Mattress Magic

Lysander's Lost Hope

The announcement spread throughout the land like wildfire in a wheat field: King Brennan of Wanaldon was looking for a suitor to marry his son, Prince Lysander, and all eligible applicants were to report to the castle to try to win the Prince's hand. After going through a revolving door of princesses, none of whom struck his fancy, Lysander lamented over his current situation. Everyone who came in with an attempt to win his hand was somewhere between rude and bigoted, but he wanted a princess who was kind and sweet, as well as gentle and respectful to both him and the rest of the royal family. When it got to the point that there weren't any eligible maidens left, Lysander was so distraught that he spent most of his days looking out his bedroom window, desperate for someone – nay, anyone – to come along. 

Seeing how sad his son was, King Brennan asked his servants to look for anyone who might have a solution, but almost nothing could come out of their search. When a servant told the King about a famous magician by the name of "Ezekiel the Excellent," known for fixing anything with a potion or a spell, he eagerly sent an invitation to Ezekiel. Not even a day after the invitation was sent, His Highness was delighted to hear that Ezekiel would be visiting the castle, so a light feast was arranged for them to discuss things over. After welcoming Ezekiel and taking him on a tour of the castle, they had finished their meal when Ezekiel noticed that His Highness appeared rather glum about something, so he asked if it was something he could help with.

"Well, you see... my son Lysander is a couple of years past the age when a Prince should have a princess, but nobody has seemed to catch his eye. He was eager to find someone special since he was twenty-four, but with nobody winning him over along with the rest of us, his eagerness is gone and replaced with growing hopelessness."

"Ah, Your Majesty, I think I know the problem: all of those suitors you had for your son were princesses who only wanted to have him as a prize, as if marrying him would make them better women."

"Ugh, no wonder Lysander turned them all down! They were stuffy and annoying, both to himself and everyone here. Well, is there anything that can be done?"

"Oh, there's nothing Ezekiel the Excellent can't fix, Sire! I know just the rhyme that could help you, and before it can be spoken, there's something I want you to remember."

With that, he pulled out a slip of paper before writing down something, and even King Brennan was amazed at how fancy Ezekiel's handwriting was. After he handed the slip to King Brennan, Ezekiel announced that he himself would be going soon, and King Brennan nodded before thanking him for his help. As soon as the two of them had reached the door, King Brennan watched Ezekiel feel the doorknob before listening as he spoke in a low melodious manner.

"The next guest to enter through this door... will bless this kingdom forevermore."

Even though King Brennan looked both confused and surprised, especially the latter at the mention of another guest's arrival, he nodded and bid Ezekiel farewell before watching Ezekiel leave. Once Ezekiel was gone, the King went to Lysander's room and told him that a new suitor would be on her way, and Lysander – having lost hope by that point – agreed to follow his father's plan. After the two of them said goodnight to each other, Lysander looked out his bedroom window with a sigh, wishing for someone to come along that delighted both himself and the rest of the kingdom.