Ring of Denial
This story is one of the earliest tales about Aliend. While by no means the most popular or well-known story about her, it is an incredibly important one.
The Celestial of denial is known for many things. This ring is rarely considered one of them. Legend says that she rejected every suitor who asked for her hand in marriage. Suitors tried to win her over with poetry, flowers, gowns, jewellery, food, talent, and even their personalities, but no matter what they said or did, Aliend would reject them. One day, a poor man came to ask for her hand. He brought with him only the clothes on his back, a walking staff, and a simple gold ring with a single, brilliant jewel. No one knew how the ring came to be in his possession, only that it was his. The poor man sought an audience with the lady. He asked for nothing but a moment with her, five minutes at the least, just enough to see her, to speak with her, to pose a question to her. When a guard scoffed and asked what he had to offer, the man held out the ring. The man was granted his audience, five minutes with the woman who would become a Celestial. He entered the room, knelt at Aliend's feet, and offered her the ring. What few words he spoke were heard by no one but her. There was no movement from either figure until the man's five minutes were up. The man stood, bowed his head one last time, and left. Aliend watched him leave without a word. No matter how much the guards, servants, and other suitors cajoled him, the man refused to tell anyone what he said to the lady or what the lady said to him. He stayed at the manor for dinner and left as soon as the earliest sleepers retired to bed. When the man was just out of sight of the manor, a group of men who had watched him enter earlier set out after him. These men were stronger, richer, and healthier, but jealous that the poor man had gained a private audience with the lady they all pursued. They caught up to the poor man quickly and attacked him, taking his walking staff, shoes, and ring, leaving only his clothes. The group of men took the ring to a market several towns over. But when they tried to sell it, every jeweler they met refused to take it. The same happened at the next town, and the next, and the next. Each jeweler who saw the ring refused to buy it. After many towns, the men grew tired of hearing the same words. As they passed a river, one of them hurled the ring into the waters, shouting that it was clearly a worthless piece the poor man had tried to pass off as real. A decade later, a young man in a village very far away pressed a ring into his lover's hand and asked her to marry him. She agreed, and the two were wed that very year. When they moved to a new house, the man who lived next door saw the ring on the woman's hand and blanched. The couple, concerned, asked him what was wrong. He told them he had seen that ring ten years before, in the hands of a group of thieves. The young man, confused, said the ring was made by his uncle. It had never been stolen or sold or given away. His uncle, he said, had once offered it as a gift, but when refused, he promised to keep it safe until another woman accepted it. The man next door stayed pale and did not answer. He moved away from them a month later. The couple was happy in their home and stayed happy for many years. One night, the wife placed her ring to the side of the stove so she could cook, and left it there all night. That same night, two thieves broke into their house and stole as many objects as they could. The ring was one of them. The young thieves took their loot to sell. For most of the objects, they encountered no challenges, but when it came to the ring, they could find no buyers. Not a soul wanted to take the ring. Somehow, no matter who it was, they always knew it was stolen and refused to pay for it. Tired of constant rebuttals, the thieves threw the ring away. It was of no use to them. When the couple's eldest child was married, the ring was on her finger. Six years after her wedding, she walked past a jail and saw two men inside. A guard told her they had been caught stealing and would be kept for a long time. The young woman decided to bring them food, but when the men saw the ring, they became horrified. They admitted to stealing it many years ago and throwing it away, and ever since that night, they had been plagued with terrible luck. When she heard their words, the woman grew very still. She listened to their story, listened to them beg her to rid herself of the ring before it destroyed her life as well, and finally, when their words had run out, she smiled. "This ring is my father's," she told them calmly. "It has never been stolen. It cannot be. My mother misplaced it once, a long time ago, but it returned soon enough." She left the prison and did not return. The thieves were left with the memory of her kindness and the peaceful smile that curled her lips when she told them the ring was hers. When one of the thieves escaped from the prison, he found his way to a bar where other criminals often went. He sat at a table with others and quietly told them the story. When he was finished, an old man sat next to him and, in an even quieter voice, told him of a robbery outside a manor, of a poor man who carried a ring, of jewelers who refused to buy, and of horrific fates that followed the men who stole it. The ring, the old man told the younger thief, had been cursed and blessed by the woman it had first been offered to. Those who were gifted it would have good luck, and those who stole or bought it would have bad luck. Aliend had just become a Celestial when she met that man. She was not the most powerful Celestial, nor the most popular. But she was good enough to do what she wanted to do. The man who made the ring and offered it to her received no acceptance for his proposal. But every other person who offered and accepted it was blessed far more than the man would have been if he married the Celestial. To this day, no one knows what Aliend said to the man, nor what he said to her. And no one ever will.
The Celestial of denial is known for many things. This ring is rarely considered one of them. Legend says that she rejected every suitor who asked for her hand in marriage. Suitors tried to win her over with poetry, flowers, gowns, jewellery, food, talent, and even their personalities, but no matter what they said or did, Aliend would reject them. One day, a poor man came to ask for her hand. He brought with him only the clothes on his back, a walking staff, and a simple gold ring with a single, brilliant jewel. No one knew how the ring came to be in his possession, only that it was his. The poor man sought an audience with the lady. He asked for nothing but a moment with her, five minutes at the least, just enough to see her, to speak with her, to pose a question to her. When a guard scoffed and asked what he had to offer, the man held out the ring. The man was granted his audience, five minutes with the woman who would become a Celestial. He entered the room, knelt at Aliend's feet, and offered her the ring. What few words he spoke were heard by no one but her. There was no movement from either figure until the man's five minutes were up. The man stood, bowed his head one last time, and left. Aliend watched him leave without a word. No matter how much the guards, servants, and other suitors cajoled him, the man refused to tell anyone what he said to the lady or what the lady said to him. He stayed at the manor for dinner and left as soon as the earliest sleepers retired to bed. When the man was just out of sight of the manor, a group of men who had watched him enter earlier set out after him. These men were stronger, richer, and healthier, but jealous that the poor man had gained a private audience with the lady they all pursued. They caught up to the poor man quickly and attacked him, taking his walking staff, shoes, and ring, leaving only his clothes. The group of men took the ring to a market several towns over. But when they tried to sell it, every jeweler they met refused to take it. The same happened at the next town, and the next, and the next. Each jeweler who saw the ring refused to buy it. After many towns, the men grew tired of hearing the same words. As they passed a river, one of them hurled the ring into the waters, shouting that it was clearly a worthless piece the poor man had tried to pass off as real. A decade later, a young man in a village very far away pressed a ring into his lover's hand and asked her to marry him. She agreed, and the two were wed that very year. When they moved to a new house, the man who lived next door saw the ring on the woman's hand and blanched. The couple, concerned, asked him what was wrong. He told them he had seen that ring ten years before, in the hands of a group of thieves. The young man, confused, said the ring was made by his uncle. It had never been stolen or sold or given away. His uncle, he said, had once offered it as a gift, but when refused, he promised to keep it safe until another woman accepted it. The man next door stayed pale and did not answer. He moved away from them a month later. The couple was happy in their home and stayed happy for many years. One night, the wife placed her ring to the side of the stove so she could cook, and left it there all night. That same night, two thieves broke into their house and stole as many objects as they could. The ring was one of them. The young thieves took their loot to sell. For most of the objects, they encountered no challenges, but when it came to the ring, they could find no buyers. Not a soul wanted to take the ring. Somehow, no matter who it was, they always knew it was stolen and refused to pay for it. Tired of constant rebuttals, the thieves threw the ring away. It was of no use to them. When the couple's eldest child was married, the ring was on her finger. Six years after her wedding, she walked past a jail and saw two men inside. A guard told her they had been caught stealing and would be kept for a long time. The young woman decided to bring them food, but when the men saw the ring, they became horrified. They admitted to stealing it many years ago and throwing it away, and ever since that night, they had been plagued with terrible luck. When she heard their words, the woman grew very still. She listened to their story, listened to them beg her to rid herself of the ring before it destroyed her life as well, and finally, when their words had run out, she smiled. "This ring is my father's," she told them calmly. "It has never been stolen. It cannot be. My mother misplaced it once, a long time ago, but it returned soon enough." She left the prison and did not return. The thieves were left with the memory of her kindness and the peaceful smile that curled her lips when she told them the ring was hers. When one of the thieves escaped from the prison, he found his way to a bar where other criminals often went. He sat at a table with others and quietly told them the story. When he was finished, an old man sat next to him and, in an even quieter voice, told him of a robbery outside a manor, of a poor man who carried a ring, of jewelers who refused to buy, and of horrific fates that followed the men who stole it. The ring, the old man told the younger thief, had been cursed and blessed by the woman it had first been offered to. Those who were gifted it would have good luck, and those who stole or bought it would have bad luck. Aliend had just become a Celestial when she met that man. She was not the most powerful Celestial, nor the most popular. But she was good enough to do what she wanted to do. The man who made the ring and offered it to her received no acceptance for his proposal. But every other person who offered and accepted it was blessed far more than the man would have been if he married the Celestial. To this day, no one knows what Aliend said to the man, nor what he said to her. And no one ever will.
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Author's Notes
This is almost as long as my final project for class and took a fraction of the time. Priorities, huh. No idea where the idea came from, but I like it.