The King’s Dilemma

"Thank you, Messenger. You may return."

The man stood and bowed before exiting the room. He turned to his advisor, an old grey wizard, who sadly shook his head. The king lowered his head. For months now, his kingdom had been plagued by one problem after another. Torrential rains flooded the land, washing out the fields. Then, after the harvest had been destroyed, a drought had settled in, making it next to impossible to plant next year's harvest. Even the old wizard couldn't explain the strange weather.

The kingdom's economy was tied to its agricultural life, which worried the king more. Without the harvest, his people couldn't eat, nor could they trade with other kingdoms for the supplies they needed. He sat and thought about the problem until long after the old wizard had gone to bed.

The neighboring kingdom had been his best hope for his people. They had a long history of trade. The royal families had been friends for generations. But the messenger delivered sad news: the other kingdom was also suffering and could not help.

The only hope now was the old wizard's apprentice, who had gone in search of a possible solution. He was due back soon, his last letter had him returning within a day or two. Convinced his problem lay in the hands of the gods, the king went to sleep.

By the time the sun arose, the apprentice had returned. He met the king, and shared the tales of his travels. He also told the king about a strange mage he had met who taught him how to restore their land, but added he would need a day to rest before he tried. The king agreed.

The next morning, the king, the old grey wizard, and the apprentice went into one of the kingdom's fields. The apprentice spoke an incantation and jabbed his staff into the ground. The king looked around, dismayed, "Did it work?"

"Just wait, my lord!" the apprentice replied.

After lunch, the field looked the same. Midafternoon showed the same thing. At sunset,the ground began to turn itself. By morning, crops had started growing.

Pleased with the young man’s results, the king asked if he could repeat this feat. The apprentice could, and so he was sent to the neighboring kingdom to teach their wizards the magic he had learned.

When he returned, he was graduated to full wizard, and a great feast was held that night to celebrate the unknown wizard who had saved their land.