Tale 176: The Water Lilly and the Goldspinners (Brock)

(real tale: The Water-Lily and the Gold Spinners)

"Once upon a time, in a large forest, there lived an old woman and three maidens." Brock begins. "They were all beautiful, but the youngest--we'll call her Heather--was the fairest. Their hut was quite hidden by trees, and none saw their beauty but Ho'oh by day, and Lugia by night, and Jirachi as he danced among the stars. The old woman kept the girls hard at work, from morning till night, spinning gold thread into yarn, and when one spool was empty another was given to them, so they had no chance to rest."

"And why couldn't they at least get a break?" Misty wonders.

"The thread had to be fine and even, and when it was done, it was locked up in a secret chamber by the old woman, who went on a few long journeys every summer. Brock continues. "Before she left, she gave out work for each day of her absence, and always returned at night, so that the girls never saw what she brought back with her, nor would she tell them from whence the gold flax came, or what it was to be used for."

"I have a bad feeling about this...." Ash shudders.

"Now, when the time came for the old woman to set out on one of these journeys, she gave each girl work for six days, with the usual warning: don't let your eyes wander, and under no circumstances speak to a man." Brock explains. "If they did, their thread would lose its brightness, and misfortunes of all kinds would follow. The girls would laugh at this oft-repeated caution, asking each other how their gold thread could lose its brightness, and how they had any chance of speaking to a man."

"And then some guy gets lost in the forest..." Misty guesses.

"On the third day, a young prince--we'll call him Grant--was hunting in the forest, when he got separated from his companions, and completely lost to boot." Brock replies, confirming Misty's prediction. "When he got tired of seeking a way out, he laid down under a tree, leaving his Ponyta to graze, and fell asleep."

He pauses for a beat, then goes on "The sun had set when he woke, and he kept working on a way to try and find his way out of the forest. At last he spotted a narrow path, which he eagerly followed and found that it led him to a small hut. The girls, who were sitting at the door of their hut to keep cool, saw him approaching, and the two elder girls were quite panicked , for they remembered the old woman's warning; but Heather talked them into having one look. The other girls pleaded with her to come in, but, seeing that she would not, left her, and Prince Grant courteously greeted Heather, and told her he had lost his way in the forest and was both hungry and weary. She set food before him, and was so delighted with his conversation that she forgot the old woman's caution, and lingered for hours."

"Pika pika chu?" Pikachu asks.

"Meanwhile, Prince Grant's companions sought him far and wide, but to no avail, so they sent two messengers to tell the sad news to the king, who immediately ordered a regiment of cavalry and one of infantry to go and look for him." Brock goes on. "After three days' search, they found the hut. Prince Grant was still sitting by the door and had been so happy in Heather's company that the time had seemed like an hour. Before leaving, he promised to return and take her to his father's court, where he would make her his bride. When he had gone, she sat down to her wheel to make up for lost time, but was dismayed to find that her thread had lost all its brightness. Her heart beat fast and she wept bitterly, for she remembered the old woman's warning and knew not what misfortune might now befall her."

Happini swallows hard at the thought of some terrible thing or another happening to Heather. "The old woman returned that night and knew by the tarnished thread what had happened in her absence. She was furiously angry and told Heather that she had brought down misery both on herself and on Prince Grant." Brock intones. "Heather could hardly sleep thinking about this. At last, she could bear it no longer, and resolved to seek help from Prince Grant."

"How could he help?" Misty asks, intrigued

"As a child she had learned to understand the language of Pokemon, and this proved to be a big help to her. When she saw a Murkrow preening itself on a pine branch, she cried softly to it..." Brock narrates.

"Dear Murkrow, cleverest of all Pokemon, as well as swiftest on wing, will you help me?" Melody pleads as Heather.

"How can I help you?" Ash asks as the Murkrow.

"Fly away, until you come to a great city, where stands a king's palace; seek out the king's son and tell him that a great misfortune has befallen me." Melody tells Ash as Heather.

"Heather told the Murkrow how her thread had lost its brightness, how terribly angry the old woman was, and how she feared some great disaster." Brock narrate when the applause for the interplay dies down. "The Murkrow promised to do her bidding, and, spreading its wings, flew away. Heather went home and worked hard all day at winding up the yarn her elder sisters had spun, for the old woman would let her spin no longer. Around sunset she heard the Murkrow's cry from the pine tree, and eagerly hurried to hear the answer."

[What did the Murkrow find out?] Mai asks.

"By sheer luck, the Murkrow had found a wind mage's son in the palace garden, who understood the language of Pokemon, and to him he entrusted the message." Brock goes on. "When Prince Grant heard it, he was very sorrowful, and took counsel with his friends how to free Heather. Then he told the wind mage's son..." In an older version of himself, he continues "Beg the Murkrow to fly quickly back to Heather and tell her to be ready on the ninth night, for then will I come and take her to the palace."

As himself, he continues "The wind mage's son did this, and the Murkrow flew so swiftly that it reached the hut that same evening. Heather thanked the Murkrow heartily and went home, telling no one what she had heard."

"Azu?" Azurill asks.

"As the ninth night drew near she became very worried, for she feared that some terrible mishap would come up and ruin them all." Brock intones. "On this night she crept quietly out of the house and waited trembling at some little distance from the hut. Suddenly, she heard the muffled beats of Ponyta hooves, and soon the armed troops appeared, led by Prince Grant, who had marked all the trees beforehand in order to find the way. When he saw Heather, he sprang from his Ponyta, lifted her into the saddle, and then, mounting behind, rode homeward. The moon shone so brightly that they had no difficulty in seeing the marked trees."

"Pika..." Even Pikachu fears something bad is about to befall Heather and Prince Grant.

"The coming of dawn unleashed all the songs of all the bird Pokemon, and, had Prince Grant only known what they were saying, or Heather been listening, they might have been spared much sorrow, but they were thinking only of each other, and when they came out of the forest the sun was high overhead." Brock intones. "The next morning, when she saw that Heather did not come to her work, the old woman asked where she was. The sisters pretended not to know, but the old woman easily guessed what had happened, and, as she was actually a wicked witch, determined to punish the fugitives. Accordingly, she collected nine different kinds of nightshade, added some salt, which she first bewitched, and, doing all up in a cloth into the shape of a fluffy ball, sent it after them on the wings of the wind."

[Oh no!] a Meowth gasps.

"At noon the Prince and his men came to a deep river, spanned by so narrow a bridge that only one rider could cross at a time. The Ponyta that Prince Grant and Heather were riding had just reached the middle when the magic ball flew by. The Ponyta in its fright suddenly reared, and before anyone could stop it flung Heather into the swift current below." Brock goes on. "Prince Grant tried to jump in after her, but his men held him back, and in spite of his struggles led him home, where for six weeks he holed up in a secret chamber, and wouldn't even eat nor drink, so great was his grief."

"Pi ni..." Happini sighs.

"He finally got so sick everyone feared the worst, and the king caused all the clerics and healers in the land to be summoned. But not one of them had a clue how to cure him." Brock goes on. "Finally the wind mage's son asked the king if he could call down Meloetta from the heavens, as it was said that with her holy spellsong, she knew more than all the mages and clerics in the kingdom combined."

"Wow!" Ash is impressed.

"So many prayers went up to heaven, and a week later Meloetta arrived on the wings of the wind and a song." Brock narrates.

Karuto, iichiida shou... Melody sings before continuing "Your Majesty, the wind has blown this illness upon your son, and a cursed ball has snatched away his beloved. This is what makes him grieve so. Let the wind blow upon him that it may blow away his sorrow."

"So the king had Prince Grant go out into the wind, and he gradually recovered and told his father everything." Brock narrates, acknowledging Melody with a nod. "The king tried to talk Prince Grant into taking another bride; but Prince Grant said he could never love another."

"And then?" Ash asks as he pets Korra.

"A year went by, until one day Prince Grant happened upon the bridge where his beloved Heather had been lost. As he remembered the painful memory, he wept bitterly, and would have given all he owned to have her alive again." Brock continues. "In the midst of his grief he thought he heard a voice singing, and looked around, but couldn't see anyone. Then he heard the voice again, and it said..."

Emis! Wennanned es es bonnizen, 'kas a vyas clii bor ester renna! Ve wemosted tee gees ris kizen, kee go ras gasa, gith fis cee zuar! Melody sings some gibberish in the holy language for effect.

"Prince Grant was stunned at this--he sprang from his Ponyta,, and looked everywhere to see if someone was hidden under the bridge; but no one was there." Brock continues. "Then, he noticed a yellow water lily floating on the surface of the water, half hidden by its broad leaves; but he knew normal flowers did not sing, and so he waited, hoping to hear more. Then the voice sang again..." He motions for Melody to sing.

Emis! Wennanned es es bonnizen, 'kas a vyas clii bor ester renna! Ve wemosted tee gees ris kizen, kee go ras gasa, gith fis cee zuar! Melody sings again.

"Prince Grant suddenly remembered the gold spinners, and thought to himself: 'If I ride there, maybe they could explain this to me...'" Brock goes on. "He rode to the hut, and found the two maidens at the fountain. He told them what had happened to their sister the year before, and how he had twice heard a strange song, but yet could see no singer. They concluded that the yellow water lily could be none other than their sister, who was not dead, but transformed by the magic ball. Before he went to bed, the eldest girl made a cake of magic herbs, which she gave him to eat."

"And he turned into a Froagie, or something!" Ash guesses.

"That night, he dreamed that he was living in the forest and could understand all that the Pokemon said to each other." Brock replies, shooting down Ash's prediction. "The next morning, he told this to the girls, and they said that the enchanted cake had caused it, and advised him to listen well to the Pokemon, and see what they could tell him. When he had recovered his bride they pleaded with him to return and deliver them from their bondage."

"Then what?" Misty asks, excited.

"Having promised this, Prince Grant started for home, and as he was riding through the forest he could perfectly understand all that the Pokemon said." Brock replies. "He heard a Pikachu say to a Fletchling...

"How stupid people are! They cannot understand the simplest thing." Ash interjects in a voice that more or les sounds like Pikachu. "It has now been a year since the girl was transformed into a water lily, and, though she sings so sadly that anyone going over the bridge must hear her, yet no one comes to her aid. Her former bridegroom rode over it a few days ago and heard her singing, but was no wiser than the rest."

"And he is to blame for all her misfortunes," Melody adds as the Fletchling. "If he heeds only the words of men she will remain a flower forever. She were soon delivered were the matter only laid before Meloetta."

Brock waits for the applause to die down before continuing "After hearing this, Prince Grant wondered how he could get a message conveyed to Meloetta. He then overheard one Taillow telling another how he wished he could hear Meloetta sing. Prince Grant then asked the Taillows to ask Meloetta how he could restore a maiden transformed into a flower to her true form."

[What did Meloetta say?] a Meowth asks.

"The Taillows flew away, and Prince Grant rode on to the bridge. There he waited, hoping to hear the song. But he heard nothing but the rushing of the water and the moaning of the wind, and, disappointed, rode home." Brock replies. "A few days later, he was sitting in the garden, thinking that the Taillows must have forgotten his message, when he saw an Braviary flying above him. The magnificent Pokemon gradually descended until it perched on a tree close to Prince Grant and told him..."

In a deeper version of himself, he intones "Meloetta greets you from heaven and bids me to tell you that you free the maiden like so: Go to the river and douse yourself completely in water; then sing this magic song--'Rou iitsa ron selga vichii' and you will transform into a Buizel. Dive into the water, swim as close as you can to the water lily's roots, and loosen them from the mud and reeds. This done, hold onto the roots and rise with them to the surface. Let the water flow all over the flower, and drift with the current until you come to an oak tree on the left bank with a large stone nearby. Stop there and sing this magic song: 'Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul' and you both will be restored to your true forms."

As himself, Brock continues "Prince Grant let some time pass before he worked up the courage to attempt to rescue Heather. So he mounted his Ponyta and went to the bridge. Again he heard the water lily's lament, and after dousing himself completely in water, sang Rou iitsa ron selga vichii..., transformed into a Buizel in a flash of blue light, and plunged into the river. For a moment the water hissed in his ears, and then all was silent. He swam up to the plant and began to loosen its roots, but so firmly were they fixed in the mud and reeds that this took him a long time. He then grasped them and rose to the surface, letting the water flow over the flower. The current carried them down the stream, but nowhere could he see the oak tree."

"So where was the oak tree?" Ash wonders.

"He finally saw it and the rock some minutes later." Brock replies he climbed on the bank and sang Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... and to his delight found himself once more a prince, and Heather was by his side. She was ten times more beautiful than before, and wore a magnificent pale yellow robe, sparkling with jewels. She thanked him for having freed her from the cruel witch's power, and confessed her love for him."

[Aw...] the Meowths chorus as Ash and Misty start to applaud, thinking the story's over.

"But when they came to the bridge where he had left his Ponyta, it was nowhere to be seen." Brock interrupts, quieting the applause. "Though Prince Grant thought he had been a Buizel only a few hours, he had in reality been under the water for more than ten days. While they were wondering how they should reach his father's court, they saw a splendid coach driven by six festively decorated Rapidashes coming along the bank. The king and the queen had been crying out to Arceus in hopes that their son was alive somewhere. Great was their delight and astonishment when Prince Grant entered the shrine, leading Heather by the hand."

He concludes "The wedding was celebrated right there, and there was feasting and merry-making throughout the kingdom for six weeks, at least."

"But what about Heather's sisters?" Misty reminds Brock. "Did Prince Grant save them from the witch like he said he would?"

"Prince Grant did keep his promise, and saved Heather's sisters." Brock assures Misty. "But that is another story for another day!"