ong ago, when King Arthur was newly crowned, he journeyed in search of adventure. He sailed from the coast of Scotland, heading toward the many islands where, people said, strange and magical creatures dwelled. Arthur was eager to know all there was to know about the world. One morning a thick fog rolled in, the wind died, and the king's boat drifted, its sails flapping aimlessly. Eventually the boat ran aground upon a rocky coast of a forested land, the vessel stuck fast in a sandbank.

Arthur jumped out of his boat and ventured into this quiet world, searching for signs of life. All was still, and it seemed as if there were no men or animals of any kind here. Suddenly he came upon a single, square, red tower rising into the fog at the edge of a forest. Arthur was startled at this sight as it was a strange tower, with no doors or windows. He was startled still more when he was hailed from the battlements by a tiny man with weathered skin and a long white beard that reached all the way to the mossy earth.

"Who are you and what do want?," the stranger asked gruffly,

"I am Arthur of Britain," he answered. "And I need help to free my ship from a sandbank."

"It is a reasonable enough request" the man replied, softening a little, "but nothing can be done until my son returns from hunting. If you are prepared to wait, we will surely help to set you on your way."

Since he had little choice and was by now curious about the man in the tower, Arthur settled down to wait. In due course he said to the man, "Please, tell me how you came to be in this desolate place all alone."

"Oh, I'm not alone," the man said. "I have all I need." And he began to tell his tale.

"Sir, you cannot tell this from where you are, but I am a dwarf and long ago I was in the service of the ruler of Northumbria. As you must know, a dwarf's life is a precarious one, and when things go wrong we are more likely than other men to catch the blame. So it happened with me, and my master had me banished and set ashore with my wife in this desolate place. She, poor lady, died almost immediately in childbirth."

"I am so sorry," Arthur said.

"Sorrow comes to us all," the man said calmly, "but I did what I had to do. After I had buried her, I wrapped the babe in her cloak and went looking for somewhere to shelter for the night from the elements and the wild beasts, for it was winter then and I feared for the child's life.

"In the forest not far from here I found a large hollow tree filled with deal leaves. As I began to make a bed for my child among the dead leaves, I heard a rustling and found a nest of fawns. They had been so well covered in leaves that I didn't see them until they moved. Each fawn had a tiny horn in the middle of its brow."

"Well, I was so taken by this sign that for a while I didn't know what to do. Then suddenly the mother returned. She was a great white beast, as large as any horse, with a horn like a lance on her brow. She had a spark in her eyes that said she believed I had been about to steal or harm her children. I panicked and ran and was just about to congratulate myself on my escape when I realized that somehow I had lost my own son. Then I heard his crying from far away and knew I must have left him back at the hollow tree.

"In fear and trembling I crept back and my heart almost stopped when the babe's crying suddenly ceased. I loved the child greatly both for his own sake and because he was all I had to remind me of my dear wife. As I crept nearer, I found the Unicorn lying in the hollow of the tree with her fawns nursing at her breast, and my own babe in there among them feeding as mightily as if he were their brother.

"That night I hid nearby, almost freezing to death, unable to decide what to do. It was plain that the Unicorn could feed the babe better than I, but how could I abandon him to the care of a wild beast? In the morning the Unicorn left to feed and I took my son and washed him and wrapped him in swaddling as best I could. I intended to return him to the nest, but before I was done, the beast returned. This time though, she greeted me in the sweetest and gentlest way, and when she lay down with her fawns she motioned with her head for me to return the child to her.

"From that day until he was weaned the Unicorn remained my son's nurse. I built a hut by the hollow tree and we lived together as a family; no evil creature daring to threaten us. Such was the goodness of the Unicorn's milk that my son grew into a giant, soon able to uproot trees with his bare hands. In time he built this tower so I should be safe when he was off hunting or at play. The Unicorn is still my son's constant companion even though her other children have gone off into the world."

As the dwarf concluded his tale, the ground began to shake. "Ah, here comes my son now," he said.

Arthur looked up at the giant striding out of the misty forest with a dead bear slung easily over one shoulder and a mighty club over the other. He looked as peaceful as any man Arthur had ever seen, and behind him came the unicorn, circled by a halo of light. She was exquisite and walked without making a sound. Arthur felt complete peace and harmony in their presence. He had heard many tales of the wonders of the unicorn, of the healing powers of its horn, but he knew he could take nothing away from this world. This land was perfect, and so it must always remain.

The mystery of the tower's absence of doors and windows was explained when the giant lifted Arthur up to the battlements, where he joined the dwarf for a feast while the giant remained outside.

The following day, the fog had drifted away. The old man and his son led Arthur to shore and helped him to launch his boat. They gave him precise directions to the outer islands and wished him well.

With peace in his heart, Arthur turned to wave good bye. He saw the two men waving at him, haloed in the light of the unicorn.

Arthur learned on his adventure that no matter how wondrous the unicorns' magic, they must never be chased, never harmed. When he returned home, he brought with him the tale of the unicorns' goodness, and forever afterward he taught his people never to hunt or subdue the creatures who brought peace and joy, goodness and love, to the world.

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