Original Fairy Tale Challenge: "Four Knights of the Land" -- by Benjamin Leskey

Four Knights of the Land

Many, many years ago, there was a small western kingdom beset with woes. Every eighth night, two of the best cattle would vanish with only large boot prints left behind; every full moon, a man would disappear from the most distant village with only great footprints left behind; and on the last night of winter every year, an entire house would be trampled with only tremendous claw prints left behind.

So, when winter was coming to an end again, the king called the four knights of the land to his castle, one from the south, one from the west, one from the north, and one from the east and told them (for he had no child), “Whoever shall put a stop to these woes will become my heir.”

The eldest knight, the knight of the south, took up his mace and said, “I will go on this next eighth night and defeat the cattle thief!”

“Then go with good fortune,” said the king, and he sent him on his way.

The knight of the south waited among the fattest cattle all night, and an hour before dawn he saw a beastly ogre come down from the hill. But the ogre saw the knight hiding and growled, “Who is this I see?”

The knight sprang out from behind the cattle to slay the ogre, but his shout made one of the cows kick him and he fell on his face. When he got up again, the ogre had taken two cattle under his arms and was gone back up the hill. The knight of the south had to return empty-handed and was so ashamed that he took off his armor and lived in the desert as a hermit ever after.

So when the knight of the south was gone, the knight of the west who was next oldest took up his sword and said, “I will go on this next full moon and defeat the man stealer!”

“Then go with great strength,” said the king, and he sent him on his way.

The knight of the west went to the most distant village and stood under the moon all night, and two hours before dawn he saw a giant man with the head of a bull come down from a cave in the mountain. When the bull-man saw the knight standing, he growled, “Who is this I see?”

“I am the knight of the west,” replied the knight of the west. “You will steal no more, foul beast!” And he leaped forward and would have cut the bull-man in two, but when his eyes met those of the bull’s head he could not move. Now he would have surely died except the force of his swing made his sword pass between his eyes and the bull’s eyes, and he was able to turn and run away faster than his enemy. When he looked back, the bull-man had stolen another villager and was gone back up the mountain. The knight of the west had to return empty-handed and was so ashamed that he took off his armor and lived in the desert as a hermit ever after.

When the knight of the west had departed, the knight of the north, who was the older of the two remaining, took up his spear and said, “I will go this winter’s end and defeat the house crusher!”

“Then go with much valor,” said the king, and he sent him on his way.

The knight of the north went to the place where the houses had been crushed and sat on his horse all night, and three hours before dawn he saw a great worm fly down from the top of the mountain. But the worm saw him too, and it landed before him and growled, “Who is this I see?”

The knight of the north did not reply, instead he charged forward and would have pierced the worm were it not for his horse which threw him off and bolted when the worm turned and roared. But he stood his ground when the worm came at him again, and since it did not want to bite his armor or be pierced with his spear, it turned away. Then the worm trampled a house, ate everything inside, and flew back up to the top of the mountain. The knight of the north had to return empty-handed and was so ashamed that he took off his armor and lived in the desert as a hermit ever after.

Now there was only one knight left, the knight of the east who was youngest of the four and weakest also. When he was ready to go forth, he took no weapon but rather a long rope, a thin cloth, and a pouch of gold coins, and said, “I will rid you of all three in a single night.”

“Then go with all wit,” said the king, and he sent him on his way.

When the knight of the east had come to the hill, he took several cows and tied the rope around them, then led them a little way away into the forest and tied them to a tree. Then he climbed up to where the ogre was sitting and gnawing on a bone.

“Look here,” said the knight to the ogre. “Why gnaw on old bones when there are fine cows to be had, just left in the forest down there?”

And the ogre smelled the cows from afar and said, “Why indeed? Down I go!”

Then the knight of the east took from under the ogre’s tree a lump of bone and fur which only ogres make and tucked it away as a token.

Next he climbed up to the mountain cave, but before going in he wrapped the cloth around his eyes. Inside he found the bull-man, but the knight was not struck immobile because the cloth was between his eyes and the bull’s eyes.

“I will eat you!” shouted the bull-man, seeing the knight, for he was always hungry.

“Wait!” cried the knight. “Why eat me, a thin man, when there is an ogre in the forest below?”

And the bull-man smelled the ogre, but was not satisfied and said, “I would not travel down for only one ogre when you are right before me.”

“Certainly not!” agreed the knight. “But there will surely be a gathering of ogres, do you not smell the large number of cows?”

The bull-man did smell them, and believed him, saying, “So it seems. Down I go!”

Then the knight of the east took from the cave an old horn of the bull-man and tucked it away as a token.

Next he scaled the mountain all the way to the summit, and found the worm resting.

“What do you want?” hissed the worm. “Why should I not crush you at once?”

“No, no,” said the knight. “Why crush me when I have come to tell you about a rich feast? There is a bull-man down in the forest below, which surely is better than any ordinary man.”

“I am not very hungry, despite it being a bull-man,” said the worm. “I am angry at being disturbed.”

“Ah, but even the full could not turn down such a feast,” argued the knight, and he presented the pouch of gold to the worm. “Take this, surely the bull-man will have more.”

And the greedy worm snatched up the gold and said, “Well then, I suppose the feast will be rich indeed: the flesh of a bull-man and gold as a bonus. Down I go!”

The knight of the east looked around, but could not see any of the worm’s scales to use as a token. However there was a small metal egg, and he took it and tucked it away. Then he descended the mountain by another path and returned to the king.

“Have you, too, failed?” asked the king.

“No, behold!” replied the knight of the east, and presented first the lump of bone and fur, then the old horn, and finally the metal egg.

And the king, seeing these tokens, shouted with joy and would have made him heir on the spot. But the knight stopped him and said, “No, I do not deserve it. Give me rather two sacks of fine gold, and that shall be my only payment.”

“Be it as you will,” the king said, and gave him two sacks of gold.

The knight took them, and the very next day he set off on a journey eastward, knowing that the worm would return the next year and his lie would be uncovered. But now he was wealthy, and in distant lands would make a comfortable life.

However as he left the borders of the kingdom rejoicing, the worm appeared behind, for it had pursued him after discovering no more gold and a missing egg. He urged his horse into a gallop, but the worm was faster.

“Liar! Thief!” cried the worm. “Give me what is mine!”

The knight feared for his life and threw the metal egg, but the worm kept pursuing.

“Deceiver! Robber!” it hissed. “Give me what is mine!”

He threw one sack of gold, but the worm kept pursuing.

“Cheat! Burglar!” it growled. “Give me what is mine!”

He threw the other sack of gold, but the worm kept pursuing.

“Trickster! Bandit!” it roared. “Give me what is mine!”

He threw his armor and the last of his belongings, and the worm smelled that he had no more and let him run. But now, penniless, empty-handed, and ashamed, he could not return and rather lived in the desert as a hermit ever after.