Tale 208: Prince Christopher's Journey (Misty)

(real tale: The Prince Who Wanted to See the World)

"There was once a king who had only one son--we'll call him Christopher--and Christopher constantly bugged his father morning, noon, and night to allow him to travel around the world." Misty begins. "For a long time, the king refused to give him leave; but at last, tired and at the end of his rope, he granted permission, and ordered his treasurer to set aside a large sum of money for the expenses a trip around the world would incur. Prince Christopher was overjoyed at the thought that he was really going to see the world, and after embracing his father, he set out early the next morning."

"What adventures did he get into?" Ash wonders.

"Well, he rode on for some weeks without having any adventures worth speaking of; but one night, while he was resting at an inn, he befriended another traveler, they got to talking, and the other traveler asked Prince Christopher if he ever played cards." Misty explains. "Prince Christopher replied that he very much enjoyed a friendly game of cards. So a deck of cards was brought out, but the other traveler had to have been cheating--because in a very short time Prince Christopher had lost every dime he had to his new acquaintance. When there was nothing but Venomoths left at the bottom of the bag, the stranger proposed that they play one more game. If Prince Christopher won, he would get his money back and then some. If he lost, he would stay at the inn for three years, and be his servant for another three. Prince Christopher agreed to those terms, played as best he could, and lost; so the stranger bought rooms for him, and furnished him with food and water every day for three years."

"The other guy was probably cheating..." Brock muses.

"Prince Christopher had a little pity party at first, but his three years of service in the inn went by faster than he thought." Misty goes on. "He then had to go to the house of the stranger, who was really the king of a neighboring country, and be his servant. Before he had gone very far he met a woman carrying a child, which was crying from hunger. The prince fed the little girl with his last crust of bread and last drop of water. The woman thanked him gratefully, and said...

"Listen, millord. You must walk straight ahead till you notice a very strong scent, which comes from a garden by the side of the road. Go in and hide yourself close to a pond, where three Pidoves will come to bathe. As the last one flies past you, grab one of its feathers, and refuse to give it back till the Pidove has promised you three things." Melody instructs as the woman.

"Prince Christopher did as he was told, and everything happened as the woman had said." Misty continues. "He grabbed a tail feather from the Pidove, who gave him in exchange a ring, a collar, and one of its own feathers, saying..."

In a younger version of herself, she instructs "When you are in any trouble, sing 'Karuto, iichiida shou...' I am Princess Linnette, the daughter of the king you are going to serve, who hates your father and made you gamble in hopes of causing your ruin."

As herself, she continues "So Prince Christopher went on his way, and it wasn't long before he arrived at the royal palace. As soon as his master knew he was there, Prince Christopher was summoned before the king, and three bags were handed to him..."

"Take this wheat, this millet, and this barley, and sow them all at once, so that I may have loaves of them all tomorrow." Brock instructs in his standard "king" voice.

"Prince Christopher stood speechless at this command, but the king did not bother to give any further explanation." Misty goes on. When he was dismissed, Prince Christopher hurried to the room which had been set aside for him, and pulling out his feather, he sang...."

Karuto, iichiida shou... Ash fills in the spellsong

"What is it?" Melody asks as the Pidove.

"...and Prince Christopher told her of what he had to do, and of his despair at being unable to accomplish it." Misty narrates as Ash pantomimes talking to Melody.

"Fear nothing; it will be all right," Melody smiles.

"The next morning, when Prince Christopher woke up, he saw the three loaves lying beside his bed." Misty goes on. "He jumped up and got dressed, and he was just barely ready when a page arrived with the message that he was to go into the king's chamber right away. Taking the loaves in his arm, he followed the boy, and, bowing low, laid them down before the king. The king looked at the loaves for a moment, then he said...

"Good. The man who can do this can also find the ring which my eldest daughter, Princess Linette, dropped into the sea." Brock adds in the king's dialogue.

"Prince Christopher hurried back to his room and summoned the Pidove..." Misty narrates.

Karuto, iichiida shou... Ash sings again.

"...and when she heard this new command she said..." Misty narrates some more.

"Listen closely." Melody instructs. Tomorrow, go down to the shore and get into a boat you will find there."

"Prince Christopher did not know what he was to do when he was in the boat or where he was to go, but as the Pidove had come to his rescue before, he knew he had to do whatever she told him." Misty explains. "When he reached the boat he found the Pidove perched on one of the masts, and at her signal he set sail; the wind was behind them and they soon lost sight of land. The Pidove then spoke for the first time and said..."

"Lay your hands on my head and sing the Great Holy Spellsong--'Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...'" Melody instructs.

"Although initially confused at this strange order, Prince Christopher laid his hands on the Pidove's head, and sang...."Misty narrates.

Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... Ash fills in the spellsong.

"...and the Pidove temporarily transformed into a beautiful girl, who presented him with a sapphire ring." Misty continues. "Minutes later, it was a Pidove again, and Prince Christopher took the ring and made his way back to the palace. The king stared with surprise at the sight of the ring, but he thought of another way of getting rid of the young man which was surer even than the other two."

"This evening you will mount my Ponyta and ride him to the field, and break him in properly." Brock instructs as the king.

"Prince Christopher received this command as silently as he had received the rest, but no sooner was he in his room than he called for the Pidove, who said...." Misty narrates.

"Listen to me." Melody warns Ash. "My father longs to see you dead, and thinks he will kill you by this means. He himself is the Ponyta, my mother is the saddle, my two sisters, Paloma and Peri. are the stirrups, and I am the bridle. Do not forget to take a good whip, to help you in dealing with such a crew."

"So Prince Christopher mounted the Ponyta, and whipped it so hard that when he came to the palace to announce that the Pokemon was now so gentle that it could be ridden by even a child, he found the king so bruised that he had to be wrapped in cloths dipped in vinegar, the mother was too stiff to move, and several of the daughters' ribs were broken. The youngest, Peri, was unharmed. That night, she came to Prince Christopher and whispered to him..."

"Now that they are all in too much pain to move, we had better seize our chance and run away." Melody whispers in a younger version of herself. "Go to the stable and saddle the skinniest Ponyta you can find there."

"But Prince Christopher made the stupid mistake of choosing the fattest." Misty intones. "When they had started out and Princess Peri saw what he had done, she was very sorry, for though this Ponyta ran like the wind, the other flashed like thought. However, it was dangerous to go back, and they rode on as fast as the Ponyta would go. Meanwhile, the king sent for Princess Peri, and when she did not come, he called again; but she still did not come. The queen, who was a witch, discovered that Princess Peri had gone off with Prince Christopher, and told her husband he must leave his bed and go after them. The king got slowly up, groaning with pain, and dragged himself to the stables, where he saw the lean Ponyta still in its stall. Leaping on his back he shook the reins, and Princess Peri, who knew what to expect and had her eyes open, saw the Ponyta depart, sang her own spell..."

Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... Melody fills in the spellsong.

"and in the twinkling of an eye turned her own steed into a shrine, Prince Christopher into an apprentice, and herself into a miko." Misty goes on. "When the king reached the shrine, he pulled up his Ponyta and asked if a girl and a young man had passed that way. The miko raised her eyes, which were bent on the ground, and said that she had not seen a living creature. The king, much disgusted at this news, and not knowing what to do, returned home and told his wife that, though he had ridden for miles, he had come across nothing but a shrine."

"Why those were the runaways, of course," she cries, as the queen If you had only brought a scrap of the miko's robe, or a bit of stone from the wall, I would have had them in my power."

As herself, she continues "At this, the king hurried back to the stable, and brought out the lean Ponyta who traveled quicker than thought. But Peri saw him coming, and changed her Ponyta into a plot of ground, herself into a rosebush covered with roses, and Prince Christopher into a gardener."

Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... Melody sings again.

"As the king rode up, the gardener looked up from the tree which he was trimming and asked if anything was the matter." Misty narrates.

"Have you seen a young man and a girl go by?" Brock asks the king,

Ash shakes his head. "No one has passed this way since I started working here."

"So the king turned his steps homewards and told his wife." Misty narrates before assuming the role of the queen. "If you had only brought me one of the roses, or a handful of earth, I should have had them in my power. But there is no time to waste. I shall have to go with you myself."

As herself, she intones "Princess Peri saw them from afar, and a great fear fell on her, for she knew her mother's skill in dark magic of all kinds. However, she vowed to fight to the end, and changed the Ponyta into a deep pool, herself into an Eelektrik, and Prince Christopher into a Wartortle. But it was no use. Her mother recognized them all, and, pulling up, asked her daughter if she did not repent and would not like to come home again. The Eelektrik wagged 'no' with her tail, and the queen told her husband to put a drop of water from the pool into a bottle, because it was only by that means that she could take control of her daughter. The king did as he was told, and was just about to draw the bottle out of the water after he had filled it, when the Wartortle knocked against it and spilled it all. The king then filled it a second time, but again the Wartortle was too fast for him."

She concludes "He returned defeated, allowing Prince Christopher and the three sisters to continue on their way safely. They had many more adventures, but that is another story for another day!"