Ednowain the Rescuer

A short love story

Photo by Andrej Lišakov

Ednowain rested his sword on the ground, removed his helmet, and dunked his face into the cold river for a drink. When he finished, he turned to Gwledyr and said, “Drink. You must be thirsty, too.”

Gwledyr’s hands shook, and her lips twitched.

“It’s okay. We’re far enough away from Castle Meurig so no one will find you. You’re safe.”

“My husband is the King. He will find us.”

Ednowain shook his head. “He won’t find us because I killed him.”

“How can I believe that?”

Ednowain removed a gold cross covered with twenty rubies and emeralds from his pocket. “Because I took this.”

“The King’s cross. You have rescued me.” 

“I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself during your rescue.” His armor clanged as he stood and bowed. “Ednowain at your service.”

“How did you know I needed rescuing? And why did you come for me?” Gwledyr brushed her hair from her eyes.

“My wizard, Lorwerth, saw you chained in your dungeon through his magic box. It’s my job to rescue those who need saving. This is what I do, this is all I do.”

Back at the castle, Ednowain had barely removed his armor when Lorwerth sidled over with two glasses of mead. He handed Ednowain one of the silver cups before picking up a fire poker and prodding the flame to grow bigger.

On the Great Hall’s far side, a Lord’s servant played a plainchant on the lute, and on the Great Table, four of the King's army were betting on a game of Knave and Fool. 

“Here’s to a successful rescue. Gwledyr is fast asleep with a smile on her face. You did good, but I’m sorry to say I have another mission for you, and you must leave immediately.”

Ednowain downed his mead in a single gulp because when Lorwerth said “immediately,” that’s what he meant.

“I found this book in my magic box. I understand some words, such as ‘danger’ and ‘rescue,’ but the sentences don’t seem fully formed. Be that as it may, I comprehend the message from the pictures, as I’m certain you will, too.”

The book’s cover depicted a gold-haired woman in a satin dress wearing a jeweled crown next to a man in strange armor: an orb with a clear faceplate—how is such a thing possible?—and metal sides, top and back covered the man’s head. White armor covered his body, and something like a rucksack clung to his back. 

She was royalty, but what was this man with the strange clothes?

Fear gripped the woman’s face, and Ednowain instantly understood why from the drawing: a giant ten-legged spider with glowing red eyes towered over the woman, its eyes filled with rage and hunger. 

The man with the odd armor held an even stranger object in his hand, from which a beam of light landed on the spider’s abdomen. 

Other pictures in the book showed the spider on the verge of consuming the woman. 

What’s going on?

Lorwerth read his mind. “I don’t know exactly, but I know she needs you. Into the box you go."

Ednowain squeezed his four-cubit-tall body into Lorweth’s magic two-cubit square box to transport him to the person in dire straits. The wooden box bore script along with carvings of several animals—a cat, crocodile, and camel—that neither Ednowain, Lorwerth, or anyone else could decipher. 

After he closed the top, the temperature fell, and the box spun wildly as if caught in a cyclone at night in winter. Bright lights sparkled inside like the red, gold, silver, and blue fireworks launched on the King’s birthday. 

When the box stilled, he opened the lid. 

Ednowain’s eyes sprung wide. A rusted landscape of dry sand and copper mountains had replaced the forest around Edinburgh Castle. The wind shrilled between those mountains like a manticore in the dark woods. 

A ringed moon twinkled through the horizon.

He’d never seen nor heard of such a place like this.

Ednowain spun toward a woman’s shriek. 

The spider looked bigger in reality than on the book’s cover, a gigantic, hideous monster. It imprisoned the woman with its legs. 

She screamed again, louder. 

He gripped his sword so tightly that its wooden handle nearly splintered.

The man depicted on the book’s cover illuminated the spider again with that strange object, but the spider ignored the light. 

The beast lifted the woman off the ground toward its masticating mandibles.

Ednowain yelled his battle cry, holding his sword above his head, and ran toward the spider. He severed the spider’s head with a single swing. 

Ednowain caught the woman as she dropped from the spider’s mouth.

She gasped as she landed in his arms. 

She wrapped her arms around Ednowain’s neck and said, “Thank you for saving my life. But who are you? Where did you suddenly come from?” She pulled him closer and continued, “Never mind, that doesn’t matter. I’m happy you did because Joqiio’s laser was ineffective against the ajuchtal. In another second I would have been that monster’s meal.”

Her heart beat fast against Ednowain’s chest and synced with his. 

“I am Ednowain of Castle Edinburgh, the rescuer of those who need rescuing. Who are you?”

“Ednowain, what a strange name. I am Princess Aina.” She took his hand and intertwined her fingers, sparks filling the space between their flesh. “Castle Edinburgh? Where is that?”

A powerfully pleasant intoxication filled Ednowain. His legs wobbled. He lifted his visor and smiled at the Princess. 

Her perfume was lavender, and her golden hair glittered under the light of the two suns. 

“Near the River Leith in Scotland. Where are we?”

“The planet Qipoork in the Golanw system.”

“We’re not in Scotland? What is a planet?” Ednowain spun three-hundred-sixty degrees, his eyes widening with each arc. 

A bright, yellow, shimmering square popped behind them like a window suspended in the air. 

Melancholy painted Ednowain’s face. “I have to go. That’s the opening to the magic box through which I return to my castle.” His voice cracked; his eyes grew misty, which had never happened during a rescue. 

“Stay with me, Ednowain.” She kissed him, a lingering kiss, held him tight, and then kissed him once more. 

“I cannot. Obligation commands me. I must rescue others.”

Ednowain closed his eyes tight to contain his tears, stepped into the square and disappeared.”

“Welcome home. Congratulations on a successful mission,” Lorwerth said.

“How did you—?”

“I know all about it,” Lorwerth interrupted. He flipped open the book and tapped on a new cover depicting a meticulously drawn Ednowain in shining armor slaying a monstrous spider. There was no mistaking his rustic, handsome face. 

“The book changed?” It was a question, but not a question. He narrowed his eyes. 

“The book is your story now, but the ending’s not yet written.”

"Will I see Aina again? I love her."

Lorwerth flipped ahead several pages, then a dozen, then several dozen more, faster and faster, a crisp snapping echoing off the castle walls, the pages flying so quickly they became ablaze. 

He abruptly stopped. 

Letters swirled on the open page like leaves kicked by a gale, bouncing from edge to edge with such force that they threatened to flee the book entirely. Sometimes, the letters would form words, but most of the time, they made nonsense, shifting positions so quickly that it was impossible to distinguish a Þ from a D. 

Lorwerth summoned the magic box and nodded to Ednowain, who squeezed in again and disappeared.“Go with the wind,” Lorwerth said. “Find your true love.”

A moment later, the letters stopped their frenetic jostling, settling into place: Lorwerth read, “Princess Aina and Ednowain—”

The castle rumbled and shook, waves of mortar cascading down the walls. Lorwerth stuck his head out the turret window, aiming it straight up, watching an enormous globe of shiny metal fill the sky, seeming to consume the clouds and even the air itself. Waterfalls—or something that looked like waterfalls—extended from the globe, but no liquid fell from the object. 

The projections made Lorwerth think of dandelions. 

From behind came a clicking noise. Lorwerth spun. 

Ednowain! 

And a woman. 

His jaw dropped, and for nearly a minute, Lorwerth stood silently, his lungs refusing to breathe. 

“Hello, old friend,” Ednowain said. “This is my wife, Aina.” 

Ednowain and Aina bowed. 

“I came to tell you that my rescuing continues, but instead of traveling to save people through your magic box, I’m using Aina’s spaceship,” Ednowain said. 

“Ah,” Lorwerth said, “I’d like to learn that magic.” Lorwerth slid his fingers along his long, gray beard.

Ednowain smiled at Aina, who winked at Lorwerth. “One day your people will.”

---

If you enjoyed Ednowain the Rescuer, I think you’ll also like my story, A Second Chance. Are you a subscriber to my weekly story newsletter? If not, please take a moment to subscribe: It’s free and helps me immeasurably.