Storyteller
Story Two: The Wise Young King
It is over a month before the next time she reads to him. They are in the royal gardens, in the cool of the day and they are not alone.
Julius reclines on a cushioned bench, his head resting in the lap of one fair blonde maiden who didn't look very 'maidenly' with her bosoms on display. She strokes his hair and face and coos at him. A brunette woman sits beside him with a large bowl of succulent red grapes that she teases and feeds Julius. Another woman stands above the three with a fan to cool them. And Michelle, she sits on a stool opposite the scene, more in the grass. Julius is gracious enough to have a servant bring her cover from the sun. For a man currently in search of a new wife, he has plenty of women to keep him company, she being one of them obviously.
The brunette traces Julius' lips with grapes and he responses by sticking his tongue out and talking grapes and fingers into his mouth. Michelle looks away and squints her eyes though the sun is not in them. The women giggle as the Emperor mumbles something to them in Latin. She purposely decides not to translate the words and focuses instead on a particular red flower that's caught her attention.
"Storyteller," Julius calls, and she can tell he's distracted by how far away his voice sounds. Another woman giggles. "Why have you stopped your tale?"
"Because you weren't listening," and her bluntness comes with Michelle herself being distracted by that alluring flower. It is so beautiful and she wonders what kind it might be. The palace has many flowers and she enjoys picking them to bring back to her room. But this one, this is one she knows she hasn't come across before.
"But I was!" Julius protest, "You were talking about a King and I want to know his troubles. Maybe they are more than mine and he can offer me some wisdom?"
The 'cooing blonde' decides to speak, "Oh but Julius you are already so wise and strong." She flatters him, "You don't need a children's story to help you."
The brunette also offerings her advice but Michelle tunes them all out and abandons the stool to walk over to the flower's bed. The woman holding her shade follows swiftly to block the sun as she bunches up her toga to get on her knees. Michelle reaches out and rubs the delicate petals between her fingers. It's softer than silk and fragrant. She lends in and sniffs, then smiles as her eyes dance at the other beautiful flowers surrounding them.
"Amazing," Michelle breathes and stands as she spots a white rose like flower growing up a vine. She smiles with glee and reaches on her toes to pluck it.
"…See, she is the distracted one, picking flowers and telling stories like a child."
Michelle hums and comes down from her toes with the rose in hand. "You think I'm a child?" she questions wistfully and fingers the petals. "Well you're wrong. I'm much younger than that!" she teases and glances over her shoulder to see the women looking down her through upturned noses.
But Julius is just staring. She turns away, flower to her noses as she eyes the lower row. "And, sometimes, children's stories make us feel better and reminds of things that we've forgotten."
"Pff," one of the women interjects, "There are other things, more pleasurable things to make you feel good than old fair—,"
"And," Julius cuts in. Michelle turns as his voice lacks the playfulness it once held. He shifts to sit up, removing himself from the woman's lap. "What of this story?"
Michelle holds her flower close and watches him. "Of The Wise King?"
He nods.
She bites her lip and looks down for a moment before looking back at him and finishing her story, "As I said, this king was very young. His father owned a vast kingdom and all of the people loved him because he was brave and smart. His son loved him very much and tried to follow in his ways."
"So one day he went to make an offering to the gods at the temple. That night, the young king had a dream where his god appeared to him and told him, 'Ask me anything and I'll give it to'. The young thought long and hard of all the things he could want."
Michelle turns to face Julius fully though he's staring at her so intently that she almost shrinks back. Her eyes dance briefly between the three woman surrounding Julius before she looks back at the Emperor.
"And," Julius urges as he stands. His face is unreadable Michelle does take a small step back this time. "What does this 'young king' ask his god for?"
She clears her throat, clenching her hand around the steam of the flower. "T-the young king finally says to his god, 'you've shown great kindness to my father because he was faithful to you and upright in heart. You continued this kindness to him and gave him a son to sit on his throne."
Michelle fidgets under Julius' gaze and finds that she can't just stand still while he looks at her so she slowly, cautiously turns her gaze away from him and makes for her seat.
"'Now,' the young king said, 'you have made me king but I am a child and do not know how to carry out my duties. This kingdom is too big with countless people, so give your servant wisdom to govern these them and distinguish between right and wrong."
She glances at him, turns on her heels and walks into the opposite direction, "His god was pleased with his answer so he said to the young king, 'since you haven't asked for riches or women or the death of your enemies but a discerning heart in administrating justice, I will grant your request. You will be the wisest king who ever lived.'"
"'Because you haven't asked for something selfish like long life or wealth for yourself, I will give you the things you haven't asked for. I will give you both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal.' And so the young king woke up and realized it was a dream. Then he went to the temple to make a sacrifice to his god and thanked him for the wisdom he was granted."
Michelle pauses when Julius scuffs and crosses his arms. "So he wasted a one time opportunity from the gods on wisdom?"
She looks at him and shakes her head, "Not wasted, my lord."
Julius takes a few steps forward and Michelle starts to walk again as he speaks, " Why not ask for the death of his enemies? Or riches or more land? "
"But he gets riches."
"Yes, but he still has enemies that can easy take it from him, his riches and his honor."
"Yes," Michelle says slowly, regards her flower and then him, "But if he's wise than he'll know how to defeat his enemies and manage money so he doesn't spend it all. Wisdom brings everything else."
It's Julius' turn to walk around. He scratches the stubble on his chin and eyes her as Michelle tries to discreetly walk away from his gaze. "Tell me, Michelle of Seychelles, how does he know the gods did not trick him? He made a sacrifice without testing his wisdom to see if they tricked him."
She smiles at him then, "Because there's more to the story. His wisdom is tested when he goes to court."
"Is it now?" Julius questions as the two seemingly walking in circles around each.
Michelle nods, "Do want to hear it?"
He looks at her in consideration for a moment but nods and gestures for her to continue.
"Well," Michele starts and twirls her flower, "Two woman approach the king in his court, and one is holding a baby the other isn't. The woman without the baby explains that they both had a son at the same time, in the same house. They were the only two in the house. But the other woman accidentally killed her child in the middle of the night because she slept on him. The woman says that, the other woman switched the babies while they were sleeping, giving her the dead baby and stealing the alive one."
"When she woke to feed her child, she found the child was dead but after looking closely, realized that it wasn't her child. But the other woman claimed that the dead baby was hers and that she must have accidentally killed her child. The two women argued before the king. "
"So," Julius interrupts and, much to her satisfaction looks thoughtfully at the sky, "Two women claim one alive child."
"Yes," Michelle confirms.
"There are no witnesses besides themselves because they live alone?"
"Mhm"
"And the woman holding the alive child as been accused of stealing the other woman's child in the middle of the night after smothering her own?" He regards her as she nods at his understanding.
"So this king displays his wisdom how?"
Michelle brightens at his question, "By ordering the baby be sawed in half and a piece be given to both women. But," she cuts him off as Julius opens his mouth, no doubt to refute the wisdom in his choice. "The first woman fell to her knees and begged the king not to kill the son and even said the other woman could have him. The second woman wanted the baby to be cut in half so neither of them had a son. The young king declared that the first woman was the mother because a woman would rather see her child taken away than killed."
Julius stops his walking to look at her. "What if neither women made such an exclamation?"
She shrugs, "A woman loves her child."
He nods, "Yes but it is too extreme a judgment to be considered 'wise'.
"But it work."
"Indeed it did, Michelle of Seychelles," Julius says thoughtfully, "Indeed it did."
Michelle offers him a pleasant smile and, much to her surprise, he returns the gesture. She rocks on her heels, looks down at her feet and then back to him but Julius just smiles broader and even stiffs a chuckle.
"Milord," a male servant enters the palace gardens and bows his head briefly to Julius, "I've been sent to tell you that your candidates for today are ready to see. The first one waits in the corridor just inside milord."
"Send for her," the Emperor orders but his gaze has yet to leave Michelle's and she wonders what it is he could be thinking.
The manservant nods and hurries off. Michelle looks away as Julius' eyes on her make her blush. Though he is older, his face is still handsome and bronzed from the Italian sun. Yes his facial features and built is very nice but it's those eyes that make her undone. So she watches, instead, as the other man scurries away.
He returns a short time lady with a young woman, perhaps a bit older than Michelle. She's adorned in fine jewels, gold and a beautiful blue detailed toga that clings flattering to her figure. Her hair is a thick sea of brunette curls, pinned with golden reefs and other accessories.
Michelle looks down at her own servant's toga that lacks in fine detail and is a bit too long because of her small stature. Never has something like how short she is been more obvious than it is now in light of four other ladies.
Though Michelle's figure with her curves and edges may be appealing, she's far too small to be considered as something to be desired. This woman seems suitable, at least looks wise, to be a queen.
"Milord, this is Octavia," the servant says and bows as the woman walks closer of her own accord.
Michelle stays, fiddling with her flower, as she is unsure of what to do. The other three women remain as well. Julius moves to meet his candidate and smiles broadly at her. She watches their exchange as the woman smiles sweetly when the Emperor takes her hand and brings it to his lips for a kiss.
Michelle looks away again.
"You can take your leave now," Julius says though his attention is now on the lovely woman before him.
Michelle takes that as her cue and hurries to get inside. She hears the other women whispering behind her but she hastily retreats further into the palace, away from the gardens the candidate and the Emperor.