A/N: I wrote this piece last summer for the Fantasia event of the livejournal russiamerica community. It's an amalgamation of two of my favorite stories, the Native tale "Raven Steals the Sun" and Mozart's "The Magic Flute" (thought mostly from the Native legend) and is written in an approximation of traditional folktale style.
Raven Steals the Sun
Ivan stared out at the world, watching a black sky swirl over the tree he was perched in and the forest around him. He wondered why the sight depressed him so when the world had always been thus, ruled by the Queen of the Night and forever covered by her dark hands. He longed for something he could not name, something that would lift the darkness, at least for a time, and warm the cold that was life on the dank world of grey in which he lived.
Lost in his thoughts of a different world, where darkness didn't reign, Ivan didn't notice the human man chopping down the tree he sat within before it was too late. The tree fell with a tremendous crash, taking Ivan with it before he could spread his wings and take to the skies.
Dragging his bruised and bleeding body from the toppled tree, Ivan took stock of his condition. Though he had numerous cuts and contusions, he seemed to have weathered the fall better than he could have hoped. His arms and legs were not broken and his wings only ached slightly.
"My apologies, Lord Raven," the man said, glancing at Ivan as he went about cutting off the branches and chopping the tree further into lengths so he could transport them. "I did not see you. I hope you will forgive me for taking this tree from your forest, but I must use the wood to repair my home."
Ivan frowned at the human man and his arrogance in assuming he could take anything he wished from the world without giving in return. But such was the greed of humans. Ivan felt his ire rise, but chose not to let it out yet and demand the human repay his debt to the forest. He would take it upon himself to ensure the debt was repaid, whether this man allowed it or not; he would take something as precious to this man as the tree had been to the forest.
Following the human from a distance, he discovered the location of his home, in a small clearing near the edge of the woods. It took the man several trips to move all the wood from the felled tree to his home and Ivan took the opportunities presented to explore the area, returning to the cover of the trees each time the human reappeared out of the forest. In doing so, Ivan discovered that the man was making a larger replacement for a cabinet he kept within his house. What could be so precious that the man would build and entire new place to keep it? Perhaps this item would be what he would take as recompense for the pain of the tree's death. It would be a fitting punishment and perhaps the human would learn some humility from it.
Watching as the human marched back off into the forest, Ivan crept across the clearing and into the home, coming to stand in front of the cabinet that was being replaced. It was old and battered, with strange markings on it, as if someone had clawed gouges into its surface. Ivan was about to reach for the cupboard when it jostled slightly and a desperate voice sounded from behind the wooden surface.
"Hello? Who is there?"
Ivan stared incredulously at the cabinet. Surely the human had not trapped another living being within the wood structure?
"If you're not Arthur," the voice continued after the silence had stretched for some time. "Could you please let me out?"
"If Arthur is the name of the human that owns this house, then no I am not him," Ivan replied, curious but suspicious of the being on the inside of the cabinet. What if the human kept it locked up for good reason?
"Please, then, release me from my prison," The voice begged, sounding desperate. "I hate being stuck in here. I hate being a prisoner."
"Who are you that a human would keep you locked away like a cherished treasure?" Ivan queried, not yet trusting the begging voice.
"I asked you first," the voice replied petulantly. "And you still haven't told me. I will tell you, if you first tell me."
Ivan pondered the offer. It was true that the being inside the cabinet had asked first and the request was fair.
"I am Ivan, the Lord Raven whom rules over the skies and woods," Ivan told the cabinet.
"I am Alfred," the cabinet replied. "Lord of the Sun and Keeper of the Day."
"I have never heard of you, nor do I know what a day or a sun is," Ivan stated, more distrustful than ever of the voice in the cabinet.
"That is because the Queen of the Night tricked me while I was a young child and the world was about to be born," Alfred said, exasperation tingeing his voice. "She made me prisoner to this human. So long as he keeps me locked away, she grants him eternal life and youth."
Ivan nodded, even though Alfred could not see him. This sounded much like something the often jealous queen would do. Still, what was Alfred that the queen would want him gone from the world?
"What is it that you rule over, that she would lock you away?"
"As the Lord of the Sun and Keeper of the Day, I was to own half the heavens, bringing light and colour to the world to create an opposition to her dark and grey power," Alfred explained. "But as I am stuck in this prison, the world has never known me."
Ivan could hardly contain his excitement. This being within the cabinet was the answer to his heart's longing. He tugged hard on the handles of the cabinet, but they would not budge.
"You need the key," Alfred said miserably. "But the man fed it to his daughter, who lives in the home across the river beyond this meadow."
Ivan frowned at this unexpected set back. He wondered how he would be able to retrieve the key from this woman, if it was contained somewhere within her body. But he was Lord Raven, wily and cunning; he would find a way to get what he wanted.
Promising Alfred that he would return for him, Ivan left the cottage, racing away before the man could come back and find him talking to Alfred. Ivan sought out the river Alfred had mentioned and found it not far from the human male's home. There, along its winding banks, was another cottage, where a woman was fetching water to boil for her meal. Making a quick decision, Ivan changed his form to that of a hemlock needle and fell into the bowl of water. He began whispering softly to her, convincing the woman that she was thirsty and should take a drink from the water before she boiled it.
The woman, not knowing of the Lord Raven's powers and penchant for mischief, listened to the small voice and sipped long from her bowl. The water was indeed refreshing and she swallowed greedily without noticing the needle slip down her throat. Ivan let his small form swirl down into her body, all the while alert for the presence of the key he required.
He found it, eventually, though his search took him many long hours as it was difficult to influence his movement in this form and more so when he had to try not to alert the woman of his presence within her body. Once the key was located, however, Ivan moved quickly in order to exit the foreign body and take back his true form. He could feel the woman flailing helplessly and crying out for relief from the strange experience of having a foreign force move inside her body.
Finally, he exited the body and stood tall in his Raven form above the cowering woman.
"Why?" she demanded through her fear and tears. "Why have you violated me so and taken what my father entrusted to me so long ago?"
"Because he keeps something to himself that belongs freely roaming the world," Ivan replied instantly, voice cold and indifferent to the weeping woman. "Because he has harmed what belongs to me and brought pain to my forest. I will see his debt repaid."
This said Ivan took to the air, leaving the woman to her crying and terror. She had aided the man who held captive the light and colour that was missing from the desolation that was life on this world. When he returned to the man's cabin, he found the human waiting for him outside, a strange wooden instrument in his hands.
"I know what you have come for," The man announced, glaring at the Lord Raven. "The venerable Queen of the Night has informed me of your treachery to her righteous rule and has asked me to use my enchanted flute to ensnare you just as I have ensnared the sun."
Ivan laughed at the arrogance that the human displayed.
"What makes you think you could keep me locked away once you caught me?" Ivan asked lightly. "I am the Raven, the Trickster, a master of disguise. Should you lock me away I shall just turn myself to a form that can escape your prison."
The man hesitated just for a second, unsure of his advantage and this was just the opening Ivan had been waiting for. He lunged forward, propelling his body with a strong flap of his black wings. He snatched the magic flute from the human's hands and raised it to his lips. A melody came unbidden to his mind and he played it, watching in amusement as the human went limp before him, dropping away into a deep slumber from which he would be a long time in waking. The man had fallen victim to the trap he had intended for Ivan; this trick would definitely be retold to the other Lords the next time Ivan saw them.
Stepping over the prone form of the human, Ivan made his way over to the cabinet.
"Alfred, I have returned with the key," Ivan told the cabinet. "Do you still wish to be released?"
"Yes, please," Alfred responded eagerly, the cabinet shaking a little. "Though my power brightens my prison, I am meant for open skies, my light shining on vast expanses."
Ivan smiled, already imagining the change Alfred would bring to this world. Just as he was unlocking the cabinet, a darkness deeper than normal pervaded the room. Ivan turned to see the Queen of the Night in the doorway over the still sleeping man.
"You may have fooled my pawns," the queen announced. "But you cannot fool me. I will not allow you to free the sun. I locked him away so I would not have to share my domain and I intend to keep it that way."
Ivan kept himself in front of the cabinet so the queen could not see the key that had already been inserted into the lock. The queen thought she could not be fooled, but such pride was often the downfall of the powerful, as Ivan had learned in the long years he had watched the play of the other lords of the court.
"Mighty Queen," Ivan began, watching delightedly as she preened over the compliment. "I do not wish to free your rival, only to gaze upon him and find new knowledge, as is my natural drive as the Lord Raven. Why would I wish to free your opposite when my black feathers are as dark as your night and allow me to move with ease and invisibility through the world?"
The queen thought over his words, trying to see if there was trickery at work, but in the end could find no fault in her subject. She nodded her consent for Ivan to open to cabinet for a moment to gaze upon the Lord of the Sun.
"Very well, you may look upon him," she acquiesced. "But only for a moment, then you will lock him away once more and give me the key. I have decided none but myself shall be entrusted to its care."
Ivan thanked her softly, bowing low so she would not see the victorious grin upon his face. She did not realize that a moment was all he would need. Turning back to the cabinet, Ivan turned the key and let the doors swing open. He took no time to look upon or admire the being inside, knowing the sight would likely cause him awe and take away the precious little time he had to whisk away the sun.
Reaching into the cabinet, Ivan wrapped his arms around the figure standing within and then stretched his wings out while running toward the single window in the room. He broke through the glass with a tremendous crash that drowned out the enraged shriek of the queen behind him. He felt her dark fingers of night trying to grasp as his feathers, but he was the ruler of the skies and forest and his power in this domain was enough to keep him from her grips. He soared off over the woods, only daring to slow down and look at the being clutched in his arms once the meadow was far behind him and he was once more surrounded by his trees.
When he did look down, he was struck by the beauty he had caught. Alfred glowed brightly, his hair not grey or black like the rest of creation, but a stunning and shimmering gold. The brightness sent rays out around them and turned the sky from black to blue, the forest from a darkness of towering trees into a paradise filled with lush greens and earthy browns. Ivan landed softly and let Alfred go, watching as the Lord of the Sun laughed joyfully and raised his hands to the heavens. A large orb of light slipped away from him and soared upward, spreading Alfred's power across the heavens.
The snap of a twig brought both lords from their concentration on the new and bright sun that lit the daytime skies. Behind them, the Queen of the Night was cowering in the shadows cast by a large pine tree. She hissed at Alfred and threw rocks.
"Stop that!" Alfred demanded, batting the rocks down and wincing as one came sharply across his cheek and left a bloody gash. "I have not taken control of the heavens from you as you did to me. I have merely returned things to how the Creator intended them, with half the heavens belonging to me. Thus we shall split time and half shall be spent in the light of the sun, the other the dark of the night."
The Queen shook with rage, but had no power during the daylight hours and fled from the forest.
"She will not give up," Ivan warned Alfred quietly, watching the Queen's retreating form. "And many in the court will support her rule."
Alfred seemed to pause and think on this problem, then his face brightened as an idea formed.
"I know that you have done me a great service and that I owe you a great debt," Alfred began. "But I feel I must ask you one more favour."
Ivan gestured for Alfred to go on with his request.
"Since she will regain her powers when night falls, I ask that you guard me and keep me from her sight, hiding my light behind your black wings," Alfred asked quickly, seemingly already convinced that the Lord Raven would spit upon such a tasking demand.
Ivan, to the contrary of Alfred's expectations was thrilled with the idea. He would be able to always have some of the light from the Lord of the Sun, a privilege no other being would be granted if Ivan had anything to say about it. However, the sun still seemed to feel he would owe Ivan for this and the Raven could not deny an opportunity to get what he wanted and not just what was offered. Now that he had seen the sun and the Lord that ruled it, he wished for some of that golden light to be his in a way no other could have it.
"I will do this for you," Ivan informed Alfred. "But I have request in return."
"Name it and it is done," Alfred agreed readily, not knowing much of the world yet or of the Raven's affinity for games and tricks.
"I wish to be your only protector, the only one who gets to have the sun for more than half the day," Ivan said, watching as Alfred's expression turned from happy smiles to shock.
"You wish me to still remain half a prisoner, but to you instead of the mortal man," Alfred murmured in a soft and sad voice. He had thought his new friend and saviour was a more gentile spirit. "I said you could name any price and so I will allow it."
Alfred voice broke on the last word and silent tears began to slip down his cheeks. Ivan felt a pang of guilt and the sight before him made the light surrounding them seem dimmer and hollow in a way he had not expected.
"I do not wish you as a prisoner," Ivan amended, hoping this would bring back the life and vitality of the young lord. "But as a companion. I have lived so long in dreary darkness that I wish for your golden light to remain with me always."
Alfred stared at the Lord Raven, a light blush colouring his cheeks and his mouth parted in surprise.
"Let me be your life companion, so I will no longer be lonely and in return I will guard you from those who would do you harm and be strong should your own strength ever fail."
Alfred was silent a moment more, then he was once again laughing joyously. He ran forward and wrapped Ivan in a warm hug, the light around them once more shimmering with life and vitality. Then Alfred pulled back slightly and leaned up on his toes to press a chaste kiss to the lips of the Trickster.
Thus began the time of light in the world. The Raven had brought the Sun to the earth and the Sun had given love and light to the Raven in return.
I'm hoping to get other stories I wrote for the event up on this site in the next few months, but if anyone wants to read them sooner, they can be found on my livejournal under the user name thyme_passes. Hope you all enjoyed. :)