As soon as courtesies were exchanged, it came time for the Kings to sit with the Warrior Prince.
The Warrior Prince spoke to the Kings of his journey into the realm and they listened with great delight. 
But when it came time for the Kings to speak of the crossing of the Talking River and the capture of the Water Spider, the Warrior Prince grew agitated. "A spell had been foretold that whoever receives the Water Spider will fall into a terrible magic! We must bring the Wizard of the Season of Light here quickly!"
No sooner had the little Prince spoken, when the Queen of Spring fell into a feverish spell. Great care was taken to lay her to rest. The Elder King and his Queen set off to fetch the Wizard and bring her to the Queen of Spring. Off they went and found the Wizard deep in the bowels of the City of Hope. Quickly they told her of the spell set upon the Queen of Spring. The wizard pulled from her traveling bag a book written in an ancient language. She knew many of the spells and with haste, they went to tell the Prince.
"You have great wisdom, Wizard of the Season of Light. Do what you need to. My mother is not well and we cannot let the spell sit on her too long. Even now, she sleeps but does not rest."
They journeyed forth, knowing that the quest of finding what was needed for the task at hand would take them to places they had not yet been.
At last, everything was found and returning to the castle the Wizard began to mix her spells. Each spell came forward in a series of delectable dishes, each of which needed to be eaten or tasted by the Queen of Spring. As the magic of the spells grew in power, the spell over the Queen weakened.
The final spell had to be performed by the hand that had accepted the Water Spider. The Sun King knew well what would happen. This spell would kill the Water Spider. The Sun King bravely took command and soon the Water Spider was dead. Quiet came; yet the Warrior Prince had become tense with his worry for his mother. The Queen of Spring came to him and took him to rest and be comforted. The day was over, the Elder King, his Queen and the Wizard left to return to the Fortress, deep with concern yet hopeful for the new day.
As the new day dawned, a new hope grew in their hearts. "Dear ones," Queen Mother of the Scots urged, "We now need to seek a deeper magic. Let us replace the gift of the Water Spider which brought sickness, worry and stress with a gift to bring joy, growth and hope. Let us seek a Tree of Life." Brightness came over the family as they visualized this new gift. "Let us find a Tree of Life that will grow strong and tall", the Elder King commanded. "And let it be planted on the castle grounds where the Warrior Prince can watch it as it grows,"said the Mother Queen. "Let all in the family decide on this gift, so the magic will be strong," said the wise Wizard of Light.
Quickly, they contacted the other family members who were afar. Each agreed that this may break the spell and restore the Warrior Prince and the Queen of Spring. They consulted the Sun King who wisely spoke to the Queen of Spring. "Let the tree bloom with flowers for the Prince, " she requested. The Sun King, knowing the heart of his Queen, immediately agreed. Then the Elder King, Queen Mother of the Scots, and the Sun King readied for the journey to find the Tree of Life meant for the Warrior Prince. The Queen of Spring, and the Wizard stayed with the Warrior Prince at the castle where they would wait for the return of all.
The Sun King knew where they might seek this tree. "I have been told of a place,the Land of Dreams, where there are many things of beauty such as this. We may have luck if we seek the Tree of Life there." At once they set off for this land.
Entering the Land of Dreams there were many, many trees and plants of great beauty. Each tree could be the Tree needed for the Warrior Prince. Queen Mother said,"Let us find a Teacher, here in this place who can tell us of the nature of these trees and their secrets. Then we can look at each to see if we can find the strongest."
As they walked they soon came to a tall man of great age. "We are looking for a teacher who knows these trees and can tell us their story," the Sun King said. "Are you a teacher such as this?" The man smiled at the Sun King, seeing his goodness. "I don't know how much I know about trees, but I can certainly talk you into giving me your gold for anyone of them!" he quipped. Being also a man of good heart, he walked with the Sun King through the trees and told him of his knowledge. Listening to the Sun King, the Teacher pointed out a group of trees to him. "I believe what you are seeking is there," he said. Thanking him for his help, the Sun King led the Elder King and Queen to the trees the Teacher had picked out for him .
Looking over the trees, they eliminated one by one until they found the one with great vitality. This one indeed would grow strong. The tree had great beauty in deep full leaves of green, tipped with new leaves of red. In the Season of Light it would bring forth bright red glowing flowers. After that, the leaves would slowly turn to the color of orange flames. This tree could break the spell and restore the Warrior Prince.
"This is the Tree we seek. Now we must also find Singing Flowers for the Queen of Spring, so she too will be restored," said the Sun King. They walked into a garden rich with singing flowers. Here they chose three. one of great delicacy in pink, one of great beauty in white, and one of boldness in deep pink.
"Take us with you," they sang. "We know of the spell on the Queen of Spring and of the Warrior Prince. We flowers did not tell you of the Water Spider and his magic when you came to the Garden of Enchantment. Please, let us now come with you and sing to the Queen and to the Tree. We will remember the story and tell it to the Tree, so the Tree will know how it is meant to be with the Prince for now and all through his life." Without saying a word more, the Kings and the Queen took the Tree and the Flowers and returned to the castle.
When they arrived, the Queen of Spring was still at rest. The Queen Mother took the Prince and wrapped him in a warm blanket and putting on his hat, took him out to the Tree.
At the foot of the Tree they sat and listened to the wind whispering through its leaves. The softness and rhythm of this song lured the young Prince into a deep and restful sleep. While the Prince slept, the Father King the Elder and his Sun King, prepared a place in the castle garden for the Tree of Life.
"Yes!," the Sun King shouted as the Tree was planted. We have reversed the gift. Now, let us show the Queen of Spring the Singing Flowers so she may also be restored.
The Queen came and saw the great beauty of the Singing Flowers and the vitality of the Tree of Life chosen for her son, The Warrior Prince. Peace began to settle in her heart once again, and though not completely restored, she went to rest with a sweetness that she had not had for many days. King Father the Elder and Queen Mother of the Scots, having completed their quest and restored their gift to the Warrior Prince, began to make plans to return to the West. The Wizard of the Season of Light agreed to stay with the Sun King , hoping to attend the Queen of Spring for one more day.
As the Father King and the Mother Queen made their way home, they smiled with their joy having been with their family. Looking back at their beginning of the journey and where the journey took them, they saw and understood why they had made the quest. It had not been a time of picture perfect events, but certainly a time of great strength and love. And that, to them, was everything.
Momma! Wonderful story! The pictures go along with it so well!!!
ReplyDelete