"The princess and the woodcutter"

In the world of flowers and Headbands, a girl dawns like the sun and contemplates the gardens that open their way before her maidenly steps. She is a princess, a tender spring that is adorned with laughter and charisma, a woman who in her beauty no moon or star resembles. Her palace is a complete garden that serves as the refuge of all the flowers and roses that in the universe can exist. Every morning she strolls with muse and song, attracting the attention of acquaintances and strangers .

And one evening the sorcerer of the mountain came up with a plan to put an end to the happiness of that princess, so he poured the poison of his envy into the wings of a firefly. The firefly landed on the stem of a cayenne tree, and just as the princess touched it at once her gaze went out, with a dying countenance that foreshadowed a sad end. "Who can save her from her fatal fate?" asked the birds in high flight with a deadly scent.

In the face of such an attack, a wound from the past has now sprung up in the heart of the princess, and to heal her and save her from death a brave knight must visit the three guardians of the enchanted mountain.

-I will go to find the cure for the maiden," said a man with the appearance of a woodcutter.

For it was this man who day and night prowled the borders of that beautiful garden that the princess cared for, and for years had longed for the opportunity to do something special for her, so with no more time to lose, the brave woodcutter entered the courtyards of the mysterious mountain.

Pixabay by cocoparisienne

A long, dark path was the entrance to that strange place, which suddenly transformed into a large mirage that reflected a copy of a dangerous garden, where right in front of it stood the first guardian. It was the gardener of tears who took care of that space and welcomed the brave woodcutter:

-Why do you dare to walk in my gardens? Have you come to grow roses for a funeral?- asked the guardian with scorn and mockery.

-I am here in search of an antidote for the princess- replied the woodcutter.

But the guardian did not seem to reciprocate the request.

-Here only dead flowers prevail, so if you manage to cut one and carry it in your hand, you may have the key to save the maiden- and with a shocking laugh the gardener of tears expressed himself.

And the flowers of that place were hydrated with weeping and screams, their stems were like lava and therefore only emanated a bitter aroma and taste of the most lethal poison.

-There is no way we can succeed- shouted the guardian with pride and malice.

But the woodcutter was wiser than the wind itself, so from his pants pocket he took out a silk handkerchief embroidered with stardust, which he placed on a fire sunflower that was scampering about the place. With this he could not take it, but the silhouette of this mischievous sunflower was engraved on the handkerchief, thus obtaining the first antidote to cure the princess. And so in the face of such a victory, the tearful gardener had an ace up his sleeve, and embedded a thorn in the woodcutter's heart.

-You may have triumphed, but you will not go away victorious- exclaimed the first guardian as he struck the fatal blow.

Pixabay by Bru-nO

And with that the woodcutter strode towards the second enemy, seeing his heart bleed from the thorn he now had to bear. There was no time to pause for thought, for the second guardian was already sighted with a calmness that frightened and terrified.

-I am the thief of the mirrors- he introduced himself with a voice of light and thunder.

And with him he dragged a trunk full of many, many mirrors, of various sizes and shapes that seemed to hold a story inside them.

-What mystery awaits your trunk- asked the woodcutter.

-What is a mystery to you, to me is my food. It is all the memories that can exist, and in fact even yours have become my prisoners- And with these words and a clap of his hands the guardian opened the trunk, and then added:

-Oh, industrious woodcutter! You may go in and seek your task, but beware of breaking anything, for then you will put an end to all that is in that mirror.

With those defiant words the brave woodcutter was not daunted, and with subtlety and caution in just two steps he was already inside the trunk. And just as the guardian had told him, there were millions and millions of mirrors in that place. Some floated and others lay on the floor, and in all of them one could see the scene of a past that lived in the home of memories. Then the woodcutter remembered the maiden's ailment, searching for that memory that would reveal the reason for the wound the princess was suffering. The woodcutter searched and searched, until a cradle-shaped mirror rested in front of him.

It was the bitter memory of the princess who, as a child, was abandoned by her parents, who one day left on a journey from which they could never return. At this, the woodcutter released a deep sigh, because that same day he met the princess, so by breaking the mirror, she would not only forget her wound but also the existence of the woodcutter. There was only a solid and dry blow, and the woodcutter came out of the trunk with the pieces of the broken mirror, which also seemed to have broken something inside him.

-You have succeeded in your task, but you must pay for the damage- commented the guardian angrily.

Pixabay by msandersmusic

And so the guardian placed in the woodcutter's hand a mirror that showed no reflection, one that would be the prison of his reflection and that no one else could use.

-Two steps, and an abyss to leap!- shouted the shadow of night at the arrival of the last enemy.

For it was none other than the wizard of the mountain, the architect of such an attempt against the princess. And with the roar of that place, a long river full of colored torches appeared between the woodcutter and the sorcerer, with the intensity of its flame varying according to how the blow of time was handled by the sorcerer.

Suddenly the woodcutter looked down to the river, and as he looked at one of the torches about to be extinguished, he asked, "Is that the flame in the heart of my princess?

-Is that the flame in the heart of my princess?-

But the sorcerer did not cease to scoff:

-That is the end of the maiden, unless you think you can prevent her tragic end.

And for the second time in his life the woodcutter thought he had lost the princess. The torch that represented her life was about to be extinguished, until the woodcutter took out of his pocket the silk handkerchief that held the silhouette of a sunflower.

-That is the flower that the princess has loved the most, and for which she cultivates her love and joy every day," said the woodcutter.

And dropping over the dying flame the silk handkerchief, the woodcutter gave way to weeping. While that was happening the sorcerer smiled, until his gaze changed abruptly when he observed that the torch not only stood out in the brightness and color of its flame, but also that it flew out of the river like a bird in full flight to now nest in the heart of the princess. The sorcerer had no choice but to accept his failure, and oblivion plunged him into the abyss of his arms.

After several suns and moons, the princess returned, more beautiful and radiant than before. She is very happy about her return even though she never knew who her hero had been. Now her roses and flowers are also adorned with thorns, in case a poisoned firefly decides to return with a vengeance, while the same thorns point to a sky that, as if it were a mirror without reflection, awaits the gaze of a brave woodcutter, a father who has given everything for his princess even though she has never been able to remember him again.

Pixabay by peter_pyw

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