Of the Khan's wisdom, and the virture of honoring promises.


It happened that a man came to the ruler of the Mongols and asked of him a portion of land so that this man might own and profit therefrom. And the King seemed to be in a generous mood on that day and agreed to the man's request, saying, "Come to me again on the morrow, and I will allow you to have all the land you can encompass in the day."

Upon that dawn, the man presented himself to the king, who said again that the man might still have the land if he should walk all the border of it in a continuous circle. And the man set forth, running to the east, and soon disappeared into the rising sun.

And as the day wore on, the servants of the king cried out, "Sire, it is hot, and the man a fool who has run off in fear of you, as he should!"

But the King of the Mongols was a man of his word, and waited patiently for the man's return, and put away his attendants who would have him leave.

And as the evening began to descend, the man came back into view, from the west, and running still, to stop before the king as the sun set behind the distant mountains. But before the man could claim his boon of the king, he fell to his knees, and then to the ground, dead.

The king of the Mongols commanded his servants to bury the man in all honors, and as the servants dug the grave, and the subjects of the king drew around him, the king himself gestured toward the grave and spoke again, saying, "There you see all the land a man shall ever need."

And in this way was the king's word kept.



Merouda Pendray lives in the Kingdom of Northshield.

About this piece, she says: "This brief story is intended to reflect late period language, to sound similar to such works as early modern English translations of Reynard the Fox or AEsop's Fables. It's an SCA compatible piece, rather than a strictly period piece. I can not take credit for the story itself; it's based on a tale my father told me years ago."