A Wise King
By Seth Berkowitz

There was an old king on the throne of a vast but unstable kingdom. The lands he held had not been truly united in centuries. He had won the lands back through many bloody victories, leaving him the shell of a man; as broken as the lands he had conquered. He was a wise king, but he had many faults, and soon it would be time to pass the crown to his son, the prince and heir.

The king was violent, feared, and hated by many, yet incredibly wise. The prince, however, was beloved by the people for his brave and kind heart, yet he doubted he had the wisdom to hold the empire together. So he decided to venture where there was rumored to be magic, to the south, in a forest near a small fishing village. 

In the middle of the night, when few were about the castle grounds, the prince packed and left on his favorite horse. He rode along the highways paved by his ancestors, he rode until the roads gave way to paths, and the paths to a narrow trail leading into the heart of the forest. 

After reaching a sizable clearing with a small cabin in the middle, he could feel that this was no doubt the right place. He dismounted the horse and walked through the clearing on foot. 

The door opened as he approached, and inside sat an old man at a table, shuffling a deck of strange cards the prince had never seen.

The man stood up and spoke in a deep but soothing voice, “You come seeking wisdom to rule the lands your father has won for you?” 

The prince was both frightened and relieved, “Yes, I fear I am not enough for my people, and that I lack the wisdom and decisiveness to please them.”

“Very well,” the sorcerer said. “I will grant you the traits you desire. But all gifts come with a price.’

The prince knew that he must accept for the good of his citizens. 

“I am not deterred by a curse. As heir to this throne, I demand wisdom to better my people.”

The old man sighed, “Very well, it shall be as you demand, my lord.”

The man raised the cane at his side and banged it on the wood floor twice

“It is done” he said

The prince didn't feel anything change about him, but he was also unfamiliar with how the magic was supposed to work

The man spoke to him 

“When the time comes that you are to take up kingship, you will have the knowledge to do what is best for all of your subjects, until then you must return to your dying father and remain true to your values, as you will inherit the ability to change the lives of thousands of people.” 

“And the curse?” the prince asked

The man sat down and just studied the prince awhile. Finally, after some time, he replied.

“You, you will die at the hand of your firstborn son, whom you will love dearly.”

Abruptly, the cabin filled with smoke, and the prince ran outside. After waiting for the smoke to clear, the man, his chair and everything else that had been in the house had disappeared. 

The prince searched the entire building, and the only thing he found was a sealed letter with clear instructions: to be opened only by the prince’s son, after the son had killed him. The prince returned home to find that his father had died just the morning he arrived and was hours too late to have a final word with the dying tyrant.  The newly crowned king took a sweet and intelligent wife, and together they ruled for 3 years before having a son, the son who would end up killing his father.  The king kept the curse secret and raised his child on the virtues he’d begged for: compassion, courage, and a rule guided by justice over fear.

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Years passed. The king governed well for thirty years. The son grew into a leader beloved by the people. He was brave, compassionate, and capable. When sickness finally took the old king, his son stayed by his bedside, and when the old man looked pain-stricken, the son took his life to ease the suffering, finally giving him peace. 

After the burial ceremony, a royal clerk brought the son, now ordained king, into a small chamber bare save for a table and a letter. 

When your father, the old king, was but a prince, he came to my home and asked for a gift. For every action there is opposition, and for this gift there was a curse. I know how you will be raised, and that to take your father’s life would only be to his benefit. He never told you about this curse, but your father could not die lest by your hand, and you have chosen a wise and compassionate path in life. Had you killed him in strife, you would have begotten a new curse upon yourself, but you have lived a strong life. In the many years your father ruled I have paid many visits, and he will not fail me. Know that your fate is your choice

By the word of Sir Elmon III, Royal Highness

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I dub thee King of these lands and all of its inhabitants