Magatama, Chapter 17
Scene 1: A Little Blonde Prince
Relena reentered the hospital room, having gone to the gift shop after seeing Heero out. She sat two small pink roses on his bedside table, and situated a stuffed dove beside them. The plastic eyes of the bird faced Quatre's sleeping form, but he did not heed them.
Relena sat next to him, hands folded neatly in her lap. She could not think of what to say to him. Nothing seemed to be able to measure up the deep words Heero had uttered only an hour or so before.
She simply allowed herself to start speaking. "Quatre Winner," she said slowly, feeling his name in the curve of her lips. "You remind me of a story I once took much comfort in.
"When I was younger, my mother would read to me a faerie tale. It wasn't one of the ancient ones of the middle ages. It took place then, even though it was written only about five hundred years ago.
"It was about a dreaming tree. If a person sat underneath it and prayed for their deepest desires it was supposed to happen within five years. The only catch was, that the tree could only be used thrice by each person of the far away kingdom.
"Imagine it, Quatre. This tree stood not far from a great white castle, with a huge moat. The moat flowed into a jagged stream that wound to a pond with only one fish. The great dreaming tree grew beside that pond.
"One day, a little blonde prince, that I imagine looked much like you, chased a butter fly from the castle, down the jagged stream to the dreaming tree. There, he found an old man n ragged clothing, dozing beneath the tree. He was barely able to speak to him before his nurse ran up and hurried him away.
"He was so intrigued by this magic tree and the old man that he returned week after wee to learn more of the man's story. The little prince grew up this way, listening to the old man, and hearing his wishes (much to his father's dismay).
"The old man had once been in line to become king, but was excommunicated. I won't go into that right now, but the boy's father, who was much younger, became king instead.
"The little prince, who by now was very much more a man, made the old man's troubles his own. He thought that it was the least his family could do to let the man die in his former home.
"Nobody but the prince thought this idea intelligent. They all said that the man was evil. They didn't know him like the prince did. So, against the advice of his counselors, the prince attended the tree every week with the old man. He sat on the trees chair-like root and tried to think on the old man, but his still youthful mind got carried away with it's own selfish thoughts of swords and women.
"Over time, when the dreaming did not work to gain the old man entrance to the castle, he built the man a temporary, yet very comfortable home by the pond.
"Soon, the boy was presented the royal blade and officially became the crowned prince. Soon after that he was married to a beautiful from a neighboring country. Not long after his marriage, he had a healthy son, which he allotted to he tree, since his thought had turned there after the wedding....And still the old man lived by the pond, and not in the castle.
"The old man didn't seem to mind much, but the prince was guilty for using up all three of his wishes, and not helping the old man.
"Not long after his son was born, the prince was called off to head a war in the west. His father was ailing, and could not travel. He was not expected to live through the war.
"The war lasted one year, and the prince returned home to find his father dead, his beloved tree torn from the ground by its roots, and the old man's house had burned to the ground--with the old man in it.
"He was told that it was his father's dying wish that the son's obsession with the old man be stopped.
"The new king was outraged. He forced everyone of his father's servants who had committed the crime into the dungeons. He pushed his family away and kept to himself and a barrel of ale in the throne room. He was lost in his grief, and lost without the tree.
"After quite sometime he made his way once again across the moat, down the jagged stream and to the pond where the lonely fish still swam. He sat in the ashes of the house and wept, apologizing all the time for not trying hard enough.
"'The old man was happy,' said a bubbly voice.
"The king looked up to find the old red fish talking to him from beside a cat-tail. The king asked how this could be.
"'He only wanted family and a decent place to live. He did not want to become King, or even live in the palace. He wanted only to be near you, for he loved you like a son,' the fish said.
"The king insisted he could have gotten the old man into the castle had he really wanted to. The fish only said that the man was not mean to live there, and that despite what he thought, he had fulfilled his meditations below the tree.
"The king wanted to know how, when it was not one of his wishes.
"The fish laughed at him and told him that the tree did not grant wishes for the tree wasnot magical at all. In fact, the only thing that was magical was the fish himself, and he certainly did not grant wishes. He only spoke, and had a two thousand year life-span, which was almost up.
"Because of the fish, the king understood what he had truly done for the old man. He returned to his castle to stop worrying about himself, and start thinking of his kingdom.
"It wasn't a happily ever after story, but it was a good one none-the-less. I hope you enjoyed my summation, Quatre. Perhaps you can find some comfort in it, as I have."
Relena left the still unconscious Quatre, praying that he had heard her story.
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Scene 1: A Little Blonde Prince
Relena reentered the hospital room, having gone to the gift shop after seeing Heero out. She sat two small pink roses on his bedside table, and situated a stuffed dove beside them. The plastic eyes of the bird faced Quatre's sleeping form, but he did not heed them.
Relena sat next to him, hands folded neatly in her lap. She could not think of what to say to him. Nothing seemed to be able to measure up the deep words Heero had uttered only an hour or so before.
She simply allowed herself to start speaking. "Quatre Winner," she said slowly, feeling his name in the curve of her lips. "You remind me of a story I once took much comfort in.
"When I was younger, my mother would read to me a faerie tale. It wasn't one of the ancient ones of the middle ages. It took place then, even though it was written only about five hundred years ago.
"It was about a dreaming tree. If a person sat underneath it and prayed for their deepest desires it was supposed to happen within five years. The only catch was, that the tree could only be used thrice by each person of the far away kingdom.
"Imagine it, Quatre. This tree stood not far from a great white castle, with a huge moat. The moat flowed into a jagged stream that wound to a pond with only one fish. The great dreaming tree grew beside that pond.
"One day, a little blonde prince, that I imagine looked much like you, chased a butter fly from the castle, down the jagged stream to the dreaming tree. There, he found an old man n ragged clothing, dozing beneath the tree. He was barely able to speak to him before his nurse ran up and hurried him away.
"He was so intrigued by this magic tree and the old man that he returned week after wee to learn more of the man's story. The little prince grew up this way, listening to the old man, and hearing his wishes (much to his father's dismay).
"The old man had once been in line to become king, but was excommunicated. I won't go into that right now, but the boy's father, who was much younger, became king instead.
"The little prince, who by now was very much more a man, made the old man's troubles his own. He thought that it was the least his family could do to let the man die in his former home.
"Nobody but the prince thought this idea intelligent. They all said that the man was evil. They didn't know him like the prince did. So, against the advice of his counselors, the prince attended the tree every week with the old man. He sat on the trees chair-like root and tried to think on the old man, but his still youthful mind got carried away with it's own selfish thoughts of swords and women.
"Over time, when the dreaming did not work to gain the old man entrance to the castle, he built the man a temporary, yet very comfortable home by the pond.
"Soon, the boy was presented the royal blade and officially became the crowned prince. Soon after that he was married to a beautiful from a neighboring country. Not long after his marriage, he had a healthy son, which he allotted to he tree, since his thought had turned there after the wedding....And still the old man lived by the pond, and not in the castle.
"The old man didn't seem to mind much, but the prince was guilty for using up all three of his wishes, and not helping the old man.
"Not long after his son was born, the prince was called off to head a war in the west. His father was ailing, and could not travel. He was not expected to live through the war.
"The war lasted one year, and the prince returned home to find his father dead, his beloved tree torn from the ground by its roots, and the old man's house had burned to the ground--with the old man in it.
"He was told that it was his father's dying wish that the son's obsession with the old man be stopped.
"The new king was outraged. He forced everyone of his father's servants who had committed the crime into the dungeons. He pushed his family away and kept to himself and a barrel of ale in the throne room. He was lost in his grief, and lost without the tree.
"After quite sometime he made his way once again across the moat, down the jagged stream and to the pond where the lonely fish still swam. He sat in the ashes of the house and wept, apologizing all the time for not trying hard enough.
"'The old man was happy,' said a bubbly voice.
"The king looked up to find the old red fish talking to him from beside a cat-tail. The king asked how this could be.
"'He only wanted family and a decent place to live. He did not want to become King, or even live in the palace. He wanted only to be near you, for he loved you like a son,' the fish said.
"The king insisted he could have gotten the old man into the castle had he really wanted to. The fish only said that the man was not mean to live there, and that despite what he thought, he had fulfilled his meditations below the tree.
"The king wanted to know how, when it was not one of his wishes.
"The fish laughed at him and told him that the tree did not grant wishes for the tree wasnot magical at all. In fact, the only thing that was magical was the fish himself, and he certainly did not grant wishes. He only spoke, and had a two thousand year life-span, which was almost up.
"Because of the fish, the king understood what he had truly done for the old man. He returned to his castle to stop worrying about himself, and start thinking of his kingdom.
"It wasn't a happily ever after story, but it was a good one none-the-less. I hope you enjoyed my summation, Quatre. Perhaps you can find some comfort in it, as I have."
Relena left the still unconscious Quatre, praying that he had heard her story.
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