Tale 136: The Enchanted Tepig (Ash)

(real tale: The Enchanted Pig)

"Once upon a time there lived a king who had three daughters." Ash begins. "Now it happened that a neighboring kingdom threatened to invade, and so he had to go off to the battlefield. So he called his daughters and said to them..."

"My dear children, I am obliged to go off to battle." Brock fills in the king's dialogue. "The enemy is approaching us with a large army. It pains me very much to leave you all. While I am away, take care of yourselves and be good girls; behave well and look after everything in the castle. You may walk in the garden, and you may go into all the rooms in the palace, except the room at the back in the right-hand corner; into that you must not enter, for harm would befall you."

"You may keep your mind easy, father," Misty replies as one of the princesses.

"We have never disobeyed you." Melody adds. "Go in peace, and may Arceus give you a glorious victory!"

Ash grins at his friends' interplay before continuing "When it came time for him to leave the next day, the king gave them the keys to the castle and reminded them about what he had said. His daughters kissed his hands with tears in their eyes, and wished him well."

He continues "Now when the girls found themselves alone they felt so downhearted that they did not know what to do. So, to pass the time, they decided to work for part of the day, read for another part of the day, and go out into the garden for part of the day. At first, everything seemed fine. But it wasn't long before they got bored again. Every day they grew more and more curious--just WHAT was behind the door their father had warned them not to open?"

"Nothing good, if their dad had to warn them about it." Brock muses.

"The eldest Princess--we'll call her Kaori--complained that she was sick of sewing, spinning, and reading all day." Ash goes on. "It had only been a few days since their father left, and they had already explored the palace and the royal garden from top to bottom, save for the one room that their father forbade them to enter."

"Pini pini?" Happini asks.

"Well, the youngest--we'll call her Mizuki--was appalled that her sister would even THINK about breaking their father's command." Ash explains. "But the middle princess--we'll call her Chihaya--assured her sisters that the world probably wouldn't end if they went in, and as far as she knew, no dragons, monsters, or spirits in there, so what harm was there in going in?"

"Uh oh.." Misty giggles.

"The three girls entered, and what do you think they saw?" Ash asks his audience.

"Some legendary item wielded by a great hero from long ago?" Brock guesses.

"A potion of immortality?" Misty suggests.

"A book of magic spells?" Melody guesses.

"Actually, the room was pretty much empty, and without much in the way of decor." Ash explains. "But in the middle stood a large table, covered with a gorgeous cloth. And on this table lay a large open book."

"Did it have spells?" Melody gasps, excited.

"Well, after debating who would read out of the ancient book first, Princess Kaori decided to read a few of the book's writings." Ash replies "In one paragraph was the prophecy that the eldest daughter of the king would marry a prince from the east lands."

"Oh, it was a book of prophecies..." Misty muses.

Then Princess Chihaya stepped forward, and turning the page she read a prophecy that the middle daughter of the king would marry a prince from the west lands." Ash continues. "But Princess Mizuki did not want to even go near the table, much less take a peek at the book of prophecies. But she went ahead at her sister's behest, and turned the page. In one paragraph was a prophecy that said that the youngest daughter of the king would be married to a Tepig from the north lands."

Gasps fill the tent at this. "Princess Mizuki turned white as a Gastly, and deeply wished she could crawl under something and disappear." Ash goes on. Her sisters ribbed and teased her, but Princess Mizuki was quite depressed--not only did she discover a horrible fate in store for her, but what pained her even more was disobeying her father. Even the servants knew something was up, because she didn't laugh and smile as she once did."

"Pika pika pi?" Pikachu asks as he brushes away a tear, fearful for the princesses.

"Meanwhile, the king won a great victory, and having completely defeated and driven off the enemy, he hurried home to his daughters, who he had sorely missed while on the battlefield." Ash continues. "Everyone ran out to meet him with trumpets and flutes and tambourines, and there was great rejoicing over his victorious return. The king's first act on reaching home was to thank Arceus for the victory he had won. He then entered his palace, and the three princesses ran to meet him. His joy was great when he saw that they were all well, for Princess Mizuki did her best not to appear sad.

In spite of this, however, it was not long before the king noticed that Princess Mizuki looked pale and sullen." he goes on. "Suddenly, he felt as if a hot iron were entering his soul, for it flashed through his mind that she had disobeyed his word. He felt sure he was right; but to be quite certain he called his daughters to him, questioned them, and ordered them to speak the truth. They confessed everything, but took good care not to say which of them had suggested it."

"So what did the king do to punish them?" Misty worries.

"The king was so distressed when he heard it that he was almost overcome by grief. But he took heart and tried to comfort his daughters, who looked frightened to death. He saw that what was done was done, for better or for worse." Ash replies. "Some months went by, and the incident nearly forgotten, until one day, a prince from the east lands appeared at the court and asked the king for the hand of Princess Kaori. The king gladly gave his consent. A great wedding banquet was prepared, and after three days of feasting the happy pair were accompanied to the frontier with much ceremony and rejoicing. Then a few months later the same thing happened again, when a prince from the west lands asked for the hand of Princess Chihaya in marriage."

[What about Princess Mizuki?] Korra wonders.

"Now when Princess Mizuki saw that everything had come to pass as the book of prophecies foretold, she grew very depressed again." Ash explains. "She refused to eat, and would not put on her royal robes nor go out walking, saying that she would rather die than become a laughingstock to the world. But the king did whatever he could to comfort her."

Ash grins as he savors his audience's glances of anticipation--it's time for the big twist in his tale. "A few months went by, and one day a literal Tepig from the north walked into the palace, marched right up to the king's throne, and told him he wished for Princess Mizuki's hand in marriage."

Everyone laughs as they picure the king's reaction. "Now the king was astonished to hear a Pokemon, much less a Tepig, speak." Ash explains. "He tried to talk the Tepig out of it, but after realizing the nobles of the land weren't that much better, reluctantly gave his okay. They agreed the wedding would occur in a week. The king then sent for Princess Mizuki, and advised her to submit to fate, as there was nothing else that could be done. But he added..."

"My child, the words and whole behavior of this Tepig are quite unlike those of other Tepigs." Brock fills in the king's dialogue. "I don't believe that he always was a Tepig. Perhaps some magic or curse or enchantment is afoot. Do everything that he wishes, and I feel sure that Arceus will shortly send you release."

"If you wish me to do this, dear father, I will do it," Misty replies as Princess Mizuki.

"So after the wedding festivities died down, the Tepig and his bride set out for his home in one of the royal carriages." Ash continues. "On the way they passed a great swamp, and the Tepig ordered the carriage to stop, and got out and rolled about in the mire till he was covered with mud from head to foot; then he got back into the carriage and told his wife to kiss him. What was the poor girl to do? She bethought herself of her father's words, and, pulling out her pocket handkerchief, she gently wiped the Tepig's snout and kissed it."

"Ew"s go up from the audience. "By the time they reached the Tepig's dwelling, which stood in a thick wood, it was quite dark." Ash goes on. They sat down quietly for a little, as they were tired after their drive; then they had dinner together, and lay down to rest. During the night, Princess Mizuki noticed that the Tepig had turned into a handsome young man. She was not a little surprised, but remembering her father's words, she took courage, determined to wait and see what would happen."

[I knew that the Tepig was really a prince under a spell!] Korra smiles.

"This wore on for a while--every night the Tepig became a young man, and every morning he was changed into a Tepig before she awoke." Ash continues. "She began to suspect that he was under a spell, but she grew fond of him, as he was so kind and gentle..."

[This is boring...] a male Meowth yawns.

[Yes, it's taking forever just to get to the quest.] Mai agrees.

Ash sighs. "Okay, I'll try and think of another one that isn't quite so long."