The Enchanted Blacksmith of Arrington🔊

Once upon a time in the quaint town of Arrington, known for its rolling hills, limpid brooks and blooming wildflowers, lived a solitary blacksmith named Auxentius. Now, while the rest of the bustling world chased after modernity, Auxentius was content living in his simplicity and solitude, forging marvelous creations that were sought after far and wide.

Auxentius possessed an extraordinary ability. He could imbue emotions into the objects he crafted. If he was pleased, his creations would possess a distinctive look, a shimmer of joy. If he was gloomy, they’d turn out somber and melancholic. Radiating these emotions, they would affect their eventual owners and the spaces they were in.

One day, a royal decree from the city of Varin arrived. It was from Princess Isolde, requesting a beautiful piece of an iron wrought gate, for her secret garden. Despite his loneliness, it was known that Auxentius had a soft spot for the Princess, whose kindness and beauty was revered across the kingdoms.

Taking a deep breath, Auxentius got to work. His heart ebbed with a perceptible excitement and longing that found their way into the ornate scrolls and curves of the gate. It was, without doubt, the swan song of his craftsmanship. Prized with emotion, it was imbued mostly with adoration, longing, and hope.

The splendid gate was installed in the secret garden of the palace. When Princess Isolde first saw it, she was moved. She felt an unspeakable emotion radiating from it, an emotion she found herself reciprocating. For days on end, she would sit by that gate, consumed by the feelings it transmitted, and found herself longing for the source. A strange magnetism filled her heart, and she requested her father, the King, to invite the blacksmith to the royal ball.

Auxentius was unsure of why he was invited to the royal palace, as his social interactions were infrequent and largely vendor-focused. Entered in his soot-stained apron, Auxentius felt out of place amidst the silk and satin of the court. But when he saw Isolde, resplendent in her royal blue gown, everything else faded into insignificance.

The Princess, seeing Auxentius, felt the same emotions she felt near the gate. Without the ambiguity of the gate and the clarity of the person in front, she knew that those emotions were directed towards her. By the end of the night, completely moved, she confessed her feelings to Auxentius.

The blacksmith, humble and astonished, confessed that he too nurtured the same feelings for her and it was these feelings that he'd injected into his work - the gate for her garden.

Overjoyed, they sought the king's approval for their union. Initially hesitant, the king finally agreed, witnessing their sincere love, something he wanted his daughter to always be surrounded with. They married and Auxentius no longer forged for customers worldwide but specifically for his queen, and his creations were full of nothing but pure love.

Their love story, as magical as it may sound, was the stuff of legends in Arrington, sung by minstrels, and told to children as bedtime stories. It was an enduring tale of love, hope, and magic, emanating from a simple blacksmith’s heart, touching lives for generations.