My granddaughter, Bethany, and I were looking at the stars in the sky a few nights ago and we could clearly see the outline of two Unicorns, both reared up on their back legs, and facing each other. She asked me about why that particular star formation looked so much like two Unicorns. This is the story I told her. My grandfather told it to me over 50 years ago. I am thankful that I was able to recall it and hope, grandfather, that it is just exactly like you told to me.

Back in the ancient days, prior to King Arthur, there were many, many small kingdoms throughout the land. Some were very good and kind kingdoms with good and kind rulers. Other kingdoms did not have rulers who were good and kind. It was those kingdoms that would raid the other kingdoms, burning their homes, killing many of the people, and taking the rest as slaves.

As time passed, there became fewer and fewer good and kind kingdoms. This story is about one of those kingdoms; it was called the Unicorn Kingdom. It was called the Unicorn Kingdom because it was the very last kingdom on earth that had any Unicorns left alive. For those of you who don’t know exactly how to recognize a Unicorn, I will try to explain to you how I visualize a Unicorn. A Unicorn is like a large pony with a horn in the middle of its forehead. All Unicorns are perfectly snow white, with light blue eyes and sparkling black hooves. People do not see them very often and when they are seen, it is only by people who have a very kind and good at heart. In the Unicorn Kingdom, the kindest and most caring person there was Princess Bethany. Princess Bethany was a very happy young princess. When she would go into the forest to check on the three Unicorns there, all of the other birds and animals would come out to greet her. She would always talk to the animals and she made them happy too.

About this same time, there was also a young magician with very special powers. His name was Merlin. Yes, this is the same Merlin who the magician for King Arthur. Back in that time, anyone with very, very special powers was called a magician and Merlin had tremendous powers. But Merlin’s powers were limited. He could only use his power for the good of the people.

Merlin had been traveling for many days before he walked into the Unicorn Kingdom. He was tired and hungry, so the fruit of the trees in the Unicorn Kingdom made him feel much better. Merlin, like Princess Bethany, also attracted the forest animals and he also talked to them. None of the forest animals were afraid of Merlin, because they could sense that he was a very good and kind person.

Suddenly, Merlin saw a Unicorn lying on the path in front of him. It had been shot with 13 arrows and the horn from the middle of its forehead had been cut off. Just as Merlin got closer, a group of the Princess’s guards came by and arrested Merlin for taking the life of one of the Kingdoms last three Unicorns. The guards tied Merlin’s hands together and took him directly to Princess Bethany.

Merlin told Princess Bethany his story about what happened. He explained that he couldn’t have killed the Unicorn because he didn’t have a bow and arrow. Princess Bethany believed him and ordered the guards to untie Merlin. She had heard about Merlin and asked him to have dinner with her that night so she could talk to him about the trouble she was having in her Kingdom.

At dinner, Princess Bethany explained to Merlin that there used to be many, many Unicorns in her Kingdom. They had all died of old age, except for the three, and now one of them had been killed. The Unicorn that Merlin had found earlier in the day was the first one that had ever been shot by the raiding, mean, neighboring Kingdom of Gono. She was sure the ruler of the Gono Kingdom would find out that the horn of the Unicorn they took could be used to heal the sick, and even make an arrow or sword wound disappear. If they found out, they would surely be back to take the horns from the other two Unicorns. Princess Bethany further explained that she could not bring the two remaining Unicorns inside the castle walls for safety, because the Unicorns could not live unless they remained completely free. Princess Bethany did not want to chase the two remaining Unicorns from the forest, because the people of her kingdom enjoyed seeing the Unicorns so very much. The people of her kingdom would often go to a hill top to watch the Unicorns graze in the grasslands below. No one, except Princess Bethany, ever tried to get close to the Unicorns because they didn’t want to chase them away from the kingdom. Somehow, the Unicorns had always seemed to bring prosperity and happiness to the kingdom.

Princess Bethany’s problem was that she didn’t want to chase the two remaining Unicorns from the forest because she and all of the other people in the kingdom enjoyed seeing them and having them around so much. But she couldn’t just not do anything because she knew the raiders from the Gono Kingdom would soon be back to kill the other two Unicorns to get their horns.

Merlin thought and thought. Finally, he had an idea. He and Princess Bethany went into the forest to search for the remaining two Unicorns. When they were deep into the forest, the two Unicorns came up to them. The Unicorns knew that Merlin and Princess Bethany were both very kind and good people. Merlin began explaining his plan to Princess Bethany and the two Unicorns. Just then, raiders from the Gono Kingdom were seen advancing from both sides. They had their bows and arrows ready to kill the two Unicorns. Princess Bethany and the two Unicorns quickly agreed that Merlin’s plan was the only thing they could do. As the raiders got closer, Merlin waved his arms into the sky. With a flash of light, a bright shiny roadway was created up into the sky. The two Unicorns jumped onto the roadway and ran quickly into the sky. As soon as the Unicorns were high in the sky on the roadway, they reared up on their back legs and faced each other. Then they disappeared in the sky. Merlin quickly waved his arms again and the roadway was gone.

Upon seeing Merlin’s powerful magic, the raiders from the Gono Kingdom became afraid. They ran back as fast as they could to the Gono Kingdom and were never seen or heard from again. Everyone was very sad that they could no longer see the Unicorns. That night, Merlin took everyone to the hill top. Sure enough, there in the night sky was the outline in the stars of the two Unicorns reared up on their back legs and facing each other. Everyone was happy that they could see the two Unicorns and went outside on every clear night after that to look for them.

If you want to see the two Unicorns, just as people of the Unicorn Kingdom did thousands of years ago, all you have to do is look into the night sky. If you are a good and kind person, you will see their outline in the stars too.

Good luck!