The Pendants - by Katarina Ling

written in 8th grade by Katarina Ling for G.A.T.E Language Arts
Copyright 1998

Part 1

Sixteen years earlier, at the royal palace of Shaya, the fat and young King Taysasluny was cracking an egg for breakfast. It was a legend that whoever cracked and ate an egg with a perfect blue yolk would live a long and joyful life. On that particular morning, Taysasluny cracked open a perfect egg that had not one but two perfect yolks. Again as before, they were not blue. Taysasluny had never seen a double-yolked egg before and demanded an explanation. The Royal Egg Reader came forward and looked at the yolks. "Well, Your Highness, Congratulations! You are going to have twins, a boy and a girl." Taysasluny handed the Royal Egg Reader a large sum of money and thanked him. "Cook, fry these eggs for me," he yelled. The cook obligingly came and got the eggs.

"Another try at living a long life wouldn't hurt," he thought after he finished the first egg. "Hand me another egg, Royal Egg Reader," Taysasluny yelled. The Royal Egg Reader handed him an egg and stood by the king. The king waited for him to leave. "Go back to where you were before. I want some elbow room when I crack this egg," said Taysasluny to the Royal Egg Reader.

"But the...," began the Royal Egg Reader.

"Don't but me, I commanded you to get over there and stay there! I expect you to do so immediately!"

"Next egg you crack determines both your future and the twins'," the Royal Egg Reader finished softly and grimly. The king cracked the egg and found it also had a double yolk that wasn't blue and smiled. Forgetting his anger at the egg reader, he ate the double yolks raw quickly and ran to his quarters. He went to his trusted personal servant and said "Bring Jaycie here." Jaycie was one of his many mistresses and concubines.

Jaycie, dressed in a silk red dress and a diamond tiara, appeared at his door. She disliked the king but he loved her beauty and she could not refuse him lest he have her executed. The king really was crazy at times. "Jaycie, you are more breathtaking then ever before. I love those jewels in your hair." The king said. Indeed, Jaycee's hair was in a French Braid with jewels cleverly tucked in by the king's personal servant. "I have something to tell you,Your Highness," began Jaycie.

"Yes, my love, come sit here and tell me," King Taysasluny said motioning towards the bed. Jaycie obeyed and told him she was pregnant, he was the father and she needed to hide or do something or else people would wonder why an unmarried woman was pregnant at the king's court. In addition, she would not be able to work after she had her baby. "Oh, Jaycie, you shall not work, you shall bear your twins without any stress," the king replied happily as he fingered a lock of her silk hair.

"Twins?"

"Yes," he confirmed. He started kissing her fair face and lips. Jaycie thought, "Oh no, not this again. He's going to kiss me until I drown in these kisses. Why do I always have to go through this?"

<<<<---back to Stories