Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, there lived a Golden Knight. He had become so successful at fighting dragons upon high mountains, and beasts in great caves, that he had more treasure than he knew what to do with. In fact, nearly everything he wore, including his armor, and his sword and shield, were made of gold and jewels. You would think, with so many precious treasures, that the Golden Knight would be happy. However, the more wealth and hoards of treasure he filled into the empty rooms of his great castle, the more unhappy he became. Finally, one day, as he was riding home from yet another successful battle with a dragon, his horse’s saddle bags loaded to the brim with golden coins, emerald rings, and sapphire necklaces, he came across the path of a simple Goose Maiden. She was very plain in her cotton dress, apron, wooden shoes, and cloth kerchief, compared to the great Golden Knight. But, as valiant and rich as he appeared, what the Goose Maiden noticed first was not his wealth, or his horse, it was the frown upon his face. And so, seeing his weary, sad expression, she called out to him,
“Good sir knight! You appear quite tired from your long journey! Perhaps you would like to stay at my father’s farm and rest a while?”
Now, any other Knight or traveler might be cautious about taking such and offer from a stranger, especially if he was so packed with gold. There might be any number of thieves to rob him instead of give him a soft bed for the night. But, the Golden Knight had so much treasure, and it meant so little to him, that he accepted the Goose Maiden’s offer and followed her home.
The farm was very small, but very well cared-for, and every who busied about working it seemed to be very happy. The Goose Maiden led the Golden Knight into the kitchen and sat him down at the table with a wooden plate and a stone cup. She quickly filled the cup with milk and gave the Knight generous pieces of bread and cheese. He thanked her, and ate them up quickly. She turned to him, saying.
“Finest treasure in all the world, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” Asked the Golden Knight
“Why, the bread, milk, and cheese of course!” She replied. Confused, he asked,
“How, if you excuse me, is this treasure? I have many fine treasures in my castle. Emeralds, rubies, sceptres and crowns. This is no treasure I have ever seen before.” And she explained herself,
“It may not appear like other treasures, but it’s treasure just the same. The bread was made by my mother’s hand, and baked with care and love. The cheese came from our best cow’s milk, and lovingly made by my father. My brother milked the cow for your drink. These are treasures to me, for they come from my family.”
And the Golden Knight quietly finished his meal, nodded, and thought about what she had said. The Goose Maiden showed him to his room, and helped him carry his bags of gold inside. When it came time for dinner, he changed into simple pants and a shirt, instead of his golden armor he usually worse, and joined the family around the table. Upon the table was more bread and cheese from before, but also a great roasted pig and vegetables from their garden. The Farmer was happy to meet the Golden Knight, and hear about his adventures in fighting dragons and other beasts. He too declared, he had his very own treasure, same as the Golden Knight.
“I know,” Said the Golden Knight, “Your daughter has told me of the greatness of the food at this table.”
“Ah, but she has not told you all.” Replied the Farmer, “The best is yet to come.” The Golden Knight looked confused, so the Farmer answered,
“You see, it is a fine treasure, this food, but the finest of all shall be the time spent with family and new friends this evening! The stories, and jokes, and drinks!”
So that evening, just as he said the family had a wonderful time with drinking, and music, stories and laughter. The Golden Knight went to bed happier than he had been in a very long time. When he woke up, he didn’t put his armor on. In fact, he even left behind all the gold in his packs, except for a small bundle he kept close for an emergency. As he was readying to leave, the Goose Maiden came up, handed him a bunch of wild flowers, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Here, is your final treasure.” The Golden Knight asked again, which treasure was this? “It is the treasure, of a memory. The flowers are to remind you of what a marvelous time we had, so you may look upon them each day and smile. The kiss, was your memory of me, and my treasure of a kiss from a handsome knight.” And with that, the Golden Knight thanked the family, and rode off to his castle.
His servants were surprised to see him, arriving with no golden armor or bags of gold. They thought, perhaps, he had been robbed. But, the Golden Knight shook his head, and called for them all to come to his treasure room. In the treasure room, he handed each servant a fat bag of gold, telling them to buy tables, chairs, food, music, and everything else they would need for a great feast. He invited nearly the entirety of the kingdom. It was a lovely party, and one of the many the Golden Knight would hold, for the more he gave away, the happier he became. And, the more REAL treasure, he received.
The End.
UnEpic 