I had a dream last night...
I saw the Fox, hopping through the tall grass, coming up on the land of the Golden Apple King, when he overheard someone talking nearby.
He crept closer to the road, and found two of the king’s guards, with one having just informed the other of something.
The one receiving the news gasped, saying “The king’s youngest son?! How could this happen? Do they know who did it.”
The Fox leaned closer to listen, fearing the absolute worst.
“It was in the woods leading to the castle.” replied the guard with the information. “His murderer is said to have taken the boy’s clothes, so at the suggestion of the young prince’s brothers, all of our archers have been ordered to fire upon anyone wearing them.”
The canine’s heart sunk at “murderer,” until he heard the part about the clothes and the brothers. “I’d wager that the poor lad failed to follow my advise yet again.” he whispered.
So the Fox left the two guards, quickly making his way for the woods they had indicated, running almost as fast as the Golden Horse himself.
He crossed the road, and saw a little house where an old man was tending his garden. Knowing he wouldn’t bother to turn around, the canine called out to him “Good day sir! Do you, by any chance, know where a well might be around here?”
“You’ll be better off getting water from the brook.” he replied. “That old well in the forest as long been dry.”
“Which well might you be talking about?”
“The one on the other side of that oak.” he explained, pointing in the direction without looking up.
“Thank you very much.” the Fox replied, darting off toward it.
Making his way around the oak tree, he saw the well on the other side of a shaded path. He ran up to it, and looked down, fearing what might happen to a boy at the bottom of a dry shaft. But there sat the Prince, huddled on a thick bed of soft moss!
“Do dry wells normally lead one home?” asked the canine, startling the boy as he looked up and saw who it was.
The Fox leapt down to the Prince, shaking his head at his situation. “Is it for the sake of hearing myself speak that I give you these warnings? Perhaps you have been waited on too much to follow instructions yourself.”
“Do not be vexed with me, dear Fox. I am truly sorry. They were my brothers, after all, I never thought they would do something like this!”
“I have not given up on you just yet.” he replied. “I will help you up again into daylight. Now, remove your outer shirt and hat, and grab hold of my tail.”
The Prince immediately began to remove these things, asking “Why must I do this?”
“Your brothers have declared you dead, and have described your murderer as wearing your clothes!”
“How could that be? What have I done to make them so cross?”
“Something certainly is amiss. Now grab hold.”
And as the Prince clung to the creatures tail, they bolted up out of the well, stepping out onto the surrounding grass once more.
“Thank you ever so much!” said the Prince. “Now they will not think I am the murderer, and I can straighten all this out!”
“It may not be even that easy. I fear your brothers will try something even after you get into the castle. Here, follow me.”
The Fox led the boy back to the old man’s house, telling the Prince “Go exchange clothes with him.”
So the boy walked up and asked the old man, finding him more than willing to trade his worn clothes for the fine ones.
And once the Prince had changed and was back in front of the Fox, the canine told him “Sit upon my tail, and I shall take you to the side of your father’s castle, where you will gain entry as one of his servants.”
The boy did as he was told, and sat upon the creature’s tail, and away they went, flying over stock and stone, until the wind whistled through their hair!
–Charles M Warren
