The King and the Jester

There once lived a king. There was a jester in his court. The King was so fond of him that he spent most of his time with him. Wherever he went, the jester accompanied him.

One day, the king accidentally cut off one of his fingers. He showed his bleeding hand to the jester and exclaimed, “See what has happened!”

The jester said, “It is all for the best.”

“For the best?” said the king, angrily. “I have cut off my finger and you say, ‘it is all for the best’. Go away! Don’t show me your face!”

“I am sorry, my Lord,” said the jester, “if I have hurt your feelings.” And he begged for the king’s forgiveness again and again. But the king remained firm and the jester left the court.

After a few days, the king went out hunting all by himself. He hunted for a while and grew tired. While he was resting under a tree, suddenly there appeared a gang armed men.

They were looking for a man to be offered as a sacrifice. They were glad to find the king alone, weary and helpless. They were so many, and so strong that the king could not resist them. He gave himself up without a fight. “He seems to be just right,” said their leader. “But let’s make sure that he is perfect. Nobody with a physical defect can be sacrificed to our goodness.”

They examined the king and noticed that one of his fingers was missing. “Leave the man,” said the leader. “He is not fit.” So the men released the king and the king went away thinking his good fortune.

As soon as the king returned to the palace, he sent for the jester. “I am sorry, I dismissed you,” said the king to the jester. “You were right. It was indeed for the best that my finger was cut off.” He narrated what had happened in the forest. “If my finger had not been cut off, they would have killed me,” he concluded.

The jester said, “If you had not dismissed me I would have escorted you to the forest. If I had escorted you, they would have offered me to the goodness. It is all for the best, isn’t it?”

The King laughed heartily and gave him twenty gold coins.