Aria
and Gabriel
Once upon a time, on an isle far to the northeast of the great Empire of the Seven Provinces lived two children: a girl named Aria, and a boy named Gabriel.
Aria was the lovely fair daughter of the isle's administrator. Her big brown eyes were as soft and gentle as a doe's.
Gabriel was dark and handsome, but an orphan. Nobody knew what had become of his parents, or even who they were. However, his ethereal fiery eyes sometimes prompted bored individuals to speculate about his parentage ... leaving them with more questions than answers.
Despite their different social classes, Gabriel and Aria were the best of friends. They would spend hours riding her pony along the beach together. Or sometimes they would gather pretty seashells (he would string them and put them around her neck). Or sometimes they would play games they had invented themselves. In fact, they could play for hours, forgetting to come home to eat; they got along so well and had so much fun together.
But their good times did not last forever. At the age of twelve, Gabriel was drafted into the military, and shipped off to another isle, where he would tend to horses until he was old enough to train for war. Both children were heartsick from this arrangement, and longed for each other's companionship. Gabriel even did extra chores for a priest, apart from his military duties, in exchange for writing and reading lessons, so that he could read Aria's letters and write back to her.
Years passed. Both children grew up more handsome and beautiful. They remained good friends through writing. Gabriel became a mounted soldier, and fought fiercely in battles against the Empire of the Seven Provinces. Aria worked for her father in the administration of the isles, often traveling to foreign places as an ambassador.
It came to be that a powerful sorcerer from a foreign land saw Aria, and became determined to make her his wife. Aria did not have a good feeling about him, and spurned his advances. Determined to make her his, the man went to her father, and arranged a marriage with him, convincing him that there would be no better match for his daughter.
Thus Aria found herself engaged to a man she mistrusted.
She went about preparing for her wedding with a feeling of morbid trepidation; she didn't understand why she felt that way so strongly. During that time, she was grateful for her lady friends, and spent a lot of time in the markets with them.
One day, however, she wanted to be alone, and rode her mare along the beach. It was the same beach where she used to play with Gabriel. She found herself missing her old childhood friend more than ever, and then, as if from her imagination ... there he was, riding towards her on a shiny bay stallion.
He was all grown up: he was tall; his shoulders were broad; rough dark stubble covered his cheeks; his white smile, which had once been cute, had become handsome; his body was strong; and he also had a few old scars on his dark skin from battle. But he was still Gabriel.
Overwhelmed with joy at seeing one another again, they leaped from their horses into an embrace, and wept tears of joy, realizing how much they cared for one another.
Alas, Aria's fiance caught them together like that. In a fit of jealous rage, he mustered up dark magic, with the intention of turning Aria into a cat.
Gabriel instinctively put himself in the way of the sorcerer's magic, and received the brunt of the spell. He was immediately transformed into a little gray cat with fiery eyes.
Aria only received part of the magic, which rendered her with some cat-like traits. She could immediately hear, see, and smell better.
Fortunately, several of the administrator's men-at-arms witnessed the sorcerer's evil deed, and though they were afraid, dog-piled on top of him, knocking him unconscious.
Poor Gabriel, now a dumb animal, spooked and ran into the brush. Aria ran after him, picked him up, and then went with several of the men-at-arms to tell her father about what had happened. Aria's father became enraged and frightened when he learned of what his future son-in-law had done ... and what he was capable of doing. He ordered his officials to execute him immediately.
It wasn't until after the sorcerer was dead Aria learned only he could undo Gabriel's spell.
Time went by, and Aria waited, hoping the magic would unravel on it's own. But every morning, she woke to a furry little critter purring by her side.
Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Months turned to years.
Aria's father tried coaxing her to move on. He sent many suitors to visit her, but she would have none of them. Her heart belonged to the little gray cat that stayed constantly by her side.
