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Once upon a time, surrounded by evergreen trees and distant snowy mountains, lay a village. It wasn’t a very large village, but it was a welcoming one. Passing travellers were greeted kindly, and everybody seemed to know each other there. In this village lived a man, a very poor man, with a house filled with sons and daughters. He had not much to give them, neither money nor food, but they were all quite handsome and beautiful.
Especially the youngest, a handsome lad who was so pretty with his sun-filled hair and baby blue eyes. He was adored by his family as well as the neighbours, and travellers might as well find themselves captivated by his looks and become tempted to stay.
Ludwig, they called him. He spent his days washing and sowing clothes and baking bread, for Ludwig was the greatest at it of the entire household and he additionally did not mind. He even enjoyed it.
Then one thursday’s evening, late in autumn, it was such bad weather and dark outside, it rained and thundered, and the wind howled and screamed so it creaked in the walls. The entire house seemed to groan. Everyone was busy with their own things. One of the older sons – with the palest skin and hair you’d ever see – struggled to keep the fireplace burning. Right as it was, three knocks on the door could be heard. All heads in the room turned at once in curiosity. The father got up to answer, the floor creaking with each step.
When he got to open the door, he stood there with a perplexed expression on his face. A huge, white bear stood there.
“Good evening,” greeted the white bear.
“Good evening!” said the man.
“If you let me have your youngest, I’ll make you as rich as you now are poor,” offered the bear, straight to the point.
Yes, the man thought that sounded like quite the offer, becoming rich on an ordinary thursday’s evening! But he thought he should ask the youngest in question first before making such a decision. He went back inside and told them that a white bear stood outside, who promised to make them rich, as long as he could have Ludwig. Before anybody could say anything, one of the older brothers got up and yelled “absolutely not!”, his voice seething with rage and offence at even considering such a thing.
Ludwig was inclined to agree, he’d preferably not be sold.
The father went back outside and came to an agreement with the bear, that he would be back next thursday and that’s when he would receive a certain answer.
Meanwhile inside, the siblings were in a heated argument where everyone was either very for the idea of exchanging Ludwig for a wealthy life or they thought it was the worst idea this family had ever had.
Over the following days family members continued to either pester Ludwig or hold him by the shoulders, look him deep in the eyes and tell him solemnly to not give in. By monday Ludwig had been persuaded by the fantasies of his siblings, of the rich and gold they would receive! He didn’t think he could bear the thought of having disappointed them by giving up on this one once-in-a-lifetime chance.
So he washed the clothes he did have the best he could, for he wanted to make a good impression. Not much did he own, so not much could he have with him on the journey. He asked his brother, his favourite one of them all, to go into the huge city beyond the mountains and sell firewood. The brother looked at him with those intense, red eyes of his and said that so he would, but only if Ludwig promised to still be there when he came back.
That Ludwig promised.
Next thursday arrived, and, despite his promise, Ludwig said his goodbyes and went with the white bear. He tightened his clothes around him, for the wind was cold. The bear examined him with emerald green eyes, long enough to make Ludwig nervous, before he told him to get on his back, for the journey would be long, and so he did. The bear’s fur was soft, so very soft, Ludwig thought it was even comparable to the fur of his dogs.
They travelled for a long time, like the bear said they would.
After a good long while, the bear spoke up. “Are you afraid?”
Afraid? “No,” Ludwig said, “I’m not.”
“Well, just hold tightly onto my nape, then there’s nothing to be afraid of anyway.”
After travelling even longer, further a distance than Ludwig had ever been from his home, they arrived at a mountain. The bear knocked on the mountainside, and to Ludwig's surprise and awe, a golden port that he was certain wasn’t there before opened. He slid smoothly off the white bear’s back and followed him inside, inside many rooms filled with lights everywhere, and it gleamed with silver and gold. Ludwig could not contain his soft gasps of amazement, for this was greater than anything he had ever seen before.
They walked into a great hall, where the steps echoed, with a huge table in the middle and the entire thing was so grand you wouldn’t believe how grand it was. Then the white bear gifted him a silver bell, and told him that if he wished for anything, he would only need to ring the bell, and he would receive his wish. Yes, such a thing had Ludwig never heard of, but he thought it sounded grand. He turned back around, facing the huge table, and to his astonishment it was filled with large amounts of food; more so than he had ever seen!
He glanced at the white bear, silently asking for permission, and the bear just nodded as though saying ‘go on, then’. No need to be told twice, and Ludwig dug in. He would not be exaggerating if he said that it was the greatest meal he had ever tasted. Although, when he looked at the white bear to say so, the bear was gone.
Well, he was very tired after the long journey, so he needed some sleep. But he had barely even touched the silver bell before he suddenly found himself in a beautiful chamber, with an already made bed, with silks as soft as any, and everything was of gold and silver.
He shut the curtains, for although he’d love to explore, his exhaustion beat his curiosity. He opened a wardrobe and could not help it when his breath was taken away once more. Finer clothing than had ever graced his eyes met his sight, clothing that could only be fit for a prince! Ludwig picked out a fine blouse he could sleep in – this was certainly something he could get used to – and fell into the wonderfully soft bed. Although he could not help but think that it could never beat the fur of the white bear in terms of softness.
Darkness consumed the room as he blew out the candlelight by his bedside.
No source of light could be found by Ludwig’s eyes, and he could not help but feel sorrowful as he thought of his family, and his house, where warm light was always to be found. He lay awake, surrounded by complete darkness for only god knows how long, before he startled when he heard something – or, rather somebody – enter the room. He made a conscious effort to control his breathing, to not give away that he was awake. That somebody slowly went beneath the soft covers, beside Ludwig.
Now Ludwig really had to pace his breathing properly. The bed was large enough to not sleep directly beside one another, but Ludwig did not dare move.
His bedmate gave a content sigh before relaxing and falling asleep.
Slowly, Ludwig carefully made his way closer to the edge of the bed, to not touch the other. Eventually, the weariness from the trip made him slip into sleep as well. When he awoke the next morning, his bedmate was gone.
Ludwig gradually got out of the bed, and shivered visibly when his bare feet met the cold floors. Speeding up, he forced the curtains apart, the pale light of early dawn filling the room. He went to the closet, filled with the same clothing as they were the previous night, and picked something new (and warmer) out. He rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm himself, made his way out of the bedroom, only to be taken aback once more by the sheer size and grandness of the residence. Large windows and golden stairs, which he gently made his way down, not wanting to spoil the moment.
It was vastly different seeing it all when wide awake.
The dining hall was the same as the previous night. Grand, wonderfully grand. The silver bell rested on the table and he grabbed it, wishing for breakfast, and wouldn’t you believe it, food was on the table the second he rang it. He could not help but grin brightly.
While eating, the white bear entered the room, greeting him before asking how he’d slept. Ludwig was about to mention the someone who had slept with him the entire night, but thought the better of it; if the price for such great living was to merely share his bed with somebody unknown and strange, then why would he not do that? He decided that he would not risk that the wealth that had been given to his family be taken away, so he merely said that he had slept well. And he made sure to express his gratitude.
The bear seemed satisfied with that, and asked him how the food was. Ludwig said that yes, the food was good, not mentioning just how good it was. And that was that. They sat quietly, glancing at each other every now and then, though it seemed that only Ludwig found this awkward.
“What are your plans for the day?”
Curious green eyes met Ludwig’s baby blue ones, and he had to answer honestly that he had none.
The bear hummed in thought, before asking, “what would you usually do, were you at home?”
“Probably stitch up my brother's jacket, it often gets holes when he chops wood, you see,” Ludwig answered.
Silence ruled between them once more.
The bear spoke up again, having seemingly made up his mind about something. “You’re not literate, by any chance?”
Literate? “No,” Ludwig shook his head, a bit ashamed, “that I am not.”
“I have this grand library, with more stories than you could possibly think of,” the bear said, a bit proudly, “and if you’d like, I could teach you to read them.”
Ludwig’s face lit up, for reading, that was a dignified skill. “Could you really?”
“Naturally,” the bear said, suddenly sounding very excited at the prospect of teaching Ludwig such a splendid skill. “If you wish, I can teach you how to write as well.”
He wanted that very much. So that settled it, as soon as Ludwig had finished his plate (and gasped yet again when all the food and dishes magically disappeared) the bear led the way up a set of stairs, until they stood in front of a gigantic door. It opened, with seemingly no help and, as the bear had said, was filled with books everywhere. Books, up and down the walls, and in the middle of the room stood large tables with books and papers on them. Ludwig had never seen anything similar.
The white bear looked at him in slight amusement, if not pride that he had impressed him – not that that was particularly difficult. “You’re gonna have to carry the books and turn the pages,” he said, “my paws are much too big to hold them properly.”
Ludwig nodded, although he did wonder how the bear even knew how to read, if he could not hold books. “Which one should I pick?”
The white bear squinted at the bookshelf, before gesturing to a book with a royal purple cover and golden letters on, which Ludwig took out, and they sat on the carpet together. Ludwig held the book, holding his finger beneath each sentence as the bear read them clearly out loud. They sat there for hours upon end, while Ludwig excitedly picking up on how to read. It was quite obvious the bear had a passion for storytelling, something Ludwig found kind of endearing.
Bright red sunlight shone through the windows, as the bear declared that they could continue the next day. Ludwig happily agreed, deciding that if each day looked like this, living here would perhaps not be so bad after all.
Weeks went by in this manner, in the daytime Ludwig read with the bear and in the nighttime he slept with an unfamiliar figure. Every now and then the bear was gone for the entire day, so those days Ludwig spent on writing. Sometimes, on those days, he went outside for a walk, but he never strayed too far and always went back inside. But even though he felt quite content, he could not help but feel a great sorrow fill him. He missed his family greatly.
The white bear noticed him growing quieter over time, so he eventually asked what was wrong. Ludwig admitted his troubles, and the bear frowned, asking, “miss your family? The same one that sold you?”
Ludwig could admit that it sounded a little messed up when put like that. “But it was the best for the family!” he argued. “And it’s not like I went against my will.”
The bear shook his head. “Say what you will.”
Another few days went by, until the bear could seemingly no longer tolerate Ludwig’s sad expression. “Well, about your family,” he sighed one afternoon, “perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement.”
Ludwig looked at him with a hopeful gaze.
“I do not wish for you to feel like a prisoner,” he continued, “so I will bring you there to meet them again. However, while you’re there, your cousin will want to talk to you–”
“My cousin?” Ludwig questioned; he had many cousins.
“The one with a judgmental look.”
“Do you know how many that applies to?”
“... the one with dark hair?”
“Roderich?”
The bear gave him an exasperated look. “Probably. I wouldn’t know.”
Which was fair enough. “How do you know he’ll want to speak to me?” Ludwig asked.
“You have to promise me that you won’t go with him when he asks you to,” the white bear said, pointedly ignoring Ludwig’s question. “Promise me you’ll only talk to him when others are nearby, otherwise we’ll both end up miserable.” Green eyes watched him pleadingly.
That Ludwig promised, his head aching with all the questions he had for how the bear knew all these things before they even happened.
On an early sunday’s morning the white bear approached him at breakfast saying that they could get going now, to meet his family. Like the first journey they had been on together, Ludwig climbed onto the bear’s back and clung to his neck. The snow beneath his paws crunched with each step he took. Ludwig watched as forest creatures peeked at them with curiosity.
After a good long while, one could finally see the welcoming village that Ludwig had missed so much in the distance. The whole scenery had this tender and bright feeling about it. People ran back and forth everywhere, busy with their own things, and Ludwig’s face instantly lit up once he recognized a certain albino chopping wood.
The white bear stopped, and Ludwig slid off his back. Ludwig gratefully patted his head, and the bear shook his hand off, feigning annoyance. “Now, don’t forget what I’ve told you,” he said earnestly, “otherwise we’ll both end up unhappy and miserable.” No, he would certainly not forget, and as soon as he began walking towards the houses the bear turned around.
Ludwig felt so happy, as he neared the place he was raised, and he began speeding up despite the heavy snow. “Gilbert, Gilbert!” he called for his older brother, his favourite of them all.
A head with hair as white as the snow around them looked for where his name was called, and sincere shock yet joy brightened his face once he saw his baby brother. He dropped his axe and sprinted towards him.
They threw themselves on one another, hugging tightly. Ludwig thought Gilbert might have cried a little, but he knew that if he ever mentioned it, it would be denied for all of eternity, so he said nothing. Red eyes looked intently at him, analysing him, before sharp teeth grinned happily and pale arms hugged him even closer.
Other siblings joined in, dragging him to the house, while asking him how he was and if he were treated well. Ludwig said that, indeed, he was treated quite nicely, was well fed, and had everything he could possibly wish for. They seemed satisfied with that, although one could suspect that they didn’t understand how true that statement was. They couldn’t seem to thank him enough for their wealth and happiness. Gilbert tried to make a fuss about the fact that Ludwig broke his promise to him, to which Ludwig actively avoided eye contact.
So then, that afternoon, when they had all eaten and they sat in front of the fireplace, a certain someone with dark hair and a stern look approached Ludwig, asking him to speak with him alone, just like the white bear had said he would.
Ludwig refused, “whatever we have to discuss, we can discuss here.”
Roderich frowned, after a little back and forth Ludwig sighed in defeat, for he did not want to leave on bad terms. His cousin dragged him to a separate room, and asked him how he was doing. Confused, Ludwig told him the same he had told everybody else, that he was doing quite nicely.
Roderich kept looking at him in such a way, saying that Ludwig was obviously hiding something.
So, always the bad liar, Ludwig admitted that somebody came to his bed and lay with him each night after he had blown out the lights, so he had never seen the unknown’s face. But he did regretfully wish that he could properly meet him, for he sometimes felt so lonely, the bear wasn’t there as often as Ludwig would’ve liked.
“God, that might as well be an ogre you’re sleeping with,” Roderich groaned, wincing at the thought. “But I’ll give you advice. I’ll give you a candle, which you’re gonna hide from that bear of yours, and in the night you’re gonna light it to see who’s in your bed. But treat carefully, so that you won’t drip candle wax on him.”
Ludwig accepted the candle, agreed to what Roderich had told him, and promised to be careful.
When the next day arrived, so did the white bear. Ludwig carefully hid his candle underneath his jacket, and told none of it to the bear. He climbed onto his back, said his goodbyes (Gilbert sorrowfully so), and so they were on the way back.
After a while, the bear asked him whether it had gone as he’d predicted.
Yes, he could not deny that it had.
“Well, had you listened to your cousin’s advice, it would’ve ended miserably for the both of us,” the bear said, relieved.
No, of course he hadn’t done that.
That night, the evening went as it usually would; Ludwig would eat, go to bed and shut all the lights. Yet this time he hid the candle and a match beneath the bed. And it went as it usually did, the unknown came and lay in the bed with him. Ludwig controlled his breathing as the other fell asleep. He waited for god knows how long, just for good measure. Then he quietly bent down from the edge of the bed, gripped the candle and lit it with the match. So he anxiously held it over his bedmate, and had to physically bite his lip to not make any sound.
In the warm light lay a man, with messy hair with the colour of sunflowers. His face was scattered with freckles, and over closed eyes with long lashes were the bushiest eyebrows Ludwig had ever seen. He was beautiful. Such a beautiful man would Ludwig say he’d never seen!
He wanted to kiss this man so badly, and he figured that if he slept in his bed uninvited, he should be allowed to steal a quick peck. So that’s what he did, but the second he bent over, three hot drops of candle wax dripped onto the man’s shirt, and his eyes flew open.
“Oh, what have you done?” he exclaimed, his panic clear still through the weariness his voice bore. “Now you’ve made us both miserable. Had you just lasted the year!”
Ludwig felt confused, but the distress of the man was contagious, and he dreaded what apparently would be punishment for breaking his promise to the white bear. His heart ached with guilt.
The man saw Ludwig’s hesitation, and sighed. “You see, I bear a curse. In the daytime, I’m cursed to be a white bear, only in the nighttime am I my true self; a human.”
A gasp escaped Ludwig as he made the connection between this man and the soft bear he had come to know. “Who cursed you? And–” he gripped the man’s hand, staring intensely into his green eyes, “– how can I right my wrongdoing?”
He seemed startled by Ludwig’s determination. He then shook his head. “You can’t. It’s over, I now have to travel far away from you, to a woman whose ancestors were trolls and witches, and it is her I am now to marry.” His eyes shone with unshed tears.
Ludwig cried; it had been a while since he had done that. Not even when he was sold by his family had he cried, but now the tears flooded over and he could not help the sobs that ripped his throat. “Can’t I come with you?” he asked in desperation.
No, he could not.
“Can’t you tell me the way, so that I can look for you?”
Yes, that he could, but it was no use anyway, for the end goal was a castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon, and Ludwig would never find it.
The man held Ludwig’s face in his hands, his evergreen gaze resting on Ludwig’s blue one, and dried his tears with his thumb. “I am Arthur, fourth prince of western islands, and I..” he told Ludwig, pulled him closer and kissed his forehead, “... I’ll miss you,” he whispered.
Ludwig suddenly felt a great sense of drowsiness overcome him, for the kiss was enchanted, and he began to nod off despite his best efforts to keep his eyes open.
When Ludwig awoke, he lay freezing in the snow in the middle of a large, dark, thick and snow-covered forest. He wore the same poor clothing he had before he met the white bear – Arthur – and the entire castle in the mountainside was gone, as though it had all never happened. Ludwig wanted nothing more than to be back by Arthur’s side under the warm, soft, comforting covers, if nothing more than to cry into his chest. The chilling wind hit him, and he shivered as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. On unsteady legs he arose, standing uncertain for a moment before he began walking in a random direction.
He found a road, which he followed, and walked on for hours upon hours on end. Maybe even days. Ludwig never saw anybody else on the road.
Hunger and thirst was never a problem, for the dinner he had eaten while in the grand castle satisfied him for a good while after, and he drank from the stream on the roadside. He did not stop once to light a fire, he just kept walking.
Eventually he came to a small house. Outside sat a tall, blonde man who smoked a long pipe he held in one hand, and held a golden apple in the other. Ludwig approached him and asked if he knew the way to the prince in the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon and were to marry a detested witch.
“Why?” the stranger asked with a curious glint in his eye, “how do you know him? Perhaps you were the one who was s’posed to have him?” He grinned.
Yes, that was just it, wasn’t it?
“Is that so?” the stranger inquired, looking at him with seemingly new interest. “Well, I don’t know any more about him, anything other than that he lives in the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, and you’re gonna have to try hard to get there; but I should allow you to borrow my horse. For a small price.”
Ludwig’s heart sank. “I don’t own anything other than the clothes I’m wearing,” he admitted weakly.
The stranger shrugged. “It was worth a try. I’ll allow you a ride anyway. You’ll just ride along that way, and when you’ve arrived at my younger sister’s house, just hit it on its left ear and it’ll come back to me.” He threw the golden apple at Ludwig, who tried to grasp the fact that he’d been given it for free. “Oh, and take this apple. ‘Haps it’ll come in handy.”
Ludwig thanked him profusely, got on the horse and thanked the stranger once more, ignoring that he was told to shut up. He waved goodbye and rode for a long, long while. At last, he arrived at another house, in front of which sat a brunette who ate a waffle. He slid off the horse, hit its left ear, and sure enough, it ran off. Ludwig approached the woman, greeted her and asked if she knew where he could find the prince in the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. She responded like her brother, if not friendlier, “how do you know him? Perhaps you were the one who was supposed to have him?”
Yes, that was just it, wasn’t it?
She told him that she knew no more than her brother, that he lived in the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, and he would need to try hard was he gonna manage to get there, but she would borrow him her horse to get to her younger brother’s house, and when he did, he would just need to hit its left ear and it would come back to her. She told him to wait a second, and after a second she came outside with a golden knife; “and take this as well! Perhaps it’ll come in handy.”
He accepted it gratefully, got on the horse, waved goodbye and rode off. Eventually he arrived at another house, in front of which sat a light blonde man, nodding off as he sat there on the front porch. Ludwig slid off the horse, hit its ear, watched as it ran off before he approached and greeted the man. He asked him if he knew where to find the prince in the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. He responded like his elders, “how do you know him? Perhaps you were the one who was supposed to have him?”
Yes, that was just it, wasn’t it?
The young man’s eyes glinted with curiosity, but he smiled apologetically when he admitted that he knew no more than the two before him, only that he lived in the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, “and you’re gonna have to try hard, if you want to get there!” But he did allow Ludwig to borrow his horse, until he reached the east wind, because he was known in those lands, and when he arrived he would just hit the horse on its left ear. “Oh, and take this. Perhaps it’ll come in handy,” the stranger added, sliding off a golden ring off his finger, and putting it carefully in Ludwig’s palm. Ludwig accepted it gratefully, shook the stranger’s hand, and he was off.
He rode for many, many days, which he spent wallowing in despair, but eventually he reached the edge of a cliff, where the east wind resided. He hit the horse’s left ear, and it ran off. And so he asked, if the wind knew where the prince in the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon.
Yes, that prince had he heard of, said the east wind, and the castle as well, but the way he did not know, for he had never blown so far. “But if you wish so, then I’ll take you to my brother, the west wind, maybe he knows, for he’s much stronger than me; sit on my back, and I’ll take you there!”
Ludwig agreed, a new glimmer of hope burning in his chest. He got onto the east wind’s back, and it was chilly – but nothing Ludwig was unwilling to endure. They eventually arrived to the west wind, to which the east wind said that he had the one who was supposed to have the prince, and asked if he did not know where the castle where the prince was.
“No, so far have I never blown,” said the west wind, “but I suppose I can take you to our brother, the south wind, maybe he knows, for he’s much stronger than any of us and has blown both far and wide!”
And so Ludwig was carried by the west wind, a trip which was even cooler than the last, but he never complained once. Eventually, they met the south wind, and the west wind asked if he knew where the castle east of the sun and west of the moon was, because he had a lad who was supposed to have the prince in it.
“Oh, so it’s him?” the south wind asked and Ludwig had to wonder if everybody who knew of the prince had heard of him as well. “Well, I’ve travelled to many places in my time, but so far have I never gone! But, you know what? I’ll take you to the north wind; he’s the oldest and strongest of us all, and if he doesn’t know where it is, you’ll never find it.”
And so Ludwig entered the south wind’s back and off they went. It was even colder than the last trip, but he never said a word about it. The trip wasn’t long, for the south wind was an experienced traveller. Eventually they reached a stormy and cold cliff, where the north wind resided, and he was so wild and windy that one could feel his cold from a long distance.
“What do you want?” he howled in the distance, and Ludwig shivered visibly.
“Ah, there’s no need to be so angry!” the south wind said, “I have brought the lad who is supposed to have the prince who lives in the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, because he wants to meet him again, you see! So he wishes to ask if you’ve been there and can tell him the way.”
“East of the sun and west of the moon?” the north wind said, “oh, I’ve been there, alright, blew a leaf there once. But only once, because it tired me so much, I didn’t manage to blow at all for days after. However, if you want to go there so badly, I’ll take you on my back and carry you there, if you’re not afraid of such.”
Yes, Ludwig wanted to go there so badly! He wanted to and had to, if it was in any way possible he was willing to do it, and afraid he was not, even if it went ever so dreadfully.
“Well, well,” said the north wind, “you’re gonna sleep here tonight, because we need the entire day of tomorrow if we’re gonna make it.”
The next day the north wind woke Ludwig, got him on his back, braced himself, and then they were off. It was bitterly cold, and Ludwig missed the fur of Arthur’s bear form, the one that shielded him from the ice-cold air. They travelled far, farther than any of the north wind’s brothers had ever ventured; farther than almost any living soul had gone. Quickly then went, too, they might as well reach the world’s end at this pace! Over cities, over seas, over beautiful landscapes they went, making people below tighten their coats, making ships struggle in the waves, making rocks fall from cliffs. They went so far, one wouldn’t believe how far they went.
“Are you afraid?” the north wind asked as waves of the deep, deep sea threatened to come too close.
“No,” Ludwig said with determination and confidence, “I am not.”
They eventually reached land, and Ludwig couldn’t do anything but stare in awe when he saw the castle upon the grounds, for it was a wonderfully beautiful castle.
But by then the north wind was so tired from the journey that he simply threw Ludwig onto the beach, not managing to do much else. He rolled in the sand from the force, dust and sand corns clinging to his wet and cold clothes. He got up as fast as he could and cried out after the north wind. “Thank you!” His yell went unheard by the exhausted wind.
Over the next few days, Ludwig was unsure of how to go from there. He had tried knocking on the gigantic, wooden, locked door, had tried hitting it, yelling, for anybody to open. For he knew people were inside, he could see the lights at night, and sometimes saw the shadows of people in the windows, and he knew that they knew that he was there.
And so he sat there, playing with the golden apple he had been gifted, throwing it up and down, when he was approached by a young woman. Ludwig couldn’t know this at the time, but this woman was the abhorred witch who Arthur was meant to marry, although Ludwig did instinctively dislike the way she looked at him.
“How much do you want for that one?” she asked, crossing her arms.
Ludwig frowned. “It’s not for sale for neither gold nor money.”
“If it’s not for sale for neither gold nor money, what could you possibly want then? You can have anything,” she said.
Ludwig paused. What did he want? “If I can meet the prince that lives in this castle, and spend the night with him, then you can have this apple,” he finally said.
Yes, that could be arranged, and so they agreed. The woman got her apple, a hint of amusement glinting in her eye, and promised to let Ludwig inside the castle at dusk.
And so dusk came, Ludwig headed inside, and the woman led him up the stairs to the prince’s room. The castle itself was as grand on the inside as it was on the outside, yet it felt especially unwelcoming. Nowhere near as warm and calming as the castle that used to be in the mountainside, the one Arthur had first led him to. Ludwig shrugged the bad feeling off – after all, he’d come to see Arthur! He’d tell him of the people and places he had encountered on his journey and they’d figure out where to go from here. Together. Ludwig could admit he felt elevated to see him again.
The woman led him inside a chamber, a pretty huge one at that. The second Ludwig stepped into the room, the door closed with a slam! and was locked. He barely paid any mind and made his way towards the bed. He quickened his pace when he saw Arthur’s mess of blonde hair stick up from the covers, sat down on his knees beside the bed and gently shook him.
Yet no matter how much he shook and called for Arthur, no matter how frantically and desperately yelled for him, his eyelids remained firmly closed.
The moment sunlight began to shine through the windows, the beloathed woman stormed inside, grabbed a dishevelled Ludwig’s arm and dragged him out, “one night, that was our agreement!”
The rest of the day was spent outside the castle, carving sticks with the golden knife he had been gifted, looking over the magnificent landscape and wondering what he was gonna do now. The woman who Arthur was meant to marry approached him again. “How much do you want for that one?”
Ludwig glared at her, informing her bluntly that it was not for sale.
She offered another night with the prince, which Ludwig reluctantly agreed to.
And so at dusk, she brought him inside the castle again. She brought him inside Arthur’s chamber, and sure enough, he was unable to wake him, no matter how loudly he yelled and cried, no matter how roughly he shook him. And once dawn approached, Ludwig was chased out by the woman.
Poor Ludwig could do no more than sit outside the castle for hours upon end, this time spinning and twirling the golden ring on his finger. And again, the woman approached him, asking how much he wanted for the ring.
Ludwig stared determinedly at her, telling that it was not for sale.
She grinned wickedly and told him that surely it could be exchanged for one night with the prince. Ludwig knew better, yet he agreed, for he wanted to spend all the time he could with his Arthur, even if he was not awake.
Inside the castle, however, Arthur was met by his brothers, who lived in the rooms next to his, as prisoners of the castle east of the sun and west of the moon as Arthur himself was. They assaulted him with questions about whether he was alright, if he was having nightmares, because they heard such awful screaming and crying from his room at night.
He merely gave them a confused look.
“Well,” huffed one of them, “of course you’re not alright, you’re engaged to that witch, after all.”
"And anyone who were would naturally be having awful nightmares," another added. "Perhaps it all does make sense after all."
Arthur shook his head. “No, no, I’ve been sleeping just fine. However…” he trailed off.
“What?”
“I do think my fiancé is drugging me,” he confessed, ignoring the way his brothers’ eyes narrowed in concern. “I wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep as easily as I have these past nights, had I fallen asleep naturally.”
“That could explain why you haven’t heard the screams, aye?”
A redhead clapped his hands together. “And so the solution is simple! Just pretend to drink.”
Arthur took their advice to heart, and so when the night fell, he did his very best to pretend to drink the substance the witch gave him, and she was easily fooled – her mind seemed to be elsewhere. He went to bed, shut his eyes, and waited for her to walk out.
Within the hour, his door opened once more, and inside walked somebody Arthur thought he’d never see the face of again. He immediately sat up on the bedside and smiled at him, patting the space beside him in a gesture to join him. Ludwig started at seeing him awake, but wasted no time hurrying over to him and grabbing his hand tightly. “I missed you,” Arthur whispered, “so badly. How did you even get here?”
Ludwig told about his journey, Arthur’s eyes widened, impressed at the lengths Ludwig had been willing to go to see him again. They positioned themselves differently, beneath the covers, holding each other in a silent promise of not letting go, not again.
Arthur nuzzled closer. “You could not have come at a better time, for tomorrow I am to be married,” he said, “but I don’t want her, not in a thousand years, I only want you.”
Ludwig carefully placed his chin on top of Arthur’s head, kissing his forehead. “I want you to be happy, I’ll do whatever you want of me.”
“Even marriage, staying together for the rest of our lives?”
“Especially that.”
“Are you certain?”
Was he certain? “Are you dense?” Ludwig retorted. “Would I have gone so far to see you again if I weren’t certain?”
Arthur gave him a disgruntled look before chuckling a little. “I apologise. Such stupidity is what you’re gonna have to put up with if you want my hand in marriage.”
“It shall be my privilege,” Ludwig said affectionately.
Arthur hummed, an idea forming in his head. But for now, he was content clinging to his Ludwig, breathing evening out and grip slackening.
The very next day, inside the grand castle east of the sun and west of the moon, a crowd of humans, forest creatures, troll and witches, faes and travellers were gathered to watch the wedding of this witch and fourth prince.
Under expectant gazes, in front of the crowd stood the couple. Arthur swallowed, before raising his voice, “I want to see what my bride is capable of first.”
The bride’s mother, who – if possible – was even unsightlier than her daughter, said that that could surely be arranged.
“I have this lovely blouse I want to wear at the wedding,” Arthur explained, “but it has drops of candle wax on it, which I want washed away. I refuse to marry anybody who cannot wash it away, for anybody who cannot, is unworthy.”
That was no problem, meant the crowd, and so the bride was set to work. She did her very best, yet no matter how hard she washed the shirt, it only got worse, and the spots got larger and darker.
“Oh, you can’t wash!” her mother exclaimed. “Let me try.” But no matter how hard she tried, the spots stubbornly refused to come off, and it only got worse.
All of the trolls, yes, even some fairies, tried their luck at washing the shirt, to no avail.
“Oh, all of you are useless!” Arthur sighed loudly, his brothers snickering at his dramatics. “But look; a strange lad is sitting outside of these windows! Why, I bet this castle and more that he’s much better than any of you combined. Come inside, gentleman,” he yelled.
Ludwig walked inside, praying that he seemed less anxious than he was.
“Can you wash this blouse?” Arthur asked, handing it to him.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, “I’d better try.”
And barely had he put the blouse in the water, before it was blindingly white as newly fallen snow, and whiter than so.
Arthur’s emerald gaze shone with adoration and affection, and Ludwig could not help but grin a little, loving being looked at in such a way. “Yes,” Arthur breathed, “it’s you I want.”
And so the former bride got so angry that she just bursted, and I suppose the other trolls must have bursted as well, because I haven't heard anything from them since. The forest creatures, the brothers, Arthur and Ludwig celebrated the entire day and long after midnight, and the next day they grabbed as much gold and silver and books and anything else they possibly wanted from the castle as they could, and moved far, far away from the castle east of the sun and west of the moon.