The Uncrowned King | Page 3

the flower-figured carpet of green the sunlight and shadow fairies
danced along the lanes of gold. High in the blue above, the fairy
cloud-fleets were drifting--drifting--idly floating. Over the Beautiful
Sea, the glad wave fairies ran one after the other from beyond the far
horizon to the sandy shore.
In The Quiet Room where the Pilgrim lay, it was very, very, still. Only
the liquid music of the waves came through the open window--came to
the Pilgrim clearer and sweeter than the sweetest notes from clear toned
bells.
And after a little there was in the music of the waves a Voice.
Said the Voice: "To thee, O Hadji, I come from the Beautiful Sea; the
interminable, unfathomable sea, that begins at the
Outer-Edge-Of-Things and stretches away into Neverness. I speak from
out the Deeps Beneath. I tell of the Great That Is. I am a Voice of Life,
O Hadji, and mine it is to begin for you The Tale of The Uncrowned
King."
And this is the beginning of the Tale that the Voice of the Waves
began.
Very great and very wonderful, O Hadji, is the Land of Allthetime.
Very great and very wonderful is the Royal City Daybyday. Beautiful
in Allthetime are the lakes and rivers, the mountains, plains and
streams. Beautiful in Daybyday are the groves and gardens, the drives
and parks, the harbors and canals. Countless, in this Royal City, are the
palaces. Without number are the people--without number and of many
races, languages, and names.
But amid the countless palaces in this marvelous city Daybyday, there

is one Temple only--only one. For the numberless people of the many
races, languages, and names, there is but one God--only one. About this
Royal City there is no Wall. For the King of Allthetime, who dwells in
Daybyday, there is no Crown.
But the days that were were not as the days that are, O Hadji, and
therefore is this Tale.
In the long ago olden days, when King What-Soever-Youthink ruled
over the Land of Allthetime, there were, in this Royal City Daybyday,
religions many--as many quite as the races, languages and names of the
people. Many then were the temples built by the many followers of the
many religions to their many gods. For you must know that King
What-Soever-You-think was, of all wise kings that ever were or will be,
the very wisest and, therefore, permitted his subjects to worship whom
they would.
Always in the city streets there were vast throngs of people passing to
and fro among the temples, bearing offerings and singing praises to the
gods of their choice; for the chiefest occupation of the dwellers in
Daybyday was then, as it is now, the old, old, occupation of worship.
Some of the temples, it is true, were at times quite deserted, while in
others there was not room for the multitudes; but even in the nearly
empty temples the priests and beggars always remained, for, in that age,
the people of Daybyday changed often their gods nor followed any very
far.
And you must know, too, O Hadji, that in those long ago olden
days--the days of the reign of What-Soever-Youthink there was for the
Ruler of Allthetime a Crown; and that of all the wonders in that
wonderful land this Crown was the most wonderful. More dear to the
people of Daybyday than their city itself, more precious than their
splendid temples, more sacred even than their many gods, was this--the
Crown of their King.
It was so, first, because the Crown was extremely old. From the
beginning of the reign of the Royal Family Everyone, no one knows
how many thousands of ages ago, it had passed from king to king, even

until that day.
It was so, second, because the Crown was exceedingly valuable. From
the very beginning of the beginning each ruler had in turn added a
jewel to the golden, gem encrusted emblem of his rank.
It was so, third, because the Crown was a Magic Crown, though no one
then knew its magic--they knew only that its magic was.
Therefore, again, O Hadji, is this Tale.
Also, in those days, there was about this Royal City a Wall--a wall built,
so they said, on the very foundations of the world; so strong that no
force could breach it, and so high that the clouds often hid its towers
and battlements. Only from the topmost cupola of the Royal Palace
could one see over this mighty barrier. Only by the Two Great Gates
could one pass through.
And so the good people of Allthetime could all quite clearly see that in
the Royal City Daybyday the precious Magic Crown was as safe as
ever crown could be. And it was so, O Hadji--it was so. The Crown