The Erlking's Daughters

A story I wrote, based upon Goethe's poem/Shubert's song Der Erlkonig, I put the poem in the comments and I would suggest reading it before the story. Oh, and I couldn't find an English version of it where it said who was talking, so I made my own with the names before the dialouge. Thus, in the comments is the literal translation from German in script form.

Anyhow, on to the story. It's told from the view of the Erlking, whom the best descriptions I've heard of him are simply 'the Elven king' and 'a force of death.'

I do remember at least one thing. The first time I saw them… They were absolutely beautiful, golden lilies shining through the foggy night.

When I appeared to them, it was still in a time where I wore a cloak of dusk—darkness cascading off of elegant shoulders in waves. And I wore a crown of white, searing stars, gathered from the blackest night, and placed upon my brow. The children were enamored with me to say the least; how could they help it?

Yet I also noticed them, and the first thing I noticed about them was their golden hair, it was a color that matched my own, as did their eyes and skin. They could have easily been of a race created from my form, or I from a being like them. The second thing I noticed is that they were probably twins, or at least sisters; but whatever they were it no longer mattered, as they were so alike that they would forever more be sisters in my eyes.

I smiled and held my hands out to them, and said in a voice like a chorus of silver bells, “Come, I have waited for you. We will play together, you and I.”

The two took my hands readily, and I felt that pang in my essence that I did not quite understand. But all the same, I led them unknowingly into a vision, a dreamworld of sorts, and dressed them in the finest fabrics of my mother, and I danced with them in my grove on the soft grass beneath the moon. And they sang, and they laughed, and they braided flowers in each other’s hair, and they were beautiful and so full of life. And I loved them for that.

Yes, I loved them, even as they spun each other around in the Fae realm, and even as they strolled towards the cliff in the waking world.

I had stopped dancing and was leaning against a tree, my eyes becoming distant as I watched the twin pairs of feet making their way across the rocky crag of a different plane. Occasionally one would stumble, but the other would help her up as they walked towards their oblivion.
Suddenly a voice broke my reverie; both of the girls were in the grass, one lying and the other sitting up looking intently at me. Even her voice sounded like mine, with a bell-like quality to it. She asked, “Father, what is the matter?”


Father…


The word pierced me like nothing had before. But it was true. They might not be sisters, and they might not be born of my blood, but they were my daughters.

In an instant, a moment’s decision, I snatched the fragile bodies from the cliff and joined them to their souls in my grove. They did not even bat an eye at this.

“Nothing is wrong, my daughter. Nothing.” I replied. I had disobeyed my purpose, betrayed it. But for once in my timeless existence, I felt something beyond duty.


----------------------

I stood (after being torn away from my land) before seven beings; I no longer know what they were. Perhaps heavenly judges or the elusive elven gods, and I think I knew once, but that was a long time ago. All the same, I had upset the balance; Death had spared two children, this could destroy every order they knew. But the action had been done, and I refused to undo it. They were mine, and I would raise them as my own until they could live their own lives. To live a life of their own, I had never wanted that for anyone before. I had never cared.

We argued for a long time, the judges and I. I am not sure for how long, perhaps days, or centuries. But it does not matter, I was able to keep my two prizes because there was no being to replace something like me and loosing me would destroy their order. But I was made to swear never to spare anything else.

Satisfied at the outcome, I made my way to my grove in my human form and saw two figures, dressed in the white of lilies, dancing in the moonlight and laughing. I sighed fondly, standing in the opening of the trees, and spread open my arms.

“Father!” two petite voices called out in unison (I felt some semblance of what mortals call ‘joy’ spread throughout my heart) and my daughters rushed to the grove’s opening and embraced me.

For a moment I was happy with just them in my arms… but then I frowned, and in a soft voice asked, “Why are you so cold, children?”

Indeed, they were as cold as ice. One of my offspring answered quite cheerfully, “I don’t know, Father.”

I knelt down before them, and they looked with mirrored golden eyes at me expectantly. I stroked one’s cheek, which was still deathly cold, and she smiled. I then moved my hand to below her jaw… there was no pulse.

My daughters were dead.

Before that moment, I had never felt sickness. But now it came in waves of nausea. The judges had killed them. They had killed them while distracting me in a trial.

“Father, what’s wrong?”

No… the trial. It was not the counsel who had killed my children. After all, the trial had taken place for what felt like days, centuries. The judges were not the ones who killed them… I was.
I was shaking now, and I would have retched had there been anything in this stomach… I could see them in my mind—in the grove, starving, cold, dying. No one to take care of them as they huddled together and cried from pain. And then another wave of sickness came with the second realization; they would never grow older. They would never blossom into womanhood, and, ah gods, they would never live their own lives, and it was all because of me and my-

“-Father?” one asked again, more worriedly.

I stilled my shaking, then smiled and placed a hand on their shoulders, “Children,” I started pleasantly, though my heart was breaking, “how would you like to stay here forever with me? And never grow old, and always play, and sing, and dance? I may have to leave sometimes, but would you like that?”

They both looked at each other excitedly then looked back, one replied, “Oh yes, Father! We would like that very much!”

I smiled again, though I wanted to rip that wretched organ out of my chest. My daughters continued on,

“And we shall dance every night!”

“Only, do not leave us alone for so long again, we got rather cold last time.”

“Oh! And we could try plaiting flowers into your hair!”

“Of course,” I said fondly as I took them into my arms, “whatever you wish.”

“I love you, Father.” The one on my right said sleepily. I kissed her and her sister’s head.




They were mine. And they would be mine forever. Nothing would change that.