The Princess And The King

Evening came to find the King Namunkadar and princess Glembridgen walking among the trees in the gardens of Angodrim. “You have cheated the hands of death and brought me out of the darkness back into the world of weights and measures, now I see the world with a new mind. Indeed my lord you are my saviour and a friend unlooked for, how can I thank or repay you” asked Glembridgen. “Dearest princess” said Namunkadar “till, you opened your eyes and smiled, my heart had never known such joy nor had ever my mind experienced such exquisite exaltation, no reward or payment could ever equal this feeling.”

“Please my Lord” said Glembrigen, I am but a humble princess of Angodrim, I know nothing of the world beyond, I had never met a king before save my father, the joy you feel must be from saving my life, what man is he that would not experience an exquisite exaltation of the mind, should he be wise and strong enough to reach beyond the shadows of death and bring back into the world of here and now, a princess to once again walk beneath the light of the noonday sun”. “Fair Glambrigen” said Namunkadar “Too many sleepless nights did I spend lamenting your slipping into darkness, now that we both walk beneath the light of the same sun, I would fain have this day not end nor would I willingly return to a world without you in it”.

“My Lord” said Glembrigen ‘ why speak you to me in riddles, how could you have spent sleepless nights lamenting my slipping into darkness when ere you came to Angodrim you had never known me”.

Then Namunkadar told Glembrigen of the dreams he had or her, she was astonished and she exclaimed in wonder “my Lord, what manner of king art thou to have perceived all of this without fore knowledge, are you a prophet who sees beyond where the vision of ordinary men stops.” “Sometimes I do see beyond where the vision of some men stop” said Namunkadar “had it not been so, I would never have found the treasure my heart so long desired.

Form out of Anginor I have come braving curse and banishment to walk in a strange land where dwells the fairest woman to walk beneath its azure skies”. “But my Lord” replied Glembrigen, “You are the King of Mignon Angrad, are there no women among your own people much more worthy of your heart’s desire than I”

“Dearest princess” said Namunkadar “ I am king of Mignon Angrad, not by choice but by the caprices of the vicissitudes of chance and time, fain would I this day renounce my throne and become once again Namunkadar the free spirit, who loved to roam the forests, and the open spaces of Anginor but this I cannot now do because fate has bestowed upon me a cup of bitterness form which I must drink until it is empty”.

“Why speak you always to me in riddles my Lord” said Glembrigen “what cup of bitterness could be bestowed upon the king of Mignon Angrad?” Then Namunkadar told Gelmbrigen of his life In Anginor, his Grandfather Feldgikin, the curse of the Aratars and their Exodus from Anginor into Olderion.

He explained his responsibilities to lead his people back to Anginor and seek the forgiveness of the Aratars but first he must avenge the death of his father Ungalar and his mother Eshenberen who died at the hands of Brunah.

At the mention of the name of Brunah Glembrigen cowered and was sore afraid, a dark shadow came upon her face and her countenance became grave, but Namunkadar touched her hand and said “fear not princess, while I yet live the hand of Brunah shall never again be upon you and he shall never have you nor shall any man in Olderion take from me you whom my heart so desires” “My Lord” said Glembrigen “ what do your words mean, what of me does your heart desire”.

“My dearest Glembrigen” said Namunkadar, “ I have not yet learnt to convey with words what my desires of you are, my heart had never felt these desires before I laid eyes on you, words are too limited to convey to you all that my heart feels and desires, what I feel for you dear princess is beyond the scope of words”.

“Inadequate though words may be to describe your feelings, and your desires my Lord” said Glembrigen, “the heart of a woman is impetuous and often needs to be comforted by the words of a man, I still long to hear from your lips even a feeble attempt to tell me what of me does your heart desire”.

Then Namunkadar took Glembrigen into his arms and held her close to him, gently he kissed he ever so lovingly. Glembridgen said unto Namunkadar “I am indeed overwhelmed my lord, by a plethora of ineffable emotions, this is the first time that my lips have been graced by the kiss of a man, will you please let these inexperienced lips be kissed a second time”.

Namunkadar said unto Glembridgen, “dearest princess, in kissing we are kindred spirits for I too have never known the pleasure of kissing a woman, now that I have had this pleasure, it will be a delight to have that experience again” then he held her close to him and kissed her deeply, he felt the fire raging in his loins and his desire for her was intense but he knew that the time was not yet right, gently he let her go and said “Come my beloved, come lay your head upon my breast. Let me fondle your hair as I listen to the gentleness of your breath Come let me touch you and feel that you are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones.

You are beautiful my beloved but it is not the beauty of your body I now crave, rather the sweetness of your spirit.

The darkness of Bangotandrim will never again separate us, nor will mine eyes ever again suffer to see your face and my ears languish to hear the sound of your voice. Come let me embrace you o rose of my heart’s morning, let me secure you in my bosom that the shadows of evening cannot devour you and you become naught but a memory clinging to a wounded heart.” Tears began to flow from the eyes of Glembridgen, and Namunkadar said unto her

”Weep not my beloved, your tears are like a dagger hacking at the strings of my heart and I have naught to comfort you save the words of my mouth and the love of my heart, let not the love we feel this moment become a reason for sadness.”

Glembridgen said unto Namunkadar “My Lord my saviour and my king, the tears of a woman are not always of sadness, these are tears of joy and happiness for never before have I known such bliss, I have always felt a deep yearning for something loftier than the clouds and more sublime than the sun but had never known what it meant until this moment.

Often in my aloneness I would dream of this moment but always feared that a dream was all that it could ever be” Namunkadar answered saying “I have often quivered with the tempo of your emotions, in your aloneness you were not alone. I too have been alone in an aloneness, which I thought to be mine alone, now I know it was also yours.

When you were an embryonic emotion revolving within the mist of time, I too was not unlike you; then the hand of life cast us like grains of sand into this land before the grave, where we lament the past, abhor the present and fear the future, a future dearest Glembridgen I would like to face with you at my side, will you marry me?” .

Glembrigen answered saying “My Lord my king, form this day forth I Glembridgen princess of Angodrim, shall have no other wish but to be by your side, to walk where you walk and to serve you till the end of my days”. Namunkadar said unto Glembridgen “When the right moment comes I shall embrace you in the unfolding light Stimulating you with the rapture Of my unspent passion

I shall arouse in you hidden secrets of pleasure Which takes you mind to superlative heightsWhile your body sway,In rhythmic convulsions of delight

I shall caress your leafy glades And enter your fertile oasis Reaching down to the depths of its still waters Making each motion a tingling moment of ecstasy

When at last we reach our zenith we shall cry out in unison

As we ejaculate the waters of life Of which we are carriers and not masters”