UPCOMING FEUILLETON - SNOW QUEEN THE ARCANA FUSION

 So I downloaded The Arcana visual novel and I was hooked instantly by both the premise and the occult motifs (Tarot, chakras) as well as the ensemble cast that I thought - why not a Snow Queen fusion starring the Devorak siblings - and also with East of the Sun, West of the Moon motifs? Right in time for Samhain I will alternate my rewrites of stories in Swedish with this feuilleton that will contain also references to Utena and to Shakespeare (Story the First will be a reference to Macbeth with Valerius and the courtiers speaking in rhyme) and William Morris' Cupid and Psyche (

Thenceforth her back upon the world she turned

As she had known it; in her heart there burned
Such deathless love, that still untired she went:
The huntsman dropping down the woody bent,
In the still evening, saw her passing by,
And for her beauty fain would draw anigh,

But yet durst not; the shepherd on the down
Wondering, would shade his eyes with fingers brown,
As on the hill's brow, looking o’er the lands,
She stood with straining eyes and clasped hands,
While the wind blew the raiment from her feet;
The wandering soldier her grey eyes would meet,
That took no heed of him, and drop his own;
Like a thin dream she passed the clattering town;
On the thronged quays she watched the ships come in
Patient, amid the strange outlandish din;
Unscared she saw the sacked towns' miseries,
And marching armies passed before her eyes.
And still of her ...
None did her wrong, although alone and fair.
Through rough and smooth she wandered many a day,

Till all her hope had well-nigh passed away.

...

NOW, midst her wanderings, on a hot noontide,
Psyche passed down a road, where, on each side

The yellow cornfields lay, although as yet
Unto the stalks no sickle had been set;
The lark sung over them, the butterfly
Flickered from ear to ear distractedly,
The kestrel hung above, the weasel peered
From out the wheat stalks on her unafeard,
Along the road the trembling poppies shed
On the burnt grass their crumpled leaves and red;
Most lonely was it, nothing Psyche knew
Unto what land of all the world she drew
Aweary was she, faint and sick at heart,
Bowed to the earth by thoughts of that sad part
She needs must play: some blue flower from the corn
That in her fingers erewhile she had borne,
Now dropped from them, still clung unto her gown;
Over the hard way hung her head adown
Despairingly, but still her weary feet
Moved on half conscious, her lost love to meet.
So going, at the last she raised her eyes,
And saw a grassy mound before her rise
Over the yellow plain, and thereon was
A marble fane with doors of burnished brass,
That ’twixt the pillars set about it burned;
So thitherward from off the road she turned,
And soon she heard a rippling water sound,

And reached a stream that girt the hill around,
Whose green waves wooed her body lovingly;
So looking round, and seeing no soul anigh,
Unclad, she crossed the shallows, and there laid
Her dusty raiment in the alder-shade,

And slipped adown into the shaded pool,
And with the pleasure of the water cool
Soothed her tired limbs awhile, then with a sigh
Came forth, and clad her body hastily,
And up the hill made for the little fane.
But when its threshold now her feet did gain,
She, looking through the pillars of the shrine,

Beheld therein a golden image shine

...

she passed
The brazen threshold once again, and cast

A dreary hopeless look across the plain,
Whose golden beauty now seemed nought and vain
Unto her aching heart; then down the hill
She went, and crossed the shallows of the rill,
And wearily she went upon her way,

 There, waking at the dawn, did she behold,
Nor any homestead passed upon that day,
Nor any hamlet, and at night lay down
Within a wood, far off from any town.

Through the green leaves, a glimmer as of gold,

Worthy to be the ransom of great kings;

...

Then wearily she went upon her way,

1560

And so, about the middle of the day,
She came before a green and flowery place,
Walled round about in manner of a chase,
Whereof the gates as now were open wide;
Fair grassy glades and long she saw inside

1565

Betwixt great trees, down which the unscared deer
Were playing; yet a pang of deadly fear,
She knew not why, shot coldly through her heart,
[434] And thrice she turned as though she would depart,
And thrice returned, and in the gateway stood

1570

With wavering feet: small flowers as red as blood
Were growing up amid the soft green grass,
And here and there a fallen rose there was,
And on the trodden grass a silken lace,
As though crowned revellers had passed by the place;

1575

The restless sparrows chirped upon the wall
And faint far music on her ears did fall,
And from the trees within, the pink-foot doves
Still told their weary tale unto their loves,
And all seemed peaceful more than words could say.

1580

Then she, whose heart still whispered, "Keep away,"
Was drawn by strong desire unto the place,
So toward the greenest glade she set her face,
Murmuring, "Alas! and what a wretch am I,
That I should fear the summer's greenery!

1585

Yea, and is death now any more an ill,
When lonely through the world I wander still."
But when she was amidst those ancient groves,
Whose close green leaves and choirs of moaning doves
Shut out the world, then so alone she seemed,

1590

So strange, her former life was but as dreamed;
Beside the hopes and fears that drew her on,
Till so far through that green place she had won,
That she a rose-hedged garden could behold
Before a house made beautiful with gold;

1595

Which, to her mind beset with that past dream,
And dim foreshadowings of ill fate, did seem
That very house, her joy and misery,
Where that fair sight her longing eyes did see
They should not see again; but now the sound

1600

Of pensive music ringing all around,
Made all things like a picture, and from thence
Bewildering odours floating, dulled her sense,
And killed her fear, and, urged by strong desire
[435] To see how all should end, she drew yet nigher,

1605

And o’er the hedge beheld the heads of girls
Embraced by garlands fresh and orient pearls,
And heard sweet voices murmuring; then a thrill
Of utmost joy all memory seemed to kill
Of good or evil, and her eager hand

1610

Was on the wicket, then her feet did stand
Upon new flowers, the while her dizzied eyes
Gazed wildly round on half-seen mysteries,
And wandered from unnoting face to face.
For round a fountain midst the flowery place

1615

Did she behold full many a minstrel girl;
While nigh them, on the grass in giddy whirl,
Bright raiment and white limbs and sandalled feet
Flew round in time unto the music sweet,
Whose strains no more were pensive now or sad,

1620

But rather a fresh sound of triumph had;
And round the dance were gathered damsels fair,
Clad in rich robes adorned with jewels rare;
Or little hidden by some woven mist,
That, hanging round them, here a bosom kissed

1625

And there a knee, or driven by the wind

About some lily's bowing stem was twined.)

, as well as the Tale of the Brother from Kissing the Witch...
And, passing on, amidst an oak grove found
A gold-adorned pillared temple round,
Whose walls were hung with rich and precious things,

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/TheArcana

https://thearcanagame.fandom.com/wiki/Characters

https://thearcanagame.fandom.com/wiki/Tarot_Deck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmUJNlJreU4&t=30s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ROGZWStn7Q

https://thearcanagame.fandom.com/wiki/World

Without further ado, let me introduce this year's Samhain feuilleton: 

EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON, NORTH OF THE STAR 

An Adventure in Seven Stories

Story the First: About a Shattered Egg of Mirrors

Story the Second: Julian and Portia

Srory the Third: Leaving Nevivon

Story the Fourth: Count and Countess

Story the Fifth: The Warrior Queen

Story the Sixth: The Star, the Moon, and the Sun

Story the Seventh: What Happened at the Snow Queen's Palace and Afterwards

Valerius as the Great Troll

Volta, Vulgora, Valdemar, and Vlastomil (the two latter made the Mirror Egg) as Trolls

Portia Devorak as Gerda

Julian Devorak as Kai

Mazelinka and Lilinka as the Grandmothers

Nadia Satrinava and Lucio Morgasson as the Prince and Princess

Malak as Mr. Crow and Chandra as Mrs. Crow

Morga Eirsdottir as the Robber Mother/Robber Maiden (composite character)

Jäger as the Wood Pigeon

The Star, the Moon, and the Sun as Finnwomen/donors/cardinal winds (ever read East of the Sun or the Singing Springing Lark?)

Anastasia "Tasya" Devorak as the Snow Queen

There will also be a playlist --- and here is a little foretaste with Valerius' theme (which also fits Iago like a glove), of which some lines will be used in Story the First:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymj3ZsyRweM

Right is left and wrong is right,

in the darkness is the light...

The egg must shatter,

the shards must scatter...