The Twelve Tales of Wonder is a chapter in the Wizard's Companion. It is a collection of tales and stories, most of which are true. It tells about stories of people and Ni no Kuni.
List of Tales[]
- The Cowardly Prince and The Lion (obtained from Horace in Al Mamoon
- The Squirrels and The Bramble (obtained after defeating the Guardian of the Woods)
- The Fairy Who Wouldn't Stop Crying (obtained after leaving the Fairyground)
- The Bear-Man and the Princess Tears (obtained after defeating Aapep)
- The Boy Who Would Be God (obtained after clearing the Eye of the Storm)
- My Other Self (obtained before entering the Temple of Trials)
- How The Little Girl Became Queen (obtained after healing Khulan's broken heart)
- The Shepherd Boy (obtained after defeating the Gladiataur)
- The Flute Makers (obtained after making the Clarion)
- The Flying Machine (obtained by talking to William Abel after saving Marcassin)
- The Tree And The Stone (obtained by talking to Old Father Oak after completion of the plot)
- The Young Woman's Journal (obtained after the events at Nevermore, travel back to Motorville and on Allie's desk is the journal (Allie's room is to the left of Oliver's room))
The First Tale: The Cowardly Prince and the Lion[]
The Cowardly Prince
In a certain country there lived a prince named Tamalo, who was sharp of mind but weak of spirit. His father was a brave king- strong, wise and loved by his subjects- but the noble example he set served only to weaken Tamalo's spirit. On one occasion, his father told him thus,
"Soon, my boy, it shall be time for me to retire, upon which thou shalt become king."
While the announcement delighted the Prince, it filled him also with a terrible dread, for he did not have the spirit required to ascend to the throne.
In his vexation, he wandered from the castle, lost in thought, whereupon he encountered a fearsome-looking lion.
The prince tried to flee, but the Lion caught him easily in his paw, lifted him to his gaping mouth, and swallowed him whole.
At first, the Prince though he was doomed, but at length he began to reconsider his position.
"At least I no longer have to become king!" thought the Prince.
After taking a deep breath, he said to the Lion,
"Mighty Lion, I am the Prince of this country and the day after tomorrow I was due to become its king. Since thou hast now swallowed me, however, thou must needs become king instead."
"King eh?" replied the Lion. "I shan't complain about that."
Thereupon, the Prince led the Lion back to the palace.
The couriers were shocked to see the Lion enter the palace, but the Prince pleaded with them from inside his stomach, and the Lion was accepted as king.
The Lion proved to have quite an aptitude for royal duties. Whensoever there was a dispute in his kingdom, the Lion would simply growl at the quarrellers,
"Stop complaining, or I shall eat you alive."
Whensoever a bridge was swept away by a flood, the Lion would simply use his paws to rip down a tree and lay it across the river.
Regarding taxation and legal matters, the Lion was utterly ignorant, but whensoever such a problem arose, Prince Tamalo would speak from inside his stomach and provide him with a sound solution.
Two Dragons
After some time, news reached the King that two dragons were ravaging the eastern and western edges of his kingdom. The people were terrified and looked to their king to deliver them from this terrible evil, upon which the King announced that he should go and smite the dragons himself.
But even the fearsome Lion stood no chance of defeating two such terrible dragons.
"My dear stomach dweller," said he then. "What in the world should I do now?"
Prince Tamalo considered the Lions question, and at length, provided him with a suitable scheme.
The Lion headed east, to the part of his kingdom that was being ravaged by the larger dragon, and roared in its ugly face.
"Dragon, I shall soon slay thee! I fear thee not, for no matter how large thou art, thou shalt never devour me."
"O ho!" scoffed the Dragon. "We shall see about that!"
Upon which he ate the Lion whole.
From inside the dragons's stomach, the Lion said,
"Dragon, thou art now King of this land. It is therefore thy royal duty to defeat the dragon ravaging the western part of thy kingdom."
At first, the Dragon paid him no heed, but when the Dragon witnessed the humans around him bowing down in deference (as Tamalo had requested them to do beforehand), he decided to do his royal duty, whereupon he went to the western mountains and slew the other dragon.
Once the other dragon had been slain, the Lion commenced to scratching the inside of the Dragon's stomach.
"Owww! It hurts, It hurts!" cried the Dragon, rolling on the ground in agony. "Have mercy, I beseech thee!"
To which the Lion said,
"If thou woulst not feel this pain, thou must promise never again to hurt the people of this kingdom."
"Owww! Very well! I promise!" cried the Dragon in reply.
But the Dragon was a cunning beast, and Prince Tamalo knew he would break his promise the moment the lion was out of his stomach. He therefore had the lion take out the babbling berry that he'd told him to bring and place it inside the Dragon. This berry was known to make noises that sounded like someone muttering to himself.
"With that babbling berry in his stomach, the Dragon shan't notice when the Lion escapes," though Prince Tamalo.
Later that night, when the Dragon was sleeping, the Lion crept out of his gaping mouth and set off back to the palace. The Dragon left the King and his subjects alone for evermore.
A New King
The kingdom had been at peace for ten years when the Lion said to Prince Tamalo,
"Stomach dweller, it is time thou camest hence from in there. I would have thee take my place on the throne."
Prince Tamalo was shocked, and replied in a quivering tone,
"I fear that I do not have the spirit to become king."
"But thy judgments over the past ten years have invariably been wise," said the Lion.
"That is as may be, but I am a coward," replied Prince Tamalo.
"It was only because I was protected by a great strong lion that I could act so decisively."
Yet the Lion paid no heed. With an almighty sneeze, he ejected Prince Tamalo from his stomach. It had been ten years since Prince Tamalo had seen the wide world outside, and he could not believe his eyes. The Lion's mane was now full white, and his face covered in wrinkles. Shut up inside the Lion's stomach, Prince Tamalo had been quite unaware of any of this.
"As thou canst see with thine own eyes," said the Lion, "I have grown old. Ten years hast thou resided in my stomach, and yet not once didst thou scratch me or cause me any pain- as I myself did to that dragon- though thou couldst have done at any time. The courtiers and subjects of this kingdom did not accept me because I am strong, they accepted me because I have given them my all- by which I mean, thou hast given them thine. Thou art the true King of this country. Thou lasckest not the spirit, I assure thee."
In like manner, everyone at the palace beseeched Prince Tamalo to become their king.
"Prince Tamalo, everyone is humbly grateful for everything thou hast done. Our country needeth just such a king as thee."
Upon hearing these words, Prince Tamalo felt his courage swell up within him.
As king, Tamalo gave still more of himself to his country, and despite the fact that the Lion had retired, he continued to live alongside the King in the palace.
Though many countries are ruled by animals these days, in ancient times all kings were human. Indeed, the magnificent lion about whom you have just read was the first ever animal to be acknowledged as a king, and the world has never been the same since.
The Third Tale: The Fairy Who Wouldn't Stop Crying[]
The Teary Fairy
Sit tight, boys and girls, I’ve got a story to tell you. A “fairy tale,” if you like. Fairies like me used to be ten a penny, see, but youed be hard pressed to find one these days. Always on the move, we are. Anyway, this story’s about a very special fairy, and while it all happened a long, long, time ago, the fairy’s going strong today – or so I hope, anyway! Right then, let’s get cracking, en’t it?
This story’s about a little fairy who wouldn’t stop crying – sobbing, he was, day and night. Now, us fairies are helluva impressionable, especially when we’re little. We learn all sorts of tidy tricks from other fairies, but we can pick up bad habits just as easy. I don’t know whose miserable mug this pooer dab when he first popped out into the world, but it must have been proper tragic, ‘cause the first thing he ever did in his life was cry. And then he kept on crying.
Now, it’s not like this fairy wanted to be spouting tears all the time, he just couldn’t help himself. Every time it got dark, he’d well up – like blinking clockwork he was. What’s more, young fairies can be helluva cruel, and this little cry-fairy got ribbed something terrible – all of which just made him want to cry even more, of course.
The Puddle Of Tears
One day, a traveling wizard happened to spot this fairy standing next to a puddle of tears. He was proper knackered, this wizard, and helluva thirsty. So what he did was, he took a drink from the puddle, en’t it?
“There’s lovely!” he thought, and felt ten times better straightaway.
Then off he went with a spring in his step, and got on with his wizardly work. A bit later, when everything was done, he decided to go back and thank the fairy – for the tears he drank, I mean. But when he came back, the puddle was even bigger than before.
“Ohhh fairy,” he said, in his grand old voice. “Why do you cry so much? I’ve been gone three days and you still weep.”
“Sob,” said the fairy. “Scared I am, like. Scared of the dark, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
After a few more sobs, he went on,
“And everyone makes fun of me. Good for nothing, I am. Life’s rubbish.”
And with that, he went back to sobbing.
“I see…” said the wise old wizard, stroking his big white beard. “Perhaps a lantern is what you need.”
So he whips this tidy lantern out of his cloak, and plonks it on the end of the fairy’s nose, right? Now, the light from the lantern made the fairy blink like mad, but it didn’t half cheer him up, and sure enough, he stopped crying. Felt like he’d been born again, he did!
“You see, little fairy?” said the wizard, “You shall never be in the dark again, no matter where you go.”
“I’m….I’m not scared anymore!” the fairy gasped, cracking the first smile of his entire life.
“And you are no longer good for nothing, either!” laughed the wizard. “That smile of youers will bring comfort to a great many people. Come with me, and I shall show you.”
So the fairy packed up his dabs in a little bag and went off with the wizard. They had some pretty hair-raising adventures, and all, but the fairy never once got scared. He had the lantern on the end of his nose, see. And even after he parted ways with the kindly wizard, he never cried again, and the light on his nose is still shining to this day. Have a look around you, like. He might be right nearby!
“Well, what do you say? Proper tidy tale, wasn’t it? I bet you’ve got a tear in youer eye now!
The Fourth Tale: The Bear-Man and the Princess's Tears[]
A Kidnapped Princess
The king of a peaceful kingdom had one daughter, whom he loved very much. This princess was very brave and very wise, and assisted her father in ruling the kingdom.
Hard by the edge of the kingdom was a steep mountain. No one ever approached it however, for it was known that a witch lived in a cave at its foot. This witch had long had an inclination to rule the kingdom herself, but the fearless princess never failed to foil her plans.
The Witch had an apprentice who was top half bear and bottom half man. This apprentice was known as the Bear-Man, for that was his name; and was fearsomely strong, but very dull-witted; and always carried out the witch's commands to the letter.
One day, the Bear-Man was in the cave making potion when the Witch returned with a young woman. It was – yes, guess! – the Princess who was always ruining her plans!
The Bear-Man looked at the Princess and was twice shocked. Firstly, at how wondrous fair she was; and secondly, at the sight of her hands and feet, which the Witch had turned to wood using magic.
"Look after the Princess," the Witch commanded the Bear-Man. “Do not let her get hungry, or shed a single tear, else there shall be trouble!”
The Bear-Man immediately went to fetch some fruits and preserves from the larder. Since the Princess's hands had been turned to wood, the Bear-Man tried to put the fruit in her mouth directly. But the Princess turned away from him, and looked instead at the Witch.
“What will you do with me?”
“I shall tell your father that I have taken you hostage,” the Witch replied, “and demand his kingdom in return for your freedom.”
“That would be a waste of time,” retorted the Princess. “Father is always telling me not to believe anything witches say. He will not trust you, even if I am in mortal danger.”
“Silence!” shrieked the Witch, and with a wave of her wand cursed the Princess,
who became quite unable to speak. The Witch had stolen her voice.
The Bear-Man’s Duties
The next day, the Witch went to the palace to negotiate with the King, and it was left to the Bear-Man to provide for their royal hostage.
The Bear-Man liked looking after the Princess. He felt sorry for her, with her wooden limbs and stolen voice, and he tried his very best to take good care of her.
The Bear-Man was in fact very kind, you see, and despised doing evil things. He was happy knowing that the Witch would not scold him for being kind to the Princess.
After all, it was the Witch herself who had commanded him to look after her!
But while the Princess did not shed a single tear; neither did she smile so much as once. The Bear-Man used the finest ingredients to cook dishes that he hoped would make the Princess happy; but when the meals were served she would do no more than stare at him in total silence.
Now, the Bear-Man knew that the Princess would only smile when her hands and legs were free again; and she had regained her voice. But the Bear-Man could not lift the curses himself, and he knew that the Witch would never do it. All he could do was continue to cook fine meals for the Princess.
The Princess Who Wouldn’t Cry
Several days passed, and still the King would not listen to the Witch's demands, just as the Princess had foretold. This did nothing for the Witch's mood, of course, and one morning, when the Bear-Man was bringing food to the Princess as usual, the Witch shouted at him,
“Why are you wasting such good food on her! Anything will do, as long as it stops her from crying.”
"But I thought that the Princess would be happier if she could eat fine foods,
Mistress.”
“Who told you to make her happy!?”
With that, the Witch snatched up her wand and, with a hick of her wrist, rendered the Princess stony deaf. She then proceeded to tell the Bear-Man a secret,
“There is a reason why I told you to stop her from crying. If she sheds but a single tear, all of her curses will be lifted at once.”
The Bear-Man now realized that the Witch had not wanted him to be kind to the Princess; or to look after her – she had simply wanted him to stop her from crying.
He now knew what he had to do to make the Princess happy once more.
The next time the Witch left the cave, the Bear-Man put his paws around the Princess's rosy neck and started twisting; yet she still did not cry. The Bear-Man felt he had no choice but to strike her; he was strong, and the poor princess was unbalanced on her wooden legs. She fell to the ground violently.
“Now, cry, I beseech you! Cry and all your curses will be lifted!”
The deaf princess lay on the ground, clearly in pain, yet still she did not cry. She simply continued to stare directly at the Bear-Man. The Bear-Man, for his part, resolved to treat the Princess with great cruelty. He stopped feeding her; set snakes and insects upon her; and pulled out her beautiful golden hair.
The Bear-Man tried his best to be brutish, but when he looked upon the Princess in agony, he felt so sorry for her that he started sobbing. Though he hurriedly wiped the tears away with his big paws, knowing that he must not let the Princess see him crying, it was too late. The Princess had realized that something was amiss, and resolved not to shed a single tear, no matter what ordeals the Bear-Man put her through.
The Bear-Man snarled and bared his teeth, and treated the Princess more cruelly than ever. But the Princess was very brave and very wise, and did not shed a single tear.
Tears At Last
A month passed, and the Witch visited the King once more. When she returned to the cave this time, however, her mood had changed.
"The King refuses to negotiate; and there is no point keeping a hostage anymore. It is time to kill her."
Upon which she waved her wand once more, sending a deadly arrow whistling towards the Princess.
The Bear-Man immediately threw his great bulk in front her, shielding her from the arrow, which pierced his chest. As he crashed to the ground, the wand fell from the Witch's hand.
The Bear-Man's fate was sealed, but with his last morsel of energy he opened his eyes and looked up at the Princess. She stared back at him, her eyes wide.
“I have done such terrible things... I will die an evil man in your eyes…”
Such were the Bear-Man's sorrowful thoughts as he perished. As he did so, tears fell in a flood from the Princess's eyes, raining down upon her wooden feet and arms, lifting the curse and returning her to normal.
The Princess immediately stood, picked up the Witch's wand, and used it to draw a rune – for the Princess could use magic as well, you see. A large fire engulfed the cave, and the Witch's wailing could be heard for miles around.
Once the blaze had subsided, nothing remained of the Witch, save for a small pile of pitch-black ashes.
At that moment, the Bear-Man was brought back to life-as a beautiful young prince! For his dull-witted bear form was nothing but a curse, imposed upon him by the wicked witch.
The Prince asked in a weak voice, for he was still upon the brink of death,
“Your Highness... Why did you cry for me?”
“Witnessing your death... It filled me with a terrible sorrow. Had I only known that crying would lift my curse, I should have done so far sooner! I see now that you were trying to help me; even as you did those horrible things.”
“I treated you terribly, your Highness. Please forgive me…”
“Of course I forgive you. You are a kind person at heart, and for that I am truly grateful. Now please, do not die…”
Upon hearing these words, the Prince shed one final tear, and breathed his last.
The Forbidden Spell
The Princess stared at the Prince's lifeless body for a long while, before picking up the wand once more with conviction. She had settled upon a course of action.
She would cast “Ashes of Resurrection.”
Upon casting the spell, the cave was filled with white light; restoring breath to the Prince's lungs as it shone upon him – the Princess's spell had brought him back to life!
The very next moment, however, the Princess fell to the ground. As she lay there, she raised her face and asked the Prince,
“Who…are…you?”
'Ashes of Resurrection' is a forbidden spell," he replied, mournfully. “Those who cast it always pay a terrible price. The price you have paid is your memory of me…”
And the Prince's eyes filled with tears of terrible sadness once more.
“Why are you crying?” asked the puzzled Princess.
“Because... something important has been lost.”
Upon hearing the Princess's next words, however, the Prince could not help but smile.
“Well... perhaps together we may make it anew?”
The Fifth Tale: The Boy Who Would Be God[]
The Wizard Who Controlled The Clouds
There was once a boy wizard who was endowed with a great deal of magical ability.
No sooner was he able to walk than he could cast spells no other wizard could, controlling the clouds above and making great seas and mighty mountains move at will. In truth, such feats did the boy more honor than he deserved, for he had not practiced any more diligently than other wizards. His talents were innate, and had been with him since birth.
The boy, however, grew up quite certain that he had been blessed by the gods, and came to believe that his rightful place was among them, in heaven itself. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the boy became desirous to make it an immediate reality. Boys who are born with such exceptional powers are seldom accustomed to waiting.
A Trial from the Gods
The boy made for Jabar al-Dukhan, the highest mountain in all the world, and climbed to its summit, reasoning that the gods would hear him more clearly if he were closer to heaven.
“Gods, I beseech you to listen. I am the most powerful wizard in this world. Verily, no man alive is my equal, and thus I believe that my place is in heaven with you. I wish for you to consider me one of your own.”
The heavens responded with an enormous thunderclap. The boy wizard’s insolence had roused the passion of the gods. The thunder was followed by a bolt of lightning, aimed directly at the boy.
But the boy was ready. With a simple wave of his wand, he swatted the lightning away.
“Do you see?” he cried to the gods with glee. “Do you see how powerful I am?”
At length, a Voice responded from the heavens.
“Boy, if you truly believe yourself to be as powerful as a god, then you may prove it by taking this trial. Overcome it, and your wish shall be granted.”
The boy leaped with great joy upon hearing these words, believing as he did that no trial was beyond his powers.
Suddenly, however, everything became quite dark. The boy had no idea where he was. Indeed, his hand could not be seen in front of his face.
The Voice spoke once more.
“Boy, this is the World of Darkness. Your task is to tolerate it for eight days.”
“So it is simply a matter of waiting?” thought the boy, relieved. “That shall not prove difficult.”
But the Voice went on,
“There is a door in front of you, Boy. Raise your hand and you shall feel it. On the other side of this door is the World of Light, where all godly knowledge resides. Enter, and you shall become one of us. The door, however, must not be opened until eight days have passed.”
With that, the Voice fell silent, and all was quiet once more.
The boy reached out his hand in front of him. Though he could not see it, the door was there, just as the voice had said.
“I shall open that door,” the boy said decisively. “I shall wait a full eight days, and then I shall become a god, and all will be revealed to me.”
Seven Days of Darkness
At first, the boy could do nothing but sit and contemplate his current plight. It was not long, however, before his mind started conjuring all sorts of thoughts.
What wonders awaited him when he became one of the gods?
What manner of place was the heaven that the gods called home?
How would he treat his human minions once he was one of their gods?
And so it went on… He found himself increasingly agitated, anxious to see what awaited him once he opened the door to the World of Light.
He kept his resolve for six days and six nights, but on the seventh day, the boy was overcome by curiosity.
“In once more day I shall become a god,” thought the boy. “Surely it is of no consequence if I open the door a little early.”
He reached for the door once more, and traced its even surface. Eventually his hand came across a small protrusion which felt like the cover of a keyhole. Timidly, the boy lifted it and looked through to the other side.
A blaze of blinding light flooded through the keyhole, knocking the boy a full cubit backwards. It was incredibly bright, and yet he simply could not close his eyes. The world on the other side of the door was beyond the boy’s imagination. Its scale and beauty seemed to pierce his very soul.
“The world of the gods…”
The thought alone made the boy shiver, but even as he did so, he was plunged into darkness once more.
The Ever-Wandering Eye
The boy had failed the trial. Yet he was still allowed to enter heaven and become one of the gods, for they acknowledged his abilities, and showed compassion toward him.
They could not, however, show the same compassion toward his eye, the one that had peered at the World of Light. The eye was condemned to wander, disembodied, through the skies for all eternity.
The boy wizard’s eye traverses the skies to this day, soaring above the birds, gazing down upon the world below.
It can never hope to soar as high as the heaven where the gods reside, however. Indeed, it is trapped between the human world and the world of the gods forever.
Occasionally, when it is overwhelmed with extreme dissatisfaction, the eye swoops down close to the earth’s surface, bringing a devastating whirlwind in its wake. These howling gales are known to have destroyed cities and forests; and are rightly feared by ordinary humans.
And so, the consequences of the boy wizard’s folly are still being felt.
The Sixth Tale: My Other Self[]
On a Hilltop
What follows is the extraordinary tale of an ordinary little girl…
When I was a little girl, I had the reddest hair you’ve ever seen, and I lived with my mother in a small village, tucked away in the hills. I was never any good at magic, but I loved gardening, and could grow all sorts of flowers and medicinal herbs.
Behind my house was a low hill from which you could enjoy a wonderful evening view. I used to walk to the top of it every night, to sit on a big old root and watch the sun go down.
One day, my mother cut her hand on a glass that I had broken. Though she washed the wound straightaway, just as she’d always taught me, the cut soon became infected, and by the next morning, she had a very high fever. I took care of her the best I could, of course, but several days passed without any improvement in her condition.
Then one night, after I’d cried myself to sleep with worry, I woke with a start to find myself standing in front of a strange door. I opened this door, and walked through it to emerge on top of my favorite hill. It looked just the same as it always did, except for one thing—there was someone else there, sitting on my root and sobbing quietly.
I took a sharp breath, and thought to myself: could the girl sitting on the root actually be me? Her hair was just as red as mine, and it glittered like a ruby in the setting sun.
The Bright Blue Bird
I was feeling quite sad myself, but the girl sitting on the root seemed absolutely inconsolable. Feeling sorry for her, I asked,
“Are you alright? Why are you crying?”
At this, the weeping girl lifted her face, giving me another shock. It was exactly like mine!
“I was careless…and my bird flew away,” she said. “Oh, I did love it so…”
“So that’s why you’re crying. I’ve been careless too, as it happens. I made my mother sick…”
I thought for a moment, then asked,
“What kind of bird was it?”
“It was blue. Bright blue. It was so very beautiful…”
“...My mother’s eyes are blue as well,” I sighed, “but they don’t seem to sparkle like they did before she took ill.”
We carried on talking for a little while, and before long we’d become firm friends. She loved gardening too, and was enjoying gazing at the sunset from the crest of the hill. It seemed we had absolutely everything in common. Eventually, I said,
“Here, take this. It’s a flower I grew. It’s called a ‘warm welcome,’ and birds love it. Perhaps it might make your blue bird come back.”
I had already put some of these flowers at my mother’s bedside to try and make her feel better, as well as some in her hair.
“Thank you!” said the girl, smiling. “Oh my, it really does smell wonderful. Hey, would you like to come to my house?”
I nodded, and off we went, down the hill together and into the girl’s house. She placed the flower I’d given her next to the window.
Before long, we heard a sound.
“Peep peep peep! Cheep cheep cheep!”
And a blue bird flew in through the widow.
“Chichi!” shouted the girl, recognizing her missing per.
The bird had flown straight for the vase that held the flower. It seemed a little unsteady, as though one of its wings was injured, but I couldn’t help feeling happy that the “warm welcome” I’d given the girl had made her bird come back.
Waking From the Dream
All of a sudden, I was in front of the strange door again. I walked through it and found myself lying in bed once more.
“It was just a dream,” I sighed.
Then I threw off the sheets, and went to my mother’s bedroom. Much to my surprise, though, I found that she wasn’t there. That’s when I heard a sound coming from the kitchen, and ran downstairs.
“Mother!” I cried.
“Good morning!” she replied cheerily.
“You must have been wondering where I’d got to! I just felt so much better when I woke up this morning! Now then, would you like some breakfast? I’m famished!”
And my mother’s blue eyes were sparkling once more…
Every person in this world has a soul mate—a person in another world with whom they share a soul. Soul mates’ destinies are intertwined, and occasionally they even overlap. So should you ever chance to step through a strange door, do not be surprised if you meet someone just like you!
The Seventh Tale: How the Little Girl Became Queen[]
The Little Girl
In Xanadu, the kingdom in the clouds, the ruler has always possessed many a mysterious power, not least the ability to make the most prescient of prophecies. This is the story of one such ruler, of whom little was expected when she first ascended to the throne…
Xanadu’s new ruler was a little girl, cowardly and weak. Though it was a peaceful place, with a temperate climate and few if any monsters, Xanadu had never known a cowardly ruler. The thought alone was simply preposterous.
The girl herself knew that she was a coward, having never displayed courage or daring since the moment of her birth. She was scared of sleeping alone, and the thought of being in the temple at night filled her with a holy dread. Despite claiming that she had a well of courage to draw on if necessary, she would undoubtedly have been found wanting if she had been asked to deal with a giant, or a dragon, or even a lion.
Life surrounded by adults was lonely and dull for the little girl. She had no friends, and became very sullen. As a result, everyone assumed that she was humble and wise, for most of those who rise to rule over Xanadu are powerful sorceresses, and prone to self-importance. Though baseless, the myth of the little girl’s wisdom meant that her reign was very peaceful, with none of the tensions or infighting that marred the reigns of her predecessors.
Sinister Rumors
She had not ruled for long, however, when it became apparent that a dragon had taken up residence near Xanadu, in a great cavern, measureless to man. Alas, this was no ordinary dragon. Indeed, it was said to be as large as a castle, utterly evil, and endowed with a tail twice five miles long. Such sinister rumors grew, as sinister rumors always do, and by the time they’d reached the palace, they had the courtiers in a state of some excitement. After much frantic discussion, a conclusion was reached. The ruler—the little girl—must be sent to deal with the dragon. Though she was still young, everyone believed her to be both wise and brave, and it was concluded that her age was of no significance. Thus, having no choice but to fulfill the duty assigned to her, the little girl set off for the dragon’s cavern.
A Savage Place
The waning moon cast scarcely any light into the dismal cavern, and big wet drops fell onto the little girl’s head as she made her way through the darkness, nervously clutching her wand. Though she quivered with fear, she knew that she had little choice but to push on. She was the ruler of Xanadu, after all, and rulers must show courage, however frightened they may be.
Having pushed deep into the cavern, the girl finally encountered the dragon. It was not as big as she’d feared, but it would still have ordinarily been more than a match for a little girl like her. The dragon, however, was injured. One of his wings was broken, and he was unable to fly. Indeed, he had no way at all of avoiding the little girl’s spells. It seemed the tables had turned in her favor. Just then, the dragon turned to her, and said,
“You came alone? I suppose you knew I was injured. I shall surely perish soon. All you need do is wait, and your duty shall be fulfilled.”
But the little girl took out her wand and proceeded to draw a rune. The spell she cast began to heal the dragon’s wounds. Being so young, it took a long time for the healing magic to work, but her concentration never wavered.
“Heal me, and I could come after you, and eat you. Are you sure about what you’re doing?”
The little girl thought for a moment, before replying politely,
“I should not like to be eaten, yet I do not see why you should die. Perhaps we could reach an agreement instead? I will heal your wing if you swear to spare this kingdom.”
The dragon made no reply, and simply gazed at the girl with flashing eyes. Once his wing had been fully healed, the dragon picked up the little girl and, placing her on his broad back, strode out of the cavern. Then, flexing his newly healed wing, he carried the girl to the summit of a tall mountain. As the dragon reached the top of the mountain, it seemed to grow in front of the girl’s eyes. At last, it began to resemble the castle-sized dragon that the couriers of Xanadu had mentioned. Indeed, it began to look as though it could eat a castle thrice over.
“This is my true self,” declared the dragon. “Now, you may be weak, but you are both courageous and kind. My original intent was to eat every one of your subjects, but I have decided to honor our bargain, and spare this kingdom.”
The dragon’s kind words touched the little girl deeply, and the two of them became great friends. Then, the dragon shrank back to his smaller size and put the girl on his back again, and together they made for Xanadu. When they reached the city, however, the dragon grew big once more. When the little girl explained what had happened to her courtiers, they realized not only that she was wise and brave, but also that she was very kind. From that moment on, she was no longer referred to as the “little girl.” She had become the “Queen of the Heavens.” She never forgot her dragon friend, and they spoke together often until the end of their days.
The Eighth Tale: The Shepherd Boy[]
The Lazy Son
TWO SHEPHERDS, who were father and son, worked together in the fields. The Father looked after the sheep from morning till night, constantly patrolling the pasture and looking out for wolves. The Son, however, spent every day at leisure, staring into the distance and not lifting a finger to help his Father.
One day, the father turned to his son and said with regret,
“I am getting old, and shall soon be retiring. Though you are my only son, it has become clear to me that you have no enthusiasm for shepherding. I am starting to think that I should be better entrusting my flock to someone else.”
The son was quite shocked, for the flock was his only livelihood, and resolved to start assisting his Father in the fields – chasing sheep, tending the grass, and so on. Alas, he soon grew tired of such tasks. At a loss as to what to do, the Son supposed he should pay a visit to Old Father Oak, an ancient tree in the Deep Dark Wood possessed of infinite wisdom on all matters.
“O, Old Father Oak, is there not some manner of fruit I can swallow to excite my enthusiasm?” the Son asked in vexation. “I am afraid that such things do not exist,” replied Old Father Oak. “There is, however, a fountain deep within the nearby forest. Drinking of its water provides a godly dose of energy.” The Fountain
THE SON traveled in the direction indicated by Old Father Oak until he came to the fountain and tested its cool surface with his hand.
“I shall take some of this water home with me.” he thought, before realizing that he had no vessel in which to carry it.
“Alas, I must return home empty-handed…” he lamented.
The Son was about to go back to fetch a jug when he decided to sample a mouthful of the fountain’s water. Sure enough, he immediately felt the great surge of energy that Old Father Oak had predicted, and used his ax to chop down a nearby tree, carving it into a pitcher that was almost as big as himself.
Once the pitcher was finished, the Son filled it with water from the fountain and made for home. The vessel was very heavy, and the journey was a long one. He nearly gave up on several occasions, but every time he felt like abandoning his journey, he would stop by the wayside to take another gulp of water from the pitcher; and eventually he arrived back home.
“I have enough water here to last a lifetime,” the Son thought with a sigh of relief. He was very weary, and he fell to his bed to sleep soundly till morning.
The Pitcher
THE SON awoke from his slumber, and resolved to take another drink of water from the pitcher.
“O! How full of life I am!” he exclaimed happily, and set about his duties at double the usual speed. As he did so, he resolved that no one else must be allowed to drink the precious water in the pitcher.
In the days that followed, the Son spent much of his time ensuring that no one went near his pitcher – yet he took care to attend his chores as he did so, knowing that his father would otherwise be angry. When a Villager approached the pitcher for a drink of water, the Son would interrupt his own labors and offer a cup of different water, thus preventing any of the water in his pitcher from going to waste. He was also reluctant to waste the water from the fountain on himself; and so worked hard every day without touching it.
Then, one very hot day, after the Son had been hard at work in the fields, he realized that a terrible thing had happened…
The Water
THE WATER had evaporated in the searing heat of the sun. When the Son realized that the water upon which his future depended had disappeared, he was overcome with despair and collapsed upon the grass.
The sight of the Son lying prone excited the Villagers’ concern; and they rushed to see if he was all right, for the Son had gained a reputation in the village for being kind and hardworking, on account of all the cups of water he was wont to provide thirsty Villagers.
Some of the Villagers gave the Son a drink of water as he lay there, and he was amazed at how delicious it tasted. It was the freshest, cleanest water he’d ever drank; and, what’s more, it gave him the same surge of energy that the water from the fountain had done.
His Father stood next to him and said kindly,
“No water on earth can compare to the first water you drink after sweating all day. Why I should think it is a fair sight better than the water from that fountain,” for the Father knew that his Son had visited the fountain.
The Son rose to his feet and smiled back at his Father.
“You are right, Father. It truly is better by far.”
Hard Toil brings its own rewards.
The Tenth Tale: The Flying Machine[]
The Dreamer
There once was a boy who spent every day in a daze, dreaming of soaring through the skies.
As a young child, he was always asking wizards to make him float for a few moments – a delightful experience! – but he himself was no good at magic. Since he also hated lessons of all kinds, there really was no hope of him becoming a wizard, but still he dreamed of being able to fly. Nothing could make him give up on his dreams!
One day, the boy took a journey to another world. There was a tunnel that connected the two worlds in those days, you see, and people were able to travel between them quite easily.
Now, the boy knew that there was no such thing as magic in the other world, meaning that no one there was able to fly. He had, however, heard rumors about a painter who lived there who also dreamed of taking to the skies, just like he did.
As soon as he arrived in the other world, the boy headed straight for this painter’s house – but when he got there, there was no one home! Feeling rather bold, the boy decided to take a look around for himself. The first thing he saw upon entering the painter’s house was a magnificent sketch, a drawing of a strange machine that was attached to something that spun around very quickly.
There was no doubt about it – this was a machine that could fly!
“What a shame,” though that boy, “that in my world, magic is so common that no one bothers inventing things like this!”
Flushed with excitement, the boy finished building the machine in the sketch, and for the first time ever, he was able to fly!
“Why, this is the happiest moment of my life!” thought the boy with a big grin. Even though it was only for a few seconds at a time, he was finally able to live his dream.
The Sage and the Young Wizard
A short while after he had finished building the painter’s flying machine, a sage visited the boy, and spoke to him very grandly.
“You must dispose of all knowledge gleaned from that other world.”
The boy was shocked.
“But why!?” he asked. “This machine lets me soar through the skies! It’s what I’ve always wanted!”
“Using a machine to achieve something that should only be achieved using magic is akin to poisoning this world.”
“Poison!? Why is it like poison?”
“Magic may only be used by those who possess a pure heart and who have undergone the proper training. Wizards borrow some of nature’s power and use it to humans’ benefit. Only those with a pure heart, one uncorrupted by evil, are able to do this. Using machines to triumph over nature is not the behavior of the pure-hearted.”
Now, what the sage meant was that anyone could use a machine to manipulate nature – even the untrained and the evil. Machines gave ordinary humans powers that only gods and wizards should have.
Though it hurt to admit, the boy knew that what the sage had said was true, and very reluctantly handed over his tracing of the painter’s sketch. As he did so, however, a young wizard who had been watching them interjected,
“Esteemed Sage, wasn’t magic originally intended to make our lives easier? If machines achieve the same effect, why shouldn’t we use them?”
“Because machines can be used by the wrong people, for the wrong reasons,” replied the sage impatiently.
But the young wizard was undeterred.
“I have been to the other world, and I know how things work there. They have people called ‘scientists’ – they are the ones who make the machines – and they work miracles! They are capable of mixing iron with other rare metals to create things called ‘alloys’ which are strong enough to plough even the rockiest of soil. You cannot deny that farmers’ lives are much easier as a result!”
“Surely you do not believe that all ‘scientists’ seek to improve people’s lives?” the sage snapped back. “Do you not think, perhaps, that some of them wish to use their machines to control people – to bend them to their will?”
The young wizard was speechless for a moment, bu he soon found his tongue again.
“Couldn’t the same be said for magic? Aren’t there some people who seek to use magic to increase their own influence?”
The boy tried listening to the conversation between the sage and the young wizard, but they used a lot of difficult words and he had trouble following it. All he wanted to do, after all, was fly.
A Dream Come True!
In the years that followed, more and more people made visits to the other world. They would become increasingly surprised and impressed by the machines they saw there, and would rush back to their own world to tell people all about them.
The sages realized that something must be done, because technology from the other world was threatening to ruin the balance of their own. They decided to seal the tunnel to the other world, to ensure that the place of magic within society was never threatened again.
Now, visiting the other world was not completely forbidden – why, powerful wizards could still cast the spell known as “Gateway” and travel to the other world any time they pleased!
When the boy, who was a young man by now, heard about what the sages had done, he was terribly disappointed.
“Dash it all!” he thought. “Now I’ll never be able to visit the other world again!”
And yet he still dreamed of flying – if anything, he dreamed of it more than ever! Having thought about it every day for a long time, he eventually had an idea.
“What if I build a flying machine that’s powered by magic? Surely the sages couldn’t object to that! I shall make it magical, but I shall jolly well build it and fly it as I like!”
Many months of hard work later, the young man’s magical flying machine was complete. Its magical power has been provided by – yes, you guessed it! – the young wizard who’d had the argument with the sage all those years ago.
Once the final touches had been applied, it was time for a test flight. The young man straddled his machine and took off into the sky. The machine’s wings flapped gently as it glided through the air, and its magically enchanted engine allowed him to stay in the sky for several hours.
Mid-way through the test flight, he looked down. The sheep in the fields were as small as dormice, and he could see the waves of the sea in the distance glinting in the morning sun.
“I don’t think anyone alive has ever felt happier!” thought the young man with glee.
Indeed, he was too captivated by the scenery to spare a thought for the effect his new magical machine would have on the world.
Had he known what impact it would have, you can be sure he would not have been quite so elated!
The Eleventh Tale: The Tree and The Stone[]
The Greatest Tree In The Deep Dark Wood
The Deep Dark Wood is a dense green forest, located in the northern part of the continent now known as the Summerlands. Though there are some beautiful crystal-clear waterfalls and other sites of minor interest, travelers mainly flock to the Deep Dark Wood on account of the great tree known as “Old Father Oak”
Princes and paupers alike have long visited this tree in the hope of gleaning some understanding from him, for Old Father Oak’s great wisdom and benevolence have led men to consider him the “World’s Elder” – though no such title officially exists.
The Young Tree’s Journey
There was nothing unusual about the tree that became known as Old Father Oak when his first green shoots emerged from the ground, many centuries ago. The tree grew, as all trees grow, year on year, his branches reaching upwards in search of sunlight and his roots thrusting downward in search of water.
One day, when he was still but a young sapling, he was dug up by a group of humans, and a large stone was placed beneath him, just below his roots. And he was then replanted on top of the stone, and the hole around him refilled with soil. And the humans recited an incantation, and drew a rune, and, when the ceremony was over, retreated from the forest.
Now, the presence of the stone made life difficult for the young tree – no matter how hard he tried to stretch his roots, the stone meant he simply could not reach any further into ground. After several days of trying, the tree was about to give up when, all of a sudden, the stone started speaking to him
“Tell me, what can you see from up there? Pray tell me what you can see? For I am ordinary rock. One day I shall be a magical stone. A great and very important one.” The tree was very surprised to hear the stone talking to him so casually, and not a little vexed.
“And why should I tell you anything? You do nothing but get in the way of my roots.”
The tree uttered these words much to his own surprise, for he had never been able to speak before.
And so the stone began explaining his situation to the tree.
It appeared that in order for the stone to become a magic stone, he had to be placed beneath the roots of a tree, and enchanted in a special ceremony. And so, as the tree grew older and wiser, he would impart some of his wisdom onto the stone, and allow the stone's own magical power to develop. The tree's ability to talk was simply one of the things he had learned as he had grown, and the stone had learned this from the tree.
Armed with his newfound talent, the tree began talking to the birds and the fairies and the other forest creatures, and, upon hearing their tales of the outside world, developed an insatiable desire to travel- to leave the spot to which he was rooted.
And so he began pulling at his roots, until cracks appeared in the ground. He kept pulling day after day, unable to stop or be stopped until, eventually, the inevitable happened, and, with a great creaking sound, the tree wrenched himself and his short roots out of the ground altogether. It was at this moment that the young tree discovered that he knew how to walk, and so resolved to leave the Deep Dark Wood immediately and make for pastures new.
The stone felt very sad to see his only friend in the world preparing to leave, and said, “Promise that you will come back and see me sometime, won't you, young tree? I should like nothing more than to hear all about your travels.”
“Of course! I shall come back to see you‚ I promise.”
And so the tree set off on his journey. He felt sorry for the stone – who would now never become the magic stone he so wanted to be – but he knew that he had to follow his own dreams.
The young tree's journey allowed him to acquire great wisdom. Every time he encountered perils or monsters, he would simply stand stock still and pretend to be an ordinary tree. Should a predator come sniffing, the young tree would wait until it was very close before rustling his branches violently, giving the creature a terrible fright, and sending it scuttling away in fear.
The Promise To The Stone
The tree's journey continued, through storms and blizzards; into dank, black caves and across deep, blue oceans. On the way, he would sometimes meet other trees on journeys of their own. Most of the trees he encountered had also been chosen as locations for burying magical stones, and they too had left their stones behind and set out on their own adventures. He also encountered trees that were broken or withered, having become lost in the desert, or trapped in great snowfalls.
One day, several months into his journey, the young tree realized that it was becoming more and more difficult for him to move. No matter how much fresh water he drank, or how pleasant the sun felt upon his leaves, he was becoming slower and slower.
“This must be what happened to all those dead trees I saw,” the tree thought. “And that's what's going to happen to me…”
Suddenly, the tree remembered the promise he had made to the stone back in the Deep Dark Wood – his promise to return to the forest and tell the stone all about his travels. The young tree had not visited the stone once since that day. Indeed, he'd completely forgotten about him.
“I should go back," he thought. "I should return and speak to the stone, while I still have strength enough to move.”
And so the tree set off home, back to the Deep Dark Wood.
The tree's short roots were dragging behind him all the way, trying to get him to stop, but the tree ignored them, and eventually made his way back to the forest where he'd first sprouted from the ground. The sight of his old stone companion, however, gave him a real shock. Having failed to become magical, the stone had been mistaken for an ordinary rock, and most of him had been chipped off and carried away to make tools and other objects. Only a tiny piece of him remained. Undeterred, the young tree proceeded to recount all his travel stories, and the little stone listened to every one in silent wonder.
What Happened Next…
When the tree had finished telling the stone the last of his tales, he thought to himself,
“Now that I have fulfilled my promise to the stone, I shall not mind if I wither and die where I stand.”
Curiously, however, the tree noticed that he was feeling far healthier than he had for a long while. It turned out that much as the stone's ability to talk had come from the tree, the tree's ability to walk had come from being near the stone. And as he spent more and more time away from the stone, the tree had started to lose this power. He now understood that the unfortunate dead trees he had seen on his travels had lost the power of movement on account of neglecting to visit their stone companions.
The tiny stone and the tree, who was no longer very young, formed a firm alliance, and became inseparable friends. Indeed, the tree placed the stone into a hollow in his trunk, allowing him to share all his knowledge and wisdom. The two would occasionally
go on journeys together, acquiring even greater experience and wisdom, tor it turns out that while the stone had not become magical during the tree's long absence, he had become incredibly knowledgeable.
As the years went by, the tree and the stone garnered great repute for their surpassing wisdom, becoming known as “Old Father Oak” and “The Telling Stone,” respectively.
Indeed, to this day, travelers still venture into the Deep Dark Wood seeking advice from this most unlikely pairing of tree and stone.
And so ends this branch of the story of Old Father Oak and The Telling Stone.
The Twelfth Tale: The Young Woman's Journal[]
An old traveler stood on a street corner, telling a crowd of people all about his adventures. The crowd enjoyed listening to his tales, and one of them asked him, "What is the most incredible thing you have ever seen?"
The old traveler thought a while, and answered,
"Let me tell you about a notebook I found. I was traveling through some truly inhospitable terrain—a jungle so thick that no light passed through its canopy, located in the foothills of a mountain range. I was certain I was the first human to set foot in the place—until I came upon a notebook. Imagine my surprise when I looked inside and saw that it was a young girl's journal. I became obsessed with it. I couldn't stop thinking about this little girl and what had happened to her. Listen to these entries. Did you ever hear of a tale so wondrous as hers?"
— "I wonder where you've gone... I've been looking for you all this time, but I can't find you anywhere..."
— "Passing through a village today, I heard some people talking about you... They described you a little differently from what I remember, but it was definitely you. They said you were heading north. So that is where I shall go, too."
— "I don't believe it. They say you've... thrown yourself into some kind of swamp—something called the 'Miasma Marshes'... Why would you do such a thing? What am I going to do now?"
— "I finally found someone who could tell me about these 'Miasma Marshes.' It doesn't sound good. It seems that those who gaze at the marshes are lured towards them by the 'evil spirits' who reside there. They prey on those who've been overcome by despair, and compel them to throw themselves in... Is that what happened to you...?"
— "I finally understand. The mystery of the Miasma Marshes... Well, I know what I have to do."
— "Last night, a traveling wizard told me that people in this world share a soul with a person in another world. These people are called 'soul mates.' According to him, soul mates' lives are intertwined, and affect each other. By throwing themselves into the Miasma Marshes, however, people can cut the bond that links them to their soul mates, allowing their hearts to be consumed by evil. Those who have done so are beyond redemption. Even releasing the evil from their hearts and reconnecting them to their soul mate does not bring back the person they once were.
"He told me something else as well. Something important. I need some time to think about what to do next..."
— "It is decided. I must become a wizard. It is the only way I can save you."
— "It's been several years since I last wrote in this journal. I'm a Great Sage now, capable of breaching time itself. I've decided to go back and rescue the other you. I'm going to take good care of him, right from the very start. I know I'll never be able to return to this time, but I will not regret this. In the other world, I'll find the 'floating soul' to which you were once connected, and I will absorb it. That soul will then be reborn—as my own child."
— "I'm setting out on a journey, a long journey to acquire the ‘life' that I need in order to save you. That is the least I can do for you, after what you did for me...
I believe that one day your soul will return, and that we'll meet again.
You saved me...
You sacrificed everything for me...
You gave your life so that I could live mine...
You...
I must see you again..."
After the old traveler had finished reading the journal, the crowd that had been assembled before him stood silent for a long while. Before any of them could think of what to say, the old traveler turned around and shuffled off to continue his wanderings. But just as he was about to leave the town, he looked back at his dumbstruck audience and addressed them once again.
"The notebook wasn't the only thing I found that day. There was a wand lying next to it. I think it must have been hers..."