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Description
Contest entry for Seduced by the Sun's “Create Your Own Fairytale”: [link]

The Five Scales:

There was a seaside kingdom ruled by a kind and just king. His name was well known throughout the lands and his kingdom was a happy one, rich in its trades of rare spices across the globe. In a voyage personally accompanied by the king himself, their ship was blown off course and damaged in a storm. The sun's first rays of light found them along the shores of an unknown island.

Timber strong, sweet clean water, and exotic fruits were found for replenishment, but the king had made a most startling discovery. Awe-stricken was his crew when the young king came walking out of the woods with the most beautiful woman any of the men had ever seen. The young king announced that this woman would be his wife, and their queen upon their arrival home.

The crew did not argue but celebrated with the couple, and the kingdom rejoiced when they were married. The people loved their beautiful queen as much as their king. But this did not keep rumors of the queen's mysterious arrival from surfacing....

The truth is that the queen was in fact a sea goddess, a naja, who in fact, almost ate the king when he stumbled upon her on the island. But as he was about to take his last breath, he told the goddess she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, snake tail and all, and asked her to marry him. The naja woman was flabbergasted to say the least, having her meal vehemently praise her beauty and so she fell in love with the mortal.

“Your wife I shall be,” the goddess replied, “Take these as my wedding gifts.”

A light shrouded her and as it melted away she stood on two legs instead of her gold snake tail, and she handed him five golden scales.

“Mortal I am now, but these contain my immortality and power. Each will grant you, my love, a wish and are valuable beyond anything in the world.”

The four of the scales were placed in an ornate box covered with rubies within the treasure vaults of the castle, guarded ferociously. The fifth was made into an earring that the king never took off, keeping a part of his wife with him wherever he may go. But the rumor and myth behind their powers trickled over the lands in the many happy years the rulers shared together.

The first scale was used to cure a drought that plagued the kingdom's inland farms, the worst in centuries. What the drought had turned to dust, the scale's rains brought back to life. The people rejoiced and praised their benevolent rulers, even if the queen was a sea goddess.

The second was used to cure the little princess born unto the rulers only precious months before. The kingdom's peoples begged the king to use a treasured scale to save his daughter from disease, the people's pride and joy. Distraught with the selfishness of the wish, he cured all of the kingdom's sick and injured, saving his daughter's life as well. The people sang praises of their benevolent rulers and princess, thanking the heavens that their queen was a sea goddess, despite the nasty rumors that she used to have fangs and a snake tail.

A jealous king whose heart wast twisted by greed and power did everything within his power to have the scales smuggled to him. Success was his only in part, as the third scale did reach his greedy hands. His wish destroyed nearly all of seaside kingdom's ships, trading and war alike. His naval fleet invaded the happy kingdom and victory was surely to be his. Even the people's beloved king was injured in an attack made.

So, as he lay in his bed wounded and unable to move, his beautiful wife snuck out of the kingdom with a scale in hand. She stood high upon a cliff watching the fleet attacking her cherished home and made her wish. The power she once commanded filled her and she tore apart the enemy's ships, dragging them all down to the watery depths below.

'Come to the sea.... Come home where you belong....' The scale cried out as she watched the last of the ships being stricken to bits. It's melody was seductive, but she loved her husband and infant daughter, so she let the power wink out and the scale crumble to dust.

Months passed and the king noticed a change in his wife. She seemed wistful and often she would be found on their balcony watching the sea with longing. The king and his peoples despaired as they watched the queen waste away as the strange sickness took hold of her. The king realized one day what it was that ailed her and made a decision.

He walked with her hand in hand, along the beach. They talked about all the happy times they had shared and when the king pulled his hand away from hers, the queen looked at hers in question. The fifth scale lay in her palm.

The king was releasing her from her mortal hold and begged her to retake her powers and become the sea goddess once again. The sea's call was what was killing her, it's alluring song of passion and promise asking the goddess to return to it.

As the light faded she stood before him as the goddess that nearly ate him all those years ago, smiling. Tears filled their eyes as they kissed last, and more yet as she disappeared within the sea.

The people mourned the queen's absence but knew they were lucky because the goddess of the sea would forever smile upon their kingdom and continue to bless them.

Cliff: [link]

Ships: [link]
[link]

Sky: [link]

Model: [link]

City: [link]

Sea: [link]

Waves: Caustic Stock - [link]
[link]

Brushes: [link]
[link]

Description
Contest entry for Seduced by the Sun's “Create Your Own Fairytale”: [link]

The Five Scales:

There was a seaside kingdom ruled by a kind and just king. His name was well known throughout the lands and his kingdom was a happy one, rich in its trades of rare spices across the globe. In a voyage personally accompanied by the king himself, their ship was blown off course and damaged in a storm. The sun's first rays of light found them along the shores of an unknown island.

Timber strong, sweet clean water, and exotic fruits were found for replenishment, but the king had made a most startling discovery. Awe-stricken was his crew when the young king came walking out of the woods with the most beautiful woman any of the men had ever seen. The young king announced that this woman would be his wife, and their queen upon their arrival home.

The crew did not argue but celebrated with the couple, and the kingdom rejoiced when they were married. The people loved their beautiful queen as much as their king. But this did not keep rumors of the queen's mysterious arrival from surfacing....

The truth is that the queen was in fact a sea goddess, a naja, who in fact, almost ate the king when he stumbled upon her on the island. But as he was about to take his last breath, he told the goddess she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, snake tail and all, and asked her to marry him. The naja woman was flabbergasted to say the least, having her meal vehemently praise her beauty and so she fell in love with the mortal.

“Your wife I shall be,” the goddess replied, “Take these as my wedding gifts.”

A light shrouded her and as it melted away she stood on two legs instead of her gold snake tail, and she handed him five golden scales.

“Mortal I am now, but these contain my immortality and power. Each will grant you, my love, a wish and are valuable beyond anything in the world.”

The four of the scales were placed in an ornate box covered with rubies within the treasure vaults of the castle, guarded ferociously. The fifth was made into an earring that the king never took off, keeping a part of his wife with him wherever he may go. But the rumor and myth behind their powers trickled over the lands in the many happy years the rulers shared together.

The first scale was used to cure a drought that plagued the kingdom's inland farms, the worst in centuries. What the drought had turned to dust, the scale's rains brought back to life. The people rejoiced and praised their benevolent rulers, even if the queen was a sea goddess.

The second was used to cure the little princess born unto the rulers only precious months before. The kingdom's peoples begged the king to use a treasured scale to save his daughter from disease, the people's pride and joy. Distraught with the selfishness of the wish, he cured all of the kingdom's sick and injured, saving his daughter's life as well. The people sang praises of their benevolent rulers and princess, thanking the heavens that their queen was a sea goddess, despite the nasty rumors that she used to have fangs and a snake tail.

A jealous king whose heart wast twisted by greed and power did everything within his power to have the scales smuggled to him. Success was his only in part, as the third scale did reach his greedy hands. His wish destroyed nearly all of seaside kingdom's ships, trading and war alike. His naval fleet invaded the happy kingdom and victory was surely to be his. Even the people's beloved king was injured in an attack made.

So, as he lay in his bed wounded and unable to move, his beautiful wife snuck out of the kingdom with a scale in hand. She stood high upon a cliff watching the fleet attacking her cherished home and made her wish. The power she once commanded filled her and she tore apart the enemy's ships, dragging them all down to the watery depths below.

'Come to the sea.... Come home where you belong....' The scale cried out as she watched the last of the ships being stricken to bits. It's melody was seductive, but she loved her husband and infant daughter, so she let the power wink out and the scale crumble to dust.

Months passed and the king noticed a change in his wife. She seemed wistful and often she would be found on their balcony watching the sea with longing. The king and his peoples despaired as they watched the queen waste away as the strange sickness took hold of her. The king realized one day what it was that ailed her and made a decision.

He walked with her hand in hand, along the beach. They talked about all the happy times they had shared and when the king pulled his hand away from hers, the queen looked at hers in question. The fifth scale lay in her palm.

The king was releasing her from her mortal hold and begged her to retake her powers and become the sea goddess once again. The sea's call was what was killing her, it's alluring song of passion and promise asking the goddess to return to it.

As the light faded she stood before him as the goddess that nearly ate him all those years ago, smiling. Tears filled their eyes as they kissed last, and more yet as she disappeared within the sea.

The people mourned the queen's absence but knew they were lucky because the goddess of the sea would forever smile upon their kingdom and continue to bless them.

Cliff: [link]

Ships: [link]
[link]

Sky: [link]

Model: [link]

City: [link]

Sea: [link]

Waves: Caustic Stock - [link]
[link]

Brushes: [link]
[link]