The Uncrowned King Part 3

[Ill.u.s.tration: And the Fourth Voice Was the Voice of the New Day (see king010.png)]

It was gray dawn when the Pilgrim turned once more to his couch in The Quiet Room.

Without the Temple, tree and bush and plant and gra.s.s were beginning to stir with fresh and joyous strength, while the clean air was rich with the smell of the earth life and filled with murmuring, twittering, whispering, morning calls. Through the open window, into The Quiet Room where the Pilgrim lay, the Bright Morning entered, and out of the Morning came the glad, glad Voice of the New Day.

Said this Voice to the Pilgrim: "To thee, O Hadji, I come from the Infinite Future. The interminable, eternal times that are to come, that begin but never end. I cry from the Deeps Within. I call from the Great That Will Be. I, too, am a Voice of Life, and mine it is to complete for you The Tale of The Uncrowned King."

And this is the part of the Tale that the Voice of the New Day completed.

Really-Is, the true King of Allthetime, after leaving Wisdom in his little house beside the road, journeyed slowly and thoughtfully toward the Royal City Daybyday, along the way that leads to the Golden Gate Opportunity. And while the pretender, Seems...o...b.., was delighting the people with great feasts, and amusing them with all manner of festivals, parades and games, Really-Is, very quietly--so quietly that his brother did not know--entered the city and took up his abode in a tiny house under the walls of a deserted temple once sacred to the G.o.d Things-That-Ought-To-Be.

And so it was that when Seems...o...b.. went forth from the royal palace to ride in grand procession, clothed in regal splendors, with the Crown upon his head, and surrounded by gorgeous soldiers of rank and pompous officials of state, with the royal trumpeters proclaiming his greatness and power and the mult.i.tude shouting loud expressions of their loyalty, Really-Is, the King, stood still beside the way, smiling, smiling sadly at the pretty show.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (see king011.png)]

And never did Really-Is neglect to make his offering every morning in the temple sacred to the G.o.d Things-That-Ought-To-Be; though in secret he worshiped there because of the decree of Seems...o...b... And no one told the false ruler that his commandment was broken, nor spoke to him the name of his brother Really-Is.

But after a while, as time pa.s.sed by, things went not so gaily with the impostor on the throne of Allthetime. And it was the Crown that did it--that wonderful Magic Crown.

The Court Fool noticed it first and made a jest about it, and Seems...o...b.. laughed royally long and loud, and all the Court laughed with him, for the fool, Thinks-He-Is, is a most famous fool, the greatest that has ever been since the Father of Fools was born.

Next, the Lord Chief High Chamberlain noticed, and the Lord Chief High Chamberlain whispered to Seems...o...b.. a most portentous whisper. And the portentous whisper of the Lord Chief High Chamberlain reached the ears of the Chief First Officer of State; then pa.s.sed from Officer of State to Officer of State until it reached the Chief Captain of the Guard, and soon the soldiers of the royal army and even the royal servants of the palace were whispering, whispering, whispering about the strange affair.

Then it was that Seems...o...b.. sent throughout the kingdom, commanding in haste to the palace the most expert workers in gems and the most cunning workers in gold to be found in the Land of Allthetime.

It was true. The priceless jewels of the Magic Crown were losing their brilliancy. The precious gold of the Crown was becoming dull. Nor could all the skill of the workers in gems, all the craft of the workers in gold restore the beauty of the Crown or keep its fading splendor.

And so the whispers grew louder and louder until the people began to talk in low tones among themselves, questioning, questioning one another of the meaning of this thing. And at last the Royal Officers of State began to look with distrust and fear upon their ruler, who tried so hard to wear bravely his crown of tarnished gold and l.u.s.terless gems; and the soldiers came to look with doubt and fear upon the officers, who whispered so among themselves; and the people looked with suspicion and fear upon them all.

Without understanding, filled with dread and apprehension, worn with wracking worry, poor Seems...o...b.. sought with honors, decorations, and distinguishing t.i.tles to hold the fast-failing confidence of his court and army, and with holidays more frequent, festivals more gay, games more interesting, and parades more gorgeous, tried to keep the waning loyalty of his people.

Now all this time, while the poor foolish pretender, Seems...o...b.., was losing his power even as the beauty of the Magic Crown was fading, King Really-Is lived very quietly in his little house under the walls of the abandoned temple, and never did he fail to make his daily offering to his G.o.d, the G.o.d Things-That-Ought-To-Be. And always when his brother Seems...o...b.. with the fading Crown upon his head, pa.s.sed in gorgeous procession of state, surrounded by his distrustful officers, doubting soldiers and suspicious people, Really-Is smiled sadly and whispered to himself: "Poor Seems...o...b.., poor foolish one!"

So it was, that in all the Royal City Daybyday, in the Land of Allthetime, peace and understanding dwelt only in the heart of this King.

And the people more and more came to love Really-Is, even as they more and more turned from Seems...o...b.., notwithstanding the holidays, feasts and parades. Little by little, they learned to watch daily for their King, and with the children would run to greet him. More and more the mult.i.tude pressed about Really-Is when he stood quietly in the street, watching Seems...o...b.. pa.s.s by in the splendid chariot of state. More and more the people went daily with Really-Is to worship in the temple sacred to the G.o.d Things-That-Ought-To-Be.

So the time came at last when the Magic Crown, tarnished and dull, seemed but a mockery, fit only for the rubbish heap; when the Officers of State spoke aloud their doubts and fears and the soldiers were openly disobedient; when the people, as the pretender pa.s.sed through the city streets, no longer shouted aloud expressions of their loyalty, but, with dark looks of doubt and anger, stood silent, or laughed in mocking glee.

And Seems...o...b.. grew afraid.

Then in secret the false prince went alone to the house of his brother the King and prostrated himself humbly.

"What is your wish, my brother?" asked Really-Is, kindly, "make known to me your request."

And Seems...o...b.. taking heart at the gentleness of Really-Is answered: "This is my wish, O King--my brother, this is my request; that you come to dwell with me in the royal palace, that you share with me the throne.

Twins we are, sons of our royal father, of the royal family Everyone.

Therefore let us rule together the Land of Allthetime."

Answered Really-Is. "By your coming to me, Seems...o...b.., I know that you, too, at last have learned the Secret of the Magic of the Crown. What of the Crown, brother?"

And the pretender replied: "No one can tell us one from the other. You only shall wear the Crown; then for us both will its glory come again and remain, then will all be well."

But King Really-Is answered sadly: "O my brother, that which you ask cannot be. In the Law of the Ages it is written that a King of Allthetime cannot, if he would, share his throne and power with one who is false, else would he himself be held unworthy I have seen your wretchedness, my brother; I have seen and I have pitied."

Then Seems...o...b.. went sadly out from the presence of his brother, the King, and the next morning they found him dead on the steps of the temple sacred to the G.o.d Things-Are-Good-Enough.

And now with great tumult and shouting the people gathered to do homage to Really-Is. And never was there seen in Daybyday such a mult.i.tude.

From the uttermost parts of Allthetime they came, for the word of his life had gone far, far abroad and all the world that is, gathered to do him honor.

And it happened, when all was ready for Really-Is to ascend the throne, and the royal trumpeters had lifted their trumpets ready to proclaim him King of Allthetime, with the vast mult.i.tude breathless, ready at the signal of the trumpets to break forth in a great, glad shout, "Long live the king," and the Lord Chief High Chamberlain turned to take the Magic Crown from the hands of the High Priest of Things-That-Ought-To-Be, that even as he turned the Crown vanished, and lo! there was in the hands of the priest, nothing.

In consternation the Lord Chief High Chamberlain whispered to the royal high officials about him, asking what should be done. In consternation, the royal high officials whispered among themselves. In consternation they whispered back to the Chamberlain.

And this was their whisper: "Ask the King."

Really-Is, when he was asked what should be done, answered with a smile: "_The Crown is not the kingdom, nor is one King because he wears a Crown_."

And the people, when the trumpets made it known that there was no crown and declared the word of Really-Is, with one voice cried loudly: "Really-Is is King! Really-Is needs no Crown! Long live Really-Is, our King!"

Thus the True King ascended the throne of Allthetime, and the trumpeters trumpeted loudly many times: "Long live the king who needs no crown!"

and with a great shout the people answered again many times: "Long live our Uncrowned King! Long live our Uncrowned King!"

"And this, O Hadji," said the glad Voice of the New Day, "is how it came to be that in the days that now are, there is, in this Royal City Daybyday, in the wonderful Land of Allthetime, no crown."

And this also you must know, that in the reign of Really-Is the people of Daybyday have more and more turned from their many G.o.ds to worship only the G.o.d of their King, until there is left now of the many deserted temples only ruins, and of the many G.o.ds of the many people of many races, languages and names only one, the G.o.d of Really-Is, Things-That-Ought-To-Be. The mighty Wall that was built, they thought, on the foundations of the world, when there was no longer a crown to keep, of its own great weight fell. And the Royal City Daybyday, in the reign of Really-Is, is extending its borders more and more, until there are those who think that with the City Sometime it will soon be one, and then they say that the promises made by Really-Is and the Princess of Yettocome will be fulfilled and that the glory and splendor of their reign will fill the world.

"But of that, O Hadji," said the glad Voice of the New Day, "I cannot tell you now. I have finished The Tale of The Uncrowned King."

The Voice that was in the Morning ceased. The Quiet Room was filled with light. Quickly the Pilgrim arose and going to the window saw in all its glory the New Day.

Every leaf of the tall trees, every blade and every inwoven flower in the velvet carpet of green, wore beads of shining crystal that sparkled and glittered in radiant splendor. Every tiny ripple that ran on the Beautiful Sea was a line of silver flame. And in the overhead ocean of pearly light, floated glowing banks of orange, and scarlet and gold, while, to the Pilgrim, bird and tree and plant and flower and wave and cloud seemed to join in one glad triumphant shout: "Long live Really-Is!

Long live The Uncrowned King!"

Then the Pilgrim who had paid The Price, who had fulfilled The Law of the Pilgrimage, who had asked of Thyself, the Keeper of the Temple of Truth, "Why," went to lay his offering on the altar to the G.o.d That-Never-Can Change.

And his offering was Himself.

THE END

THAT PRINTER OF UDELL'S