"Irreverent, libertine, self-indulgent, witty, clever, roguish, he is the fool as court jester, the fool as companion, the fool as goad to the wise and challenge to the virtuous, the fool as critic of the world." – François Rabelais
Day 1: Coreopsis Arkansa
In the Grand Hall, the Royal Court dined with outward conventionality. Conversation, punctuated sporadically with the chimes of silverware on fine china, blanketed the hall in a manner which would have an imperceptive onlooker turn away from the scene without a second thought. However, unbeknownst to the oblivious, but certainly not to the courtiers themselves, for they could feel every subtle spirit in the atmosphere of the palace—they had been trained to in the machinations of high society—there was an unusual tension haunting the hall.
While etiquette traditionally demanded the exchange of banal pleasantries over supper, this night an urgent political affair had seized the head of the table. The King and the Lord Chancellor were deep in dire discussion and their grave mood as an invasion on their repast was quite appropriate, seeing as an invasion was the very reason for the mood.
Anxious eyes flitted to and from the head of the table, like flies hanging around the skull of a fresh corpse. But, of course, decorum mattered more than curiosity; the courtiers knew this as much as the King knew order mattered most (a foreign war would be fought and won with loyalty while a civil one would be lost at the hands of distrust). So, signaling to the Lord Chancellor that the matter would be dealt with at a later time, he subsequently motioned to everyone else that the meal had ended.
The King as a benevolent sovereign knew how to divert the pests around the corpse back to propriety, and was only too eager to unveil his newly appointed jester as the balm for unrest. As he ushered in the entertainment, all eyes converged on the fool as he stepped into the spotlight. The jester cast a mischievous glance around the expectant assembly, his own eyes darting quickly before alighting upon the Queen. She sat beside the King in all of the dignified elegance afforded to her position. [And yet for a moment, an imperceptible change crossed her stony countenance as her eyes met the fool’s.]
The jester began his spectacle. With theatrical flair, he feigned a dramatic swoon, elicited a gasp of horror, directed a comedically quivering finger in the direction of a confounded lord sitting next to the Queen. Then, he made a hasty exit back through the doors of the hall. The curious flies now flew back to the head of the table, utterly confused at this behavior, but the King merely smiled, trusting his fool to deliver on the diversion.
The jester returned immediately and was greeted by the bewilderment, which finally melted into uproarious laughter as he brandished a modest yellow blossom. This he satirically presented to the lord whom his accusing finger found once more. The punchline was revealed; the jester's theatrics were caused by the courtier’s unsightly features, which were ironically accentuated by the futile attempt to mask them with the small beauty.
As the echoes of laughter gradually subsided, the court smiled in silent approval of the fool, and anticipation grew once more as they awaited his next display of wit. [The jester deposited the flower on the table next to the derided nobleman. A subtle exchange of glances transpired.]
The act carried through the night, and when the jester eventually took his final bow, the assembly was already awaiting his next performance.
[The yellow flower had disappeared from its inconspicuous place in front of the Queen.] The laughter shadowed the jester as he left the hall.
Day 2: Yellow Acacia
The King was profoundly grateful for the Court's embrace of the new jester, as he relied more heavily on diversion amidst the mounting concerns that besieged him but which he wished to keep from his court for as long as possible. But as the northern invasion loomed ever closer, and discussions of conflict became imminent, the shadow of his stress hung over the court and proved insurmountable even for the jester's whimsical distractions, especially as the voracious appetite for gossip never died as a court convention.
Nonetheless, the jester proved more than willing to continue his work. [And to continue incorporating flora into his acts, most of which ended up in the Queen’s purview. No one said anything, including her.] The King’s gratitude manifested in an especially warm smile and raucous laughter, even when the fool dared to compare the complexion of the monarch himself to that of a yellow flower.
As critic of the world, dismissed for his disposition, the jester again departed amidst the echoes of laughter.
Day 3: Jonquil
The horizon was officially marked with billows of smoke and an eternal dusk of blood-red portent. The imminent threat of invasion cast darkness not just upon the borders, but also upon the minds of the defenders, creating a secondary, psychological crisis that the King again resolved to confront with the jester as his sword and shield. The talent of the fool was now utilized to its full capacity and in one act, the dejection in his eyes seemed so genuine, as if to testify to his ability, when he humorously imitated the plight of a vanquished adversary clutching a white blossom in abject surrender. The court's laughter carried a sinister undertone, betraying their desire for the performance to become actuality when the dreaded war arrived. The King duly noticed and noted the steely mood. Now inspired by the jester’s politically charged satire, he looked after the fool’s heavy footsteps with new resolve.
[The Queen herself seemed disquieted at the sight of the blossom, or one could assume this from the fact her expression showed a trace of something shadowed, a sign of great affliction given her impassive visage usually remained unchanged.]
Day 4: Cistus Gum
The King's deliberation over the declaration of war lengthened into exhaustive convocations with his innermost circle of advisors and commanders. The jester was given a seat in the conference. Not only a seat, but a special assignment, bestowed directly from the monarch himself. The jester’s eyes widened and he did not say anything other than his acquiescence.
At his next performance, the jester walked into the room holding a small white flower with papery petals. The Queen held court alone that day, as the King was fully engrossed in the exigencies of war preparations.
The Queen’s lips parted in sudden comprehension and her eyes widened.
In a sudden flurry of motion that prevented any timely reactions, the Queen commanded her guards to apprehend the jester and escort him to the dungeon. The fool offered no resistance, yet his pointed gaze bore an enigmatic intensity, hinting at something substantial yet unknown to those around him. [Except her.]
This was the first time he was not followed by laughter as he left the room.
Day 5: Forget Me Not
Upon hearing the Queen had wrongfully and rather foolishly accused his jester of stealing one of her favorite pendants and wearing it audaciously in court, and sending him to the dungeon as a result, the King immediately went to free the fool after chastising his wife and constraining her to her bedchambers, leaving her ladies-in-waiting with instructions to look after her as her mind was clearly addled from stress.
The King needed the jester to deliver a royal decree of war to the invading enemies. A high honor, as it would be a great service to his kingdom and a pivotal moment in history.
[When the King’s guards unlocked the cell, the fool looked up at him with the greatest expression of misery that the King mistook as a reaction for his being imprisoned.]
“You are free,” he said, but then handed him the fateful message.
And that night, the jester was sent to the enemy’s encampment. [Before he left, the jester entrusted
the guard with a small, blue flower. The messenger had a final message of his own.]
♦♦♦
The soldiers of the north were hardened by the climate of their country and the battle to expand it. Their rampage was hindered by no one, and the fires they used to consume wood and earth were as red as the trail they left in their wake.
A messenger arrived one night. The enemy commander smiled. He ordered his soldiers to seize the messenger who had delivered a declaration and demand for surrender, which was so amusing to him that he began to laugh.
The last thing the jester heard as he was dragged away was laughter.
♦♦♦
The King was notified the next morning that their demands for surrender were forcibly rebuffed. Forcibly, because the messenger’s severed head was delivered back over their borders by catapult.
The King sighed. Then he finished his tea and breakfast and prepared himself to address the War Council.
Day 6: Asphodel
The Queen had not left her bedchambers since the incident at court until the night of the jester’s return. She knew the truth, that only his head had found sanctuary beneath the earth.
A ghostly figure visited the graveyard that night.
And the next morning, the sun smiled at the lonely flower adorning the fool’s final resting place.
[Not every language is spoken with words.]
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