Once upon a time the golden princess Elyanne was walking in the Enchanted Forest when she espied a beautiful unicorn.  Its dazzling white coat and golden horn stood out against the dark trees, and were reflected in the waters of the wishing pool in the fairy glade.  The princess was bewitched by this vision of beauty, and as in a dream walked up to the unicorn and laid her delicate hand upon its silken neck.

At once the sky darkened, lightning began to dance in the sky, and a terrible wind arose, whipping her long golden tresses about her face.  Too late she realised that only a pure, untouched maiden could touch a unicorn, and she HAD dallied with that stable boy last summer in the hayloft.  The sweet smell of the hay, the soft movements from the horses below and the lazy afternoon sunshine streaming though the gaps in the walls had lulled her into a hazy acceptance of the lad's blandishments, and if there had been a wind that day, caution would have been thrown to it.

Of course, she had sworn the lad to secrecy on pain of losing his tongue should it be wagged, but the damage was done.  As she stood transfixed in horror, the wizard Merlin appeared before her in his rabbit skin cloak, his long white beard quivering with rage.

Well, that's your secret out, you little trollop!' he exclaimed.  'And they all thought butter wouldn't melt in your mouth.  Hah!'

He raised his stick which later generations would come to call his wand, and intoned her punishment.  From now until two summers had passed, she would wander in the forest, apart from all her family and friends, who would believe her to be dead.  She would find shelter in damp caves, and eat leaves, berries and roots grubbed up from the soil.  She would have no human contact because he would place a spell on her so that others would be unable to see, hear, or feel her.  Of course, if she left the bounds of the forest, she would fall dead.

In a puff of smoke and a final 'Serves you right'! Merlin disappeared and she was all alone beside the wishing pool in the fairy glade, sobbing bitterly as her tears fell into the water.  Even the unicorn had disappeared, and she knew she wouldn't survive such a harsh punishment.

'What a bleedin' misery guts!' came a voice from behind her right shoulder, making her whirl in fright, fearful of what new horrors were to be visited upon her.  To her astonishment, there stood her childhood companion, Cabran the elf.

She ran to him with glad cries, then stopped and asked why he could see her.

'Well, old Merlin must be gettin' senile,' he replied.  'He forgot about me, and I'm not human.  I'm an elf, so I'm not affected by his silly spell.'

He handed her a handkerchief to dry her tears and said, 'Come on ducks, cheer up.  I'm here now so everything's going to be alright.  After all, you know what they say, as long as you've got your elf, nothing else matters!'