MDL | Chapter 1.1

Episode 1. The Sleeping Prince of the Thorn Castle

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in a small and beautiful kingdom, there lived a king and queen who were deeply in love. They were a charming and kind-hearted couple. All the people of the kingdom praised their benevolence and lived peaceful lives, where no one was exceptionally wealthy and no one suffered from extreme hunger.

Despite being the beloved royal couple of such a peaceful kingdom, they had one sorrow: after more than ten years of marriage, they still had no children. As you well know, for a king and queen, having no children is a tragedy far greater than it is for ordinary people. Not only were they deprived of the joy of parenthood, but they also had to worry about the future of their small and beautiful kingdom.

Then, one day…

Perhaps their long prayers and good deeds had moved the hearts of the gods? While on a spring outing with her ladies-in-waiting, the queen discovered a large frog by the pond, its body shimmering with a golden light. A frog that shone like gold! The queen was utterly astonished. This was undoubtedly an auspicious sign. But the surprises didn’t end there. The golden frog opened its mouth and spoke to the queen in a human voice:

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Your long sorrow shall be resolved! Three months from today, you shall hold a healthy baby boy in your arms.”

The golden frog’s voice boomed like thunder from the heavens. Before its words even finished, the queen fainted on the spot. When her ladies-in-waiting rushed to the pond to find her, the frog had vanished without a trace.

The queen thought she had dreamed it all. But not long after, her belly began to swell. Only then did she realize that the frog she had met by the pond was a divine manifestation. The king and queen wept tears of gratitude and offered prayers of thanks.

Not only the king and queen but all the people of the kingdom eagerly awaited the birth of the healthy child. Offerings for the queen’s safe delivery were endlessly made at the temples of the thirteen gods who protected the kingdom. Meanwhile, as the golden frog had prophesied, the queen’s belly continued to grow.

Finally, three months later, the day foretold by the golden frog arrived.

After a grueling labor, the queen gave birth to a child. Thankfully, both mother and child were healthy. The child was a prince—a very handsome baby boy with lush black hair like a midsummer night’s dream and deep green eyes like a summer forest.

The king and queen, along with everyone in the kingdom, rejoiced deeply at the prince’s birth. The king, in particular, visited all thirteen temples to make offerings and bestowed precious gifts upon every citizen of the kingdom. A grand and splendid celebration was held, lasting ten days and nights. Invitations were sent not only to the royal family and nobles but also to the wizards, representatives of the thirteen gods who protected the kingdom.

However, there was a small, very, very… minor oversight.

The invitation did not reach the archmage who served Charkaya, the god of death and winter. It was thought inappropriate to invite the god of death to a celebration of the prince’s birth, so the invitation was omitted. No one could have known that this would later lead to a great calamity.

On the final day of the celebration…

It was the day the young prince would be presented to the people and the guests of the banquet. The nurse carefully lifted the prince from his cradle. The queen took him into her arms and then handed him to the king. The king, holding the fussy, sleepy prince high above his head, proudly displayed the adorable and radiant child to everyone.

The invited wizards stepped forward one by one. In one hand, they held oak staffs, symbols of their authority, and in the other, fine stardust to bestow upon the prince.

The first wizard spoke:

“Blessings! Blessings! The prince shall grow into the most handsome man in the world. Even his enemies shall bow in admiration and reverence before his star-like radiance.”

Fine stardust sprinkled over the prince’s forehead. Then the second wizard spoke:

“Blessings! Blessings! The prince shall possess a character as radiant as his appearance. There is nothing more precious than a kind and generous heart!”

Fine stardust sprinkled over the prince’s forehead. Then the third wizard spoke:

“Blessings! Blessings! The prince shall be the bravest in the world. He shall have the heart of a lion, unafraid and unwavering in the face of adversity and hardship!”

Fine stardust sprinkled over the prince’s forehead.

Then the fourth, fifth, sixth… The wizards continued to sprinkle stardust and bestow noble blessings befitting the noble prince. The prince was promised all the finest things in the world from the moment of his birth: exceptional swordsmanship, equestrian skills, swimming prowess, dancing talent, wisdom, a low and sweet voice, and so on.

Finally, it was the twelfth wizard’s turn.

Though he didn’t show it, the twelfth wizard grew increasingly anxious as his turn approached. The previous eleven wizards had already bestowed every conceivable blessing, leaving him with no more good and beautiful virtues to offer. He regretted not serving the third or fourth god instead of the twelfth. Don’t you agree? The last person to speak often has nothing left to say, and the first isn’t much better, as they must come up with something new and original. The third or fourth is the sweet spot—enough to blend in with the first but still with plenty to say. Remember that… third or fourth…

Oh dear! I’ve gone off on a tangent. Let’s return to the story…

Standing before the prince, the twelfth wizard was deep in thought. What more could the prince possibly need, already blessed with “trendsetting fashion sense” and even “stallion-like vitality”? If you were the twelfth wizard, what gift would you give the prince?

Fortunately or unfortunately, just as the twelfth wizard dabbed the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, the banquet hall doors burst open.

A strong gust of wind swept through the open doors. The candles were blown out, and people screamed as they reached out to catch their fancy feathered hats flying through the air.

By the time everyone had retrieved their hats and returned to their seats, darkness had filled the hall. A shadow so black that it devoured even the hastily relit candlelight had entered. Cloaked in this darkness was the thirteenth wizard. Yes, that’s right! The thirteenth wizard, who had been deemed unlucky and thus not invited!

The thirteenth wizard strode past the trembling crowd, his footsteps echoing as he approached the prince. Like the others, he held an oak staff in one hand and stardust in the other. He sprinkled the stardust over the prince. The prince flinched as the dust stung his eyes, his tiny limbs flailing.

“Blessings! Blessings!”

The thirteenth wizard spoke, but his voice was nothing like the others. It was cold and hollow, like the sound of a crack splitting the earth. “Blessings, blessings!” How was that? Did I manage to mimic it convincingly, dear friends?

“On his twenty-seventh birthday, the prince shall prick his finger on the tip of a sharp needle and die.”

It was not a blessing but a curse.

“What? What did you say?”

The king, startled, drew his sword. But his trembling blade could not strike the thirteenth wizard. The wizard, like a jester, swept his arm dramatically and bowed low.

“I serve the god of death. What greater blessing is there in this world than a swift and certain death? I have merely given the prince the greatest gift I can offer. Please, do not be angry.”

Perhaps it was the way his voice resonated, filling the entire hall, but the thirteenth wizard seemed less like a servant of the gods and more like a god himself. The queen fainted from terror, and the king dropped his sword, weeping like a child.

Having no further business, the thirteenth wizard calmly exited the chaotic banquet hall. As he passed through the castle gates, the inky darkness that had filled the hall vanished, and the candlelight regained its warmth. But the people could not shake their grief over the prince’s untimely death. Even the revived candlelight was too feeble to brighten their hearts.

Then, the twelfth wizard resolutely raised his staff.

“The prince shall not die!”

Yes, the twelfth wizard had yet to bestow his blessing. Of course, he could not undo the curse or the blessings already given. But he could twist them ever so slightly with a new blessing. That is the law of magic.

All eyes turned to the twelfth wizard. He wiped the sweat from his brow and temples with a handkerchief, then scooped up a handful of stardust with his trembling hand. Sprinkling the shimmering dust over the prince’s forehead, he bestowed the greatest blessing he could upon the poor child.

“Instead of death, the prince shall face a deep sleep. A sleep lasting a hundred years. But do not lose hope, dear prince, dear friends. No sleep is eternal, no dream lasts forever. After a hundred years, the prince shall awaken. A beautiful princess will find him and bestow upon him a kiss of true love. Then, our prince shall rise from his long slumber, leaving all misfortune behind, and stand tall as the master of this world! So, do not lose hope!”

The twelfth wizard’s blessing and plea for hope echoed throughout the castle.

But the king, deeply despairing over his son’s tragic fate, could not rely solely on the twelfth wizard’s words. He tried everything to avert the foretold misfortune. The once-kind, wise, and generous king became a half-madman, prone to fits at the mere sight of a needle. How tragic!

The king even issued a decree banning the use of needles throughout his small, happy kingdom. People could no longer spin thread, mend torn clothes, embroider beautiful patterns, or even fish in the sea. Those who dared to hide needles in their drawers faced a gruesome punishment: being tied to a stake and flayed alive until they breathed their last.

A needle—such a small, everyday object. Something you could easily replace if lost. But once it was banned, the kingdom fell into chaos. Over something as trivial as a needle, nothing functioned properly anymore!

The days when the people praised the king and queen’s kindness and benevolence were long gone. The era when no one was exceptionally rich or poor, and everyone lived in equal happiness, was a thing of the past. The small, beautiful, and peaceful kingdom was no more. All of it was gone!

Secret societies formed across the kingdom, using needles in hiding to evade the king’s watchmen. A cult called the “Sharp End Society” arose, worshipping the sharp needle. Some rebels even declared they would rather prick the prince’s finger with a needle and let him die a glorious death than endure this suffering.

…Dear friends, this is no laughing matter. It’s a serious societal issue. A single needle can dictate the lives of so many! Those small, seemingly insignificant objects around you are incredibly important! Do not overlook them! Treasure them!

Ah, I’ve gone off track again…

Anyway, despite the kingdom’s turmoil, the prince grew up strong and healthy, retaining all the blessings bestowed upon him by the wizards. As he aged, he became more handsome, graceful, and noble. He was intelligent and compassionate yet unyielding in the face of adversity. Even those who hated him for the kingdom’s troubles forgot their resentment when they stood before him.

And so, time passed until the day foretold by the thirteenth wizard finally arrived¹.

The prince’s twenty-seventh birthday.