Second Tale Of a King and an Emperor #2
Once she told them she wanted to go to sea with them, and so they went and there they played.
She told them she wanted to treat them to the fine wine she had on board her ship, so she gave them some of the wine she had in the hold.
They became drunk and fell down, and there they lay all around.
She then went and unmoored the ship, unfurled its sails and fled.
The king and his retinue looked and saw that the ship was no longer there, and they became terribly frightened. The king told them, See to it that you do not let her know straight away that her ship is gone because she will be greatly distressed.
The king did not know that it was she who had fled, for he thought she was still in her chamber, and she might think the king had gifted her ship away.
Instead, one of the ladies should be sent to inform her judiciously.
Pages were sent to one of the ladies’ chambers, but no one was there.
So they went to another chamber, and likewise, no one was there either.
And so it was that in all eleven chambers there was no lady to be found.
The king and his retinue deliberated, deciding that an old dowager should be sent to her that night to inform her.
The dowager went to her chamber, but again no one was there. They all grew alarmed. 20
Meanwhile, the ladies’ fathers realized they had received no word from their daughters.
They sent word but received no replies. So they set off and travelled themselves to see them but found none of their daughters.
They grew very angry and wanted to banish the king, because they were royal ministers.
They considered: Is the king so guilty that he merits banishment?
After all, this was not his fault. But, it was determined that they would indeed spurn his kingship and exile him.
They deposed him and cast him out. And he went away.
The emperor’s daughter who had fled was travelling in the ship. Then the ladies awoke and started playing with her as they had before because they did not realize the ship had already departed the coast. Later, however, they said to her, Let us return home.
She asked them, May we just linger here awhile?
A squall overtook them. They said, Let us turn back.
She revealed to them that they had long left the coast behind.
They asked her, Why have you done this?
She said she had been afraid lest the ship be smashed to pieces because of the squall. That was why she had to do so.
They continued upon the sea, the emperor’s daughter and the eleven ladies, often playing music on their instruments, when they chanced upon a palace.
The ladies said to her, Let us go to that palace.
She did not want to do so and said she regretted having come near the palace at all.
Some time thereafter they spied something like an isle in the sea and they approached it. There were twelve bandits on the isle and these bandits wanted to kill them. 21
She asked, Who is the greatest among you?, and they pointed him out.
So she asked him, What is it you do?
He told her they were bandits, and she said to him, We, too, are bandits.
But you are bandits by might, while we are bandits by wisdom, for we have studied many languages and play musical instruments.
What do you gain by killing us? It would be better to take us as your wives, and you will also be acquiring a great fortune.
She then showed them what was in the ship, for the ship was well laden with the merchant’s son’s fortune.
The bandits were placated by her words and showed the women their own riches, leading them to all of their hidden lairs.
They decided not to marry them all at once but rather one after the other, and, furthermore, each of them was to choose the lady best suited to him and his own character.
After that, she told them she would treat them to the finest wine she had in the ship, wine which she never touched and which she kept hidden until God revealed her intended.
She served them the wine in twelve goblets and asked each one to drink to the health of all twelve.
They drank and became drunk and fell down.
She then called out to the rest of the ladies, Go now each of you and slaughter your husband.
They went and killed them all. Then they found their great riches, far surpassing those of a king, and decided to take neither copper nor silver but only gold and jewels.
They cast everything that was not valuable overboard and loaded the ship with the 22 precious goods, all the gold and jewels they had found there on the isle.
They also decided not to dress like women and tailored men’s clothes for themselves in a fashionable European style and sailed away.
And it came to pass…
Once there was a king. This king had an only son whom he had married off and to whom he entrusted his kingdom.
One time he said to his father he wanted to go for a cruise with his wife so she could get accustomed to the sea air. They might have to escape to sea at some point so he wanted her to get used to the sea’s climes.
The prince, his wife and his royal ministers set off upon a ship and were very merry and frolicsome there.
It was then suggested they should all take off their clothes and so they did, leaving on nothing but their undergarments.
Then each one tried to see who could climb the mast. The prince scaled the mast.
Meantime, the emperor’s daughter had arrived in her ship and spied the ship of the prince and his ministers.
At first she was afraid to approach, so she drew nearer little by little.
She saw them disporting themselves and realized these were no pirates, so she sailed closer.
The emperor’s daughter said to her entourage, I can knock that pate down into the sea.
(For the prince who had scaled the mast had a bald spot on his head.)
They said to her, How is that possible? We are so far away.
She told them she had a burning glass and with it she could take him down.
She bided her time until he had reached the very top of the mast, because as long as he was in the middle of the 23 mast when he fell he would fall into the ship, but if he were at the very top when he fell he would plummet into the water.
So she waited for him to reach the tip of the mast. Then she took the burning glass and directed it towards his skull until his brain was scorched and he fell into the sea.
His fall caused a great commotion on his ship, and they did not know what to do.
How could they return home? The king would die of grief.
So they decided to make for the ship they had seen in the distance that belonged to the emperor’s daughter, as it might have a doctor on board who could treat him.
They approached and told the people aboard the emperor’s daughter’s ship not to fear because they meant them no harm.
They asked if there were a doctor among them with whom they might consult.
They told them the whole story of how the prince had fallen into the sea.
The emperor’s daughter told them to pull him out of the sea. So they went and found him and hauled him out. The emperor’s daughter then took his pulse and said, His brain has been scorched.
They went and opened his skull and saw that it was indeed as she had said.
They were astounded, for it was such a wonder that the doctor, that is, the emperor’s daughter, could have hit on exactly the right cause and they asked whether she would accompany them back to their home and become the king’s physician and a very eminent person.
She did not wish to do so and told them she was no doctor but she simply understood such matters well.
The people on the prince’s ship were reluctant to return home so the two ships sailed on together.
The royal ministers aboard 24 were much taken with the idea that the late prince’s wife should marry the doctor—the emperor’s daughter, who was dressed as a man and whom they thought a doctor—because they understood him to be a very wise man.
Now they wished their royal consort to marry the doctor and for him to become their king.
As for their old king, the late prince’s father, they would kill him.
They were reluctant at first to tell the royal consort to marry a doctor, but she was well pleased at the idea.
She was afraid, however, of her countrymen lest they not want him to be king.
They decided to hold a feast aboard the ship so that amidst the drinking, surrounded by merrymaking, they would be able to discuss it.
So they planned a feast for all on a particular date.
When the day came, the doctor—that is, the emperor’s daughter—joined the revelry.
He gave them the fine wine he had and they became drunk.
Amidst the merrymaking, the royal ministers said, How lovely it would be if the queen married the doctor.
The doctor replied, It would certainly be very lovely indeed, but one should not speak with a drunken tongue.
The royal consort added, It would be very lovely to marry the doctor, but the country would have to agree.
The doctor repeated, It would certainly be very lovely, but one should not speak with a drunken tongue.
Later, once they had sobered up, the ministers remembered what had been said and were ashamed of having spoken in such a way to a royal consort.
But they reflected, She herself said this to you.
And the queen was equally ashamed before them.
But, she reconsidered, they themselves have said this to you as well.
In the meantime, they began discussing the situation.
It was decided 25 that the royal consort should marry the doctor, and they went home to their country.
When their countrymen beheld them returning they were overjoyed, as it had been so long since the prince had left on his cruise.
They had not known where he was and the old king had passed away before their return.
When their countrymen saw, however, that the prince who was now their presumptive king was not there, they asked, Where is our king?
Thereupon they told them the whole tale, how the prince had been long dead and how they had already appointed a new king who was with them—namely, the doctor, who was the emperor’s daughter. Their countrymen rejoiced at having a new king.
The king ordered it be proclaimed in all the lands that whosoever one may be, whether foreigner or fugitive, exile or outcast, let them be invited to the wedding, let none be lacking, and they would be given great gifts.
And the king went on to order that fountains be built everywhere around the whole city so that everyone would be able to have a drink.
One should not have to go too far in order to have a drink, but rather one should be able to find a fountain nearby.
The king also ordered his likeness to be painted on each of the fountains.
Guards were to be stationed at each of the fountains, and if anyone were to stare too intensely at the likeness or grimace, he should be seized and thrown in prison. Everything was done as commanded.
Among those that came to the wedding, these three arrived: the first prince, who was the proper bridegroom of the emperor’s daughter who was now the king; the merchant’s son, whose father had cast him out when the emperor’s daughter had sailed away; 26 and the king who had been deposed and exiled, similarly on account of the emperor’s daughter, who had absconded with the eleven ladies.
Each one of the three recognized her likeness on the fountains.
As they stared at it and remembered, their faces showed their distress.
They were seized and thrown into prison.
At the wedding celebration, the new king ordered the prisoners brought before him. All three were hauled in. She recognized them, but they did not recognize her because she was dressed as a man.
The emperor’s daughter spoke, saying, You, King, were exiled on account of the eleven ladies who were lost. Here now, take your ladies and return to your country and your kingship.
You, Merchant, were cast out by your father on account of the ship and the goods that were lost. Here now, take your ship and all your goods; and since your fortune has been unattainable for so long, you now have many times more riches in your ship than you had before.
And you, Prince, she said to the first prince, who was truly her bridegroom, Come hither. Let us go home.
And they returned home.
Amen and Amen