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CHAPTER TWELFTH The Gift of Beauty The
following morning Marvel and Nerle once
more set out to leave the Kingdom of Spor and its ugly king. They selected another pathway leading from
the castle and traveled all day, coming at nightfall into view of the
place
whence they had started, with its solemn rows of giants and Gray Men
standing
ready to receive them. This repetition of their
former
experience somewhat annoyed the prince, while Nerle's usually
despondent face
wore a smile. "I see trouble ahead,"
murmured the esquire, almost cheerfully. "Since the king can not
conquer
us by force he intends to do it by sorcery." Marvel did not reply, but
greeted
the king quietly, while Terribus welcomed their return as calmly as if
he well
knew they could not escape him. That evening the prince
made another
pass toward the king with his hand and muttered again the magic word. Nerle was watching, and saw the upper eye of
Terribus glide still farther down his forehead and the other eye move
again
toward the left. The swaying nose shrank
to a few inches in length, and the skin that had once been so
brilliantly crimson
turned to a dull red color. This time
the courtiers and ladies in waiting also noticed the change in the
king's
features, but were afraid to speak of it, as any reference to their
monarch's personal
appearance was by law punishable by death. Terribus
saw the startled looks directed upon him, and raised his hand
to feel of his nose and eyes; but thinking that if any change in his
appearance
had taken place, he must be uglier than before, he only frowned and
turned away
his head. The next day the king's
guests made
a third attempt to leave his dominions, but met with no better success
than
before, for a long and tedious ride only brought them back to their
starting-place in the evening. This time Prince Marvel
was really
angry, and striding into the king's presence he reproached him
bitterly,
saying: "Why do you prevent us
from
leaving your kingdom? We have not
injured you in any way." "You have seen me, returned Terribus, calmly, "and
I do not intend you shall go back to the world and tell people how ugly
I
am." The prince looked at him,
and could
not repress a smile. The two eyes of the
king, having been twice removed from their first position, were now
both in his
forehead, instead of below it, and one was much higher than the other. And the nose, although small when compared to
what it had been, still resembled an elephant's trunk.
Other changes had been made for the better,
but Terribus was still exceedingly repulsive to look upon. Seeing the prince look at
him and
smile, the king flew into a fury of anger and declared that the
strangers
should never, while they lived, be permitted to leave his castle again. Prince Marvel became thoughtful at this,
reflecting that the king's enmity all arose from his sensitiveness
about his
ugly appearance, and this filled the youthful knight with pity rather
than
resentment. When they had all
assembled at the
evening banquet the prince, for a third time, made a mystic pass at the
king
and whispered a magic word. And behold! this time the charm was
complete. For the two front eyes of
Terribus fell into
their proper places, his nose became straight and well formed, and his
skin
took on a natural, healthy color. Moreover, he now had a fine head of
soft
brown hair, with eyebrows and eyelashes to match, and his head was
shapely and
in proportion to his body. As for the
eye that had formerly been in the back of his head, it had disappeared
completely. So amazed were the
subjects of the
transformed king — who was now quite handsome to look upon — that they
began to
murmur together excitedly, and something in the new sensations he
experienced
gave to the king's face likewise an expression of surprise. Knowing from their pleased looks that he must
have improved in appearance, he found courage to raise his hand to his
nose,
and found it well formed. Then he
touched his eyes, and realized they were looking straight out from his
face, like
those of other people. For some moments after
making these
discoveries the king remained motionless, a smile of joy gradually
spreading
over his features. Then he said, aloud: "What has happened? Why do you all look so startled?" "Your Majesty is no
longer
ugly," replied Marvel, laughingly; "so that when Nerle and I leave
your kingdom we can proclaim nothing less than praise of your dignified
and
handsome appearance." "Is my face indeed
pleasing?" demanded the king, eagerly. "It is!" cried the
assembled courtiers and ladies, as with one voice. "Bring me a mirror!" said
the king. "I shall look at my
reflection for the first time in many years." The mirror being brought
King
Terribus regarded himself for a long time with pleased astonishment;
and then,
his sensitive nature being overcome by the shock of his good fortune,
he burst
into a flood of tears and rushed from the room. The courtiers and ladies
now
bestowed many grateful thanks upon Prince Marvel for his kind deed; for
they
realized that thereafter their lives would be safer from the king's
anger and
much pleasanter in every way. "Terribus is not bad by
nature," said one; "but he brooded upon his ugliness so much that the
least thing served to throw him into a violent passion, and our lives
were
never safe from one day to another." By and by two giants
entered the
hall and carried away the throne of gray stone where Terribus had been
accustomed to sit; and other slaves brought a gorgeous throne of gold,
studded
with precious jewels, which they put in its place.
And after a time the king himself returned to
the room, his simple gray gown replaced by flowing robes of purple,
with rich
embroideries, such as he had not worn for many years. "My people," said he,
addressing
those present with kindness and dignity, "it seems to me fitting that a
handsome king should be handsomely attired, and an ugly one clothed
simply. For years I have been so
terrible in feature that I dared not even look at my own image in a
mirror. But now, thanks to the gracious
magic of my
guest, I have become like other men, and hereafter you will find my
rule as kind
as it was formerly cruel. To-night, in
honor of this joyous occasion, we shall feast and make merry, and it is
my
royal command that you all do honor and reverence to the illustrious
Prince
Marvel!" A loud shout of approval
greeted
this speech, and the evening was merry indeed. Terribus
joined freely in the revelry, laughing as gaily as the
lightest-hearted damsel present. It was nearly morning
before they
all retired, and as they sought their beds Nerle asked the prince in a
voice
that sounded like an ill-natured growl: "Why did you give the
king
beauty, after his treatment of us?" Marvel looked at the
reproachful
face of his esquire and smiled. "When you are older," said he,
"you will find that often there are many ways to accomplish a single
purpose. The king's ugliness was the bar
to our leaving his country, for he feared our gossip.
So the easiest way for us to compass our
escape was to take away his reason for detaining us.
Thus I conquered the king in my own way, and
at the same time gained his gratitude and friendship." "Will he allow us to
depart in
the morning?" inquired Nerle. "I think so," said Marvel. It was late when they
rose from
their slumbers; but, having breakfasted, the prince's first act was to
seek the
king. "We wish to leave your
kingdom," said he. "Will you
let us go?" Terribus grasped the hand
of his
guest and pressed it with fervor, while tears of gratitude stood in his
eyes. "I should prefer that you
remain with me always, and be my friend," he answered.
"But if you choose to leave me I shall
not interfere in any way with your wishes." Prince Marvel looked at
him
thoughtfully, and then said: "My time on this island is short. In a few months Prince Marvel will have
passed out of the knowledge of men, and his name will be forgotten. Before then I hope to visit the Kingdoms of
Dawna and Auriel and Plenta; so I must not delay, but beg you will
permit me to
depart at once." "Very well," answered
Terribus. "Come with me, and I
shall show you the way." He led the prince and
Nerle to a
high wall of rock, and placing his hand upon its rough surface, touched
a
hidden spring. Instantly an immense
block of stone began to swing backward, disclosing a passage large
enough for a
man on horseback to ride through. "This is the one road
that
leads out of my kingdom," said Terribus. "The others all begin and
end at the castle. So that unless you
know the secret of this passage you could never escape from Spor." "But where does this road
lead?" asked Marvel. "To the Kingdom of
Auriel,
which you desire to visit. It is not a
straight
road, for it winds around the Land of Twi, so it will carry you a
little out of
your way." "What is the Land of
Twi?"
inquired the prince. "A small country hidden
from
the view of all travelers," said Terribus. "No
one has ever yet found a way to enter the land of Twi; yet
there is a rumor that it is ruled by a mighty personage called the High
Ki." "And does the rumor state
what
the High Ki of Twi is like?" "No, indeed," returned
the
king, smiling, "so it will do you no good to be curious.
And now farewell, and may good luck attend
you. Yet bear in mind the fact that King
Terribus of Spor owes you a mighty debt of gratitude; and if you ever
need my
services, you have but to call on me, and I shall gladly come to your
assistance." "I thank you," said
Marvel, "but there is small chance of my needing help.
Farewell, and may your future life be
pleasant and happy!" With this he sprang to
the saddle of
his prancing charger and, followed by Nerle, rode slowly through the
stone
arch. The courtiers and ladies had
flocked from the palace to witness their departure, and the giants and
dwarfs
and Gray Men were drawn up in long lines to speed the king's guests. So it was a brilliant sight that Marvel and
Nerle
looked back on; but once they were clear of the arch, the great stone
rolled
back into its place, shutting them out completely from the Kingdom of
Spor,
with its turreted castle and transformed king. |