A/N: This story has been inspired, like most of them, from my tarot deck. Today's cards are 'The Chariot' or 'Mastery' and 'The Sun'. While generally translating, it means gaining control of one's circumstances to create a most wonderful outcome, or travelling for vacation, but today's story is quite different. Other cards will also influence this story, but I will tribute them as we go.

The Four Wild Horses

The Quest of the Wild Prince

Far away and long ago lived a King and his Queen, and they spent a lot of their time in a most relaxed state. While the running of kingdom and court was always overseen by them, they enjoied many past times from hunting to fancy balls, and not a day went by when they did not endulge in one of these activities.

Now, as the ability to lead a luxurious life comes with a cost, there was the inpending penalty of life bringing about many difficulties. But the Queen had found a way around this, for she was not only a Queen, but a powerful Sorceress. Many times did she call upon the fairies of the land to remove the impending difficulties, and repaid them with many generous gifts of ribbons, sweetmeats and other beautiful things.

However, one year, their neighbouring King saw their weakness in their luxurious life, and planned a campeign to overthrow thier kingdom to make it apart of his own. The fairy, in seeing this, fled to the Queen who had rewarded them so well to tell her of the army amassing to come and fight her and her husband.

"Is there nothing you can do?" asked the Queen, after listening to the situation and seeing their position hopeless.

"There is only one who can help you, but be careful upon setting out on this quest, for it might not be easy to repay the debt," the fairy answered.

"Tell me what it is I must do," the Queen answered, bowing deeply to the fairy as she made the request.

"You must summon a most dark and evil fairy who will help you defeat the army. You must in turn show her the same respects that you show us, and invite her to every event that you hoast worthy of our attendence, and present her with many gifts." The fairy, with a sigh of sadness, saw that the Queen fully intended to follow this action. So doing, she wished her the best of luck, accepted her gifts of cakes and ribbons, and left.

The Queen spent many nights searching through her books to find the fairy she needed to summon, allthewhile being sure that her husband was prepared for war. When their army was musttered, you could be sure it was a grand army, but by no means did it have the power to defeat the neighbouring King. On the last night before the King set off to war, the Queen found the fairy she needed to summon, Caraboose, and set about calling her. When she had written the incantation and set everything up, she told her waiting maids to leave her and on no circumstance to return until called. When the Queen was ready, she called the incantation and summoned Caraboose to her. There was a wild wind that blew through the room, putting out the candles and lamps that lit the room, and a bolt of lightening set a green fire ablaze. From the fire came the fairy Caraboose. Her dark clothing and expression warned the Queen instantly that there were indeed conciquences for summoning her.

Caraboose looked around the room and with a snap of her fingers, relit the candles and lamps.

"Who has summoned me at this late hour?" she demanded.

"It was I who summoned you," answered the Queen with the deepest of bows of respect.

"I see. I have heard of you, one who would use our magic to lead a peaceful life. It is about time you called on me to aid you and to be rewarded for good works," Caraboose answered, her arms crossed with indignancy. The Queen bowed again and indicated a large pile of neatly arranged clothing, sweetmeats, cakes and other things that all the other fairy generally accept. "These are for you, Lady Caraboose, for tribute to come at all. And I will make and order anything you wish to aid me again." Caraboose looked at the dresses and clothings, but in the end only took two, turning her nose up at the pretty colors and beautiful materials that made the other dresses. And of the sweetmeats and cakes, she took ony the meats with a look of slight unease. But she did indeed take all the jewels that were offered to her.

"I shall expect much better things when I have done the work set for me," Caraboose snapped.

"Very well, my Lady," the Queen said, bowing again.

"Get off your knee and tell me what it is that you wish of me," Caraboose demanded.

"Our country is under attack by a mot powerful enemy to whom we have set no anger upon, and we are in no position to dfeat him. Please help us to victory and we shall make you anything, cook the foods that please you and you shall be invited to all our events befitting your attendence."

Caraboose took a moment to ponder this, but then smiled cruelly. "Very well. I wish for dresses made of the darkest satin with no lace or ribbon. I wish for sweetmeats that are both salted and peppered beyond that which man could consume, and I desire many gold peices. Be sure to have these things ready when you summon me again." And with that, Caraboose disappeared in a burst of green fire and a wicked laugh. Feeling she had the situation well in hand, the Queen called her waiting maids to clean the room and bring her something to eat.

The following day, the two armies met at the boarder of the lands, ready to fight, but before anyone could charge, there was a roar as two dragons pulling a large and black chariot appeared out of the sky, swooping down on the army of the King's neighbour. Breathing out one large and noxious cloud of fumes, the entirity of the enemies army was ungulphed in the gases, and many fell over instantly dead, if not sick or frail.

Within two days, the King returned to his kingdom, victorious and thankful to his Queen for finding a way to bring them victory. But more news of joy unabound filled his heart when she announced she was with their child.

Months later, a little prince was born, and they named him Hirsuticus. Instantly, the Queen set about getting things ready for the christaning, quite forgetting about what she owed the fairy Caraboose or to have the orders finished. As the day finally arrived, the Queen stood at her throne with her book before her, and she spent many minutes summoning the fairy that were her friends, as well as the fairy Caraboose. Each fairy was presented with, upon arrival, a beautiful necklace of either gold or silver, with a pendant of a large precious stone. Each was also given a crown of gold or silver, woven with flowers that bloomed as brightly as the summer day. But Caraboose, to whom the Queen did her best to cater for, was presented with a gold necklace with a large and finely cut black diamond on it. Her crown was also made of gold, but woven with thorns from a rose bush with the flowers cut off. This satisfied her for the moment, but remember that faries have very long memories, considering how long they live for. Everyone was sat down at a long table and the feast began, and each fairy promised a gift to the child, including Caraboose.

So when the time came, the fairies lined up, but Lily, the most trusted fairy of the Queen, waited behind Caraboose, not trusting her to be fully honest in her promise.

The other fairies bestowed upon the prince every gift he could possibly need, such as courage, strength, intelligence, wit and charm. But when Caraboose stepped up, very few people were thinking she would do no wrong.

"Indeed, I bestow upon this Prince a gift most worthy of his parents. I give him the knowledge to find the four wild horses of the elemental worlds." There was a gasp as everyon recalled the dangers foretold in such a quest, and that no man had returned alive or well.

"What is this?" demanded the King and Queen at once.

"For your foolishness and misuse of our magic, and for the tribute I have not recieved for vanquishing your enemies, I have bespelled your child to face all your abandoned hardships for you. Should you not let him go, he shall become thin, pale and sickly, but never die. Do not summon me again lest you have a plentyful bounty to placate me with." And with that, green fire blazing around her, Caraboose disappeared.

"Fear not," said Lily, a calm smile upon her face. "My gift is the gift of guidence, that he shall not be alone in his quest, and that I, if none other, shall watch over him." With that, the other fairies left, and the King scolded the Queen for her foolishness.

Many years past, and the baby prince grew into a strong and healthy young man, but there was always one thing on his mind, and that was horses. He had all sorts of horses in his stable, and he loved them all, but he always wished for a stronger horse that would outdo any horse he would ever find. Feeling that they had no choice, the King and Queen sat him down and explained all, and told him of the rumored Four Wild Horses. the Prince instantly wanted to travel and find them, and the King and Queen remembered the warning Caraboose had given them. With heavy hearts but pride in their son, they let him go. Advising him as best a mother could, she told him to head to the home of the fairy Lily, who lived by the stream of eternal youth. Setting out, Hersuticus travelled for many days and many nights, some nights sleeping at an Inn, while others were spent in the forest or fields of the land. He asked many people where he might find the stream of eternal youth, but none knew.

Eventually, Hersuticus reached a distant town of a King, and he requested at the Palace for a place to stay. The King, who was a very proud one, allowed him to stay in one of the servent's rooms with whomever happened to be sleeping there. Thinking it better than most other choices, Hersuticus took it. That night, after eating a decent meal, he retred to his room to find an old woman sitting there spinning.

"Good evening young man, and how fair thee this evening?" she asked.

"I have but to rest dear ma'am, for I have a long journey before me." he repied in the most curtious of manors.

"Where is it you seek to go?" The old woman asked as she continued to spin.

"I seek the fairy Lily who lives in a house by the strwam of eternal youth," Hersuticus answered.

"Ah, you have not far to travel then" the old woman answered. "Come forth and look at the wheel as it spins," she said. Saying some magic words, the spinning spokes of the wheel changed to reveal the castle where they were, and then to show him the path across the land due north to a forest, and there within was the stream and the house.

"Thank you dear m'am," answered the Prince, "What can I do for you in return for your kindness and knowledge?"

"I will take but three gold coins. I am an old woman and have little to spend on, but the King expects so much of me with no reward," she answered. Hersuticus, feeling sorry for her and that he owed her so much more, gave her ten gold coins, to which she was grateful. "May your kind spirit take you far, Prince Hersuticus, for your road is a perilous one," she said. The Prince soon after fell asleep, and the next morning he was off again, following the path he had seen in the magic spinning wheel.

As he travelled through the forest to the stram, Hersuticus could hear continuously the voice of someone singing, and it seemed that all the birds sang along with the voice. It was rather beutiful to listen to, and none had ever been heard anywhere else before. Following the music and the path, Hersuticus finally arrived at the stream, and there he saw the castle of the fairy Lily.

"Greetings Prince, I have been expecting you for some time now," Lily said as he appraoched.

"Greetings to you, Lily," Hersuticus said with a sweeping bow. "I have come to seek your knwoledge."

"Very good then," Lily answered, showing him in. Her attendants took his cloak and possessions to be cleaned and put away neatly as he was shown in. "You seek the four wild horses, and I am going to help you," she said. "But first, let us sup and talk a little," she said, showing him to a small table covered in delicious foods and dirnks. Eating together, the two chatted about this and that like they were old friends catching up on old times. Hersuticus did not know the fairy Lily at all, but she had been watching over him all his life, and knew almost everything there was to know of him.

As evening drew near, Lily asked him to stay the night and be well rested for the next day of travel.

"I want you to read this for me," the fairy said, taking a book off a shelf and handing it to him. On the cover was a picture of four horses, each as beautiful yet as mythical as one could imagine a horse to be. Doing as he was bid, Hersuticus sat down to read and did not stop until he had finished it and was able to recite the book and all its knowledge. When he went to return it, Lily met him and offered him a small ring. The stone in the middle was an opal that shone many beautiful colors up at him, and the ring was made of silver that twisted around the stone.

"I shall ask your mother for tribute for this gift. But it shall guide you to the places where you will find the four horses. Only four people know where one of the horses may be, and you will need to seek them out. But be warned, this quest is a long one, for many hardships will you have to suffer. But as long as the silver remains as beautiful as it is now and does not brass, you still have hope."

Thanking the fairy and putting the ring on, Hersuticus knew whom it was he saught, and, with many thanks to the fairy Lily, he set off into the forest, riding a horse she had given him.