The Ice Czar
Feb. 18th, 2004 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mishalakOnce Upon a Time there was a great and mighty czar. He was shrewd, his kingdom prosperous, but all was not well with him. For one day when he went out riding he caught a chill that would not go away. When he came back to his fortress palace he shivered and his hands felt like ice. It was whispered by gossips that his wife nearly froze when he came to bed. When the next morning he was no warmer he called for his bishops to come to the throne room advise him. His messengers went running out and soon afterward the czar's bishops in their tall hats and fine robes came tumbling in one after another in their hurry.
His bishops advised him and they said to put out lots of candles and build a big roaring fire in every stove so that it would be as warm as summer in his fortress place. So the czar took their advice and ordered candles brought into his throne room and ordered wood brought to the place to build a fire in every fireplace. The messengers went forth carrying his words. Merchants sold the czar a quarter of the candles in the empire and they were stacked up in a storeroom and hundreds were set out in the throne room and lit at the same time. Woodsmen went out and chopped down half a forest for the czar and the wood was stacked up and fires lit in every stove in the palace. It grew as warm as a high summer's day, but the czar was still oh so very cold.
After a day of this the czar woke up and was very annoyed. Everyone else in the palace was in summer clothes, but he was cold. So he called for his ministers to come to the throne room to advise him. Two messengers went dashing out and soon afterwards the czar's ministers in their long coats with silver buttons came tripping over each other in their haste.
His ministers advised him that he should be like the great bear and to dress in warm furs and to eat good food to grow fat. So the czar took their advice and gave the order every tenth fur taken should belong to him and to buy the best food for his table. His messengers went forth carrying his words and one tenth of the furs from all over the kingdom were brought in and piled around the czar. Merchants now sold him oceans of drink and countrysides of the best food. The czar ate five meals a day with snacks in between of all the rich foods set before him and managed to grow slightly plump, but the czar was still oh so very cold.
After a week of this the czar woke up and was in a very bad mood. All the couriers had enjoyed it very much, but he was cold. So he called for the wise old man to come to the throne room and advise him. One messenger went scurrying out and soon afterwards the wise old man came in carrying his staff and stroking his long grey beard.
The wise old man quietly asked the czar questions about how he felt, what had been done, and what he had been doing when he first felt this strange cold. Then he advised his czar, "Your bishops and ministers had good plans, but they did not work and that tells me something else is wrong." This was especially clever for him to say, as otherwise the other members of the czar's court might have hated him. "The cold you feel comes from a sprit within you. Anything can have a spirit living in it, from stones to humans. Some of them might be viewed as helpful and some as hurtful and they can do nearly anything. Therefore what you need for a cure is something to drive out, kill, or change this spirit. I have heard of certain trees that grow beyond the Thrice-Ninth Lands in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. They give fruit that can affect the spirits, though since I have never been there I cannot say which one you need. You should send someone you believe in to fetch one for you."
Where before he had been in a black mood indeed now the czar was very thoughtful. Whom should he send? How should he choose?
Continued in Part Two
His bishops advised him and they said to put out lots of candles and build a big roaring fire in every stove so that it would be as warm as summer in his fortress place. So the czar took their advice and ordered candles brought into his throne room and ordered wood brought to the place to build a fire in every fireplace. The messengers went forth carrying his words. Merchants sold the czar a quarter of the candles in the empire and they were stacked up in a storeroom and hundreds were set out in the throne room and lit at the same time. Woodsmen went out and chopped down half a forest for the czar and the wood was stacked up and fires lit in every stove in the palace. It grew as warm as a high summer's day, but the czar was still oh so very cold.
After a day of this the czar woke up and was very annoyed. Everyone else in the palace was in summer clothes, but he was cold. So he called for his ministers to come to the throne room to advise him. Two messengers went dashing out and soon afterwards the czar's ministers in their long coats with silver buttons came tripping over each other in their haste.
His ministers advised him that he should be like the great bear and to dress in warm furs and to eat good food to grow fat. So the czar took their advice and gave the order every tenth fur taken should belong to him and to buy the best food for his table. His messengers went forth carrying his words and one tenth of the furs from all over the kingdom were brought in and piled around the czar. Merchants now sold him oceans of drink and countrysides of the best food. The czar ate five meals a day with snacks in between of all the rich foods set before him and managed to grow slightly plump, but the czar was still oh so very cold.
After a week of this the czar woke up and was in a very bad mood. All the couriers had enjoyed it very much, but he was cold. So he called for the wise old man to come to the throne room and advise him. One messenger went scurrying out and soon afterwards the wise old man came in carrying his staff and stroking his long grey beard.
The wise old man quietly asked the czar questions about how he felt, what had been done, and what he had been doing when he first felt this strange cold. Then he advised his czar, "Your bishops and ministers had good plans, but they did not work and that tells me something else is wrong." This was especially clever for him to say, as otherwise the other members of the czar's court might have hated him. "The cold you feel comes from a sprit within you. Anything can have a spirit living in it, from stones to humans. Some of them might be viewed as helpful and some as hurtful and they can do nearly anything. Therefore what you need for a cure is something to drive out, kill, or change this spirit. I have heard of certain trees that grow beyond the Thrice-Ninth Lands in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. They give fruit that can affect the spirits, though since I have never been there I cannot say which one you need. You should send someone you believe in to fetch one for you."
Where before he had been in a black mood indeed now the czar was very thoughtful. Whom should he send? How should he choose?
Continued in Part Two
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Date: 2004-02-18 11:21 pm (UTC)You're getting all sort of Dunsany-like...!