Long ago, there lived a peaceful Giant named Storrish. A giant of the north, his massive form was as cold and hard as ice, save for the source of his kindness and trusting nature; his powerful warm heart. Because of his pure nature, Storrish was a natural caretaker of beasts, and was especially proud of his susoars. The three golden susoar he raised were 100 times larger than the largest susoar we have today, with mighty tusks of pure gold, the softest of pelts, and meat that was said to satisfy with a single bite. However, the peaceful giant fed not on his beasts, but loved and protected them.
One day, the young king of the north was to be wed to his queen, and wished for an unparalleled feast in celebration of his beautiful bride. The king came to Storrish and asked;
“Dear giant with such a kind heart and massive susoars, please give one to me, so I may have a grand feast for my new bride.”
Storrish wished not to lose one of his prized susoar, but also did not wish to upset the king, his ruler. So Storrish gave the king his smallest and weakest susoar, and the king departed. The king held his feast, and the susoar was slain and eaten by the kingdom.
Hearing of this saddened the Giant, who felt guilt for giving the king his susoar. Using his strength, Storrish built walls of ice around his home, and continued to raise and care for his beasts, especially his remaining susoars.
A year passed, and the queen was to give birth to a baby girl. The king, excited for this, wished for a pelt of soft fur to present the girl, his princess. Knowing of the softness of the susoar’s fur, the king approached Storrish’s home. Upon seeing the ice, the king called out;
“Dear giant! Why do you hide behind these walls?”
“My king,” Storrish replied, his two susoar by his side. “I hide because I wish to be alone, and for my susoar to not be eaten.”
The king, hearing this concern, thought of a clever lie. “Dear giant,” the king called back. “Fear not! I wish to gift a susoar to my newborn daughter! Your susoar shall not be eaten!” This calmed Storrish, though he still did not want to part with a susoar. Again, the king demanded;
“Dear giant! You must give me a susoar, for I am your king!”
The giant, not wanting to upset the king, opened the gate of the ice wall, and brought the king his second smallest and weakest susoar. The king returned to the kingdom, and slayed the beast. He had the finest robes fashioned from its hide, and presented them to his newborn daughter. In celebration, the king held another feast, and the kingdom again feasted on the susoar’s meat.
Storrish, deeply upset when he heard of this betrayal, could not bear to lose his final susoar to the king. He knew he would not be safe in the north, where the king ruled and could send his knights to harm him or his beasts. So the peaceful giant picked up his remaining susoar and beasts, and carried them south. When he reached the mountains overlooking the ocean, he settled and relaxed.
Years passed, and the princess grew up to be a beautiful woman. Her father still ruled as she was to turn eighteen. The king, loving his daughter with all of his heart, wished to celebrate her coming of age with her own castle. However, the kingdom had succumb to poverty, as many crops suffered and the wildlife that was once hunted had left with the giant. The king knew he would need the gold from the largest susoar to help fund his desires, and so he sought the giant.
When the king learned the giant had traveled south, he knew he could not travel with an army to support him, for fear of retaliation from neighboring lands. Instead, the king traveled alone, armed with powerful hunting tools and enchantments. When the king reached the southern mountains, he found Storrish tending to his beasts. The king called out to the giant;
“Dear giant! I have traveled a great many days to find you! You left my kingdom, and took with you my rightful susoar!”
The giant frowned deeply, and shook his head. “No king of the north. I wished to be alone, and for my last susoar to not be slain for your selfish desires. Please leave us in peace. We are no longer in your kingdom, and so I owe you nothing.”
This angered the king, who’s desire for the last susoar overwhelmed his mind. In a rage, he pulled his bow from his back, and fired upon Storrish. The giant blocked his attack, but the king continued to strike at the peaceful giant. Storrish, not wishing to harm the king, blocked his attacks as he backed away from him. But soon the Giant backed too far to the edge of the mountain, and with one final arrow, the king was able to weaken the giant’s footing, causing him to fall backward to the ocean below.
With a mighty crash, Storrish’s body slammed into the jagged stones below. The stones pierced his chest, gravely injuring the giant. As he looked up the mountain toward the king, he uttered his last words;
“Take my last susoar, oh vile king of the north. May her meat be sour, and may your lust for such selfish hunting be never quenched.” And with that, the Giant became still. Overtime, Storrish’s body decayed and vanished, leaving only his heart, once warm and pure, now as cold as his body, yet forever beating where the giant was felled.
The king took the susoar back with him to his kingdom, where he slaughtered it and used its golden tusks to purchase a castle for his daughter, the princess. On the night of her birthday, the king had the remaining susoar’s meat prepared and served to the kingdom. But when the king took the first bite of the meal, he gagged at the taste; a bitter, foul taste coated his tongue, and the smell of the cooked meat made him gag. The other guests did not notice anything different with the delicious meat, and ate it happily.
Later that night, as the kingdom slept happily, with full stomachs, the king sat in his room, sleepless and hungry. A scent caught his attention, and he hungrily followed it. The smell came from the Princess’ room. A sudden and violent hunger burned in the king as he silently entered the room.
The next morning, the guards found what remained of the Princess, butchered and eaten in her sleep, a look of pure horror in her open mouth, eye sockets staring toward the ceiling, empty and cold. There was no sign of the king, with many believing he had been taken or killed by the same monster that slayed the princess. But there are still rumors that say King Bundt roams the lands still, looking for selfish boys and girls to eat. So be good, lest he comes for you next.
Written by Christopher Rentko