Chapter 2-The Unicorn and Its Horn
Quite a magnificent creature the unicorn is; its tail is not that of a horse's, but that of a lion's. Yet the rest of it resembles its just-as-lordly cousin. It is majestic and mysterious, but just the same a fierce fighter and protector of its home. One is not often seen, but when one is, we can't help but stare in near reverent awe of its grace and beauty. However, all who have seen the unicorn wonder the same thing: why, in contrast to its pure white head and body, does it have a horn of indigo protruding from its forehead? It has been said that the very secret of this strange phenomenon can be found in the story of Beryl, the boy who became a unicorn. This is that story.
In the deepest forests of Lantern Waste, there lived a small community of Talking Beasts. The land of Narnia was at peace, for the great Tree of Protection still stood, much as it had for the past 400 years, watching over the small country and keeping the Witch Jadis from coming within even a few feet of its borders. However, for several days now, life in the Waste had been rather chaotic, for during the evening meal one night, the animals were interrupted from their feast by a young Son of Adam who wandered into the gathering. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years of age, but whatever he was, he was certainly lost. He had been crying, and the animals wondered where the child's parents were. They didn't know what to do when still, after 3 days, nobody had come to claim the boy, but they knew that it would difficult for him to continue to stay there, for nobody knew how to care for a Son of Adam. Yet, after a few more days, the boy seemed to settle right in, happy living with all the animals.
The Beasts learned that the young boy's name was Beryl; quite strange this name sounded to them. He was of average height and weight for his age, with dark eyes. However, the most notable characteristic of Beryl's was that he didn't have hair the color of a normal Son of Adam; his hair was a dark blue color, almost purple. He told the animals, whom he was quite comfortable talking to, that the color was called indigo, and that he didn't really know why his hair was that color. He told of how his family always believed it was a sign of some tragedy to come, and had often tried to change the color of his hair, with no success. The animals soon realized that perhaps the boy was not lost; that perhaps his parents had abandoned him to hinder something bad from occurring in the family. With this realization, they began to treat him more and more as one of their own.
One afternoon, Beryl was laying under a large oak tree, resting and listening to the stories of Leala, the wise She-Elephant. The Beasts considered it a treat when Leala came to visit, because she lived many miles away in the plains, and generally did not travel to the forests often. Plus, it was rumored that you gained wisdom simply from being in her presence. At the time, Beryl was only half-interested in what Leala was saying, but he sat up when she began to tell him about the most graceful creature in all of Narnia: the unicorn.
"Now listen, young one," she said. "The unicorn is believed to be the symbol of everything that is good and pure, and to see one, I've heard, is very lucky. Not many ever have, so if by some chance you ever do, consider it a treasure to always remember."
His face marked with fascination, Beryl asked, "How will I know what a unicorn looks like?"
Leala laughed softly. "You'll more than likely just know, my dear. But I'll tell you anyway. They resemble a horse, but have much more beauty and nobility in their faces. Their tails are like those of lions, and they have a single horn in the middle of their foreheads."
Beryl was pleased with this information. "Where do the unicorns live?" he asked.
"It is uncertain of exactly where they live," replied Leala, "but every time that one has been spotted, it has been near the glorious Cauldron Pool." She motioned with her trunk to a small stream of water a few feet away. "If you follow this path upstream, you will eventually come to Cauldron Pool."
Beryl said nothing in reply, but just smiled in anticipation of the next day when he would go to Cauldron Pool and look for a unicorn.
He awoke early the next morning, gathered some food, and set out into the woods toward his destination. A boy of his age shouldn't have been wandering the forests alone, but he didn't care if the animals worried about him or not, because he was going to see a unicorn. He found the Pool about mid-afternoon. When he came within full sight of the waterfall, Beryl stopped, standing in awe of the beauty of the area surroundings. The light of the sun shone at just the right spot in the Pool to make it glitter, and all the trees were mirrored there against the water. The deafening sound of the rushing waterfall finalized the picture.
Beryl noticed something else on the other side of the Pool, however; there was a small shelter, a hut of some sort, standing alone. Curious, he wandered around the water to see what it was for. Upon reaching the hut, he saw that the door barely covered the entrance and was cracked open. Peering inside, the first thing he noticed was the back of what appeared to be an elderly man, hunched over a table of some sort. Beryl had not seen another human since his parents had abandoned him, and was thus intrigued. He didn't know what to do, but just then, the old man turned to him.
"Hello, child," he said, perhaps a little too cheerfully. There was a gleam in his eye as he looked Beryl over.
Beryl didn't return the greeting, but simply stated, "My name is Beryl. What's yours?"
The old man laughed, again rather too cheerfully. "What a brave one you seem to be!" he exclaimed. "As for my name, I can't tell you my real name, but call me Seff. I live out here alone, so it's been a long time since I've seen anyone who actually looks like me."
"What are you doing living out here by yourself?" Beryl asked. "I live in the deeper parts of the woods with some Talking Beasts who have taken care of me this past year, and I'm sure you'd be welcome."
"Oh no," replied the man. "I don't think I would be welcome. You see, most people wouldn't agree with what I do out here. But no matter; I bet that you are here because somebody told you there are unicorns to be spotted around here."
"Yes!" cried Beryl joyfully, not realizing as he said this that Seff was grinning broadly. "Have you seen any? I want to see one! Where can I see one?"
Seff laughed again. "Be patient, boy. It is a rare treat to see a unicorn. Why, I have lived here eight years, and still have not seen one. You probably will not see one either in the short amount time that you plan to spend here. In fact, you look like you have traveled a long way. Why don't you take a bath in the Pool, and I'll prepare something for you to eat and drink?"
"Oh yes, I would be happy to do that," replied Beryl. He ran outside the small hut and jumped right into the Pool, clothes and all.
While Beryl bathed, Seff began to prepare the meal. He removed a large book from a shelf in the corner of the hut, and opened it to the middle, noting that he had all the ingredients he needed for what he was going to make. The boy wants to see a unicorn, he thought, and a unicorn he shall see. The drink took very little time to prepare, and he set it aside to let it cool while he made some food that he knew the boy would like, but that would also make him very thirsty.
By the time Beryl had finished bathing, Seff had finished preparing dinner. He grinned as the young boy came leaping into the hut. He set the food on a round wooden table that looked like it might not be far from falling apart, and Beryl greedily began to stuff food into his mouth. You see, he hadn't really been taught the proper way to eat, having lived with animals for a while. When he finished, he looked up, searching for a drink.
"Is this what you seek, son?" Seff asked, knowing that it was.
"Yes," Beryl answered.
Seff handed the boy the drink, watching him as he finished it off in less than a minute. He knew already what would happen next, and he watched as the drink began to take the effect that had been foretold in the book. Beryl grew sleepy, and began to drift off. Soon, he was fast asleep, and Seff quietly exited the room, anticipating the next morning.
When Beryl awoke, the first person he saw was Seff, who was standing over him with a huge grin on his face.
"Beryl, my boy, come quick!" he exclaimed. "If you hurry, you'll see the unicorn outside!"
Beryl's eyes grew wide, and he immediately got up from where he had fallen asleep the night before. However, he discovered that he couldn't move as quickly as he thought he would be able to, and struggled to stand on his feet. Nevertheless, he eventually stood and raced out the door, not realizing the way that he was running. Upon reaching the Pool, however, he was dismayed to see that there was not one unicorn in sight.
"I don't see one," he said unhappily.
"Oh, he must have run away then," replied Seff in mock disappointment. "But, I've been told that if you reach the Pool within just minutes of the unicorn's absence, you can sometimes still see him in the water."
Beryl wandered over to the Pool, and glanced over the side. And what he saw shocked him. Indeed there was the reflection of a unicorn in the water, but it did not look the way he had expected it to look. Its body and form looked much like Leala had described, but the horn on top of its head was a bright bluish purple, like the color indigo—the same color as his own hair. Beryl moved his head slightly, and realized at that moment that the unicorn in the water was as well moving its own head. He raised a forehoof, and the reflection did the same. The awful truth had been discovered: in his selfishness of thinking he could be one of the only people alive to see a unicorn, he himself had become one. And his hair, instead of becoming his mane, had become his indigo horn.
Beryl turned around to face Seff, but Seff had vanished, and the hut with him. Beryl was alone in the forest, and there was nobody to help him. And so, wondering if he would ever become a boy again, and not knowing what to do in the meantime, Beryl the Unicorn walked away in the woods, never again to live in the community of the Talking Beasts.
It is assumed that Beryl, the boy-turned-unicorn who became the first to bear an indigo horn, did in fact come across the herd of unicorns, and lived with them, passing the color of his horn down through the generations, for every unicorn that has since been seen has had a horn of this color.