(Rewriting LGBT version of an already existing tale, as part of a contest. The contest have finally been cancelled before giving any results)
In a realm where magic danced in the air and the echoes of enchantment whispered through the forests, there lived a widow burdened with two offspring. The elder, Elzerilda, was her mother's very shadow, both in spirit and appearance, their demeanor as unwelcoming as a thorny bush. The younger, Lulis, was a boy whose nature was as pure as a clear stream, reflecting the virtues of his late father. His features were as striking as the rarest painting, drawing the gaze of all who passed by. The mother's affection was lavished upon Elzerilda, while harboring a disdain for Lulis, for she had always wished for daughters, not sons. Lulis was relegated to the life of a servant—eating scraps in the kitchen, sleeping on the damp cellar floor, and toiling without respite.
Lulis's tasks were many, but none so arduous as fetching water from a well, a journey that took him far from the comfort of even the kitchen's hearth. The jug he carried was a burden, heavy and unyielding, and it was with great effort that he managed this chore twice each day.
One fateful day, as Lulis struggled at the well, a beggar woman approached, her throat parched with thirst.
"Kind sir, might I trouble you for a sip of water?" she implored.
"With pleasure, dear lady," Lulis replied, his voice a soothing balm. He cleansed his pitcher and filled it with the well's clearest water, holding it steady for the woman to quench her thirst.
The good woman, having drunk, smiled warmly at him. She was actually a kind fairy in disguise.
"Good boy." she whispered. "For your compassion, I bestow a gift upon you. With each word you say, a Flower or a Precious Stone will come out of your mouth."
Bewildered by her words, Lulis returned home, carrying the heavy jug. Upon his arrival, his mother scolded him for his tardiness, not giving him time to answer, she started beating him.
"I'm sorry, mother, please stop."
And while saying these words, two Roses, two Pearls, and two large Diamonds came out of his mouth.
"What sorcery is this?" His mother exclaimed, so surprised that she forgot to hit him. "I see that Pearls and Diamonds come out of his mouth; tell me where does this come from, my son?"
Lulis, who had never before been addressed as a son by his own mother, told her naively about his encounter at the well,, not without throwing an infinity of Diamonds.
"Really." said the mother. "I have to send my daughter there. Look, Elzerilda, witness your brother's fortune. Would you not desire such a gift? You have only to go and draw water from the well, and when a poor old woman asks you for a drink, give it to her honestly."
"Me? Go to the well?" growled the vulgar young woman. "Why should I? That's Lulis' job!"
"You will go, and you will not defy me."
Elzerilda, grumbling, took up a delicate silver flask far lighter than Lulis' jug and reluctantly went to the well.
As Elzerilda approached the well, a woman in regal attire emerged from the woods. It was the same enchantress who had graced her brother with fortune, now adorned like a beautiful princess, to test the extent of Elzerilda's vanity.
"Kind lady," she said gently. "I am lost and thirsty. Might you spare some water?"
"Judging by your finery, you can afford to buy your own," Elzerilda retorted, her words as venomous as snakes. "Drink if you must, for all I care."
The enchantress, unflustered by the slight, replied,
"Your heart seems devoid of the warmth of kindness. Thus, I bestow upon you a gift befitting your nature: for every word you utter, a serpent or toad shall emerge."
Disbelieving and dismissive, Elzerilda returned home, where her mother eagerly awaited news of the promised gift.
"What fortune have you brought, my child?" the mother inquired.
"I shall never fetch water again!" Elzerilda spat, and with her words, a trio of serpents and toads slithered and hopped forth.
"O heaven!" cried the mother. "What do I see there? Curse that boy! He has brought this misfortune upon us!"
Fueled by fury, she stormed into the kitchen, where Lulis was innocently preparing supper, unleashing a torrent of blows upon him for hours, with kicks and sticks. Once she finally departed, Lulis fled into the forest, his body battered, his spirit unbroken. He collapsed by a serene lake, cleansing his wounds in its healing waters. Luckily, his face hadn't been touched.
A horse's neigh startled him, and as he turned, he beheld a figure of nobility. It was the crown prince, returning from the hunt, who dismounted with haste upon seeing Lulis's distress.
"Young man, what sorrow has befallen you? Who would dare harm one with such a gentle countenance?" the prince inquired, visibly concerned for him.
"Alas! Sir, it's my mother. My sister always had her favors while I served as her servant."
"This is awful."
Lulis shared his tale, and as he spoke, the prince was captivated not only by the jewels that fell from Lulis's lips but by the resilience and purity that shone in his eyes. Love took root in the prince's heart, swift and irrevocable.
Deeming Lulis's gift and character of greater value than any dowry, the prince escorted him to the palace, declaring his intent to wed him before the king. The king, yearning for his son's happiness, embraced Lulis as his own.
The royal twins, the prince's kids brothers, adored Lulis, who soothed them with lullabies of hope and love.
The prince, wanting justice for his love, dispatched his guards to apprehend his cruel mother. They found her unperturbed, her demeanor cold as stone, and Elzerilda nowhere to be found.
"I chased her away," the mother said with a shrug, "for the snakes and toads she spewed. Where she's gone is of no concern to me."
Despite the harshness he had endured, Lulis's heart harbored no malice. When the prince recounted the mother's indifference towards Elzerilda's disappearance, Lulis felt a pang of worry for his sister.
"She may have been cruel," he said, "but she is still my sister. We must find her, for she is alone and without friends."
Moved by Lulis's compassion, the prince ordered a search throughout the kingdom. The guards scoured the land, following whispers and rumors of Elzerilda's whereabouts. Villagers spoke of fleeting glimpses of a woman whose sharp tongue had softened, a woman who seemed less the haughty figure they once knew.
It was a traveler who stumbled upon Elzerilda's lifeless form, nestled in the roots of an old willow. The forest, in its silent wisdom, had offered her a final resting place, free from the scorn of the world.
The royal twins, innocent and unjaded, mourned the aunt they would never meet. Lulis, ever compassionate, ensured his sister received a proper farewell. Though she had been cruel, she was still of his blood, and he honored her memory with a dignified ceremony. The kingdom, touched by the tale of the siblings, came to pay their respects, acknowledging that even a heart once hardened could find solace in the end.
In the wake of loss, Lulis and his prince found solace in each other and in the joy of the children they adopted and their legacy became one of love, a beacon of hope in a world that had once known only the shadows of greed and envy.
And so, in a land where magic was real and kindness the greatest treasure, Lulis and the prince lived happily ever after, their lives a testament to the power of a pure heart.
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