[Fic] The Prince's Tree (Original)
Title: The Prince's Tree
Wordcount/Rating: 1600+ words / gen
Summary: A young prince's faith is repaid with loyalty.
Author's Notes: Original fairytale with no particular characters in mind. There are notes at the end regarding the naming, but everything else is as it should be.
Once upon a time there was a little prince who loved a maple tree on a hill near his castle. He would sit under the tree and talk to it, and the tree would spread its branches and protect the boy from the sun's rays.
As with all good things, however, it came to pass that the maple tree caught a tree disease and died. The little prince tried not to be sad, for he had been taught not to favor ephemeral things, but the tree had been a very beautiful and kind tree, and he felt a pang in his heart. He continued to sit beneath the tree and talk to the dead wood, but its branches had lost their leaves, and no longer spread out to protect him from the sun.
***
One day he went again to the maple tree as was his habit, and was surprised to see a small animal beneath it. On closer inspection, the little prince found it was a small black dog.
"Hello," he said to it. The small black dog (it looked too solemn and stern to be a puppy) faced him, eyes unblinking and unafraid.
"Have you come to visit my tree?" the prince asked. The dog merely gazed back at the prince, and didn't even wag its tail.
The prince held out part of his lunch to the animal. "You may share it with me, if you wish," he said. The dog said nothing, but it padded up to the prince, ate the proferred piece of food, and then stayed by the prince's side.
From then on, the prince continued to go to the tree to talk to it, but now he carried with him treats for the dog: biscuits, meat, small toys for dogs to play with. The dog was a solemn creature and never wagged its tail when the prince approached. Neither did it ever threaten the prince or bite him, so he welcomed it every day.
"I can't call you 'dog' all the time," the prince said one day, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "Do you have a name?"
The dog said nothing, its eyes gazing at the prince's hands, which had long and graceful fingers, and held a doggy treat.
"I know," the prince said. He held up the treat and smiled when the dog came to him. "I'll call you Irohamaru, after this tree. If you don't mind."
The dog didn't seem to mind. It sat on its haunches and looked silently at the prince with a look in its eyes that the prince decided was a look of approval.
That day, the dog followed him back to the castle. The prince continued to return to the dead tree every day, Irohamaru trotting along obediently beside him.
***
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. One day as they were walking towards the tree, the dog whined, pawing at the prince. He looked at it, surprised, for Irohamaru had never uttered a single sound all these months.
"What is it?" the prince asked the dog, bending down to stroke and soothe it.
The dog raised its hackles at the tree and then took the prince's sleeve in its mouth. It then began to back away, tugging the prince back towards the castle.
The prince frowned and shook his arm, freeing his sleeve. "No," he said, unwilling to leave the tree. The dog whined again, and again the prince shook his head. "No," he repeated firmly.
The dog looked sadly at the prince, and then walked away ten paces. It stopped and turned, looking back at the prince.
The prince held out a doggy treat. "Come back, Irohamaru," he said. But the dog turned and walked fifty paces from the prince before stopping and turning again.
"Come back and I will play with you," the prince said. Irohamaru merely retreated to the hundred-pace mark and then turned around again.
At that distance, the prince could not see its eyes, but he guessed Irohamaru wanted the prince to leave the tree and go to Irohamaru instead. The prince would not, for he was a prince, and he did not listen to the whim of mere animals, even if it was a very understanding dog. With sorrow in his heart, he watched Irohamaru leave.
***
The prince continued to visit the tree faithfully, but it didn't feel the same anymore. Previously, even when he knew the tree was dead, speaking to it soothed him, and though the branches did not spread when he was near, he had felt as if it was still inside within the dead wood, listening to him. Now, though, for the first time, the prince felt as if he were speaking to an empty husk.
"Do not leave me," he said one day to the tree. But of course, the tree could not (or would not) reply.
***
Time passed, in a fashion. The prince grew pale and his body frail. His guardians began to worry. "It is a wasting disease," they said. "One so young should not be wasting when they are healthy and well-cared for." But the prince continued to grow paler and thinner by the day. Yet he still visited the tree each day, though each trip was slower and more difficult than the last.
Finally he grew so ill that it was not possible for him to leave the castle any more. He lay in bed, gazing out the window, and watched the sun and moon rise and fall, always framing the tree on the hill.
***
One day, the prince heard a strange crackling sound from the forests beyond the tree.
"What is that sound?" he asked one of his guardians.
"I do not know, but do not investigate it, my lord," he replied. "Sounds of that ilk are never friendly."
It was too near the tree for the prince to bear though, and he grew worried. Though it was a dead tree, it remained on the hill. He needed to protect it, for it would not be able to move on its own.
Then he saw smoke from the forest. "My tree," he gasped.
He stood, though he was still ill and frail and could barely walk. He slipped past his guardians, who were too busy worrying about the kingdom's crops, and stumbled blindly up the hill.
He was halfway up when he collapsed in exhaustion, legs giving way beneath him. "My tree," he said, looking up, trying to stand. Though he wanted to cry, he did not, for he was a prince and the heir to the throne, and crown princes did not cry.
A large dog appeared before him, teeth closing on his sleeves. It looked at him with what seemed to the prince to be a pleading expression.
"Irohamaru?" the prince asked. The dog made no reply, but made pulling motions away from the fire back towards the castle.
"I cannot," the prince said, shaking his head. "I must save my tree." The dog looked at the prince sadly, and then reversed its direction, pulling towards the tree. With its help, the prince reached it safely, and there clung to the dead tree trunk, unable to stand on his own.
"Stay back," he told the flames. "I command it!"
However, the prince was weak and faint from the smoke. He lost consciousness, and his grip slipped.
***
He awoke in his bed, disoriented and coughing. His guardians immediately set to easing his pain, for he had suffered burns and inhaled much smoke.
"My tree," the prince asked of them, and then thought to look out the window. Only a burnt-out stump remained.
"It caught fire and a burning branch would have fallen on you," one of his guardians said. "This boy saved you, and brought you away, protecting you until we could reach you."
The prince looked, but the figure on the other bed was swathed in bandages and blankets. "Is he hurt?" he asked, concerned, for the boy was his saviour.
"He was burned in your place, but the healers say he will be better soon. Rest now, and leave him to his rest too," said the guardians before leaving.
The prince laid down and turned his head to look at the boy, but he could not see the boy beneath the bandages.
***
Two weeks passed, and the prince awoke one day to find a strange person sitting by his bed, watching him with familiar eyes. "They said I was out of danger," the boy said, and he looked at the prince with narrowed gaze and a stern expression in his eyes. "You could have died."
"You saved me didn't you? Irohamaru," the prince said, voicing his suspicion. No one else would have looked at the crown prince that way.
The boy colored and looked away, not meeting the prince's eyes any longer. "My name is Daiki," he said.
"You may call me Toshihito," the prince replied. He offered a hand to Daiki, who shook it gingerly, as if he was afraid Prince Toshihito might break if he shook too hard.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save the tree," Daiki said.
"It has been dead many years," Prince Toshihito said. "I'm sorry I endangered you in my obstinacy."
"It was my choice to do as I did," Daiki said, and Prince Toshihito could hear in his voice a pride and stubbornness to match his own.
"Of course it was," Prince Toshihito said, smiling. And from then on, Prince Toshihito never visited the maple tree stump again.
- The End -
Comments/criticism? Flames?
Notes on naming:
- Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) (irohakaede) is a species of maple native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and eastern China. (Source: Wikipedia)
- Toshihito is a name that contains the element "hito", a name-reading (nanori) that is only used by members of the imperial family. (Source) The original Hachijo-no-miya Toshihito was a court noble of Japan during the Sengoku Period. (Source: Wikipedia)
- Daiki can mean, among other things, "great tree". It was either that or Itsuki, which means "tree". I couldn't be that cruel. ^_^ (Source)
The Prince's Tree by Aiwritingfic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://community.livejournal.com/apples_for_me/26225.html.
Wordcount/Rating: 1600+ words / gen
Summary: A young prince's faith is repaid with loyalty.
Author's Notes: Original fairytale with no particular characters in mind. There are notes at the end regarding the naming, but everything else is as it should be.
Once upon a time there was a little prince who loved a maple tree on a hill near his castle. He would sit under the tree and talk to it, and the tree would spread its branches and protect the boy from the sun's rays.
As with all good things, however, it came to pass that the maple tree caught a tree disease and died. The little prince tried not to be sad, for he had been taught not to favor ephemeral things, but the tree had been a very beautiful and kind tree, and he felt a pang in his heart. He continued to sit beneath the tree and talk to the dead wood, but its branches had lost their leaves, and no longer spread out to protect him from the sun.
***
One day he went again to the maple tree as was his habit, and was surprised to see a small animal beneath it. On closer inspection, the little prince found it was a small black dog.
"Hello," he said to it. The small black dog (it looked too solemn and stern to be a puppy) faced him, eyes unblinking and unafraid.
"Have you come to visit my tree?" the prince asked. The dog merely gazed back at the prince, and didn't even wag its tail.
The prince held out part of his lunch to the animal. "You may share it with me, if you wish," he said. The dog said nothing, but it padded up to the prince, ate the proferred piece of food, and then stayed by the prince's side.
From then on, the prince continued to go to the tree to talk to it, but now he carried with him treats for the dog: biscuits, meat, small toys for dogs to play with. The dog was a solemn creature and never wagged its tail when the prince approached. Neither did it ever threaten the prince or bite him, so he welcomed it every day.
"I can't call you 'dog' all the time," the prince said one day, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "Do you have a name?"
The dog said nothing, its eyes gazing at the prince's hands, which had long and graceful fingers, and held a doggy treat.
"I know," the prince said. He held up the treat and smiled when the dog came to him. "I'll call you Irohamaru, after this tree. If you don't mind."
The dog didn't seem to mind. It sat on its haunches and looked silently at the prince with a look in its eyes that the prince decided was a look of approval.
That day, the dog followed him back to the castle. The prince continued to return to the dead tree every day, Irohamaru trotting along obediently beside him.
***
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. One day as they were walking towards the tree, the dog whined, pawing at the prince. He looked at it, surprised, for Irohamaru had never uttered a single sound all these months.
"What is it?" the prince asked the dog, bending down to stroke and soothe it.
The dog raised its hackles at the tree and then took the prince's sleeve in its mouth. It then began to back away, tugging the prince back towards the castle.
The prince frowned and shook his arm, freeing his sleeve. "No," he said, unwilling to leave the tree. The dog whined again, and again the prince shook his head. "No," he repeated firmly.
The dog looked sadly at the prince, and then walked away ten paces. It stopped and turned, looking back at the prince.
The prince held out a doggy treat. "Come back, Irohamaru," he said. But the dog turned and walked fifty paces from the prince before stopping and turning again.
"Come back and I will play with you," the prince said. Irohamaru merely retreated to the hundred-pace mark and then turned around again.
At that distance, the prince could not see its eyes, but he guessed Irohamaru wanted the prince to leave the tree and go to Irohamaru instead. The prince would not, for he was a prince, and he did not listen to the whim of mere animals, even if it was a very understanding dog. With sorrow in his heart, he watched Irohamaru leave.
***
The prince continued to visit the tree faithfully, but it didn't feel the same anymore. Previously, even when he knew the tree was dead, speaking to it soothed him, and though the branches did not spread when he was near, he had felt as if it was still inside within the dead wood, listening to him. Now, though, for the first time, the prince felt as if he were speaking to an empty husk.
"Do not leave me," he said one day to the tree. But of course, the tree could not (or would not) reply.
***
Time passed, in a fashion. The prince grew pale and his body frail. His guardians began to worry. "It is a wasting disease," they said. "One so young should not be wasting when they are healthy and well-cared for." But the prince continued to grow paler and thinner by the day. Yet he still visited the tree each day, though each trip was slower and more difficult than the last.
Finally he grew so ill that it was not possible for him to leave the castle any more. He lay in bed, gazing out the window, and watched the sun and moon rise and fall, always framing the tree on the hill.
***
One day, the prince heard a strange crackling sound from the forests beyond the tree.
"What is that sound?" he asked one of his guardians.
"I do not know, but do not investigate it, my lord," he replied. "Sounds of that ilk are never friendly."
It was too near the tree for the prince to bear though, and he grew worried. Though it was a dead tree, it remained on the hill. He needed to protect it, for it would not be able to move on its own.
Then he saw smoke from the forest. "My tree," he gasped.
He stood, though he was still ill and frail and could barely walk. He slipped past his guardians, who were too busy worrying about the kingdom's crops, and stumbled blindly up the hill.
He was halfway up when he collapsed in exhaustion, legs giving way beneath him. "My tree," he said, looking up, trying to stand. Though he wanted to cry, he did not, for he was a prince and the heir to the throne, and crown princes did not cry.
A large dog appeared before him, teeth closing on his sleeves. It looked at him with what seemed to the prince to be a pleading expression.
"Irohamaru?" the prince asked. The dog made no reply, but made pulling motions away from the fire back towards the castle.
"I cannot," the prince said, shaking his head. "I must save my tree." The dog looked at the prince sadly, and then reversed its direction, pulling towards the tree. With its help, the prince reached it safely, and there clung to the dead tree trunk, unable to stand on his own.
"Stay back," he told the flames. "I command it!"
However, the prince was weak and faint from the smoke. He lost consciousness, and his grip slipped.
***
He awoke in his bed, disoriented and coughing. His guardians immediately set to easing his pain, for he had suffered burns and inhaled much smoke.
"My tree," the prince asked of them, and then thought to look out the window. Only a burnt-out stump remained.
"It caught fire and a burning branch would have fallen on you," one of his guardians said. "This boy saved you, and brought you away, protecting you until we could reach you."
The prince looked, but the figure on the other bed was swathed in bandages and blankets. "Is he hurt?" he asked, concerned, for the boy was his saviour.
"He was burned in your place, but the healers say he will be better soon. Rest now, and leave him to his rest too," said the guardians before leaving.
The prince laid down and turned his head to look at the boy, but he could not see the boy beneath the bandages.
***
Two weeks passed, and the prince awoke one day to find a strange person sitting by his bed, watching him with familiar eyes. "They said I was out of danger," the boy said, and he looked at the prince with narrowed gaze and a stern expression in his eyes. "You could have died."
"You saved me didn't you? Irohamaru," the prince said, voicing his suspicion. No one else would have looked at the crown prince that way.
The boy colored and looked away, not meeting the prince's eyes any longer. "My name is Daiki," he said.
"You may call me Toshihito," the prince replied. He offered a hand to Daiki, who shook it gingerly, as if he was afraid Prince Toshihito might break if he shook too hard.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save the tree," Daiki said.
"It has been dead many years," Prince Toshihito said. "I'm sorry I endangered you in my obstinacy."
"It was my choice to do as I did," Daiki said, and Prince Toshihito could hear in his voice a pride and stubbornness to match his own.
"Of course it was," Prince Toshihito said, smiling. And from then on, Prince Toshihito never visited the maple tree stump again.
- The End -
Comments/criticism? Flames?
Notes on naming:
- Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) (irohakaede) is a species of maple native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and eastern China. (Source: Wikipedia)
- Toshihito is a name that contains the element "hito", a name-reading (nanori) that is only used by members of the imperial family. (Source) The original Hachijo-no-miya Toshihito was a court noble of Japan during the Sengoku Period. (Source: Wikipedia)
- Daiki can mean, among other things, "great tree". It was either that or Itsuki, which means "tree". I couldn't be that cruel. ^_^ (Source)
The Prince's Tree by Aiwritingfic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://community.livejournal.com/apples_for_me/26225.html.