There was once a shy young woman. She was pretty, but she didn’t know it. She was witty, but she didn’t know it. She was desirable, but she didn’t know it.
This young woman was from a noble family. But one so far down the social register they were never invited to the great feasts or balls. This suited our young woman, as that meant she didn’t have to make idle conversation with dull young men while drinking weak wine from golden cups.
Her family was an old one and still followed the ways of the ancestors. They paid due respect to the new religion that had taken hold in the kingdom but kept the ancient holidays that marked the turning of the seasons.
It was coming on to Samhain. That time when the veil between this world and the next was pulled aside. That time when the forest deities came together to drink deep from the wine the family left out for them. No one had ever been brave enough to venture into the woods to observe this gathering but the young woman felt a strong pull from inside herself to join her ancestors in their revels.
After the tower house was still and all were abed, she crept down the stone stairs. The oaken door creaked as she opened it just wide enough to slip through. Once out she ran lightly through the dew damp grass and into the forest.
Now she was not the only mortal stirring that night. In the grand castle there was a young man who too was restless. He was shy. He was handsome, but didn’t know it. He was clever, but didn’t know it. He was burning with desire, yet for what he wasn’t sure. He had heard of the visits of the old ones, the wine that some still left out for them, but he wasn’t sure it really happened any more. This year, as the season came around, he decided to venture out into the forest to see for himself.
As luck would have it, these two met not far into the woods.
“Oh! My! I thought you were a deer!” the young man exclaimed when he caught sight of the maiden carefully picking her way through the undergrowth. He marveled that she didn’t shriek or scream as the young women he knew at the castle would have.
“And I thought you had been sent by my father to take me back home. He doesn’t like me out in the forest after dark. “
After both explaining why they might be out at such a time, and realizing they were of one mind, they decided to proceed together. The forest was dark but not far ahead they could see the light of a great bon fire. Knowing that must be where the revels were, they crept quietly forward till they were just outside the light. There they knelt down to observe.
Soon, by twos and threes, beautiful beings strolled to the wine cask that had been left there for them. They drank, a fiddler played, they danced. Our young observers were enthralled at the sight and lost all caution as they slowly entered the light of the bon. Of a sudden the music stopped; the dancers turned.
“What have we here?” asked the tall woman who appeared to be the leader of the revels. “Mortals? Come to join us?”
All in attendance laughed. Someone poured two goblets of wine and handed them to the visitors.
The wine was the finest either of the young people had ever tasted and it went straight to their heads! The music started again and the dancing began afresh. The young mortals whirled, turned, spun in wide circles until they were dizzy. In their drunken spinning they fell against the tall woman and her consort.
“My, my,” she said. “I do think our guests are a bit elf-shot! Let’s take these two to our bower for them to lie down.” She scoped up the young man. She was surprisingly strong but the old ones only strengthen as the ages go by. Her consort gently lifted the shy young woman, who was not feeling a bit shy at the moment.
The bower was laid with softest down pillows covered in silk. Hidden from the rest of the gathering it offered complete privacy.
“I would venture to guess you are both still in your virginal state, are you not?” the elf queen asked. Both nodded, too enthralled to speak. “Would you like to learn the joys of the union of man and woman on this most special night?”