Week 6 Story: The Foolish King and His Ambitious Advisor
For years and years I served the king loyally as his advisor, offering him my wisdom and guidance, of which our dear foolish king needed plenty. This is how I spent two decades of my life, watching over this imbecile, making sure he didn't mess anything up too horribly. I was delighted when I learned that he had been stricken with leprosy, as at this moment my own ambitions for taking over the throne blossomed. The king, never a looker and always rather immature, had never found a wife and was therefore left without an heir. Normally a king would pick out his heir in such a situation, but the king, despite his horrendous affliction, seemed to believe himself immortal and, as such, had no need to prepare for his demise. So my hopes grew as his disease weakened him and my own chance to ascend to the throne approached.
Everything was going well until that physician showed up, Douban. Douban was an extremely gifted healer and word eventually reached the king, despite my best efforts, that this strange doctor could heal his leprosy. So the king summoned Douban who successfully healed his majesty using an unknown powder set inside of the royal child's polo stick. The king grew hot and, per Douban's instructions, took a bath and went to bed in hopes of waking up cured. I laid in bed all night praying that his leprosy would only spread and would claim his life within a year. I could only hold out hope for so long.
The king awoke the next day and, to my bitter disappointment (though I had to hide it), was completely free of his affliction. He praised and praised Douban, for weeks on end, driving me up a wall. Everywhere I turned, people were talking about the wondrous physician who saved the king's life. Not only did he deprive me of the throne by saving the king's life, he was also the new favorite around town. I began to worry about losing my position to this man, such were the honors heaped upon him.
After several weeks of Douban and the newly healed king being paraded around the kingdom, I at last arrived at a plan for achieving my lifelong goal of becoming ruler. And all I had to do was give the king some advice.
When the king returned from his tour of the kingdom with Douban, I waited until the physician was resting in his chambers before approaching his majesty. I informed him that it was my belief that Douban was plotting to assassinate him, that healing him was just a ruse in order to gain access to the king himself. The king, for once on the ball, grew angry with me and proclaimed that I was lying out of jealousy. He then proceeded to ramble on about a story to illustrate his point, after which he stared at me with a smug expression, awaiting my reply.
But to this story, I had a ready response: I simply told the foolish monarch a story about an advisor to a young prince who failed to protect the young man and paid for this mistake with his life. After I had finished my story, the king looked to be in deep thought. At last he answered that he believed I was correct, that I had served him faithfully after all of these years, so why should I try to lead him astray now? I merely nodded and then advised him to execute the physician as soon as the man answered his summons, so as to avoid any resistance. I knew full well that Douban was immensely powerful and that the king would not follow my orders about executing him immediately. I was not sure how everything would work out, but I knew that Douban would not allow the king to betray him without seeking revenge. So I sat back and watched as the king summoned his healer.
Douban rushed in to meet with the king, having no idea of his fate, at which point the king informed him that his treacherous activities had been found out and that he was to lose his head. Douban first appeared to be in shock, but then recovered his senses and begged for his life, to which the king refused. Douban then surprised even me by asking if he could have a day to get his affairs in order. The king unwisely agreed and thus sealed his fate.
The next day, the physician showed up for his execution bearing a book, which peaked the king's interest and mine. Douban once again pleaded for his life only to be rejected once more. He then offered up the book to the king, telling him that great power lay inside, power he could help the king access if the king followed his directions. The king sat forward, intrigued at this twist of events.
Douban told the king to place his humble servant's decapitated head on a cloth on a stand next to the throne, at which point the healer's head would come to life and give the king further instructions. The king, amazed and impatient, agreed to do as Douban said and had the man decapitated and his head placed on a cloth on a stand next to the throne.
To everyone in the court's amazement, the head did indeed come to life and told the king to turn the pages to the center of the book. The king did as he was told, having to lick his fingers over and over in order to turn the pages which appeared to be a bit stuck together. I merely watched with increasing fascination from beside his majesty. After a bit of time and several pages later, the king remarked that the book was empty, that no text was inside. The physician's head merely laughed in response. Just as he was asking the head just what trick it was trying to pull, however, the king fell off of his throne, dead as can be. The masterful Douban had dipped the book's pages in poison.
The head of the physician then lost life and the court silently looked about, with no one quite knowing what to do. Except me, that is. I quickly ordered the bodies taken out and a funeral organized for the deceased monarch and worked to get myself on the recently vacated throne. A week later, I was crowned the king of Greece with no one the wiser about the role I played in the foolish king's death.
Everything was going well until that physician showed up, Douban. Douban was an extremely gifted healer and word eventually reached the king, despite my best efforts, that this strange doctor could heal his leprosy. So the king summoned Douban who successfully healed his majesty using an unknown powder set inside of the royal child's polo stick. The king grew hot and, per Douban's instructions, took a bath and went to bed in hopes of waking up cured. I laid in bed all night praying that his leprosy would only spread and would claim his life within a year. I could only hold out hope for so long.
The king awoke the next day and, to my bitter disappointment (though I had to hide it), was completely free of his affliction. He praised and praised Douban, for weeks on end, driving me up a wall. Everywhere I turned, people were talking about the wondrous physician who saved the king's life. Not only did he deprive me of the throne by saving the king's life, he was also the new favorite around town. I began to worry about losing my position to this man, such were the honors heaped upon him.
After several weeks of Douban and the newly healed king being paraded around the kingdom, I at last arrived at a plan for achieving my lifelong goal of becoming ruler. And all I had to do was give the king some advice.
When the king returned from his tour of the kingdom with Douban, I waited until the physician was resting in his chambers before approaching his majesty. I informed him that it was my belief that Douban was plotting to assassinate him, that healing him was just a ruse in order to gain access to the king himself. The king, for once on the ball, grew angry with me and proclaimed that I was lying out of jealousy. He then proceeded to ramble on about a story to illustrate his point, after which he stared at me with a smug expression, awaiting my reply.
But to this story, I had a ready response: I simply told the foolish monarch a story about an advisor to a young prince who failed to protect the young man and paid for this mistake with his life. After I had finished my story, the king looked to be in deep thought. At last he answered that he believed I was correct, that I had served him faithfully after all of these years, so why should I try to lead him astray now? I merely nodded and then advised him to execute the physician as soon as the man answered his summons, so as to avoid any resistance. I knew full well that Douban was immensely powerful and that the king would not follow my orders about executing him immediately. I was not sure how everything would work out, but I knew that Douban would not allow the king to betray him without seeking revenge. So I sat back and watched as the king summoned his healer.
Douban rushed in to meet with the king, having no idea of his fate, at which point the king informed him that his treacherous activities had been found out and that he was to lose his head. Douban first appeared to be in shock, but then recovered his senses and begged for his life, to which the king refused. Douban then surprised even me by asking if he could have a day to get his affairs in order. The king unwisely agreed and thus sealed his fate.
The next day, the physician showed up for his execution bearing a book, which peaked the king's interest and mine. Douban once again pleaded for his life only to be rejected once more. He then offered up the book to the king, telling him that great power lay inside, power he could help the king access if the king followed his directions. The king sat forward, intrigued at this twist of events.
Douban told the king to place his humble servant's decapitated head on a cloth on a stand next to the throne, at which point the healer's head would come to life and give the king further instructions. The king, amazed and impatient, agreed to do as Douban said and had the man decapitated and his head placed on a cloth on a stand next to the throne.
To everyone in the court's amazement, the head did indeed come to life and told the king to turn the pages to the center of the book. The king did as he was told, having to lick his fingers over and over in order to turn the pages which appeared to be a bit stuck together. I merely watched with increasing fascination from beside his majesty. After a bit of time and several pages later, the king remarked that the book was empty, that no text was inside. The physician's head merely laughed in response. Just as he was asking the head just what trick it was trying to pull, however, the king fell off of his throne, dead as can be. The masterful Douban had dipped the book's pages in poison.
The head of the physician then lost life and the court silently looked about, with no one quite knowing what to do. Except me, that is. I quickly ordered the bodies taken out and a funeral organized for the deceased monarch and worked to get myself on the recently vacated throne. A week later, I was crowned the king of Greece with no one the wiser about the role I played in the foolish king's death.
Painting of a representative of an Athens vizir (advisor) on the right, by Louis Dupre. Source: Wiki Commons
Author's Note:
I kept the main part of this story, which is from the Arabian Nights, the same but told it from the view point of the vizir, as I find his character pretty interesting, especially if portrayed as having purposefully brought Douban's wrath down on the king. I did cut out the stories that the king and vizir tell each other as these were simply too long to include, but everything else is true to the original story.
Bibliography: The Greek King and the Physician Douban in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).
Hey Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteI also read Arabian Nights. The original story was great to begin with but I love how you changed it to the point of view of the advisor. You were able to give him much more personality and character than the original. I liked the added motive of him trying to get the throne as well, rather than just being jealous. Great job!
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say this is one of the BEST stories I have read this semester. Also one of the only told from first person point of view, and you did it so masterfully. Your characterization, tone, description, pace, everything flowed so well and I was really immersed in your story. Your writing style is absolutely lovely. The plot is very interesting, the reader can't really tell if the advisor is the protagonist or the villian, and I think that is something really interesting and skillful. I love when the writer allows the reader to make some of his or her own judgements on the characters, and this lets them do that! Personally, I hate gross things like gore, talking heads, and such, but the way your wrote about the execution was so effective. There is really nothing I have to critique on, this was super fun to read. Amazing job! I cannot wait to read the rest of your stories this semester.
-Moriah
Hey Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteThis is probably my favorite story I've encountered so far in this class. The way that the vizir's plot seems to enter, be struck down, then brilliantly emerge again is powerful and interesting. Since I'm personally unfamiliar with most of the stories in the Arabian Nights, figuring out some of the context and setting was a bit difficult at first, especially with some of the parts giving different cultural cues. Maybe some sort of introduction to the area as part of the opening could help?
Great work!
Hey again Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteGreat writing. I think it is a story we are all pretty familiar with, so it is neat to see everyone's interpretations of it. I liked the 1st person perspective in your narrative. It really leads to a connection with the reader that instantly makes us more engaged with the writing. Additionally, your pacing is a great speed and allows the for the story to flow continuously without getting distracted or lost. Awesome job.
Hello, Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteI really like you take on the story! You really did not beat around the bush with this one – the reader knew right from the start about the advisor’s nefarious intentions. Despite knowing his plans, I still do not have much sympathy for a foolish king that fancies himself an immortal. Overall, you wrote a great story, and I am looking forward to reading more!
Hi again Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI love this story. It is nice reading a story from the perspective of someone in the story rather than a narrator because you get to experience the actual feelings and thoughts of them. What a twist that at the end the advisor becomes king and no one knew that he had actually played a role in the king's death. The way you told this story was brilliant. I can't wait to read more!
Hey there Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this read. This was an original story that I was not familiar with, so your reading notes did a really great job at giving me some background information to fully understand your rendition of the story. You had a great pace with this story, and great paragraph breaks that made it easy for the reader to understand the story fully. Great story!