Chapter 7: A Gentle Breeze Homeward
With Afiong’s hairstyling complete and her vanity abolished, the benevolent old crone proclaimed, “You have learned humility, dear child. And for that, I shall use my ancient powers to send you homeward on the gentlest of winds.”
The crone lifted her gnarled hands, uttering an arcane incantation to summon the warm, roseate breezes of the mortal realm. The fragrant zephyrs swirled about Afiong’s slender form until she was enveloped in their rapturous embrace.
Just before the winds whisked her away, the magical elder bestowed parting gifts – shimmering anklets and an amulet to always remind Afiong of her hard-won wisdom and grace.
“May you forever after walk the path of humility, dear one,” the crone smiled serenely. “And resist the poisonous allure of vanity that so very nearly damned you here.”
With that, the zephyrs intensified into a whirlwind vortex, tenderly sweeping Afiong up and propelling her homeward in a dizzying spiral of flower petals and motes of light.
When at last the celestial cyclone subsided, Afiong found herself deposited just outside the palace gates of her father’s kingdom. She had returned! But in the wake of her haunting ordeal, she felt like an entirely new woman reborn.
Chapter 8: Wisdom Regained
Weak from her mystical travels yet brimming with euphoria, Afiong burst through the main doors to be instantly embraced by her overjoyed parents. For mournful months, they had feared the worst for their headstrong daughter after her disappearance.
“My precious Afiong!” they rejoiced through relieved tears. “You have returned to us a paragon of humility and inner grace…but how?”
And so Afiong recounted every step of her perilous journey – from her reckless ego and thoughtless arrogance, to the hard-learned lessons courtesy of the vile spirit bridegroom and his compassionate mother’s wisdom. When her tale was done, the king and queen could scarcely believe the powerful transformation their Afiong had undergone.
In honor of her profound rebirth, the kingdom celebrated for eight days and eight starry nights. There were lavish feasts, jubilant dances, and the gratified smiles of parents whose daughter had been returned to them virtuous and whole.
When the revels finally subsided, the king made a proclamation that would echo through future generations: “Let it be known that no more shall strangers whisk away our youth with their deceptions. Afiong’s folly shall be a hard-won parable of choosing wisdom over fleeting vanities.”
And from that day forward, humble Princess Afiong embraced her kingdom’s most worthy prince, a good-hearted man who saw her for the enlightened soul she had become. Together, they started a family and strived to raise their children on the virtues and hard lessons Afiong brought back from the spirit realm’s cold slap of truth.
For only when one casts off the lures of pride and arrogance can they find true belonging, love and happiness at last.
The End.
