Post by Hida Tetsuko on May 7, 2019 18:49:01 GMT 10
Time for a Scorpion fairytale
The Crimson Mask
Once there was a great samurai lord. His lands were vast and prosperous, he was generous and compassionate to all who served him down to the lowliest peasant. He married well and a year after he married his wife gave birth to a daughter, yet a week after the child was born his wife tragically died. The lord raised his daughter, she grew into a fine young woman. She was the image of her beautiful mother and had her father’s kindness and compassion.
As his daughter reached maturity, the lord decided that his daughter would need the guidance of a mother. So he married again, his new wife was beautiful and proud and has a daughter of her own the same age as his own daughter. The lord’s daughter warmly welcomed her new stepsister, but her stepmother’s daughter was haughty, vain and jealous.
Then it was announced throughout the land that the son of the Divine Emperor, the Shining Prince, would soon marry. All of the fair and noble maidens of the realm were to be invited to the Golden Palace where the prince would choose one of them to be his bride.
The stepmother was determined that it would be her daughter that would marry the Prince, so she sought to make sure that the lord’s daughter would pale in comparison. She set the lord’s daughter on many chores, which the daughter did dutifully, missing the fittings for new kimono so she was left with but her old and out of fashion clothes to be presented to the prince.
“The Prince shall not notice me,” the girl said sadly.
The family travelled to the golden palace and the two girls got ready to be presented. The stepmother’s daughter in bright new kimono, the lord’s daughter in her own simple ones. They joined the line of girls who proceeded towards the palace, each hoping they would be the one who was chosen by the Prince.
Yet before she went inside he palace, the lord’s daughter saw that there was an old serving woman collapsed on the ground. Her heart filled with pity, she went to help the old woman. She assisted the old woman to her feet and into a chair.
“Thank you dear,” said the old woman. “ Of the girls who walked past, you are the only one who showed me kindness. Let me reward you with this.” The old woman handed the girl a mask of crimson silk. “Wear it when you are presented to the Prince, and he will notice you above all others.”
“Will the Prince choose me?” The girl asked.
“That I cannot tell,” said the old woman. “Not even the strongest magic can change the heart of a man once his heart is given.”
The girl thanked the old woman and put on the mask. She stood with the other maidens, and just as the old woman had said the prince singled her out. He went to talk to her, and he was charmed by her kindness as well as her wit and cleverness. The Prince’s heart was hers from this moment on and the Divine Emperor declares that the two would be married the next day.
Her stepmother stood with the other mothers, recognising the lord’s daughter and she seethed with jealousy. She declared that only her own daughter would marry the prince, and when the lord’s daughter returned to her room that night, the stepmother said that she had bewitched the Prince and demanded to know how.
“It is the mask she wears!” The stepmother’s daughter declared, pointing at it on the lord’s daughter’s face. “Mother, I must have it and I will marry the Prince.”
The daughter refused to hand it over, her stepmother then killed her, took the mask and then buried the lord’s daughter beneath the white roses flowerbeds.
The next day was dawned bright, the stepmother put the crimson mask on her daughter and dressed her in fine wedding clothes, escorting her before the Prince. Before a priest, the Prince went to take the hand of the stepmother’s daughter, then was aghast as his wife began weeping tears of blood. Her cheeks were stained crimson as the redness rained down from the mask, ruining he rmake up. The girl wailed in shame.
The Prince ripped the mask from her face. “This woman is not my bride! Can anyone tell me where she is?”
“I can, my Prince.” The crowd parted to reveal the old serving woman. “This woman weeps crimson tears, but your bride sleeps where the ground weeps crimson.”
The Prince ordered the servants to searchpalace to be searched for any sign of what the woman was speaking of. His servants came back to tell him of the flower beds, the day before the roses had been white and now they were as crimson as blood. The Prince ordered that the roses be removed and the ground be dug up. And beneath the earth, the body of the woman he loved was there. But still cold and dead.
“Alas, my heart is broken!” said the Prince, weeping bitter tears.
The tears fell upon the lord’s daughter’s face. She awoke, she opened her eyes. “My love, I have returned to you!”
The Prince embraced her. “We shall be married at once. But first tell me, who did this to you?”
“My stepmother and her daughter,” she answered him.
“Then they shall not live one more day,” decreed the Prince.
“Please, no,” said the girl. “Let us not have this day marred by bloodshed.”
“I can refuse you nothing,” said the Prince.
So the stepmother and her daughter were banished from the land, to never return upon pain of death. The Prince and the girl were then married, her father and the Divine Emperor smiling as their children’s hands were joined together.
The Crimson Mask
Once there was a great samurai lord. His lands were vast and prosperous, he was generous and compassionate to all who served him down to the lowliest peasant. He married well and a year after he married his wife gave birth to a daughter, yet a week after the child was born his wife tragically died. The lord raised his daughter, she grew into a fine young woman. She was the image of her beautiful mother and had her father’s kindness and compassion.
As his daughter reached maturity, the lord decided that his daughter would need the guidance of a mother. So he married again, his new wife was beautiful and proud and has a daughter of her own the same age as his own daughter. The lord’s daughter warmly welcomed her new stepsister, but her stepmother’s daughter was haughty, vain and jealous.
Then it was announced throughout the land that the son of the Divine Emperor, the Shining Prince, would soon marry. All of the fair and noble maidens of the realm were to be invited to the Golden Palace where the prince would choose one of them to be his bride.
The stepmother was determined that it would be her daughter that would marry the Prince, so she sought to make sure that the lord’s daughter would pale in comparison. She set the lord’s daughter on many chores, which the daughter did dutifully, missing the fittings for new kimono so she was left with but her old and out of fashion clothes to be presented to the prince.
“The Prince shall not notice me,” the girl said sadly.
The family travelled to the golden palace and the two girls got ready to be presented. The stepmother’s daughter in bright new kimono, the lord’s daughter in her own simple ones. They joined the line of girls who proceeded towards the palace, each hoping they would be the one who was chosen by the Prince.
Yet before she went inside he palace, the lord’s daughter saw that there was an old serving woman collapsed on the ground. Her heart filled with pity, she went to help the old woman. She assisted the old woman to her feet and into a chair.
“Thank you dear,” said the old woman. “ Of the girls who walked past, you are the only one who showed me kindness. Let me reward you with this.” The old woman handed the girl a mask of crimson silk. “Wear it when you are presented to the Prince, and he will notice you above all others.”
“Will the Prince choose me?” The girl asked.
“That I cannot tell,” said the old woman. “Not even the strongest magic can change the heart of a man once his heart is given.”
The girl thanked the old woman and put on the mask. She stood with the other maidens, and just as the old woman had said the prince singled her out. He went to talk to her, and he was charmed by her kindness as well as her wit and cleverness. The Prince’s heart was hers from this moment on and the Divine Emperor declares that the two would be married the next day.
Her stepmother stood with the other mothers, recognising the lord’s daughter and she seethed with jealousy. She declared that only her own daughter would marry the prince, and when the lord’s daughter returned to her room that night, the stepmother said that she had bewitched the Prince and demanded to know how.
“It is the mask she wears!” The stepmother’s daughter declared, pointing at it on the lord’s daughter’s face. “Mother, I must have it and I will marry the Prince.”
The daughter refused to hand it over, her stepmother then killed her, took the mask and then buried the lord’s daughter beneath the white roses flowerbeds.
The next day was dawned bright, the stepmother put the crimson mask on her daughter and dressed her in fine wedding clothes, escorting her before the Prince. Before a priest, the Prince went to take the hand of the stepmother’s daughter, then was aghast as his wife began weeping tears of blood. Her cheeks were stained crimson as the redness rained down from the mask, ruining he rmake up. The girl wailed in shame.
The Prince ripped the mask from her face. “This woman is not my bride! Can anyone tell me where she is?”
“I can, my Prince.” The crowd parted to reveal the old serving woman. “This woman weeps crimson tears, but your bride sleeps where the ground weeps crimson.”
The Prince ordered the servants to searchpalace to be searched for any sign of what the woman was speaking of. His servants came back to tell him of the flower beds, the day before the roses had been white and now they were as crimson as blood. The Prince ordered that the roses be removed and the ground be dug up. And beneath the earth, the body of the woman he loved was there. But still cold and dead.
“Alas, my heart is broken!” said the Prince, weeping bitter tears.
The tears fell upon the lord’s daughter’s face. She awoke, she opened her eyes. “My love, I have returned to you!”
The Prince embraced her. “We shall be married at once. But first tell me, who did this to you?”
“My stepmother and her daughter,” she answered him.
“Then they shall not live one more day,” decreed the Prince.
“Please, no,” said the girl. “Let us not have this day marred by bloodshed.”
“I can refuse you nothing,” said the Prince.
So the stepmother and her daughter were banished from the land, to never return upon pain of death. The Prince and the girl were then married, her father and the Divine Emperor smiling as their children’s hands were joined together.