As told by Rohese at House Sylvanfair's Solstice Gathering.
From the 8th to the 22nd day of the month of Eorgaen, the skies are graced with the constellation known as The Paladin. He nobly guards the cold winter nights and protects the meek.
When my sisters and I were young, my father used to tell us a tale about how the constellation got its name. I would like to share that story with you all today.
It was a bitterly cold Solstice night and a blanket of snow lay thick on the ground. A cloaked elven Paladin slumped over his horse. He was still far from home and had been wandering blindly through the snowstorm for hours.
Seeing a flicker of light through the trees, the weary traveler led his horse beneath the snow-laden canopy towards a small thatched cottage. The plume of smoke from the chimney and glow of candlelight through the window were all the encouragement he needed.
He knocked on the door and, as it opened, he was bathed in the warm glow from the hearth and reeled from the scent of a rich stew. A pair of arms caught him as he fainted over the threshold.
The elf stirred to see an elderly couple hovering over him with concern. The old man pressed a mug of hot cider into his hand while his wife wrapped a threadbare blanket around his shoulders. The heady spices of the steaming liquid revived him enough that he could rise and seat himself at the table.
A bowl of stew appeared and he consumed it with relish; never had a humble meal tasted so good. Which each draft of cider, his strength returned and he took a moment to look around. The cottage consisted on one simple room and, although it was meagerly furnished, it was spotlessly clean.
The couple were both dressed in homespun, woolen clothes with thinning grey hair and ruddy complexions. By the looks of it they both spent most of their days working outside and lived simply. The elf thanked them both profusely for their hospitality.
Draining the remnants of his mug, the couple led him over to one of the chairs near the fire. They watched silently as the elf succumbed to the warmth of the room and drifted off into a deep sleep.
Next morning, the elf stirred. He rubbed his eyes and tried to recall where he was. Remembering the events of the night before, he looked around the room to find it empty. The table however was laid with some fresh baked bread and another mug of the cider.
Still hungry and fearing he would overstay his welcome, the elf quickly helped himself to the breakfast. The taste of the rustic bread was unfamiliar to him but delicious and satisfying.
Feeling much better, he retrieved his cloak from a nearby hook. He noticed that it had been brushed clean of all the mud splatters from his week-long journey and the tears had been repaired.
The elf stepped outside into the chilly morning. The snow had finally stopped falling to leave everything covered in a crisp white blanket. He could see no sign of the couple so, not wishing to burden them any longer, he went in search of his horse.
He found him standing in a sheltered lean-to, munching his way through some hay. As he checked him over, he spied a sack attached to the saddle. Inside he found more bread and a skin containing the same cider that had brought him back to life the night before.
The elf felt deeply humbled by the couple’s generosity. Pulling his cloak tightly around him and mounting his horse in one fluid motion, he rode off through the trees and headed home.
A year passed. On Solstice night, the same elf entered the same clearing. Tethering his horse, he approached the cottage as he had done the year before. This time however, there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground and his stride was somewhat more purposeful.
As before, the door opened but this time to reveal a stooped, old woman peering into the darkness. She instantly recognized the elf and ushered him eagerly inside. Sadly, the elf noticed only one chair now sitting near the fire.
Hugging the frail old woman to him, he explained that he had come to repay her kindness. He pulled a bulky sack from his cloak and opened it for her to see. Inside was enough basic supplies to last her the whole winter and a new woolen blanket.
Sharing a mug of hot cider, they toasted the Solstice and the elf returned home to his family to give thanks for his good fortune.
Each year thereafter, at midwinter, the elf paid a visit to the old lady taking her food and clothing. They spoke little but simply sat around the fire partaking of a mug of hot cider. Until one year, he returned to see no smoke billowing from the chimney. He knew then that she had gone to join her husband.
High in the night sky, the four stars of the Paladin constellation twinkled and the elf closed his eyes, muttering a silent prayer in memory of the old woman. He turned his horse around with a heavy heart and headed home, never to return again.
But every Solstice, he would gather his burgeoning family around the fire and retell the tale, in remembrance of the couple that had saved his life. They would share in a cup of hot cider and home-baked bread, eagerly showing each other the gifts they had exchanged; a tradition that continues to this day in homes across the Elanthia.
>>You slay me woman! ~ Wyrom
http://gsguide.wikia.com/wiki/Rohese
