Once upon a time there lived a king who was famous for his wisdom, justice and fairness. His people loved him for the peace and safety he had brought to them.
Strangely enough, he also knew every secret of the universe and had the power to solve any problem.
The rulers of other countries wished to be like him and looked upon him for advice in every matter.
This king had no treasures, except a ring. It was quite a precious ring, jewelled with the biggest sapphire in the whole wide world which was surrounded by sparkling diamonds.
He was very fond of this ring, to the extent that he would not even remove it at night while sleeping.
There was also something strange about the ring that no one, except his strongest chevalier, knew about.
The chevalier’s job was not only to lead the army against the invaders and enemies, but also to protect the ring.
Each night before the king went to bed the chevalier made sure that all the servants had left and that no one was around. Then he would lock all the gates to the courtyards of the palace and the heavy wooden doors to the corridors leading to the king’s sleep chambers.
The king would then carefully lift the huge sapphire stone. As soon as the stone was lifted a gentle melody would echo across the palace. Suddenly a bright silver star would pop out, surrounded by thousands and thousands of glittering particles.
The king would then listen carefully to the star telling him of the important events that had happened across the globe that day.
He would then ask for advice on anything that would help him rule his land and keep the people happy and wealthy.
One of these nights he had the strangest dreams that he had forgotten all the knowledge and wisdom he had gathered throughout the years.
In the morning he woke up with an unusual feeling of fatigue. As he was yawning he realised that something wasn’t quite right!
He looked at his hand and suddenly, to his scariest horror, he realised that the ring was gone.
With a panicky voice he called the chevalier, who was guarding outside his chambers. The chevalier ran inside, finding out what had happened, frantically started to search for the ring. It was nowhere to be seen.
This was by far the darkest day of the king’s life. He sent the messengers across the land, announcing to everyone what had happened and asking them to search for the ring.
The chevalier could not bear the sight of their beloved king’s sadness. He was determined to find out what had happened to the ring and bring it back. He got permission from the king and set off to his long and adventurous journey.
Days and days went by as he desperately searched many different countries, finding no sign of the ring.
One of these days he was taking a rest under the shade of a tree. As he snoozed away, he dreamed of a little cicada, crying out for help. “Please forgive me oh sire as I did wrong”. This voice echoed in the chevalier’s head a few times, begging for forgiveness. Just before he woke up he heard the voice say “I can help solve the mystery”.
As the chevalier opened his eyes, he heard a cicada whizzing around him. He immediately knew that he had to follow it and discover the truth behind his dream.
The cicada was guiding him somewhere, but he didn’t quite know where. After a day, they reached the iron gates of a city. Every corner of this land was dressed in black. The chevalier was looking around, astonished and puzzled as to why people looked so miserable and unhappy.
He suddenly saw a richly jewelled carriage passing through the alley ways. People started to run away and into their homes at the sight of this carriage. As he looked around, he realised that the cicada had also disappeared.
The carriage came close to the chevalier and suddenly stopped in front of him.
“I was waiting for you to come” said a voice from inside the carriage. As two guards
opened the door, a king, with lots of glamorous clothes and his precious crown,
stepped out. The chevalier suddenly saw the ring on the king’s finger.
“I am now much wiser and more powerful than your ruler, thanks to the silly little cicada who got the ring for me” he said “Before long I shall rule the whole world and everyone will have to obey me”.
As soon as the chevalier heard this, he pulled his sword and attacked the guards and their king. People also rushed out of their homes to help him. They managed to capture the king and the guards.
The chevalier took the ring back to his beloved king, who put it to some good use and made everyone happy again.
The cicada who had been a slave to the vicious king was now free. He realised that not everyone can make the best of their power and possessions, as they can abuse them and hurt others.
Tassel Tales 