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A story to cheer up anyone who is sad, a tale of humour and masks.
Once upon a time, there was a
jester who went by the name of Ildiko. She was King Felix’s very favorite fool,
and in fact his only one. Every time the King was blue or was overcome by his
Kingly duties, she’d make him laugh with her antics. She’d fall down, tell
jokes, and fall over herself to make him laugh, and she usually succeeded.
One day, however, she was having a
lot of trouble making him laugh! She fell down often, told all of her best jokes,
and performed all of his favorite tricks. Finally, she leaned on his throne
(only a fool could do this and not be beheaded) and begged him to tell her what
was bothering him.
He explained to his jester that his
Officials had decided he needed to have a queen. They were going to host a
Royal ball, a masquerade, where all of the princesses and noble women of
marriageable age would be invited. He
had to choose one of the girls at the ball to be his bride.
The jester tried to cheer up her
king all of the month before the Ball, but to no avail. It became so bad, that
the king no longer even smiled. He declared to the Jester and His Royal
Officials that if any of the girls at the dance could make him laugh, then he
would marry her. However, he commanded that none of the girls be told this
fact.
The time of the Ball came around
and the King was in a foul mood. His officials had gone as far as to choose his
outfit, forcing him to wear a sheepskin cape and a mask with ram horns on it. Before the Ball, the jester tried to cheer
up, but he was simply too upset, so she left.
One by one, and then in swarms, the
girls entered the ballroom. He danced half-heartedly for awhile, but all of the
girls were either boring or trying way too hard to impress him, so he sat down
on his throne and hoped the day would get better. Just when he thought he’d go
crazy from boredom, and was pondering how his officials would react if he went
on a crazed rampage, a silence broke the walls around his mind. He looked, and
saw the crowds parting. A magnificently simply dressed girl was approaching,
without the jewels and heavy make-up of the royalty; she only wore a plain
dress and a black and white mask.
The girls around her cackled,
poking fun at her clothes and making snide comments about her mask. She paid
them no mind, and neither did the king, their eyes locked as she approached the
throne. Upon arrival, she curtsied
neatly and held out a bag to him, stating that it was a gift. He opened it
hurriedly, anything to stop the boredom.
He was perplexed to find his Jester’s hat inside, and looked up at his
guest, baffled. She asked permission to
place it on him, and he agreed. After she had, she looked him over and
exclaimed:
“It looks like I have finally made
a fool of ewe!”
He stared at her, and she stared
back, straight-faced, until the pun hit him and he burst out laughing,
surprising his officials and the other guests.
After he stopped giggling, which
took quite awhile, he exclaimed to the whole ballroom that he’d chosen this girl
to be his bride, and asked her to remove her mask. She did so, and the King’s eyes went wide. It
was his Jester, and although he had already guessed it was her because of her
voice and actions, he had not expected her to be so beautiful without her
normal jester’s makeup.
The officials, upon realizing the
identity of the girl, threw a hissy fit, as did the other girls and their
parents, but the King could care less. He had found his bride and was pleased
as punch. Perhaps, he considered, he was so upset at picking a bride because he
was in love with her all along and never knew.
Only one girl in the whole kingdom could make him laugh, and he intended
on marrying her. She of course, agreed, and they lived happily ever after.
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