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Page 30
The next day the king's guests made a third attempt to leave his dominions,
but met with no better success than before, for a long and tedious ride
only brought them back to their starting-place in the evening.
This time Prince Marvel was really angry, and striding into the king's
presence he reproached him bitterly, saying:
"Why do you prevent us from leaving your kingdom? We have not injured
you in any way."
"You have seen ME, returned Terribus, calmly, "and I do not intend you
shall go back to the world and tell people how ugly I am."
The prince looked at him, and could not repress a smile. The two eyes
of the king, having been twice removed from their first position, were
now both in his forehead, instead of below it, and one was much higher
than the other. And the nose, although small when compared to what it
had been, still resembled an elephant's trunk. Other changes had been
made for the better, but Terribus was still exceedingly repulsive to
look upon.
Seeing the prince look at him and smile, the king flew into a fury of
anger and declared that the strangers should never, while they lived,
be permitted to leave his castle again. Prince Marvel became
thoughtful at this, reflecting that the king's enmity all arose from
his sensitiveness about his ugly appearance, and this filled the
youthful knight with pity rather than resentment.
When they had all assembled at the evening banquet the prince, for a
third time, made a mystic pass at the king and whispered a magic word.
And behold! this time the charm was complete. For the two front eyes
of Terribus fell into their proper places, his nose became straight
and well formed, and his skin took on a natural, healthy color.
Moreover, he now had a fine head of soft brown hair, with eyebrows and
eyelashes to match, and his head was shapely and in proportion to his
body. As for the eye that had formerly been in the back of his head,
it had disappeared completely.
So amazed were the subjects of the transformed king--who was now quite
handsome to look upon--that they began to murmur together excitedly,
and something in the new sensations he experienced gave to the king's
face likewise an expression of surprise. Knowing from their pleased
looks that he must have improved in appearance, he found courage to
raise his hand to his nose, and found it well formed. Then he touched
his eyes, and realized they were looking straight out from his face,
like those of other people.
For some moments after making these discoveries the king remained
motionless, a smile of joy gradually spreading over his features.
Then he said, aloud:
"What has happened? Why do you all look so startled?"
"Your Majesty is no longer ugly," replied Marvel, laughingly; "so that
when Nerle and I leave your kingdom we can proclaim nothing less than
praise of your dignified and handsome appearance."
"Is my face indeed pleasing?" demanded the king, eagerly.
"It is!" cried the assembled courtiers and ladies, as with one voice.
"Bring me a mirror!" said the king. "I shall look at my reflection
for the first time in many years."
The mirror being brought King Terribus regarded himself for a long
time with pleased astonishment; and then, his sensitive nature being
overcome by the shock of his good fortune, he burst into a flood of
tears and rushed from the room.
The courtiers and ladies now bestowed many grateful thanks upon Prince
Marvel for his kind deed; for they realized that thereafter their
lives would be safer from the king's anger and much pleasanter in
every way.
"Terribus is not bad by nature," said one; "but he brooded upon his
ugliness so much that the least thing served to throw him into a violent
passion, and our lives were never safe from one day to another."
By and by two giants entered the hall and carried away the throne of
gray stone where Terribus had been accustomed to sit; and other slaves
brought a gorgeous throne of gold, studded with precious jewels, which
they put in its place. And after a time the king himself returned to
the room, his simple gray gown replaced by flowing robes of purple,
with rich embroideries, such as he had not worn for many years.
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