Artemia’s Unicorn

Artemia’s Unicorn

Written by EM Malachi <span id=":pt" class="g3" title="11 Jan 2017, 00:20" role="gridcell"> Jan 11th 2017</span> <span class="il">Artemia</span> spent her days exploring the fields and forests far from the ferry to Skara Brae. The little girl loved wandering through the woods, listening to birdsong and picking berries. The baker would trade her a handful of cookies for any berries she hadn’t eaten on the way back home. On one of her wanderings, <span class="il">Artemia</span> heard what sounded like the anguished cries of a wild horse. Following the sound, she found the animal ensnared in a poacher’s trap. The creature was on his side and covered in dirt and blood from thrashing against the iron teeth, and at the top of his head was a large twisting horn. After overcoming her initial surprise, <span class="il">Artemia</span> rushed forward to help the suffering animal. <span class="il">Artemia</span> made the soothing sounds that her healer mother had taught her and offered a handful of berries to the injured <span class="il">unicorn</span>. The <span class="il">unicorn</span> seemed to sense that she wished to help and stopped pulling against the thick iron chain that held the foothold to the ground. <span class="il">Artemia</span> examined the trap workings and picked up a pair of fallen branches. She levered the sticks to shift the trap springs open and carefully moved the injured leg out of the trap. The <span class="il">unicorn</span> managed to stand and tried to limp away slowly, but <span class="il">Artemia</span> patted the animal’s side gently and took out her water skin. She started to clean the wound and bandaged it with strips from her dress and a handful of tipton weed and wild sage. As she continued to wipe blood and dirt from the animal, she noticed that the coat had a luster like the moon at night and the hairs of the great mane were a radiant rainbow. <span class="il">Artemia</span> had heard stories of the legendary rainbow <span class="il">unicorns</span>, but no one she knew had ever seen one. Such <span class="il">unicorns</span> were said to be beings of great nobility and purity of spirit. With awe, she finished tending to the injured animal. When she was done, the rainbow <span class="il">unicorn</span> nuzzled her shoulder and walked into the dense forest. So no others would be hurt by the trap, <span class="il">Artemia</span> slammed it shut with the oak sticks before returning home. <div>*****</div> When a great dragon razed several local villages, <span class="il">Artemia</span>’s father was part of the company sent to stop the beast. When his fellow soldiers returned in defeat, he was not among them. During the flight out of Destard, he had gotten separated, and with so many wounded, none could be spared to search for him. Her mother focused her skills on tending to the burns and lacerations of the survivors, but <span class="il">Artemia</span> saw the redness around her mother’s eyes. That night, <span class="il">Artemia</span> grabbed her bow and a few provisions and slipped into the forest. <span class="il">Artemia</span> knew well the paths south from her farm to the Dragonhame Mountains and made the journey in a little over a day. From there, she traced back the tracks and blood spoor of the retreating soldiers. There she found the great mouth of Dungeon Destard. At the entrance to the cavern stood the <span class="il">unicorn</span> she had saved. The rainbow <span class="il">unicorn</span> lowered his head, and <span class="il">Artemia</span> climbed onto the <span class="il">unicorn</span>’s back. All shadows fled the light from the <span class="il">unicorn</span>, and the smaller monsters scurried away when the <span class="il">unicorn</span> lowered his horn toward them. As they went deeper into the pit, <span class="il">Artemia</span> kept her eyes open for signs of her father. Near the dragon’s lair, they found <span class="il">Artemia</span>’s father, barely conscious and with a broken leg. <span class="il">Artemia</span> slid off the <span class="il">unicorn</span>’s back and started to treat her father’s injures. As she was helping her father to stand, there came a great roar from the lair, and an ancient wyrm crawled out of the narrow passage. Its claws tore deep into the cavern’s stone with each step. <span class="il">Artemia</span> fired an arrow at the dragon, but the small missile plinked off the hard scales. She started to nock another arrow, but the <span class="il">unicorn</span> gently pushed her back. The <span class="il">unicorn</span> looked at her a moment before turning back and lowering his horn at the giant dragon. <span class="il">Artemia</span> helped support her father as they limped out of the dark cavern. <span class="il">Artemia</span> forced herself not to turn around when she felt a flash of heat, and the two stumbled forward until they reached the tree line where they stopped to splint his leg. <span class="il">Artemia</span> watched hopefully for the <span class="il">unicorn</span> to make his way out, but as the sun started to set, she realized he was gone. <div>*****</div> Years later, <span class="il">Artemia</span> was returning from the Ranger’s Guild in the autumn dusk. Looking across the fields of her home, she noticed her daughter playing with a strange colt at the edge of the forest. As the light from the setting sun reflected off the colt’s mane, she recognized her <span class="il">unicorn</span> reborn.