Week 7 Story: Robbers of the Golden Palace

Robbers of the Golden Palace

Once there was a large kingdom, filled with towns nestled between tree-covered mountains. Atop the highest peak at the center of the kingdom, a glittering royal palace towered high above everything else. The palace was constructed out of gold and silver, and everything inside was made of luxury materials. Rumors say that the treasury holds hordes of precious gems and other treasures, accumulated when lands were conquered and the kingdom formed long ago. Thousands of guards worked to protect the castle from thieves, because although the rulers were wealthy, many in the kingdom had little to call their own, especially those living in the forests. Villagers tell stories about robbers dying at the hands of the guards or disappearing forever into the castle. No one who entered inside in search of treasure ever returned, leaving whatever protects the gems a mystery.

In this kingdom lived two thieves, a fox and a wolf. Both of them had swallowed the elixir of life many years ago, so they could breathe fire, become invisible, and talk to ghosts and spirits. This made them very successful—they never got caught stealing. The pair heard about the kingdom and its palace and thought they must try to get some of the treasure for themselves. They traveled a long distance to the royal mountain to spy on the palace guards and learn how to get to the treasury. 

When they could finally see the castle, they began to meet the wandering ghosts of villagers who had tried and failed to rob the palace. They made friends with these ghosts. After conversing with many of them, the pair mapped out the only way through the castle that would take them to the treasure without coming across some sort of trap.  Dragons, poison, and other dangers protected the vault, but they could be avoided by taking a certain path. They also discovered where to find the key to the treasure room.

When they finally felt prepared, they made themselves invisible, climbed over the wall, and began climbing the mountain. The saw a guard move to enter the castle, so the animals slipped in with him discreetly. Then they followed the path through the palace, stepping quietly with their paws and descending many staircases until they finally made it into the room with treasure. 

One guard sat in the corner of the dark room filled with gems, trying hard not to fall asleep. He knew he should be alert, but the likelihood of a robber making it this far was very slim. He heard a noise at the door and any sign of fatigue disappeared completely. The door opened, but no one was there. He then heard two voices laughing and discussing the riches, but still no one was there. The guard hid himself in the dark corner, terrified of whatever spirits had entered the room. 

Suddenly, valuable items began disappearing—piles and piles of precious stones, jars of pearls and gems, gold and silver objects—all gone. The voices grew more excited, and then the guard made out a fox and a wolf. They were both breathing out and in some sort of luminous fire in the shape of an orb. The guard realized right away that the fox and wolf had the elixir of life, and that’s how they could make themselves invisible. He guessed they moved their stolen treasure into the spirit world, and that’s why it had disappeared. 

The fox and wolf seemed at ease—they were joking around, had not noticed the guard, and seemed to think they didn’t need to be invisible anymore. The guard jumped into action. He snuck up behind a pile of jade statues, and just when the fox breathed out the elixir of life, he jumped out and breathed it in. He felt the warmth trickle through his body and power moving through his veins, but he had no time to think about the feeling—he quickly ran to breathe in the wolf’s fiery breath as well. Now neither animal had their former strength and magical ability, so they ran out the door. The guard ran behind them as fast as he could, but couldn’t catch them. Outside, he saw spirits of other robbers fending off the guards so that the wolf and fox could escape. Angry, the guard swore that everyone would know about the fox and wolf. They would be outlaws never allowed to enter the city again.

The fox and wolf ran and ran through the forest until they were certain no pursuers remained. Out of breath, they mourned the loss of the elixir of life, but knew there eventually would be a time they could steal it back. This had happened to them before. They walked through the trees until they eventually reached large cave, very well concealed behind rocks and vegetation. Inside, the treasure lay everywhere.  The stolen gems gave the cave an eerie light that reflected off of the small pool of water. Two golden beds awaited them, and silver and gold kettles sat on the hearth. They had transported the treasure to this hiding spot through the spirit world, so that's how they knew it would be there.

“I guess we’ll have to stay here now, in hiding,” said the wolf. “Everyone will know that a fox and wolf are wanted burglars, and we can’t turn ourselves invisible anymore.”

“I think so too,” the fox nodded. “No one could possibly find us here.”

Author's Note

This story was originally inspired by "The Cave of Beasts." I was intrigued by a cave full of jewels, inhabited by a fox and a wolf, that two characters stumbled upon. So I decided to write a prequel to that story that explained how the jewels got into the cave and why the animals live there. As I was writing that story, I drew heavily from the "Fox-Fire" story too. The elixir of life in this story is modeled off of the one in that story and has all the same qualities. I thought the elixir of life would be a good tool for two robbers to have. In "Fox-Fire," the fox has his elixir of life stolen by a human, and that fit well with the guard. It also provided a reason for the fox and wolf to stay in hiding.

Story Sources: 

"Fox-Fire" in The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

"The Cave of Beasts" in The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

Image Information: Fox running by Jeffrey Beall on Flickr.