Saga of the Red King

A very long time ago, in a kingdom that you could see right now if you really tried, lived a king clad in every resplendent shade of red and gold one could imagine; his robes were of the finest fabric, and he appeared as if his attire glistened and effervesced with wonderful light whenever he stepped into the the warm, glowing light of the sun. He wore a crown of choice rubies, topaz, and gold, crafted from dwarves and cyclops of ages long before anyone can remember.

The king led with honor and integrity, dispensing justice and truth whenever he judged a case or issued a decree. However, one day, when looking out amongst his kingdom from his bedroom balcony, with all the wonderful roses and peonies growing around him and the glorious fall foliage exposing itself amongst the trees and the golden harvests of wheat and every crop imaginable, he realized that there was something missing. He realized that amongst all the wealth and splendor of his land, amongst all the beautiful architecture his architects designed and the masterpieces of art his polymaths created, amongst the great works of poetry, song, and philosophy his wise men crafted, that something was fundamentally missing from his life.

He consulted all his wise men and cultured gentlemen and they could only offer him better commissions and more sonorous music for his ears; not the salve for the aching feeling in his heart. Eventually, his grand vizier noticed how the King in Red was growing more and more sepulchral in his actions, and looked with a sad countenance on his kingdom and the people in it when he was hearing cases and dispensing justice. The Vizier, realizing something needed to be done, decided a higher form of help was needed, prompting him to journey over high mountains of frost and snow and blistering, scorching sands of the burning deserts to reach the elaborate keep of the Wise Maiden.

The Wise Maiden, who many have called Sophia, resided in a splendid palace, decorated in all manner of stained glass and foreign patterns that seemed to shine rainbow lights when the sun shed its gentle rays through the windows onto the masterfully crafted carpets and pools of her abode. The Vizier marveled in awe at the assortment of plants present in her palace and the oasis: every plant imaginable was in the palace, and, due to the Wise Maidens knowledge of the arcane, allowed for every plant that had been and will be to be present in the seeds she received from the mighty tree in the center of her palace: She simply needed to plant one of the seeds and any plant could grow from it, for the seed contained the essence of every seed in it.

The Vizier asked if she was indeed the Wise Maiden of old, to which she replied that she was, and that she could dispel her wisdom to help in any matter. Delighted at hopefully finding the answer to aiding his majesty, the Vizier related the Red King’s longing, and how it was affecting him. The Wise Maiden asked the Vizier many questions about the Red King and what he believed, how he thought, and what he hoped to aspire to; all questions the Vizier answered completely and accurately: he was the Red King’s most trusted official, and even dear friend after all.

The Wise Maiden thought it over for a moment, and then, she gave her advice to the Vizier. She said that the Red King longed for a kindred spirit, a queen to govern and rule his kingdom with, and share in the wealth and splendor of his court. The Vizier, understanding what the Wise Maiden was saying, still had a problem: what maiden could possibly fulfill his majesty? The Wise Maiden understood that the maiden was an elusive person, and offered even more aid: she went to a tree and plucked a purple, black, and blue fruit, that shined with the coruscant light of the stars and moon as they travelled across the heavens and looked upon the Earth and gave it to the Vizier, saying that if he ate of this fruit, the Red King would gain the knowledge the he needed; she also plucked a gold and red fruit, that seemed to shine and cast a brilliant glow like the corona of the sun itself, saying that if the Red King ate of this fruit, he would be able to actuate the life he wished to live with his unknown beloved.

The Vizier, elated with the ability to help his majesty, gave felicitations and thanks to the Wise Maiden, and set off for the Red King’s realm, traveling day and night towards the liberation of his ruler. Upon arriving at the palace, the Vizier gave both fruits to the Red King, who, gratefully, took the former, fruit that would grant him the knowledge of where his beloved is, and ate of it: he saw through the veil of reality, deep into the Earth, past a dark, foreboding labyrinth and saw a beautiful maiden living in the depths. She was beautiful beyond what words could describe, with long, wavy hair so fair it looked as if it were gold and platinum, and dressed in a beautiful white dress of white. Attending her were a small consort of beautiful elven women and fairies, who have been blessed with the same immortality of the maiden so that they could live with her and tend the gardens of various flowers and plants, also from times immemorial and futures yet to be, amongst beautiful trellises and stonework of blue and green gemstones that exuded feelings of belonging to an earthly paradise beyond the corporeal pleasures of this world.

The Red King immediately fell madly in love with the maiden, who he quickly became of being the White Queen, who has resided in the Earth for thousands of years, waiting for one who can find her. The Red King knew he must find her, but, how would he find the labyrinth and traverse it? He took the other fruit, the one that shone with the glory of the sun and ate of it. Upon doing so, he learned of where the labyrinth was, and that in descending into the Earth he would need to overcome six dragons who guarded different levels of the labyrinth, and use the six gems of which each guarded one to unlock the realm of the White Queen.

Upon learning of this, he immediately made the preparations to go off and overcome the labyrinth and dragons, putting the Vizier in charge of his kingdom until he returned. However, right as the Red King prepared to leave, right as the last few red and gold leaves of the Fall Season fell to the ground and the last field was left fallow, the Vizier appeared before the Red King, and gave him a magical pendant that would ward off flames. The Red King was thankful of course, but also knew, as anyone on a great journey knows, that just because flames don’t burn you, it doesn’t mean it still doesn’t affect you. However, that’s a topic one must ponder a little on.