The Tale of Oera and Ser Rhian

A sort of Sleeping Beauty tale. A favourite of the believers of The Old Balance.

Summary

The god Míkìr, son of Coron, was the king of all of creation for many, many years, but one day he fell ill. His beautiful, gentle, and kind daughter Oera was to take the throne after his passing. But Jílìs, the younger son of Coron, was envious of his brother. He longed for the power his brother and niece had.

Eventually, Míkìr's illness took him, and his body was buried in the Garden of the Gifts, a labyrinth said to trap people of the faint heart. His daughter was to be crowned right after the burial. But right as the crown was being placed on Oera's head, the young woman suddenly froze and turned to stone.

Unbeknownst to all, Jílìs was a sorcerer, and he had been the one to cause Oera's petrification. It was all part of his scheme to claim the throne, which he promptly did, reigning over creation in a rule of darkness.

Oera's siblings, Desti, Neo, and Kialo, formed a secret alliance with the knights and wizards of the realm. The knights were messengers and protectors of the people. The wizards studied Oera's statue, and they determined that only a kiss from the worthy would bring her back. Young men traveled from all across the land to try to kiss the young woman. But no matter how desperately they tried, Oera never stirred.

Inside the stone, Oera was alive and conscious. Tradition tells that the curse was linked to her soul and heart. Only she could have freed herself, when a man tried to kiss her, but she did not. The kindest, most handsome men came, yet none could remove her from her prison, where, though trapped, she was safe from the fears of the outside world.

After years and years of trying, everyone gave up. They claimed that Oera had died with her father. But one woman never lost hope. She had twelve handsome sons, but of course, none had any luck. The twelve sons had their own sons, and they kept trying.

Two hundred years after the death of Míkìr, an armoured knight on horseback rode to the Garden of the Gifts. The knight stepped into the labyrinth and navigated easily, surprised that it was not as trapping as the stories had told. Into the clearing the knight stepped, and there it was: the gazebo where Oera's frozen figure stood.

The stories had not lied; she was quite beautiful.

Off came the knight's metal helmet, revealing a young woman with dark brown skin and short black hair. She cleared her throat.

"My name is Rhian." she told the statue, "You've never heard of me. I am only nineteen, and it has been two hundred years since- well, you know." She chuckled.

The young woman named Rhian explained that she was not a knight but a squire, and that she had taken the armour to embark on this journey. She had come to the labyrinth in curiosity, as she was the first daughter born in the family of men who had been trying to free Oera. She paced around the statue, eyeing every bit.

A gleam in the bushes caught Rhian's eye. She walked towards it and picked it up, brushed the dust off on her sleeve and gasped. It was a necklace, a necklace that had belonged to Oera in her childhood.

"This is yours, is it not?"

And, without any explanation, the frown on Oera's frozen face turned into a smile. Rhian jumped back.

The squire placed the necklace around Oera's neck. She stepped back and saw that it made the statue even more beautiful. A million thoughts flying through her head, she did the unthinkable and gave Oera a swift kiss.

A fissure appeared in Oera's hand. A piece of stone fell, revealing white skin. Cracks appeared everywhere, and the stone crumbled into ash. Oera, pale, but happy, fell into Rhian's arms.

"Hello, Ser." she rasped.

The goddess tried to stand, but she fell back onto the squire. Rhian picked her up and set off through the labyrinth once more, eager to get back to the castle. She made hasty turns and tripped over nothing. After half an hour, she collapsed onto the ground, Oera's head falling onto her lap.

The squire apologized for not being able to get them through the labyrinth. In turn, the goddess admitted how she alone had had the choice to free herself, but she had not because she had been too cowardly. They lay in the labyrinth for hours, speaking of their fears and the outside world, until night fell and darkness was upon them.

It was Rhian who looked up, and saw that they were no longer in the labyrinth at all but outside, next to her horse. The two women exchanged a look, picked each other up and rode the horse to the palace, where Rhian helped Oera reclaim the throne.

Jílìs, defeated, was thrown in the depths of the dungeons. Oera was crowned, and, having fallen in love with her rescuer, wed Rhian shortly afterwards. They have ruled over the world ever since.

Variations & Mutation

Though this version of the myth is known as the original version as dictated by The Old Balance, the more popular version is the elf Malieno's novel The Garden of the Gifts. Malieno, believing in the Triumvirate Pantheon, portrays Oera as a simple princess as opposed to a goddess. In his novel, he changes the female squire, Rhian, into a male, more confident knight, Ser Rhion. Many believers of the Old Balance disapprove of Malieno's version, but it persists as the most well-known iteration across Limitless.

Date of First Recording

Long, long ago

Date of Setting

When the world was still young, the age of the gods