Friday 22 July 2011

Seven Rocks For Seven Maidens



Jinksy challenged me to write a romantic tale to accompany her computer artwork for her new prompt

How could I refuse.

Long, long ago, on the banks of the mighty River Rhine, there stood a castle. Well, actually, the banks were positively littered with a multitude of castles  on both sides, all populated by pretty maidens, heroic knights, dragons, robber barons and greedy archbishops, but for now we are concerned with just one of them, Schloss Schönburg.

The Castle of Schönburg, now in ruins, was once a place of extraordinary fame, for here dwelt seven sisters of transcendent beauty; the fact that their proud sire, the Graf of Schönburg. was also reputed to be very rich, did them no harm in the marriage stakes. Their father had acquired his enormous wealth  in predatory forays, his exploits on crusades were legendary; and when he wasn't busy cataloguing and registering his ill-gotten gains, he was off robbing and pillaging nearer home. Because he was so good at it, nobody except his victims minded. The nobles of the Rhineland at the time found this all totally in order, in the Graf's shoes, they'd have done much the same.

An endless number of knights flitted about the castle, all hoping to catch the eye of one of the beauteous maidens;  the girls, having been spoilt rotten by their doting daddy, made fun of them; egging them on, flirting mercilessly, then dropping them again, one after the other. They simply weren't ready for the constraints of marriage. Suitor after suitor retired in despair; "what do women want?" they asked  bitterly.

Little by little the girls achieved an unsavoury reputation. Lack of female virtue was a heinous crime and once the tittle-tattle got started it simply couldn't be silenced, no matter how much the Graf threatened and bullied and paid.

He called his girls to order. "It's time you got married", he said, eyeing them fondly. "Each of you had better choose the one you like best. Make sure he is of decent breeding stock, that's all I ask. Once you are married, the rumours will stop. There'll still be parties and hunt balls and I'll make sure that you'll never lack a pretty rock or two from my jewel chest".

The girls knew that they'd have to comply with their daddy's wishes but first they'd play one more trick on their suitors.

The Graf arranged for a huge party to be held in his Schloss high above the river. Crowds of suitors appeared,  gorgeously dressed  in the finest raiments, in silks and gold brocades, crimson cloth and rich, soft velvet; nearly all of them had fathers and uncles who had followed King Frederick to the Holy Land on crusade and had come home laden with treasure.

Assembled in the staterooms,  the suitors waited for the maidens to appear, to choose seven husbands from among them. They waited and waited. No maidens appeared. Then one of them, who had been looking out of the window, gave a great shout.

"There they are, in the river, sailing away", he cried. Everybody rushed to the windows.

The girls looked up at them, waving and shouting, laughing and dancing with pleasure at having outwitted the dim knights yet again.

I would love to end this story on a happy note, but alas, a sense of humour was not the most desirable quality for a girl to have in those far off days.  That and their addiction to coquetry and practical jests were to be their undoing.

As the knights were watching, their dismay at having been the butt of the girls' jokes quickly turned to consternation. Unheedful of the current the girls' light craft was led into the fast flowing stream; had they sat still, all would have been well. As it was, the craft was overturned, none of the girls could swim and before another boat could be launched the Rhine had claimed its victims, and the perfidious damsels were drowned in the swift tide.

Near the place where the tragedy occurred, seven rocks appeared, visible to this day on the rare occasions when the river is low.

25 comments:

  1. Ah1 A salutary tale of dire warning to fidget-arses! Thank you so much for playing the game, Friko! Hehehe! ♥

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  2. Such a hapless loss of Schloss lasses. Please don't ask me to say that out loud.

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  3. What they wanted was of no great matter. They should have been required to have swimming lessons.
    Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

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  4. Is one of those rocks the Lorelei?

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  5. It all goes to show flirtation can be funny, fun, or fatal, depending on how far it goes.
    Very nicely done, Friko. You are a consummate story-teller.

    —Kay, Alberta, Canada

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  6. The men win again! Women punished for their superior intelligence ... "just saying" as one member in the community of bloggers is fond of ......

    Good story, Friko. You gave us an ending - closure - good grief I detest that word.

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  7. Hilary's comment made me laugh. Yes, sometimes it's best to heed your father and cut the crap. They would have been better off... Good story, though!

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  8. Fun!

    Well, not so fun for the 7 lasses, but much fun for us to read!!

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  9. haha between you and the comments you just made my night...lol

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  10. Excellent tale - I wondered about Lorelei too.

    Anna :o]

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  11. A brilliant story! You really did weave a fascinating tale out of a picture :)

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  12. Well told story, Friko. Thank you.

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  13. I love fairy tales - or is this a fable with a moral? Most enjoyable!

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  14. A wonderful tale. I so enjoyed reading your story. I wish I could write like that
    Hugs
    June xx

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  15. Friko, this sounds like a sententious male story. You are pulling our many legs, yes?

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  16. I love this. A great group of words. I wonder if I posted some digital art, I could inspire writers?

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  17. I am so envious. Oh to be able to create such a beautiful bit of needlework and a story to tell the tale. Poor lasses. I was thinking all those jewels and heavy brocade in their dresses must have dragged them down into the water. Alas Dianne

    BTW I like your new setup for leaving comments.

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  18. That's a brilliant story Friko!

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  19. What happened afterwards . Did the Graf turn to good works or to careless cruelty on a massive scale ?

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  20. Ah! A story with a moral. You should be writing a book. Your talent is superb.

    J. Rowlings made a fortune and you could too because you have a wonderful imagination and a knack for weaving a plot that holds the attention. I loved your story.
    I also loved the art that inspired it.

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  21. Frivolity, frivolity! The silly princesses drowned & the dimwitted princes stood and watched without attempting a rescue. Wonderful story, Friko. Thank you!

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  22. A wonderful tale you've woven here...not sure I approved of the comical tragic ending though ;)

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  23. Love the gasp it brought forth at the end. The graphic is beautiful too.

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