In the High Middle Ages, the most renowned competitions of poetry in all of France were held at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Once a year, celebrated troubadours gathered there to show off their art, and the winner of this poetic contest would be announced.

On one occasion, the winner was an unknown and very handsome young man. He refused to give his name or say where he came from, despite the entreaties of Eleanor herself. There was a strange aura of mystery surrounding the anonymous troubadours. Together with his coldness and beauty, this soon made him one of the favorites among the ladies of the court.

Rin, a young and wistful maiden, the youngest daughter of the Lord Foix, fell passionately in love with the stranger. Moved by the maiden's entreaties, the troubadour agreed to marry her in secret and take her to his home. He made one condition: Rin should never try to see him other than when he chose, and she should never try to discover his identity. The lady, deeply in love, promised to comply with this strange condition. It seemed little to ask in exchange for being able to remain with her loved one.

One night, the young Rin had fallen asleep in the arms of her beloved in Eleanor of Aquitaine's castle, where she lived. Suddenly when she opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. It was a luxurious place, adorned with silk and precious stones, and beside her lay her husband smiling benignly at her.

"You are in my castle, which belongs to you" he said. "You may give orders to my servants and do whatever you please. There are stables with fine horses at your disposal, and huntsmen and hawks for hunting. You may come and go as you wish. You are my lady and wife; all that is mine is yours. There are maidens ready to serve you and carry out your every whim, dancers and musicians to entertain you, jewels and silks to adorn you. If you need anything, tell me and I will give it to you." (A/n: very generous)

"I only wish for your love, my lord," replied the young woman, bewildered"

"That is good, my love, but do not ever forget your promise"

Rin, full of happiness, demonstrated her compliance by flinging herself into the strong arms of her beloved husband. For a while this gentle lady kept her promise and believed she was in paradise. Her troubadour-lord husband, who was kind and passionate, spent most of his time with his wife. Occasionally he would disappear into a locked room, but Rin, faithful to her promise, did not ask him any questions

Unfortunately, her curiosity gradually got the better of her, and one day she decided to find out the secret of her mysterious lord. She crept up to the door of the forbidden room, which he had left ajar, and spied through the opening. Aghast, she watched as her husband turned into a huge dog with silver fur, blood red eyes and sharpened claws.

She could not prevent a cry of utter horror escaping from her lips. The demon lord, thus revealed, wheeled around and saw his horrified wife in the doorway. Deeply hurt by her broken promise, the silver dog bade his servants remove Rin immediately to the court of Aquitaine, and never again did he return to see her.

The lady could never forget her beloved, and not a day went by without recalling the months of supreme happiness and bliss beside the disguised silver dog.

-The End