the last king

once upon a time there was a king
of the kingless country who defeated all
the host that rallied against him for
he was great in the arts of war and peace.

then, one day, an old man arrived from
a far off nation.  he smelled of decay and
looked like a corpse.  standing before
the king, he proposed a duel.
the king was astounded and protested,
but agreed when the old man wouldn't
back down.

for forty days they waged an unearthly
battle.  no matter how viciously or
brilliantly they fought, neither could
get the better of the other.
exhausted, the king was about to give
up when a stable boy stepped into
the courtyard and embraced the old man.

immediately, the old man seemed to reverse
in age.  soon the king stood face-to-face with
the spitting image of himself.

calm understanding enveloped the king.
as the two warriors engaged in fight once
more, the doppleganger thrusted at the king, but
instead of parrying, the king threw himself
into the thrust, piercing himself through.

both men vanished.

a great sycamore grew from that
spot.  it grew and grew and grew
until it came to shade the
whole of the land of the kingless country.