Pandora's Quest

By Christine G. Richardson

King Aethrud heaved himself to his feet and gazed benevolently upon the banqueters. What a splendid day for a coming-of-age ceremony! The chefs had outdone themselves, and everything had proceeded exactly according to plan. Even the torches were unusually bright tonight, having been fortified by magic spells.

The guests quietened. Aethrud gathered his thoughts. How could he adequately voice the bliss of the moment? He had three splendid sons and a captivating daughter. His recently-acquired wife, Gisela the Fair-Haired, was young and beautiful and catered to his every need without scolding. Although the kingdom of Cornach was far from being the largest on the continent, his court was noted for its grace and opulence. Visitors were forever streaming from afar to solicit the legendary wisdom of the royal mage, Astrologos.

To mark this joyful occasion, Aethrud had declared a stay of taxation and given most of his soldiers leave. Thanks to the consummate diplomatic skills of his magician, the borders of Cornach were unchallenged. The time had come to hand over the reins and retire to a country estate where he could compose Homeric lays about the glorious history of his land. His darling Gisela was less enthralled by the idea of rustic living, but she would adjust.

"Lords and ladies," he boomed. "My youngest son, Harald, has reached the age of majority. It is now time for my children to embark on their quests."

He paused, knowing that his announcement would be greeted with incredulous twittering. Questing had fallen out of style over a century ago.

"It had been suggested by my learned mage, Astrologos," he continued when all was quiet, "that my successor be chosen by merit rather than birth order."

Harald and Stef, the two younger sons, sat bolt upright. Parys, the oldest, frowned. "Pray tell us more, father," he said urbanely, while racking his brain for the name of an assassin brave enough to risk disposing of a famous magician.

"Astrologos will explain everything," the king said. He sank back into his seat, closed his eyes, and succumbed to the excellent wine, snoring from time to time as the mage spoke.

"It is simple enough," Astrologos said. "The princes must travel alone for a year and a day, seeking fame and wisdom. When they return, each must answer the question, 'What must a king know to rule well?' The one who proposes the best answer will become king."

"And who will judge this contest of wits?" Parys asked.

"Why, the king himself. He is the only one among us who is qualified, for none of us have ever been kings."

"Alone, you say? We must go alone? No retainers at all?" Stef said. He was the timid sort, and had been bullied by his brothers on numerous occasions.

"Indeed," the magician answered. "However, you will each have a magic gift to help you."

He placed three objects on the table--a sword, a pendant, and a staff. "You will draw lots for the right to choose. The sword will make its wielder invincible; the pendant will cause folk to believe every word the wearer utters; and the staff will cause living water to spring from any rock." The king gave a great snore as the assembled company oohed and aahed at the sight of the magical treasures.

"Come forward," Astrologus told the princes, "and take a jewel from this bag. The one who draws the diamond will choose first; the emerald second; and the ruby, last."

"We will draw first. We are the eldest," Parys said imperiously. He had been practising the royal 'we' for years. His father had all but given up using it, but this was one custom Parys was determined to reinstate.

"As you wish," the magician said, holding out the soft velvet bag. Parys drew the ruby.

Harald and Stef looked at each other. Stef was the middle son, and it was his turn to draw, but Harald had muscled him out of his way more than once. "Go ahead, please," Stef said diffidently.

Harald drew, his face scrunched up with tension. Afterwards, he could not bring himself to relax his clenched fist. Astrologos had to pry his fingers apart to reveal the jewel inside. It was the emerald.

"Oh!" Stef squawked. "I get first pick!" He had never before bested his brothers in any contest. He fished the diamond out of the bag and held it aloft until Astrologos adroitly reclaimed it.

"I choose the sword!" Stef crowed. He pulled it from its scabbard and jabbed the air.

"Put that back before you hurt yourself," Harald growled. He picked up the pendant and put it around his neck.

Parys took the staff. "We suppose it is better than nothing," he muttered. "At least we shall never suffer from thirst."

"When do we depart?" Harald asked.

"In a fortnight. Your father will give you his blessing outside the main gate of the castle. You must each go your separate ways and travel beyond the boundaries of the kingdom until your time of testing is over."

"What about me?"

The wizard looked towards the source of the voice and winced.

Princess Pandora, who had watched the excitement in thoughtful silence, stepped forward. "I, too, am a child of the king. I wish to make the quest."

"Your Highness," Astrologus said, "you have never been outside the palace. You have been sheltered and protected, and have no knowledge of the arts of war. How can you even consider embarking on such an enterprise?"

"I have read every book in the royal library," Princess Pandora said. "You may find that I am better prepared than my brothers."

Astrologos shook the king's shoulder. "Majesty, wake up!"

The queen put a firm hand on the mage's wrist. "Let him sleep." She gave her step-daughter an encouraging smile.

"What magic gift do you have for me, wise one?" Pandora asked Astrologus.

He felt in his pockets, but found only a red button and some lint. Then he removed a ring from his right hand. It was a wide gold band set with three small moonstones. "I don't remember what this does," he said apologetically, "but I know it has great power."

Pandora smiled. "Thank you. This will do nicely." The ring, which had seemed much too large for her when Astrologos took it off, adjusted itself to fit perfectly on the middle finger of her right hand. The moonstones glowed in the torchlight as if they were bestowing a blessing upon her. She was to think of that moment often in the months to come. But for now, she was so excited by the thought of exploring the great world that she did not care a fig for magic objects.

"Astrologos will catch it when Father wakes up," Harald muttered to Parys. "He has not let Pandora out of his sight since mother died. He will surely forbid her to go."

As Harald had predicted, the king was deeply distressed by the unexpected developments. He was in the process of arranging Pandora's betrothal to the crown prince of the powerful neighbouring kingdom of Davania. The Davanian king would not be pleased by the delay, especially when he found out that the future queen was wandering the countryside unattended.

Queen Gisela and Pandora pleaded with Aethrud most persuasively, and won their case. Pandora had her mother's eyes, and her father found it exceedingly difficult to refuse anything she asked.

"This will give me more time to negotiate a favourable contract," he reassured himself as he blessed all four of his children before the castle. His three sons, splendidly attired, rode off on their chargers. Pandora wore the dress of a peasant woman, and led a mule hitched to a cart.

"I will make my living selling firewood," she said.

"My masssster will not be liking thissss," the ambassador from Davania hissed into Astrologos' ear. "He planned the wedding to be thissss coming sssspring."

"Anthrux is a little premature in his planning," the mage said. "The princess has not even met Prince Mir, let alone given her consent."

"There is no need for her conssssent. She issss a woman."

During the year that followed, Aethrud wrote the first hundred strophes of his epic and performed them to adoring audiences whose cheers he rewarded with showers of gold coins. The crops were good that year. On the surface of it, life in Cornach coasted along as before.

Aethrud sent out trusted retainers in disguise to watch over his children, with strict orders to interfere only in matters of life and death. From time to time, messages drifted back.

Pandora did not cover much territory in her travels. She and her mule meandered from village to village, pursuing her chosen career of woodcutting. She earned only a pittance, but everyone she encountered was happy to offer her a meal or a bed for the night. When she was finished her work, she would spend her time talking to all manner of people and reading whatever books she could borrow. Several males, including a prince, offered to marry her, but she refused them all graciously.

Parys travelled the farthest, and established himself in a kingdom which was afflicted by a great drought. Judicious use of his magic staff brought him fame, fortune, and the position of spiritual advisor to the king.

Harald became a trader. When he described the virtues of his wares, everyone eagerly flocked to buy them. Thanks to his pendant, he had no difficulty in any business dealings, even when his claims were not entirely accurate. He soon amassed a fortune and carried on his profession with a huge caravan of wagons, animals, silks, spices, and goods of every sort. When brigands ventured to rob him, it was a simple matter to throw them into a panic with some fantastic tale. He tasted every available pleasure of life, and grew fat and bombastic.

Stef fought his way to fame and fortune with the virtue of his magic sword, slaying dragons, liberating the oppressed, and doing all the good deeds of a knight. His exploits were sung by every minstrel on the continent, to the extent that his father saw no further need of the services of a spy to relay information.

"Who would have thought he had it in him?" he said to Astrologos. "He was always so sickly and timid."

Astrologos nodded without listening. His mind was fully absorbed with the deterioration of the kingdom, which the king had left in his hands while he devoted himself to the sacred task of literary composition. Since the departure of the potential heirs, the mage's wisdom had lessened considerably.

Astrologus had raised the taxes, doubled the size of the army, and forcibly annexed two minor duchies. This attracted the unfavourable attention of Anthrux of Davania, who instructed Prince Mir to lead a large force into Cornach and insist that his marriage to Princess Pandora be solemnized forthwith.

Mir camped his troops in front of the palace the day before the quest was to end. Since the soldiers of Davania outnumbered the forces of Cornach ten to one, Astrologus and Aethrud greeted him politely. However, in the absence of the bride, the marriage ceremony could not be performed. Mir agreed to wait one day, but no more.

"What went wrong?" Aethrud asked Astrologos desperately. "We have never had any trouble with Davania."

"Vanity, Majesty. Greed. Lust for power." Astrologos clenched his fists inside his robe. "Anthrux will not rest until he has Cornach under his thumb."

"What is your counsel?"

"Give the crown to Pandora. Then, when she weds Mir, you can quietly abdicate and let them rule. That way, war with Anthrux will be uneccesary."

"But you insisted that the crown be awarded on the basis of merit," Aethrud protested. "And even if I do as you say, how will that guarantee that Pandora will consent to marry Mir?"

"You must persuade her, Majesty. This is a matter of life and death."

No one slept well that night, except Pandora, who had accepted the hospitality of a peasant family.

Early in the morning, the watchman in the tower espied a carriage in the horizon. The royal trumpeters streamed from all directions, struggling with pieces of their uniform. A crowd gathered to watch the arrival of Parys in his long red robe. His staff was now overlaid in gold.

The great gates swungto the trumpeting the royal fanfare. Parys swept through across the drawbridge, through a second set of gates, and a third.

"My-- you have certainly augmented the fortifications," Parys said.

"It is nothing," Aethrud said, not wishing to mar the spirit of the occasion. "Prince Mir is courting your sister, and will be most unpleasant if his mission fails."

"Let Stefan deal with it," Parys said. "If we give the word, he will dispatch the entire army with his magic sword as we watch." The royal 'we' slipped out automatically. He had never accustomed himself to the possibility that he might not be king.

Aethrud looked hopefully at Astrologos. The mage shook his head. "Not even Stefan can hold back an entire army," he whispered in the king's ear while Parys was occupied in demonstrating the power of his staff to the admiring crowd.

The next to arrive was Harald. He was most irritated when he descended from the carriage. "Where is all this mud coming from?" he fumed. "There hasn't been any rain for days!" He retired to change his shoes and robe, ordering his men to set up a wooden platform for him to stand on.

"It's very impressive, my son," Aethrud said to Parys, "but I think you could stop the flow now." Four of the boulders in the courtyard were spouting water.

Parys looked puzzled. "Strike the rocks with the opposite end of the staff," Astrologos said. Parys did, and the water stopped flowing.

"Why could you not have told us that before we left Cornach?" Parys asked crossly.

"As I recall, none of you asked for instructions," Astrologos answered. "You were too busy scheming to take over the kingdom."

Parys looked at him with surprise. This was not the serene mage he remembered. "The kingdom is mine own by right," he declared, resorting to the singular to make his point crystal clear. "And I will prove it today."

Another flourish of trumpets announced the arrival of Stef on his white charger. He had filled out handsomely, and his face shone with the light of righteousness. Heedless of the mud, he dismounted and knelt before Aethrud.

"Father-- I offer you my sword for justice and freedom!"

"All in good time, my son. All in good time," Aethrud said. Mir was marching across the bridge, determination written in every fibre.

"Where is the princess?" Mir demanded.

"Patience, my dear prince, patience," Aethrud said. "The day has hardly begun."

"I will send my men to seek her."

"As you wish," Aethrud said. It was not safe to say anything else.

So it was that, shortly after the sun had passed its noonday zenith, one of Mir's knights brought Pandora to the palace, slung over his saddle like a sack of potatoes.

"She refused to leave her mule behind," he offered by way of explanation, dumping her at his master's feet. Mir helped her up. She was quite dirty and not particularly beautiful, but there was something about her that he relished.

"Come," he said, pulling her along by the hand. He expected her to scream and struggle, but she walked quietly, seemingly without fear.

Aethrud, dressed in full regalia, was enthroned in the Great Hall with his three sons seated on a lower dais in their finest outfits--soldier, merchant and cleric. As many nobles as could be crowded in were on hand to watch the proceedings, while a score of soldiers struggled to keep a pathwayfor Pandora and Mir.

Pandora extricated her hand from Mir's and kissed her father. "I have missed you."

Aethrud stroked her dusty hair tenderly. "I have missed you, too. You must never leave again."

"Your ladies are waiting," Queen Gisela informed her. "You may wish to take a bath and change out of that vile outfit."

"No!" Mir shouted, stamping his foot. "I have waited long enough. I claim this woman for my wife, and I demand to be married immediately!"

Pandora, Aethrud and Queen Gisela all began to speak at once, but Astrologos cut them off.

"Hear ye!" he shouted. "Let the contest of worthiness begin. The question is, 'What must a ki--" he caught Pandora's eye and corrected himself, "--a ruler know to govern well?' Each of the four candidates will give an answer. His Majesty, King Aethrud, shall determine which is the wisest." He lowered his voice to a conversational tone, watching Mir out of the corner of his eye. "Prince Parys, pray go first."

Parys stood up, holding his staff in front of him. His robe billowed, and he looked for all the world like a prophet of old. "A king must know how to provide for his people both physically and spiritually."

There was a spatter of applause. He bowed and sat down.

Harald was next, dressed in a suit of exquisite cloth of gold. "A king must know how to trade wisely, so that the people of the kingdom have everything they need without being overburdened by taxation."

This answer earned a few cheers.

A roar of approbation greeted Stefan when he rose to his feet. His reputation had made him as wildly popular as any hero of mythology. "A king must know how to endow his people with truth, justice and safety," he intoned. Very few heard him--they were too busy chanting his name.

After the hubbub died down, Aethrud looked at his daughter. "And what say you?" he asked in his gentlest voice. His heart was tearing inside him. He did not want to use her as a pawn, but he could see no other way.

She drew herself up. "I say that a ruler must, above all, know how to teach the people of the land to make their own decisions and find their own path. One person in a palace cannot know what is best for the whole nation."

Dead silence followed. The princess had spoken high treason. No one dared to move, lest it be construed as approval.

King Aethrud shifted on his throne. This was a new idea to him, and not one he liked. But what had to be done, had to be done. He cleared his throat.

"Daughter, you have spoken the most wisely. You shall have the crown. In addition, I give you this day as wife to Prince Mir."

Mir dropped graciously to one knee. "Princess Pandora, will you marry me, so that our two kingdoms may be joined forever?"

Pandora smiled pleasantly at Mir. "Before I answer that, please accept this gift." She took off her moonstone ring and slipped it onto his finger. It fit perfectly, even though his finger was much larger than hers.

"I have no need for a throne," she said, pulling Mir to his feet. "I wish to travel and see the world and learn more about the treasures in people's hearts."

Mir looked like a man who has just awakened from sleep. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "The treasures of the heart are the only ones worth seeking." He took both her hands. "May I travel with you?"

"Now I remember!" Astrologos groaned. "I gave her the Ring of Illumination. It takes away all greed and lust for power, and allows the wearer to see clearly."

"Thank you!" Mir cried. "Thank you all! Without your help, I would never have known enlightenment!" He turned to Pandora. "Come, my dear--let us find your mule."

"Just a moment--just a moment," Astrologos said. "Your father, the king-- if you do not return, he will destroy this kingdom."

They stopped. "Oh dear--that would never do," Mir said.

"No need to worry," Pandora said. "After we find the mule, we will go to your father and present him with a small token of our esteem."

"The ring?" Mir asked. "I will be most loath to give it up. I have never felt so content in my life!"

"You will learn contentment again," Pandora assured him. "It will take a little longer, that's all."

The trumpets blared once more. Every soul within earshot began to cheer, even the Darvanian soldiers. Not one of them had any idea why or what they were cheering, but it felt marvellous to let off steam after so many hours of waiting.