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The Jolly Kings Nursery
Reader Star Rating: 
May
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There was once a very jolly fellow who just so who also just happened to be a king.
This chubby little man was the ruler of a desolate land of goblins, trolls and all kinds of tedious souls.
The only problem for the king was that he didn't want to lead!
He hated being a king so much that he hid his family name and ordered everyone in the kingdom to call him Jolly, for that was all he ever wanted to be.
But as you know, people love to have a king so his new name just came to be 'The Jolly King.'
Even if he would never admit his right to lead he had to rule a land that stretched as far as the golden sea.
The more his kingdom grew the more stubborn the king became, in the end he locked his palace gates, which rotted and would not open anymore. He even had the old Gray witch cast a spell them so no one could ever open them from the outside.
It was clear to the monsters that the king did not care what became of them. Perhaps it was because they were ugly and old and not as human as he was.
But there was one thing the king would do and that was to take every child.
Each time a baby troll was abandoned by his door he would have swans lift it up and over the walls.
The king grew fond of the babies; eventually he even called them his own.
His children came to be so many that he had to open a Royal Nursery to keep them happy.
He even sent letters to all the monsters of his kingdom that read,
"If you are tired of your little kin then SEND them to ME the Jolly king!"
Without waiting every monstrous parent sent its offspring to the King.
Their children were so contrary that they were relieved to send them where they could no longer be seen.
Soon there were no children left for the monsters to be bothered with.
Inside the palace the jolly king had little witches putting spells on him, and trolls trying to eat his beard, but he was more than thrilled to have them pull his ears and listen to their cheers.
You see the jolly king had no children that were truly his own so the more of them he had merrier he was.
Soon enough every child grew to love him with all their heart.
Outside the palace walls the land grew even more bare and dark; desperation took over the monsters' hearts.
What was that they were feeling, was it pain, was it anger, they were too proud to say it was love?
All they knew was that they wanted their children back.
"I am growing too old for the house chores!" said a behemoth goblin mum.
"We need them to toil and plant," said a troll.
Every orphan parent in the land went to the palace walls and tried to open them by force.
But they were soon to find the walls were spell bound and would not give way, no matter how hard they tried.
"OH," the parents cried, "what have we done?"
"How can we have what we once owned back again?"
By the window the king sat watching the monsters calling their children back. He loved those children so much that he thought he had every right to call them his own.
They are not worthy of their kin, they had them once but they sent them to me! They cannot see their merits; all they know is the troubles they bring.
But they are not monsters, not to me!
Little werewolf can draw, Sally the witch can sing and Molly the troll can play the piano better than me!
He opened his window and cried out, "I will open my gates only if you admit that my children are better than you and me."
"What is that crazy king saying?"
The monsters were truly baffled!
"Can a troll be more than a king?"
"A true parent would see that his children are far more than what meets the eye!" cried the old king and then shut his window once and for all.
The days went by and the parents were still too stubborn to admit that they missed their children dearly.
Until one day Jenny the hyena had a brilliant idea!
"Why don't we ask the Gray witch to help? She was the one who cast the spell."
So they all travelled north and sailed the golden seas to reach the freezing land where she lived.
They fell on their knees and begged her to listen to their pleas.
But the witch had grown so old that she did not really have a heart anymore.
She took a deep breath and whispered in a voice that came from a place deep inside her, "I have no children of my own, but for a chest of gold I will bring back those you once owned."
So the monsters laid all their gold at her feet.
The witch was so old that she could barely speak so she pointed to what she needed them to see.
There, at the end of the room, they saw a black chest and inside they found an ebony egg.
The witch then summoned a phoenix to complete her spell.
It breathed fire over the egg and gave it life once again.
The bird then lifted the egg in the air and flew out of the witch's realm.
"The spell is now complete," said the weary witch.
"You say your king takes in every fiend, but I have sent him a son he will not be able to keep. This monster is the fiercest any eye has ever seen, it is so gruesome that soon the king will deny it as his kin.
The beast I sent him is heartless and coarse; it is a creature that no one can love.
As he grows up his menace will grow strong and the king will have no choice but to open his walls and let him soar."
Those were the words of the witch who was now very fatigued and fell into a deep sleep.
As promised the phoenix delivered the egg to the palace walls.
When the king saw the egg he was more than pleased, and cried with delight.
"The witch sent me a gift, quick my swans fly; bring me my treat.
I shall hatch it and have another child!"
So every night, once his children had gone to sleep, the jolly king would cuddle near his unborn gift.
The days passed and soon the egg cracked.
A golden dragon was his new son!
The king and his children looked after the dragon, which was indeed too much trouble.
He breathed fire and scratched their skins; everyone would run when he was having a fit.
"Dragon," said the king, "No matter how much you strive, I will never deny you as my child."
Despite his menace and all his might the dragon was touched that anyone would call him his child.
It was true; the king knew that no child is ever wicked from birth.
What once came as a curse from a witch, was now a present for a king.
So the dragon grew and grew, and became kind and soft to his new siblings.
But with his heart also grew his wings and all he craved was to lift him to the skies.
He would always tell stories to the children to help them sleep, they were stories of a dragon that dreamt to fly, and to carry his brother's up in the sky.
The king knew what his children saw in their dreams.
But he dreaded to open the gates since the parents were still waiting to snatch what they once failed to keep.
Because the king truly believed he was the one who owned those kids he had taught them all those things.
He taught them to love, care and share.
He taught them to dream and believe they are more than what others see.
But now they dreamt to fly and he was afraid to let them out of his sight.
He thought they would run away and never come back.
Deep in his heart though he knew that he was being selfish to keep them inside, and he thought of his son, the dragon, who wanted to soar up in the skies.
Every night the king cried until one day he opened the gates, full of fear and with tears in his eyes.
In spite of the years that had passed their parents were still waiting patiently by the gates.
As soon as they heard the gates crack open they grabbed their children and tried to drag them in their huts.
The children fought back and tried to break FREE!!!!!
"STOP THIEVES!" roared the dragon, "Let my brothers speak."
All as one they spoke and said:
"We are neither yours nor the king's. He set us free, he taught us to follow our dreams. Now we know that we are more than the eye can see.
We love both you and the king, but we will ride our dragon and flee if you deny us our dreams!"
The king and the monsters were forced to admit that every child is born to be free. The parents agreed to let their children follow their dreams.
They thanked the old king because he saw what none of them could see: 'A child is a blessing in disguise.'
Soon the land grew merry, like the king.
The forest was full of blossoms and the king had the witch send him a new dragon every spring.
The kingdom was a wondrous place where all sorts of magical beings would live. As the monsters ploughed the fields they would celebrate and sing in the name of their "Jolly King".
The End
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