Juan Lopez
02/25/2019
Fairytale Re-Write
Based on The Water Of Life
Gold at the Door
I hate grass. More specifically, I hate the grass in my lawn. Somehow, the damned thing manages to grow annoyingly tall AND be an ugly shade of dead brown. If only I could afford whatever gardener the king hires, then my lawn would be gorgeous. Even just being near him, being the next door neighbor, is more of a privilege than anyone could ask for. From my own small home, I can just barely look over the walled garden at all the riches the king has.
Everyone loves the king; his sons, not so much. Princes William, James, and Edward are all known more for being nuisances than for being righteous men of honor. The king though, King Richard was known for having an unbelievable moral, intelligence like a Greek god, and the might of the Devil. So when I heard the news that the king had fallen sick, like all others in the kingdom, I was distraught.
It’s not uncommon to talk bad of the king’s sons, everyone knew they are not ready to take over. If the king died, too much harm could be done. Our kingdom is in a terribly sensitive point where one wrong move and everyone could be hurt or even killed.
Early into the morning, I saw one of the king’s sons rush out the gates on his shimmering white horse. Asking around in town, I asked the bartender in the local pub what was going on and he began to tell me the story as it’s known so far.
“Word around town is that William is the one who went out,” said the bartender.
“What do ye mean went out? Where is he going?” I asked.
“Why my lad, the Golden Orchard,” I looked at him with eyes of confusion. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard the tale of the Golden Orchard. Well, my dear boy, Legend has it somewhere, far north from our kingdom, there is an orchard filled with trees that lay Gold fruit, capable of healing any man instantly. BUT, one must be careful, every fruit in that orchard but one is poisonous and will kill in mere minutes.”
“My god, how do you know so much of this?” I asked.
“From some hermit I met 25 miles south when I got too drunk. An alright laddie, minus for o’cours, the lack of human empathy. ”
At this, I took it as my cue to leave. I headed home after what seemed like forever. Looking over the garden wall, the flags were lowered. The clouds above seemed dark as if the heavens were ready to take a soul as powerful as the king from us. I made my way to the door when a certain glimmer caught my eye on the floor. Hiding in the bush was a fruit, gold as the royal throne.
I picked it up and set it on my table, staring at it in amusement. It was glistening in the sunlight like the most beautiful piece of art ever created by man and gods alike. I then recanted to the story I was told at the bar. Could this be the very fruit that could save, or even kill the king? And if so, what the hell was it doing on my disgusting lawn?
I left it hidden in my cabinet many nights, for I did not know what to do with it. As days passed onward, the other 2 sons of the king left to find the orchard, and none returned home. News spread the king was in his last few days, and that rivaling kingdoms around were ready to siege and take everything for themselves. I didn’t dare try and speak that I had the fruit. What if they blamed me for the missing heirs to the throne, or perhaps, this fruit is poisonous and I end up killing the king. No matter what the outcome, I am likely to find my head on a silver platter should I try and give this to the king.
“It’s the true fruit…” I heard a low, hollow voice as if from right behind me say.
“Who’s there,” I muttered. “Hello?”
“For god’s sake Laurent, do you not recognize the voice of your own self.”
It was almost as if the fruit was talking to me, but with a voice of angel’s songs, so it absolutely could not have been my own. By now I was practically ready to wet my own bed. “Wha-what do you mean my self?”
“You’ll know one day, but you must know, the fruit is real. You must give it to the king. If you doubt me, eat a bite, worst that could do is you die.”
I had an instinct to trust this voice, so I did what any sensible man would do. I ate it. And my god, the pure bliss and power that I felt was unbelievable. It was as if I was staring upon the golden gates with my own eyes. Even with only tasting the smallest of nibbles, I knew what I had to do. I had to find a way to get this to the king at once, lest our kingdom fall. The guards are probably standing by the door, but I know that they’ll listen to me, or hell I’ll even just offer them a bite and they’ll know I’m not insane.
Surprising enough, the castle seems almost empty. What usually contains often too many guards to count, now only contains one on a stool by the door. I go up to him and already my knees are shaking at the thought of having to talk to him.
“Hi sir, I uhm, I need to talk to the king if that’s alright with you,” I say to him in a soft voice.
“No can do, no one gets in until the king is in perfect condition,” he responds in an almost annoyed tone.
“No, but you don’t understand, I- I know the king’s sons came back, but they have the wrong fruit,” I pulled out my fruit from my jacket and showed it to the guard as his face fell in awe, “They’ll kill him with that one, trust me.”
“HEY, LET HIM THROUGH,” I heard a prince yell from down the hall. The guard let me pass through and walk over to them.
“What were you telling that there guard?” He looks at me with a fury that makes me want to go home at once.
“Th-that fruit you have, it’s the wrong one. You can-”
“Listen, if you tell anyone what is going on, you’ll find your head on a plate. If you get in the way of what we’re trying to do, you’ll end up just like our soon-to-be deceased father. This is the only warning you’ll get, now go.”
“What, why would-”
“GUARD, take this peasant away.”
Oh dear god, the guard has a strong grip. Oh god, what am I gonna do, I can’t just let them kill the king. No, but if I do anything I’ll get killed, or possibly even worse. Ohhhhjighrqe. Okay, okay no, I can do this. I just have to, I don’t know, sneak in somehow.
As the sun goes down, I’ll sneak in through a window. MAYBE it’s a little weird I know they keep their south window open, but if I can manage to live through until tomorrow, I’ll just say I picked the lock on a door.
Wait a minute, the fruit. I felt an almost surreal source of power when I first ate it, for the fruit has a taste of God’s own touch. Maybe just one more bite is all that I need. As I pop a big chunk of gold into my mouth and immediately feel its effect, now I really feel I can do anything. I walk to the castle as the night wind sings a haunting tune, and I peep my head over the window sill. Just as I was counting on, it’s been left open. Walking in, I soon realize I have absolutely no idea where I am going.
I grab a torch hanging by the wall and head up the stairs, I can’t say what it is, but I have a feeling the king is behind the humongous doors made of gold, silver, and an unbelievable count of gems. I tried pushing through the door, but its weight was far too much for something as simple as that. The damned thing must have weighed more than a country. Putting the fruit back on the floor, I run into it full force, barging in and stumbling to the floor.
On the bed in the center of the room, I see the king lying in silk sheets as white as pearls. He’s still alive, for I can hear his breathing, but it’s a stagger merely, he’s almost lost the will power to take a breath of fresh air.
I walk to the table by the door where the old fruit is put, it seems in perfect condition. I swap it for mine and I head for the door. “May ye rise again my king. May ye rise and rule our land once more.” I head down the hall with the silence of a panther, climbing over the window, and into my own home. I hide the fruit under my bed and lay down to rest for whatever hours the night has left.
BAM!
I hear a knock on my door. Someone is trying to barge in
“WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, OPEN UP,” I hear a voice that sounds all too familiar shout from behind. I walk to the door and look through the peephole. It’s the princes, and they’re each holding weapons and are wearing a face filled with fury. “N-No, No! I won’t do it,” I shout at them, hoping my fear doesn’t resonate in my voice.
I know it’s no use, and I start thinking of what to do. As their bangs and thumps hit the door and the fragile lock rattles, I pull out the fruit I stole last night from under my bed. “I know what I have to do.” I stop letting my own cowardice get in the way of things and take it into my own hand to do something. I bite the fruit and quickly settle into my bed. The princes haven’t stopped, but that doesn’t matter. They may stab me, they may try and take me to a guillotine, but by then, I know that I’ll already be lo-
The End
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.