The full story of the Unicorn and the Wizardess rewritten

The Tale of The Unicorn and the Wizardess
by Leighannah Austin

I rummaged through the papers in the box. What is this? I pulled from the box a leather bound notebook. It was one of those old fashioned journals with a heart shaped lock to keep intruders from reading it. But the key was attached by a thread, so I had to see what was inside.

The yellowed pages were musty and the scrawl close to illegible.

“To the one that I love.” It was dedicated, followed with “2 more minutes, and I’ll be there. Forever the figure of my dreams.”

This must’ve been an early work of my aunt’s. Obviously it had been too personal to publish.

Flipping it open, I read the title “The Unicorn and the Wizardess: a tale of love and magic.”

“Once upon a time there was a land much like our own today. The difference was there was magic about. Some creatures wielded it naturally, some wielded it for good, others for bad. Still others had no magic at all. Most creatures in this world were born with magic, but lost it as they grew up. They would forget the powers that were given to them at birth with the onslaught of dark forces that stole magical powers. In this land there was a wizardess. She wielded the magic of peace, love and harmony. She had somehow withstood the onslaught of the dark forces and had overcome them while she was yet young. Now they still would come for her, but found her to be a formidable enemy whenever they did battle.
The wizardess was alone in her journey through life. She had hoped to find the mythical creature known as a unicorn.  The lore had always told tales of the beautiful connection between wizardess’ and unicorns. But everyone knew that the unicorns had gone extinct before her time, so she traveled her path and kept an eye out for some magical creature that would be her companion. There had been twice she had thought she might have found one to travel with her, but she had been mistaken.  Once it had been a rhinoceros, and the other had merely been a horse.  The horse had looked like a Pegasus, so she had thought he had magic.  Alas, the wings had merely been clip on wings.
So on she journeyed.  It was a pity that there were no such things as unicorns, the other creatures of magic would never be able to understand her like a unicorn.
She made many friends along the way. Some were creatures of magic, but mostly just the ones that had forgotten their origins. The wizardess could not and would not settle for the donkeys, whales, and old goats that were ever drawn to her magic.
The path she had been taking grew wearisome, so the wizardess started planning a far off journey.  It was time for her to venture out to see the wonders of the world.  Maybe there would be new and interesting magical creatures and places.
As she was making her preparations, she heard something on the wind.  Something that carried with it that familiar hint of magic.
The sound had come from far away, and she couldn't see that far. So she used her magical senses to feel it out. As she explored she trembled with excitement, the magic that touched hers in return could only come from one source.  That mythical creature that everyone knew was long extinct, was there, hidden from sight. He has sensed her magic and had sent out a pulse of his own.
"Come to me, dear heart." She called to him.

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 As I flipped the pages of the journal, pictures fell out. Pictures of flowers, pictures of hills and skies, pictures of sand and oceans, sun rises and sunsets. The romance of beauty. On the bottom of each page was a song title and artist, or simply a lyric from a long forgotten song, or an old classic.  The first one was written in a heart-shaped doodle, the lyrics from the classic from Frank Sinatra “Come Fly with Me”. My aunt had a collection of Frank Sinatra movies and songs, even a painting that my mother had made for her one year.  It must have held a lot of significance to her.

I started reading again.

 

“ Long ago the unicorn was born, at first it didn't realize that it was different from the rest of the creatures. The other creatures looked at it as though it were deformed in someway, not realizing that it was in fact, a unicorn, and a magical being. The unicorn tried to love and be loved, but each time, he would come away with scars. Then one day after he had nearly given up on finding another magical creature who would understand him and not see him as deformed, he happened across a wizardess. He could feel her magic as she brushed past his outer senses. She wielded strong magic.

When she saw his magical powers from afar and called to him, he kept his distance. Looking and wondering as he saw this strange being. She appeared safe, but she could be dangerous, far more dangerous than the other creatures he had met along the way. The power of the magic she wielded was strong, so one day their magic touched. The distance that still separated them was enough to keep it from enveloping them, but the sparks flew as the tendrils of magic touched.

 
As with all acts of magic, the dark forces sensed it, and came to contain and destroy. They attacked first the wizardess, - the unicorn tried to help, but he was so far away and unused to sending magic. As her strength started to fail, they attacked the unicorn. But this had an unanticipated reaction from the wizardess that the dark forces did not expect. Her magic and fight did not dissolve, instead, it grew with leaps and bounds and fought to pass through the dark forces to reach the unicorn. The magic that she sent could be used by him to help combat the forces that threatened him. Their combined magic could keep the dark forces at bay.
“Wield the power of love, my unicorn. The dark forces cannot combat it. The rainbows you create baffle them, and you can escape. Come to me, my unicorn, we will ride away together, our magic entwined so naught can penetrate it,” the  wizardess called to him.
“Don't be scared of my magic, let it pass through your shield. I promise it won't hurt, and the dark will not pass through with it. I will fight it off of you from the outside, as much as I can, but letting me in would help the fight. We could defeat it entirely - together.”

But alas, the unicorn could not. He wanted to so badly, but he was trapped. It was only a matter of time before he would finally break free, but he was still stuck.  What if she thought he didn’t have enough magic if he couldn’t even break free from this thing that he was caught in?  The wizardess deserved so much better than a scarred unicorn. Other creatures had already asked for his help once he was free from the trap.  He had a mission and his time was not his own. But he couldn’t tell her, not yet.

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The wizardess continued to try coax the unicorn into coming closer, that she was safe. But then one day, he stopped. "This isn't real." He said suddenly, and before her eyes, transformed into a man. A beautiful man, but no longer a unicorn. "I cannot be a unicorn anymore. I have to be real. You may have your magic, but I must see it in real life to believe. I cannot keep playing along. It's not fair to either of us."
So the wizardess dropped her veil of magic. "I knew all along that you were not really a unicorn. I know that you are a flesh and blood man, who must experience and touch and feel. But I am so far away, I thought the illusion would help with the distance until the distance can be shortened. See me, oh man, for who I am. A flesh and blood woman. With fire in her veins, and a wellspring of love in her heart. I saw you and thought I saw what I had been waiting for my whole life. "

When the wizardess let down the veil of magical fantasy that had surrounded them, the unicorn revealed why it was taking him so long to get to her. He was stuck in a mire. If he tried to take a step, he would be sunk even further. And not only that, but deep in the mire were thorns and they stabbed and scratched at him until he bled, but still he had to wait. There were also people to save, and he could only save them by staying. "Beloved wizardess, I would have been there the moment you called, had I been able. There was no need for all the magic. But wait I must, until help arrives." The wizardess ached for him, with the knowledge of the pain and frustration that she had added to his life since he had shielded her from witnessing his pain. But now she was no longer in the dark. Now she could be more careful. So she waited, sending what magic she could to ease his suffering instead of adding to it. "Be strong my unicorn, help is coming. The universe has heard my call combined with yours. It is coming. Soon you will be free, and I will tend to your cuts and bruises."

The day help arrived, it didn’t have the outcome that the wizardess anticipated. She had thought that the unicorn would be free and they would be able to travel together down the path of life. But he said to her as he stepped from the mire, still bleeding and alone, "Wizardess, you cannot follow me where I have to go. I must go alone. "

The wizardess cried.

"My unicorn, for you will always be my unicorn, go in peace. If my presence causes suffering then it is not the time for our paths to merge.
It hurts me to let go. I don't want to, for I have seen your soul and I love it. But I cannot fight for you if you don't want me to. " the wizardess replied.

And so the wizardess turned away from the disappearing figure of the unicorn as he trotted off on his quest to distant lands. There was a pain in her heart, but it would be okay. Now she knew there was a unicorn that still existed on this planet, and while she would never lay eyes on him, or touch his skin, their magic had touched, and it had been a beautiful thing.

As she turned away he glanced back, “Oh beloved,” he whispered to the wind, “I love your soul. I must heal, and I don’t want you to wait for me. If you found me, there may be other unicorns on your path. Keep going, keep searching. If and when I am better, I will hunt you down and see if you have found yourself another unicorn, and if the time is right, I will reveal myself once again.”
But the wizardess couldn’t quite catch the words. The only word she heard was “love”. And she turned around to watch once again. His back was still to her.

The wizardess continued on her journey. He loved her. That was enough for now. The future was yet unwritten, and she knew the power of love. If their paths never merged again, so be it, but the magic of love is based on hope and the future is written only one day at a time. “

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There were tear stains on the last page. I had several aunts, but I hadn’t really grown up around this aunt. She was always off in some other part of the world having grand adventures that she would write about.  She did have a man that she loved. I wondered if he was the unicorn she had written about. I’d have to ask her the next time we talked.