The Triplets and the Treasure of the North

The trouble that befalls men who seek after gold.

Recap: Our narrator is a young maiden, unable to say her own name and cursed to wander the fairy woods until the spell on her is broken. During her trek through the forest, she spots the silhouette of two men walking toward her.

The woods are a terrible place to be when you’re alone.

When I saw the shape of two figures headed in my direction, I searched for a place to hide, flinging myself into the moss behind a huge misshapen tree.

In doing so, I nearly crushed a patch of purple forest lilies, my favorite flower.

So I stumbled forward on my knees and unwittingly bumped a throng of dead branches and vines, announcing my presence with both motion and noise.

“‘Lo, lady,” called one of the men. “What brings you to the wood?”

I staggered to my feet, heat rushing into my face, and picked a lily.

“Just picking flowers,” I said. The magic in my veins buzzed against the lie.

The two men who emerged in my view were identical in features and appearance, tall and strong with reddish blond hair, clothed in mountain gear, and laden with heavy packs.

They were as miserable folk as I had ever seen.

“What’s happened?” I asked, alarmed at their dismay. “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

“We are three,” said the first man. “I am Terren. This is Torren. And our brother is Tirren.”

I looked around, seeing only two of them.

“Tirren is just like us,” said Torren, the other man. “We have come down from the mountains, for we have just found the Treasure of the North.”

I had heard about the Treasure of the North in fables. It was rumored to be a lost inheritance from one of the kings of the ancient country, rife with gemstones, pearls, and pure gold.

And these men were wearing it on their backs.

“Say, perhaps you should tell no one what you’ve found,” I said, dumbfounded. “I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the magical wolf. What good are riches if you’re dead?”

“We are giving it all away,” said Terren.

“All our years we wanted to find it,” said Torren. “We heard the stories as children. We trained ourselves to sleep on stone, to starve, to hike the highest peaks. Tirren did it with us, but he never spoke much of the treasure. He wanted to protect us from the dangers of the journey. He warned us against the trouble that befalls men who seek after gold.”

“But when we came of age, we set off to find the treasure,” said Terren. “We passed the Kingdom of the Giants. We swam the Enchanted Lake. We crossed into the Void, where we had to split up and take three paths.”

“Terren and I did not find it on our paths,” said Torren. “So we went up Tirren’s path to look for him. He had found the treasure, you see. But it was cursed. On the great box was a protection spell that would kill the person who opened it.”

The brothers hesitated, heads bowed.

Quietly, I gave them the purple lily in my hand.

They looked up at me.

They were the richest men I had ever met, but from their eyes I knew they had never been poorer.

“What is your name, lady?” said Terren.

I coughed, still reacting to the impulse to say my name. I stamped my foot in frustration. At least I could say my mother’s name.

“Call me Judith of the Wood,” I said.

“Judith, clearly you are on a journey,” said Terren. “No woman wanders here for flowers. Do not go north. Go home.”

I shook my head, dispirited. They glanced at one another.

Torren rifled through his bag. “If you must go, take this with you,” he said. He pulled out a key, then took a lace from one of his leather boots and hung the key on it to make a necklace.

He handed it to me. “This unlocked the treasure box. We think some of the protection spell is still on it. It will keep you safe.”

Terren filled a small bag with gold and gemstones and placed it in my hand. “For all the provisions you might need.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I said.

“Thank Tirren,” said Terren. “By his death, he has made the world rich.”

“I will never forget him,” I said. “You look to be two, but you are three.”

They nodded at me, mirror images of one another, and for a moment I could imagine Tirren right there with them.

I traveled on, warm from my good fortune; but the impending sunset spurred my sense of urgency. And in my urgency, I got lost.

I had taken an overgrown trail in hopes of reaching the next village faster. But as I finally broke through the suffocating trees and into the open air, my foot dropped into a hole of watery sludge.

“‘Ware, maiden,” said a voice behind me. “For you’ve just entered the Swamp King’s territory.”