original here. dated 2011-11-20.
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Haggled has all the hallmarks of a traditional fairytale, but I’m fairly sure it doesn’t actually exist and it will be told in a grittier, factual way. It starts, much like other fairytales, with the royal couple having difficulties producing an heir; this, unlike other fairytales however, results in marriage and more importantly political troubles and the situation becomes dire. It’s implied that the king had successfully impregnated a servant girl, which proved that the issue was not with the king (figures), which puts further pressure on the queen. Furthermore, her brother, the prince of the neighboring kingdom of which her marriage sealed the alliance, tells her that there are signs of war and that their home kingdom will need time to prepare and to accept him as acting king (since their father has not yet died but is sickly and old). In order to save her marriage and most importantly her kingdom(s), she goes to the mysterious witch and makes a deal.
The witch will agree to give the queen a child, if the queen agrees to concede her control of the throne to the witch. She asks for time to decide and intelligently weighs the pros and cons while consulting with her brother: she takes the deal because ten months will be sufficient enough time to prepare her native kingdom, her brother has promised to accept her and her child back into the fold, she figures she doesn’t actually have any significant control over the throne, the royal magician (though unable to help her conceive) is a powerful battle magician etc. etc. So the queen becomes pregnant, war is averted, and all is well for a while.
The queen gives birth to a son and everything is amazing because now they have a male heir and won’t have to go through the madness of infertility again. The witch sends reminders of their deal or requests a meeting with the queen or whatever, which goes unanswered, though the queen tells the royal magician to be on guard and etc. The day of the prince’s official ceremonial debut-thing with all the neighboring dignitaries and important people the witch crashes the party, because defenses are lowered and stuff, to disclose the secret of the deal and to vow the fulfillment of it. Defenses are raised, everyone’s on guard, etc.
Everyone is expecting this huge theatrical attack or widespread curse, but the night passes and it seems like nothing happens. In the morning, however, it is discovered that in the prince’s crib is another identical child, with a note from the witch to take care of the children she gave them. Basically, one of them is the real prince, the other is a golem or something but it is impossible to tell them apart. There isn’t really anything to do but to raise both of them and hope with time they can tell the difference.
Time passes, the twins grow up, and it’s noticeable that one is the… better twin… but there’s still no way to tell which one would be under the witch’s control. The not-as-competenet twin turns out to have magic, which he keeps a secret since a) that might imply he is the golem, b) magicians have been mistrusted/discriminated against since the debut, c) he’s never had anything for himself, etc. etc. But soon he’s not able to hide his magic, though luckily he only reveals it to his only close, loyal friend. They come up with the idea to travel to the old court magician in order to learn how to control his magic. The journey makes him more independent and stronger, they meet new people along the way, and it turns out that by traveling, the prince is actually learning how to control his magic on his own.
Meanwhile back at the castle, the royal family assume that the missing son was kidnapped by the witch and in which case it is also assumed that the competent twin is the golem. I’m not too sure if the queen wants to keep that idea to herself to protect the kingdom and her not-son, and etc. or if they just straight up imprison him? But anyway, they send out search parties to find their other son, which the traveling party misinterprets as hunting the incompetent twin because they think he’s the golem. The competent twin is plagued by visits and visions of the witch who is trying to exert her influence on him because the other twin is protected by his own magic. The magic twin doesn’t fully experience her oppressive visits, he is able to see what his brother is being put through, because even if they are different they are twins and brothers and friends! We still have no idea which is the golem, and I think I’d like to keep that a mystery.
At some point, the magic twin meets the old court magician who at first refuses to teach him. Soon after, it is the twin left behind is sentenced to death because the idea that he is the golem has spread and people want action done. The magic twin decides to go back to save his brother, which… I’m not sure how that’ll work out? I guess his plan is to show up and wing it… His party follows because they are loyal and etc. The old magician doesn’t, but he does tell the magic twin that as the golem’s power source, killing the witch will also kill the golem.
The magic twin goes to save his brother, the witch appears because it’s the climax and there’s a magic battle… I don’t know how this ends to be honest. I guess the happiest ending would be that the protagonists are able to kill the witch but the golem, the competent twin in this case, gets his power from the magic twin so no one has to die since the threat is gone. There’s the option where the competent twin sacrifices himself (or goes crazy and commits murder suicide) to help his brother defeat the witch, where the competent twin is the golem but is able to overcome the witch’s influence to do the right thing. There’s also the possibility that neither of them are golems but that one or both the actual children of the witch. I mostly wanted the idea of an evil witch getting her revenge not by obvious killing attempts and curses but by causing suspicion and things to taint already strained relationships and politics.
JackSGreyson Says 