THE CHAINED KING
Note: The Louvre, before being a museum, was the residence of the French Kings in Paris, until Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles. In this story, Louvre is used to designate the castle of the king, not the actual Louvre in Paris.
Once upon a time, there was a king as strong as a pair of oxen, as valiant as a sword, as honest as gold. This king did his job better than anyone. No one could say, without lying, that he did not earn the tax money. Every morning, he heard mass, kneeling on the ground, and as he left, he gave large alms at the church door. The king had found a way to know what was happening everywhere. He always had many soldiers ready to march, and well-paid red judges. When people came to tell him that his enemies wanted to attack him, he immediately left, in great secret, with his troop, and killed all these bad people. When he knew that a man had stolen or killed, he said to his red judges:
“Judge this man to death.”
The red judges earned their pay, and the executioner worked, on a fair day, before the people. Death must be an example, especially for children, who may, one day, be tempted to do bad things.
In this way, the king ended up being feared everywhere, and respected inside and out. Everyone lived in peace, and traveled, day and night, without fear of bad encounters.
However, the king was not happy. He had a wife who was mean as hell. Every year, she gave him two twin daughters, who were no better than their mother. The king was patient and thought:
“My wife makes me girls like a hen lays eggs, but she is sterile when it comes to boys. This is very unfortunate for me, and for the people I command."
At last, things came to the point that the nobles and the rich of the country assembled, and went to find the king in his Louvre.
“Hello, King."
"Hello, my friends. Why are you here?"
"King, we are here to tell you that the queen makes you daughters like a hen lays eggs. But she's a mule for boys. A day could come when your sons-in-law would divide the country between them, and make people more unhappy than stones. It doesn't have to be that way. King, try to have a son like you, to help you when you are old, and to command us when you are dead."
"My friends, you are right. Don't worry anymore. The time will come when you will see that I know how to provide for everything. Now let's go to dinner and play cards."
The king, the nobles, and the rich went to sit down to eat, drink, and play cards until night. When the guests had left, the king sent for his first businessman.
“My friend, you know that I am forced to provide a pension of one hundred gold coins to all fathers who have at least twelve living boys."
"King, I would be wrong not to know it. It is I who pay the pensions from your funds. A hundred fathers are in the situation you say; and I pay, on your behalf, at ninety-nine, a pension of one hundred gold coins."
Then the king looked askance at his first businessman.
"Listen. I want all my debts to be paid. Prove to me, on the spot, that you are not wrong for not having pensioned the hundredth father, like the ninety-nine others. Otherwise, I wouldn't give two farthings off your neck."
"King, I believe my neck is very strong. It is not on him that your executioner will work. While you were dining and playing cards with the nobles and the rich, someone came to tell me that there was, in a certain forest, a lumberjack, married to a woman as beautiful as the day, and wise as a saint. Five times, every year, the woman had two twin brothers. Yesterday she made two more. Immediately, I ordered the pension to be paid. A valet will carry it tomorrow morning."
"My friend, you are not stealing your wages. I'm proud of you. Give the valet a load of gold to take to the woodcutter. As soon as this gold is counted, the woodcutter will leave, with his children, big and small, never to return, ever. He will leave his wife all alone in his house."
"King, you will be obeyed."
Previous Tale: The Chastised Queen