Once upon a time there was an extremely wealthy warlock who lived in a luxurious castle. He was comfortable and happy but was advancing in years, so he decided he would marry someone with whom he would share his enormous wealth. The warlock decided to venture forth from his castle in a horse drawn carriage to visit the village bellow in order to find a bride.
He had intended his search to be kept secret, but the villagers had heard from one of the warlock's servants, and they all prepared their daughters, hoping that their family would be freed from poverty and share in the warlock's grand wealth. When the warlock arrived in the village he saw all the women of marrying age waiting for him in a line, hoping to be the one chosen. Many of them were beautiful, but none appealed to the warlock.
For he could see that they had hearts full of greed but not for love. He traveled beyond them into the town, in search of a proper bride. At the center of the town, by a well, a fair maiden was singing an old traveler's song.
The warlock was entranced by her voice and introduced himself to her, and then he invited her to his palace for dinner. She accepted his request and the warlock presented her with a white rose.
The warlock wanted to know whether the fair maiden desired him or his wealth. So he decided he would test her the following night. When she arrived at the palace she knocked with the pure gold doorknocker, she was then escorted through the marble hall by one of the warlock's butlers into the dining room.
The warlock and the fair maiden dined and talked. Then the warlock decided to show the maiden around his large palace, and the first test began. He showed her a room that opened into a wide chamber.
The roof was high and in the middle was a tower of neatly stacked golden coins. It went from a wide base to a single coin that almost reached the ceiling. I must send a letter, the warlock said. Please do not touch the gold, if you take a piece I will be upset with you. She spake, of cause I would not take what is yours.
The warlock told the butler who had helped the fair maiden into the castle to stand outside of the room but not to enter and to leave the fair maiden alone in the room with the gold. And then the warlock left for a time. As the Warlock was learned in the magical arts, and he had laid a trap for the fair maiden.
He had put a spell on the gold. And surely when he returned, he was alerted by the fair maiden's screams of terror. The gold coins had all latched to her skin and more were flying toward her. So that she was being consumed by it.
The servant ran toward the Warlock and yelled in urgency. My Lord! The fair maiden had taken a coin even when you told her not to! The warlock undid his spell. Did you wish to drown in your greed? To be consumed by the gold?
And she spoke. Not so! Your servant dropped my white rose onto the gold and in my attempt to fetch it I did touch it lightly with my thumb and was put under your spell. Later the warlock spoke with his servant, the butler.
I will give her another chance. He said. But why my Lord? She disobeyed you, and lied to your face. And the Warlock said, if she fails a second time I know for sure she is wicked, and that her thoughts rear no higher than to material things.
The warlock took the fair maiden out to his courtyard, and the second test began. It was green and lush with perfect flowers and trees. The warlock led the fair maiden to a patch of plain white flowers in the ground.
These flowers are particularly important to me, the Warlock explained. I planted them with my mother as a child when she was alive. They also have great healing power in the roots so are extremely valuable. I must leave momentarily to instruct my chef on the preparations of my breakfast meal tomorrow. If you loved me, you would not pick one of those flowers.
She spake, of cause I would not destroy something important to you. The warlock told the butler to stand at the entrance of the garden, but not to enter. And then the Warlock left for a time. And surely when he returned, as before, he heard the terrified scream of the fair maiden.
The servant ran up to his master. So hateful a creature as to hurt you again! Surely you must see now the serpent hiding beneath the flower! But the Warlock hurried into the courtyard where he found the fair maiden bound by the vines of the plain white flowers.
The warlock undid his spell. Did you wish to become tied up by your earthly desire? To be made helpless by your sin? The fair maiden spoke. Not so, while I waited for your return, your servant entered the garden and pulled the flower.
But the warlock knew that the vines had attacked her and not the servant so he began to distrust the fair maiden. He spoke to his servant. I am most aggrieved! He said for he loved the fare maiden. So young and so untender. So sweet and yet so bitter. I know not what I must do!
His servant said. My Lord! You have proven the fare maiden's true nature twice. What good would thrice do? The warlock spake, Alas, but I will test her a third time and see if she truly cares for me.
The warlock led the maiden to his music room, and the third test began. The music room was clean and housed marvelous instruments like the one of a grand piano. All except for a large hole at the center of the room. The fair maiden spoke, what is that hole, where does it lead?
My great grandfather's ancestral organ was dropped here and it went straight through the floor. The fair maiden stared and said, and no one thought it right to cover up the hole? The warlock smiled to himself as the hole had been indeed covered up, but he had reopened it for his next test.
If you promise me to stay away from the hole you will not fall in. The warlock said. She spake, of cause I would trust you with this. Then the servant took his master aside and said. My Lord! Surely you will not test her with this? Will not even an evil person be obedient if they believe it is for their own sake?
You have become desperate and instead of creating a test of her love for you, you have created a test for the love of her for her own body. The warlock saw truth in his servants words and said, you are true and wise noble servant. So, fetch me a tray with three drinks and mark them either red, blue or green.
The green marked drink I will have for myself, so fill it with wine. Fill the red marked drink with the drought of death poison I keep in my cauldron room ingredient's store cupboard. I will tell the fair maiden that the drink will give the drinker eternal youth but that I am saving it for a dieing relative, though I have none.
Fill the blue goblet with the antidote so I can quickly administer it to the fair maiden should she fail this test. If she drinks the antidote within one minute of drinking the drought of living death, she will not die. But I will not marry her.
So the servant departed. The warlock stared at the fair maiden, admiring her beauty. He so desired her to be his love, but he did not know if she felt the same. Do you love me? He asked. The fair maiden stared, and then spake. I do love you. Do you love me? The warlock said sadly. I can not tell you the truth until I discover yours.
The maiden said, I have only ever been true with you. How could you say I might not love you? And she wept. Do not cry, fair maiden, the warlock said. I cry, she began, because you can not feel my vast love for you.
The warlock soon became desperate for his servant to arrive. He yearned to know if the maiden's words were true. The butler did indeed return with the tray. It held two glasses, one marked red, the other marked green.
The blue marked drink, the servant whispered, is waiting outside the chamber doors in case thee would need it. The servant then left the room. When he was gone the warlock then questioned the fair maiden, eager to somehow find the truth in the maiden's words.
Why would my servant drop the white rose I gave you onto the pile of money? The fair maiden replied. He asked to see it and I gave it to him, then he cast it onto the pile and told me to fetch it. Why he did so, I know not.
Then the warlock asked, why would my servant pick one of my mother's flowers from the courtyard and then escape to tell me you had done that very same thing? The fair maiden replied. He did pick a flower, then the vines bound him, he dropped the white flower and drew a long kitchen knife and sliced his way out. The vines then saw me holding the white rose and believed I now had the plain flower, and I was bound.
Why your servant did so, I know not. The warlock drank his drink and said. Must you lie to me forever? I will never know if you loved me or not! And the maiden wept again. I swear I loved you most. At that moment the warlock fell to his knees as the drought of death poison coursed itself through his veins. The servant hurried into the room. He went past his master and stabbed the fair maiden in the heart with a long kitchen knife he drew from his coat.
The fair maiden dropped her white rose and her blood turned it red, she then fell down the hole and impaled herself on one of the pipes of the organ a short ways down, and died. The warlock crawled across the floor to the entrance of the room and saw the blue marked drink. He drank from it, but found it was only water. Nothing can save you or her now. Not even your mother's flower, spoke the servant. The warlock then rolled over and died.
...
Having no relatives, after the warlock threw the fair maiden down the hole of his great grandfather's ancestral organ and then purposely drank poison to kill himself, all of his grand wealth was divided among the servants of his house.