Chapter Text
Herein lies the Legend of the Lone Warrior and the Flower Queen, as transcribed by Tristan Wren, clan Mereel, House Vizsla, second to Mand'alor Din Djarin of clan Mudhorn, known as Mand'alor the Humble.
Once upon a time, there was a Lone Warrior. He had been a simple hunter and fighter for many years, and lived in the desolate kingdom. The kingdom had once been lush with water and vegetation, but years of war and conflict culminated in a vicious curse that rid the land of all growing things. The people suffered for years. In their misery, they turned to the Lone Warrior as a symbol of strength and hope, and made him their leader.
The Lone Warrior did not feel like a leader. He was a warrior, a fighter, a hunter! Yet he respected the wishes of the people, and tried to do his best despite his doubts.
And well that he did, for there was another, the Red Shriek-hawk, a vicious bird of prey, who wanted that position for herself. She had longed for the power, and did not care about the lives of the people. Her cruelty had poisoned several, and they followed her blindly to help her achieve her goals, no matter the cost.
One day, the Lone Warrior found a magic bean. He knew it was magic, for it would jump of its own accord in the palm of his hand. Knowing this to be a precious gift, he took the bean to the elder of his village. “What shall I do with this bean?” he asked.
“Why do you worry about a bean?’ cried the elder. “We need water, and crops! You must lift the curse!”
“I will do so, but I do not know where to start,” said the Lone Warrior. The elder replied, ‘there is a magical fount, hidden deep within a cave somewhere in the kingdom. It is said that the waters of the fount will lift the curse and restore the kingdom. You must find the fount, and make the waters flow again. Now go! Do not come back to this village until you have succeeded. And take your magical bean with you.”
He knew he must accept, and succeed, for if he failed, the Red Shriek-hawk would take his place, and his people would suffer more. And so, with no real leads to start his quest and not much confidence in himself, he traveled with the magic bean to the palace of old friends, the Sand Mother and the Sand Warrior.
“Sand Mother, you are wise in magic. I have found this bean, which must be magical too. It is precious to me, but I must quest to lift the curse upon my people’s kingdom. Will you protect it for me?”
The Sand Mother smiled, and accepted the magic bean with gentle hands, soft as a sand dune. “It will be well-cared for here,” she promised. “No harm will befall the magic bean. I cannot help you on your quest, but there may be ones here who can assist you, if you are willing to listen.” She raised a dusty hand to gesture to the courtiers standing around her. Hidden in their midst was a beautiful woman, who watched the Lone Warrior carefully.
“I do not know these people,” declared the Lone Warrior, “and therefore cannot trust them. This quest is important, and I shall not leave its fate up to chance. But I thank you for your hospitality and your care of my magic bean, and I will take my leave.”
The beautiful woman hung her head in sorrow, and slipped out of a back door, while the Sand Mother bowed in response to the Lone Warrior’s words. “Good luck, Lone Warrior, and may happy suns shine upon your quest.”
The Lone Warrior set out, and was immediately overwhelmed by harrowing trials. He lost his food stores, his trusty mount, his favorite weapons and became injured while battling strange and dangerous creatures. One day, after vanquishing an evil foe while searching for a clue to the cave, the Lone Warrior came across four little seeds. Though he was hungry, and low on supplies, he dared not trade the seeds for food, considering them as precious as the magical bean. They were hard-won, and he hoped they would have a home in the desolate kingdom once it was restored. He put the seeds in his pocket, and continued on. Exhausted, he wandered into a forest, and came across an ivy covered wall. He walked around and around the wall, finding no gate.
The Lone Warrior was so tired from his travels, bruised and scratches from fighting off beasts as he searched for clues to find the cave where the fount resided, to lift the curse on his kingdom. He had many doubts that he would succeed, for he had not been a Prince or any royalty; he was a hunter and warrior, chosen by the people to lead. He did not feel ready or confident. And so, brought low by fatigue and doubt, and having walked around and around the garden’s ivy-covered walls without finding a door, he found himself asleep at the garden’s invisible gate, though he did not know it.
When he awoke, he found himself in a warm, comfortable bed, his hurts tended, and by his bedside sat the most beautiful person he’d ever seen, who looked strangely familiar.
“Do not strain yourself, Lone Warrior. You are safe here, and can stay as long as you need,’” the beautiful woman said, and the Lone Warrior was entranced by her voice. Yet he did not trust himself, or her, and responded harshly.
“What have you done to me? What magic is this?”
“Only the healing magic of the enchanted garden, Lone Warrior,” she responded. “We found you at our gates, brought you in, and tended your wounds. You are free to leave whenever you’d like.”
“But?”
“But nothing, Lone Warrior. You owe us nothing, we want nothing. We have more to offer, if you wish. But we only wish to aid you in your quest, not keep you from it.”
“How do you know my name?” asked the Lone Warrior. “Why do you look so familiar?”
At this, the beautiful creature looked sad, and the Lone Warrior’s heart was full of guilt, though he did not understand why.
“We have met, Lone Warrior. I was at the Sand Mother’s palace when you stopped in for food and shelter. I looked simpler than I do now, as it was not safe to shine there. But you did not see me. You were too focused on your quest, and distrusting of all around you. I hope that in time you will see we can be trusted to assist you.” And the Lone Warrior was filled with great shame.
“I cannot trust a creature whose name I do not know,” he replied. “Will you share it with me, so that I may start?”
She smiled. “I am the Flower Queen,” she replied. “If you are well enough, you must come with me. There is much to do before you can resume your quest.”
“Forgive me, Flower Queen, but why do you care about my quest?” She beckoned for him to follow, and he left the bed to walk with her.
They passed through abundant flower beds, vegetable patches, and fruit trees. “Once, the desolate kingdom looked like this,” the Flower Queen said, waving an arm around the enchanted garden. “We loved the land of the desolate kingdom, and tended to it with love. When the curse was laid, we were exiled, for without the rivers we could not survive. We have lived in the enchanted garden for many years now, yet still dream of a restored kingdom, even if we are no longer welcome from our exile.”
“Why would you not be welcome?”
“The Red Shriek-hawk will not let us return,” she said sadly.
“But she is not the leader,” he argued.
“One does not have to have power to hate and make life difficult for others. Power simply makes it easier to do so.”
At last they stopped at a massive rosebush. “If you are to succeed in your quest, you must be armed.”
“I have weapons,” protested the Lone Warrior.
“None like this,” replied the Flower Queen, and she thrust her arm into the rosebush, and pulled out a thorn. This thorn was as long as her entire arm, black as night, and shimmering. “This is an Enchanted Thorn,” the Flower Queen explained. “It is a powerful weapon, born of a rosebush we saved from the desolate kingdom before the curse destroyed everything. There is no weapon like it. If you trust me, I can teach you its secret ways, and share with you what we know of the cave that hides the fount that will restore the desolate kingdom, to aid you in your quest. But you must guard it. There are many who would try to take it from you.”
The Lone Warrior stared at this beautiful, generous creature, and knew in his heart that he would do anything to please her, for she was pure goodness and kindness. “I trust you to teach me all you can,” he replied, and her smile glowed like the dawn.
The Lone Warrior stayed for three days, learning all he could and falling more deeply in love with the beautiful Flower Queen. At the end of three days, before he resumed his quest, he took her hand.
“Fair Flower Queen, my quest is perilous. I will succeed in my quest, to restore the desolate kingdom and bring you happiness. But there will be dangers, and I bear precious treasures that must stay safe. Will you take these four seeds and keep them safe?”
“Of course,” replied the Flower Queen. “I will plant them and tend to them with love as if they were my own.”
“Thank you,” said the Lone Warrior. “My heart will rest easy knowing they are in your gentle hands, fair Queen. I will return to bring you to the restored kingdom when my quest is finished, so that you may grace it with your presence, ner cyar’sarad.”
With the Lone Warrior back on the quest, the Flower Queen contemplated the state of the desolate kingdom. Her heart ached that the people there suffered so. The enchanted garden was too small to take them all. But the flower people had secret and magical ways. And the Flower Queen was very wise. She knew that there were many things that could be done while the Lone Warrior searched for the fount, and that the people of the desolate kingdom needed a backup plan, in case it could never be found. She did not want them to suffer any longer. And so the Flower Queen left the beloved sprouts in the tender care of her people, and departed from the safety of her enchanted garden, to travel to the desolate kingdom, in hopes that she could aid the people there. She hoped that she could show them the ways of her flower people, ease their suffering, and find a new path forward, even if the Lone Warrior couldn’t find the fount.
But the Red Shriek-hawk knew she was coming, and hated her. She thought the Queen’s soft petals and strange ways were a threat to her plans, and did not want the Queen’s help. So she used her dark magic to summon a great wind, that blew the Flower Queen away from the desolate kingdom, and tore at her beautiful petals.
The Lone Warrior did not find out until it was far too late. His search had taken him to a spooky, dark forest, full of dangerous creatures. He battled his way through, slaying beasts ten times his size and growing weary with the effort, until he came to the center of the forest. He was weary, and confused. This was supposed to be a good lead, and he had hunted well, but there was nothing here but a small stream.
“The Flower Queen was false, and has led me astray!” he cried in despair. “I shouldn’t have trusted her!”
With no other plan in mind, he sat by the stream. The water looked delicious, and he was thirsty. So he drunk his fill, and fell asleep. He woke up suddenly, but he could not see! The Red Shriek-hawk had sent one of her followers to track and trick the Lone Warrior, and poisoned him as he slept.
“You fool!” The traitor cried. “You have fallen for our tricks! You are lost in the Forest of Deception and now blind! You shall remain here forever until your body molders into dust, and the enchanted thorn and your precious armor shall be stripped from your carcass! And then we shall destroy your precious Flower Queen and her people, for their strange ways!”
Blinded but certainly not dead, he swung out with the enchanted thorn and struck the traitor, who retreated to tend their wounds. The Lone Warrior was safe, but now alone and blind in the Forest of Deception. All seemed so very dark and hopeless. Who would help him? Who would even hear him if he called out for help?
Suddenly, he heard the voice of an old man. “Hail, Lone Warrior!”
“I would greet you, stranger, but I cannot see,” said the Lone Warrior.
“Are you friend or foe?”
“That is a matter of perception, and you have none being blind right now. But if you will trust me, I can restore your sight.”
It was hard. The Lone Warrior had long been alone, unable to trust anyone. He still felt confused about the Flower Queen. But he needed the old man, and decided to trust him.
“What must I do?”
“You must listen carefully to me,” the old man said, “as I speak the Words of Illumination. Then your eyesight will be restored.” So the Lone Warrior listened carefully, absorbing each word and fully understanding, until he blinked and his sight was restored.
“I am in your debt,” said the Lone Warrior.
“There is no debt,” replied the wise old man. “I only ask that you allow yourself to listen well, and you will know whether they are trustworthy or not. The Flower Queen did not lead you astray; that was the work of the Red Shriek-hawk. Now that you can listen, you will understand and trust only the trustworthy. You will need allies on your quest, and you must let them help you.”
“I will,” said the Lone Warrior, ashamed that he had ever doubted his cyar’sarad. “Will I ever see you again?”
“Of course,” chuckled the wise old man. “I will always appear when you need help and are willing to listen.” And with that, he vanished in a flash of light.
Meanwhile, far away from the Forest of Deception, the Flower Queen was found by the Sand Mother, who healed her with glowing magical threads that bound her wounds, and and took her back to the enchanted garden.
Yet her heart was heavy, and her petals drooped, for the Lone Warrior was still out there on his quest, and the desolate kingdom still lay under the dreaded curse. She had done all she could to help the Lone Warrior and his people, at great cost. Now her people needed her, to safeguard the magic of the enchanted garden and keep the darkness of the Red Shriek-hawk away from its ivy-covered walls.
The four seeds that the Lone Warrior had entrusted to the Flower Queen had sprouted, and from them grew four magnificent tree children. They brought the Flower Queen great comfort, and she tended for them as if they were her own, though she knew she would have to give them back to the Lone Warrior once the kingdom was restored. Under her loving care, their trunks grew straight and sure, and their leaves shone in the sun. And she would rest among her beloved saplings, hoping that the Lone Warrior was safe and close to achieving his goal.
As for the Lone Warrior! His sight restored, the Lone Warrior used the Enchanted Thorn to cut his way out of the Forest of Deception. When he had gotten out, he turned and used his flamethrower to burn the cursed forest to the ground, so that no others could get lost. Yet he fell into despair, and sat among the ashes of the forest. He had lost precious time in there, and he knew not where to continue his search. The Red Shriek-hawk knew he bore the Enchanted Thorn, and she would come with a great multitude to take it from him by any means necessary. Time was running out to find the entrance to the cave where the magical fount dwells, to restore his lands. If the Red Shriek-hawk took the Enchanted Thorn before he could find the fount and lift the curse, his kingdom would be doomed to another thousand years of darkness and sorrow.
And his precious Flower Queen needed the waters. The Flower Queen could only thrive in the kingdom if the water was restored and the earth replenished, a welcome place for her flower people to beautify with their tender ways. Without it, they would wither and die.
Suddenly, the Enchanted Thorn spoke to the Lone Warrior!
“Fear not, Lone Warrior. For you are not truly alone.” The Lone Warrior fell down in fright, shocked that the Enchanted Thorn could speak.
“How is this possible?”
The Enchanted Thorn was unimpressed with this answer. “Your land lays under a curse, you seek a magical fountain, your blindness was cured by a mystical man who disappeared in a flash of light, and your beloved Flower Queen lives in an enchanted garden, yet you ask how it is possible that I speak?”
“I am sorry,” replied the Lone Warrior. “I am alone, and afraid. I fear failing my people, and my beloved Flower Queen.”
“Fear not,” replied the Enchanted Thorn. “You belong to me as much as I belong to you. You are the chosen warrior, for you above all have the courage and humility to do what is right, not what is easy or selfish. Together we will find the fount and restore the desolate kingdom!”
And the Lone Warrior took heart, and continued his quest. For the future of his people, and the happiness of the fair Flower Queen, his cyar’sarad, depended on him. And he went back to the desolate kingdom with the Enchanted Thorn, though danger lurked behind every blackened stone, to continue his search for the cave. For it had to be somewhere in the desolate kingdom, and he now had the secrets from the Flower Queen to guide his way, and the ability to listen well from the wise old man, to discern the trustworthy from the false.
Now, one of the flower people in the enchanted garden sent the Lone Warrior a fresh clue to find the cave. He trusted the flower people, just as the wise old man had told him to, and followed the clue straight to the entrance of the cave.
Of course, it was no ordinary cave. It was mysterious, and magical. As he passed through, he saw visions of the past, and present, and future dance upon the walls, testing his resolve to restore the desolate kingdom. Did he come with a pure heart, caring only for his people? Which of course he did, and so was allowed to approach the fount after many trials in the cave. At long last, he stood before the fount— and it was dry.
The Lone Warrior was devastated, and confused. “I only want to restore the kingdom and save my people!” he cried, and in his despair, cried tears upon the dry stone. To his wonder, the stone melted, revealing a divot in the center of the dried fount.
The Enchanted Thorn then whispered to the Lone Warrior, “we are together in this,” and the Lone Warrior understood. He hefted the Enchanted Thorn, and drove it straight into the divot, piercing the stone.
The stone cracked, and the Lone Warrior was thrown back with the Enchanted Thorn as a geyser of water burst from the stone. It flew into the air, and destroyed the entire cave! And on it flowed, flooding the ground. As far as the eye could see, to the ends of the kingdom.
Elsewhere in the desolate kingdom, while the Lone Warrior had been busy with the cave, an army of stony spiders had invaded the land. The people were terrified! There were too many spiders for them to fight, especially without the Lone Warrior, their chosen leader. Even the Red Shriek-hawk and her poisoned followers were no match for the dreaded stony spiders.
While in the care of the Sand Mother and the Sand Warrior, the magic bean had grown into a cloud child. The cloud child had the power of hearing whispers on the winds. He heard the despairing cries of the Lone Warrior in the cave, and the wails of fear and pain of the people of the desolate kingdom who fought the spiders. With his magic ways, the cloud child sent a message on the wind to the Flower Queen, who he knew had aided the Lone Warrior in his quest.
“The desolate kingdom is under attack by the stony spiders,” the message read. “The Lone Warrior is at the cave of the fount, and cannot defend his people, for he does not know they are under attack. They need your help.”
The Flower Queen’s heart was wrung by the pain of the people of the desolate kingdom, even though they had exiled her and her people long ago. She straightened her stem and resolved once more to travel to the desolate kingdom. It was dangerous, for there was still no water. But she could not let the kingdom fall, not when the Lone Warrior was so close to saving them all.
With the Red Shriek-hawk distracted by the spiders, the Flower Queen entered the desolate kingdom with her army of vining roses. Armed with deadly thorns, and allied with the Sand Warrior who had come to help upon the warning from the cloud child, they battled the spiders and vanquished the enemy.
But at great cost. For just as the curse lifted and the fount flowed once more, the Flower Queen lay near death, her petals wilted for lack of water and in despair; she had seen the cave destroyed by the fount’s explosion, and thought the Lone Warrior lost, having risked life and limb despite the Red Shriek-hawk’s anger, only to see the Lone Warrior ultimately perish. The Flower Queen had crumpled to the ground, her beauty enduring even as her life-force faded.
The Lone Warrior discovered her presence in the kingdom, and raced as fast as he could towards her, to save her from the flood and to give her water to drink.
Before he could reach her, the great flood unleashed by the Lone Warrior overwhelmed her, and for a heart-stopping moment, the Lone Warrior feared that she was lost. Instead, the Flower Queen rose above the waves, rejuvenated. Magic shot from her fingertips as she hovered in the air, and the kingdom was awash in vegetation. More flower people swiftly arrived and shared in the magic, using their secret ways to swiftly restore gardens, forests, and plains. Grasses for the starving nerf, trees for the Shriek-hawks to nest, and flowers for the bees to drink sweet nectar. The kingdom was restored.
The Lone Warrior and the Flower Queen embraced, separated for so long.
“Ner cyar’sarad, you have saved my people! And your tender ways have brought food and beauty back to the kingdom. Will you come dwell with me here, now? Do you still have the four seeds?”
“I do, Lone Warrior. See! They have grown into strong tree people. Still saplings right now, but they will grow to protect and shelter their loved ones. They are my pride, and will bring you great joy.” And the Lone Warrior embraced his tree children, and sent for the cloud child at the Sand Mother’s palace.
But not everyone was happy. The Red Shriek-hawk and her poisoned followers were even angrier at the Lone Warrior’s success, and the Flower Queen’s nourishing magic. The time had come for a final battle between the Red Shriek-hawk and the Lone Warrior. It would be a perilous fight, for the Red Shriek-hawk was cunning, and full of deception. She would use any means to win, even those that are dishonorable. She was a very dangerous opponent for the Lone Warrior, with her cruel talons and poisonous beak.
But the Flower Queen had given the Lone Warrior the secrets to wielding the Enchanted Thorn, and he felt ready to lead his kingdom, and protect it from the harm that the Red Shriek-hawk would wrought if allowed. Only then could the Lone Warrior and the Flower Queen truly be together, and their peoples live in prosperity and peace.
On the appointed day, the Lone Warrior and the Red Shriek-hawk met for a final battle over the Enchanted Thorn. The Lone Warrior, armed with the secret knowledge given to him by the Flower Queen and allied in mind and body with the Enchanted Thorn, fought with righteous determination against the Red Shriek-hawk’s evil cunning and dirty tricks. The Lone Warrior was strong, but the Red Shriek-hawk was old, and armed not only with knives and blasters, but also with poisonous words, and it was a vicious battle. Round and round they went, swinging and stabbing at each other.
The Lone Warrior began to feel weary, for she was a clever opponent, but the Red Shriek-hawk was already weaker. And therein lay the Red Shriek-hawk’s final evil deed. She could not beat him in a show of strength; he was too powerful. But his heart was soft, and she knew that he loved his cyar’sarad, the Flower Queen. Where she could not break the Lone Warrior in body, the Red Shriek-hawk would break him in heart and mind, so that he would not want to lead anymore. And so, she pretended to yield.
The honorable Lone Warrior believed her, and would have let her live. But as he turned away, the Red Shriek-hawk struck out. Not at the Lone Warrior, who she knew she could not beat, but at the Flower Queen who stood watching the contest.
The Lone Warrior was devastated, but wasted no time. He quickly struck a fatal blow to the Red Shriek-hawk, ending her machinations forever, then turned to his beloved Flower Queen, desperate to save her. For she was too fair and too good to die at the hands of someone like the Red Shriek-hawk.
He picked her up, and carried her to the fount, which had returned to its calmer form after the first flood. He laid her in the water, holding her head above, and begged the fount to restore her as well. As he wept in fear and despair, his tears mingled with the fount’s waters, and her wound healed.
With a great breath, the Flower Queen opened her eyes, to see the despairing Lone Warrior. As she called his name, the Lone Warrior opened his eyes, to see her lovely face smiling at him. He pulled her from the water, and finally, finally they kissed.
And as they kissed, purple flowers burst from the ground around them, stretching as far as the eye could see. And they called them the Fields of Saviin for ever after. With his Flower Queen at his side, the Lone Warrior was alone no longer. He had restored his kingdom and brought peace, and they ruled all of the happy people together until the end of their days.
The End.