae line, to watch over fae and humans alike.”

She takes my hand, pressing it over the hilt of the dagger, her hand over mine. The metal feels strange beneath my fingers, and a tingling sensation rolls up my arm.

“When the eldest in the family line turns ten, they begin their training to become a warrior. And when they turn eighteen, they take the dagger from their mother or father, becoming the protector. Should the Horsemen arise again it is their duty to kill them and take their place. They must fight to control their powers, else they become what they themselves killed.”

She lifts her hand from mine, and I hold the knife by myself.

“This is the training all young warriors must face, to fight against the powers of the Horsemen, both to stop the bloodshed and to prevent themselves from causing more.” My mother leans down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “This is what the fae now are, the protectors of humanity.”

I look over the metal. “But who do we kill?”

“We will not know until it is time.” She takes the dagger, replacing it in her belt, and stands. She tucks me, snuggly into bed again. “Sleep. Tomorrow you begin training to be a protector of the world.”

Connor Sassmannshausen is an Australian based American author who enjoys reading, watching movies and cross-stitching.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csassmannshausen/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sass_Connor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sass.connor/

Cover: Amanda Bergloff @AmandaBergloff

FOR FOREVER by Connor Sassmannshausen

She was everything to him,

and him to her.

But they could not be...

He’d loved her since the beginning, love at first sight you could call it. From the primary glances, she was dark in every way. With one look, she stole his heart. With a smile that seemed to light the sky, she could rival the sun. The sparkle of joy and sorrow in her eyes put the stars to shame.

When she saw him for the first time, she noticed the way his laugh lit up his face. The energy he exuded in everything he did held her attention, even if it was the most menial of tasks.

Everything about him was bright, seeming to hold everything in his thrall.

She was everything to him, and him to her. She was his match. He wanted her more than anything in the world, just as she yearned for him. He would give anything to her, for her.

But they could not be.

It started with flowers, every kind he could think of, every species she could imagine. And she held them dear, smiling with each gift. Then, he turned to all manner of trees and plants, and she kept them all. And she loved him all the more. So many, he sent, that she created a vast garden, where she would walk, alone, and think of him.

Because they could not be.

But still he loved her, and she him.

Then he began to send her creatures, from the smallest field mouse to the massive whale. And she found a place for everything he sent. She made space for an ocean for the fish, for the whales, for the seals, and all that swam. She created plains of various grasses, for the buffalo and the mustangs, and for the elephants and lions. She took trees from her garden and planted her own jungle for the creatures that dwelt there. Until she had a boundless menagerie.

And she loved him.

But they could not be.

As time spun on, he saw that she was alone, that he could not rid her of that. So, he began to send her companions, hoping they may take away some of her pain. He sent her both men and women, trying to find her a match that would take his place as her equal. He sent the wise and the wealthy. He sent her kings and scholars. He sent her farmers and shepherds, ranch hands and business owners. He sent doctors, lawyers. He sent dreamers, writers, creators, artists. He even resorted to liars and thieves, murderers and traitors. Hoping she would find someone to keep her company in her quiet, lonely days.

But none she found to compare to him. None could understand her. None could comprehend what she thought and said. But she kept them, housed them, fed them, cared for them, because he had sent them to her.

And as the days passed, she would remain by the door, waiting for whatever gift he sent.

Sometimes, another flower to add to her garden, or a creature for her zoo, sometimes another friend to try to break away some of her loneliness.

So many days and weeks and months had passed, she began to believe they would never meet again, like in the beginning. The stars in her eyes began to dim, and sun in her smile began to fade.

Then, one day, the gifts didn’t come. She had become so accustomed to them, she didn’t know what to do. She waited by the door for another messenger, with even the smallest blade of grass, but none came.

She felt her heart break, the stars in her eyes went out, and the brightness of her smile shattered as she let out a cry of anguish. She fell to her knees before the door, sobs wracking her body.

Then the door opened, and in he stepped. With only a glimpse of her distraught form, he knelt beside her, lifting her face. He wiped the tears from her cheeks. His smile gave her the light of the sun, and his eyes gave her the stars.

He helped her stand, never taking his gaze from her face. She lifted her hand, offering it to him.

He took it, lacing their fingers together. With a glance out the door, he pushed it closed, turning the lock. This was the end.

And Death led Life into her home.

Connor Sassmannshausen is an Australian based American author who also enjoys the art of filmmaking and cross-stitching. If it were possible she would have a pet dragon. She spends her time writing, watching movies, and reading.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csassmannshausen/

Twitter: @Sass_Connor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sass.connor/  

Cover: Amanda Bergloff @AmandaBergloff

TAKING LEAVE by Connor Sassmannshausen

You will not keep me from my home, my throne, or my husband...

Persephone walks through the forest on the warm summer evening, a basket on her hip. Her mother has done beautifully this summer, with the flourishing fruit trees and the blooms along the forest floor. She stops at a low hanging branch, plucking a few apples from its foliage. It's unfortunate that her mother will go into mourning come dawn.

She continues on into the forest until she finds a picnic set out before her. Her husband waits for her, and he stands when he sees her. She smiles as she looks him over.

Hades is dressed as always, in the dark robes of his position as King of the Underworld. He sweeps her into an embrace, towering over her. She wraps her free arm around him, chuckling into his shoulder. She pushes back, looking up at him. He cradles her face in his hands, kissing her softly.

"I've missed you," he murmurs against her lips.

"And I you, my love," she replies.

He takes her hand and leads her over to the blanket he's set out for them. She takes a seat, as he pours each of them a glass of Dionysus' best wine. When he sits, she shifts to recline against his chest. They sit quietly for a while, watching the sun sink below the horizon.

"Do you know what today marks?" Persephone asks Hades.

"Two hundred years since our marriage," he replies with a smile.

"And two hundred and one since I snuck into the Underworld."

Hades chuckles. "Darling, you didn't make it past Cerberus."

"Fault a girl for getting distracted by a puppy."

He laughs at that, and she smiles. Cerberus was far from a puppy, even back then, towering three times the height of a man, with three heads. When he'd tried to attack her, she'd hit one face right on the nose, and it had startled him so badly they had all backed off.

When he had the courage to come toward her again, she began to pet him. When Hades had come to check on his guard dog, the beast was on his back, with Persephone sitting on his chest, giving him a belly rub. He had invited her inside, and she'd stayed with him for a while until her mother almost caused a war to get her back. And because of that, she could only spend half the year with her husband, reigning the Underworld by his side.

As the night rolls in, they pack up their picnic and make their way to the cave that would take them home. Before they reach it, they find their path blocked by Demeter and a number of guards.

"Daughter," the goddess says. "I will not allow this to continue any longer."

Hades steps forward, but Persephone takes his arm, pulling him back. She steps forward instead. "It's my time to return to the Underworld, Mother, as was decided long ago."

"He stole you and tricked you into staying with him."

"I have told you many times before, he did no such thing. I went to the Underworld myself and chose to stay. There was no trickery, no coercion. He is my husband, and the only reason I stay away from him so long is because of Zeus's order. Now, let us pass."

Persephone takes her husband's hand, leading him forward, only to have Demeter tear her away. Hades extends his arms, summoning his two-pronged bident. The guards around Demeter draw swords to protect their charge. With a howl, three hellhounds burst from the cave, and some of the guards turn to defend against them.

"Enough!" Persephone shouts, and the hounds' ears perk up at her voice, tails wagging slightly. She pulls her arm free of Demeter's grasp. "Do not lay a hand on me again, Mother." Power she rarely uses outside the Underworld thunders around her.

The guards are in such a state of shock, the three hellhounds slip passed them to stand around Persephone's feet. Demeter takes a step back, as the hounds push her away from their mistress.

"I am the Queen of the Underworld," Persephone says. "You will not keep me from my home, my throne, or my husband. My time away has ended. I will return as always in six months' time. If you ever try to stop me again, I will take the slight to Zeus."

She tosses her hair over her shoulder, stepping toward the cave to the Underworld. The guards part, and Demeter doesn't protest. One guard reaches out to take Persephone's arm, but one of the hellhounds snaps its mighty jaw at his hand and he jerks back. Persephone glances back at her husband, seeing a grin on his face, as he follows after her.

He steps up beside her, snaking an arm around her waist, as he presses a kiss to her temple. "I love when you don't hide who you are," he says into her hair. "I hate it when you put on the innocent face for her."

"Maybe when next I leave, I'll simply show her who I am, now," Persephone tells him.

The back of the cave falls away, opening into the entrance to her beloved home. Charon waits for them with his ferry along the river Styx to take them home. He bows his head, placing his hand across his chest. "Welcome home, my Queen."

She takes the hand he offers, stepping onto the ferry. The boat takes them inside, pausing to greet Cerberus with a belly rub. When they arrive at the steps of the palace, the Fates, the Furies, the goddess Styx, and many of her other friends are awaiting her.

Styx rushes up to her, embracing her. "Welcome home, Persephone."

Persephone looks around, with a smile on her face. "It's good to be home."

Connor Sassmannshausen is an American author based in Australia. When not writing stories of all types, she enjoys traveling and taking things apart (but not necessarily putting them back together). Her dream is to have a pet dragon, but seeing as that's unlikely, she'll go with seeing the world.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csassmannshausen/

Twitter: @sass_connor

Instagram: @sass.connor

Cover Art: Thomas Francis Dicksee, 1895, Wikimedia Commons

Layout: Amanda Bergloff