MDL | Chapter 2.7

The prince and the wizard stood frozen, unsure how to handle the situation, when someone began sobbing. The screams died down, replaced by sorrowful and fearful weeping that spread like a plague. One of the women spoke up.

“Please, save us.”

The wizard felt his vision swim.

What part of this world, this story, has gone so wrong? Was it always like this, and we just failed to notice?

“Pistol.”

The prince’s low murmur struck the wizard’s ears like a bullet.

“Rose mentioned it during the day. There’s a separate shop that sells weapons like the one the red cloak woman carried. Women buy them a lot. Remember, wizard?”

“…Ah!”

That’s right. She did say that. To protect themselves from kidnappers… women buy pistols for self-defense! They heard that from the weapon shopkeeper!

Huh?

Could it be?

A chill ran down his spine.

***

“It was sunset. The red glow of dusk hung behind our chimney.”

“Men with the emblem of a large tree and shield on their chests came rushing in.”

“The large tree and shield—that’s the kingdom’s crest.”

“People who serve the king always wear that emblem on their clothes.”

“They were knights.”

“High-ranking knights, the ones who serve the king closely.”

“They took me.”

“Me.”

“Me.”

“Me.”

“And me.”

“All of us.”

“They brought us here.”

“Only women without spouses.”

“Only women without fiancés.”

“Only women without children.”

“They said if we went to the palace, we’d work for the king.”

“They said we’d live in luxury.”

“They said even you could become the queen.”

“Helga, the miller’s daughter who married the king and bore him a son.”

“They said you could be like her.”

“If we said we didn’t want that, if we refused…”

“They threatened us with spears and swords, and many of them dragged us away by force.”

“I should’ve bought a pistol beforehand.”

“Then I wouldn’t have ended up in this miserable state.”

“Or I could’ve just died before this happened.”

“Or shot them dead.”

“Ah, how tragic.”

“How tragic.”

“How tragic.”

“How tragic.”

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Ah, how tragic.

Yes, it’s a cruel and tragic story.

Why didn’t we see this coming? In The Sleeping Prince of the Thorn Castle, the evil wizard’s curse banned the use of needles across the kingdom. Remember that, everyone? When the use of needles was banned and those who broke the law were severely punished, what happened to the kingdom? Even something as small as a needle caused the economy to collapse, society to crumble, families to fall apart, and the kingdom to disintegrate… But stories like these don’t usually delve into such details. Especially fairy tales… There’s no need.

But if you look closely, what was hidden begins to surface. Contradictions and questions arise.

The miller’s daughter who spins gold from straw. She marries the king who took her away and becomes the queen! Within a few years of marriage, she gives the king an heir! But did the king truly want that?

Didn’t the king want the golden thread? The endless golden thread flowing from the queen’s fingertips, which he used to gild the entire palace? Wouldn’t it have been better for the king if the queen had continued producing golden thread instead of bearing an heir?

…Do you remember, everyone?

At the very beginning, before I started telling you this story, I mentioned a secret about witches and wizards, didn’t I?

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Yes, it’s truly strange. The power of nature, the power of magic—it all vanishes the moment a girl becomes a mother or a boy becomes a father. Is it because the birth of life itself is magical?

I don’t fully understand the principle… but that’s why all witches and wizards remain single! If they want to marry and raise children, they must give up their lives as witches and wizards!

That’s a tremendous sacrifice.

Some don’t want that. Even among those married to witches or wizards.

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Even if the miller’s daughter truly had the power to spin gold from straw, it would have disappeared the moment she became queen and bore a son. Did the king want that? I’m not sure. Did he propose to her, dreaming of a lifetime of golden thread?

Perhaps, realizing this too late, he began kidnapping maidens.

Hoping that among them, even one, just one, might be a great witch who could spin gold from straw. And who knows? If a poor maiden kidnapped by the king cries at a spinning wheel, a fairy might spring from the ground and offer a deal.

***

“This is horrifying,” the prince muttered. He looked as gloomy as if he’d been drenched in cold rain.

The prince and the wizard left the room where the women were imprisoned and entered the golden corridor. They were in the eastern wing of the palace, where the queen and the young prince’s chambers were located—the servants’ passage. Among the imprisoned women was a maid, who had shown them the right path.

But even after escaping that dark, gloomy storeroom, the prince seemed haunted by it. The screams and sobs of the women, the mountains of straw, and the old spinning wheels lingered in his mind.

The wizard walked ahead in silence.

The only place in the palace not covered in gold—the shabby, old servants’ quarters and the passageways where the servants walked… In this world devoid of glittering gold, the faint light of the magical orb seemed to carry a life of its own.

How much longer did they walk?

The sound of footsteps behind the wizard stopped. Startled, the wizard turned around.

About ten steps away… the prince stood frozen.

“…Your Highness?”

Before the wizard could react, the magical orb flew toward the prince. It circled around him, trembling as if trying to comfort him, like a puppy.

The wizard cautiously approached the prince. The orb’s light illuminated the prince’s pale cheeks. And on those smooth, marble-like cheeks, something glistened as it streamed down.

“Your Highness.”

The wizard called out again. The prince met his gaze. His eyes were like a forest after a summer downpour—quiet and drenched. Without thinking, the wizard reached out and cupped the prince’s cheek. Surprisingly, the prince didn’t resist. But the wizard wasn’t pleased by his compliance. Because… he hated seeing the prince like this, weakened by sorrow.

The wizard’s lips twisted in sadness. He asked pitifully,

“Are you… crying?”

The prince blinked slowly, as if confused. Then, the tears pooled in his eyelids spilled over again.

“Crying? Me?”

The prince asked in return. He touched his cheek with his fingertips.

Something warm and wet clung to his fingers. The prince stared at the transparent liquid, unfamiliar and curious. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, feeling the texture of the tears, and even brought his fingertips to his tongue to taste them.

Saddened by the prince’s actions, the wizard stepped back slightly and hid his own eyes with the sleeve of his robe.

The prince wiped his fingers on his tunic. No more tears flowed from his eyes. As if he were a completely different person, the sorrow that had clouded his expression vanished.

“Let’s hurry. If we’re not careful, dawn will break before we find the bedroom.”

This time, the prince walked ahead of the wizard.

***

But magic always comes at a price! The poor miller’s daughter had to pay the fairy.

On the first day, she gave the necklace around her neck.

On the second day, she gave the ring on her finger.

But on the third day… she had nothing left to give. The only jewelry she had brought with her to the palace was the necklace and the ring.

Ah, poor miller’s daughter! Poor maiden! What could she do? If she didn’t offer something, the fairy wouldn’t turn the straw into golden thread. The king, inspecting the room the next morning, would be sorely disappointed to find no golden thread. And he would cruelly tear her and her father to pieces. What could she do? Ah, how tragic!

But then, the fairy said:

“It’s alright. Even if you have nothing to give me right now, it’s fine. I’ll make an exception and help you on credit.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. If I get out of here, I’ll give you anything you want. A necklace? A ring? What do you want?”

“I’m tired of necklaces and rings.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Give me your baby!”

The fairy shouted.

“You’ll soon be the queen! Give me the first child you bear!”

The maiden promised. The fairy, as she had done on the first and second days, turned all the straw in the room into golden thread. The king, overjoyed, welcomed the maiden as his queen.

And as time passed… the queen gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

The time of the promise had come!

The time for the fairy to claim her payment!

The fairy appeared before the queen, who was burying her nose in the baby’s soft hair, lost in happiness. Just as she had when she first came to help the queen, the fairy popped up from the ground with a whoosh!

The fairy said:

“I’ve come to take your baby.”

The queen wept and pleaded:

“Oh, no! Don’t take my child! Please! Please!”

Did the queen’s desperate pleas move the fairy’s heart, which knew no mercy? Surprisingly, the fairy nodded graciously.

“Alright. If you insist, I’ll give you a chance, out of old friendship.”

“What kind of chance?”

“A wager with me!”

The fairy exclaimed excitedly.

“What kind of wager?”

“A fun and exciting riddle game!”

The fairy chattered away, explaining to the wide-eyed queen:

“Three days. I’ll give you exactly three days. During that time, try to guess my real name. My true name. For the next three days, I’ll come to you at this hour. For the next three days, I’ll give you time until the rooster crows at dawn. You can guess a hundred, a thousand wrong names, and it won’t matter! Just one name! If you can figure out my real name, I won’t take your baby! How about it? Isn’t it a fun wager?”

With that, the fairy danced joyfully and then disappeared into the ground with a whoosh! From where she vanished, the sound of her humming could be heard:

‘Today I’ll bake bread, tomorrow I’ll brew wine. The day after, I’ll take the queen’s baby!’

Heeheehee, heeheehee…

The fairy’s humming faded into the distance.

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