Thanks for your interest in the "Beautiful Maura". I hope you and your children are in admiration of her virtue. Please note there is no description of her physical beauty; however, her beauty is described in her competent action and her thoughtfulness and truth. Let us see how these qualities create her future and bring order to others.
Fr Tom

Chapter 03

It was a party to be noted in history. It changed the whole social fabric of the land. The nobles took to visiting the peasants in their homes and frequently the peasants were invited into the palace or were consulted as to the best way to govern. The country became a place of great happiness. The king greeted his subjects as he rode throughout the country and peasants loved to greet him and to honour him. The economy of the country improved. Huge crowds of people now attended the religious services of the royal chaplain. No one remembered the beatings, jail and the unjust taxes. All was forgiven and forgotten in the new national hope.

It was six months to the day since the beautiful Maura had spoken to the king of the plight of the peasants. She was the heroine of the country. Anywhere she went; people noted her presence and expressed their gratitude for her honesty and the lesson in justice she had given the king, his nobles. and the peasants themselves. Everyone was thankful for the honest, the beautiful, the good Maura.

The new King Brian was not only a relief to the whole kingdom but he himself was a happy man, who found his new life productive, organized and full of love and hope. The only people who found the new kingdom unproductive were the jailers, the torturers and the police.

Each day King Brian made sure that he passed the home of the beautiful Maura; each day he presented her with a gift and told her of his love.

Six months had passed since the king's great change of heart and lifestyle. He approached Maura during one of her frequent visits to the castle and, in front of the entire court, asked her to be his queen. It was no surprise to Maura or to anyone else. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the king asked her to marry. Even the noble ladies knew and agreed that the king could "Do worse than Maura."

However long the court had expected the question and however accustomed Maura had become to the attentions of the king, when he asked her to be his queen, it came as a shock. Her first reaction was a sudden blush. For a brief moment, she remained speechless and out of control.

Gaining control once again, with a smile on her face and plucking up her courage, she addressed the king, "My lord, I thank you for your many displays of affection and the great compliment of asking me to be your wife. I too have come to have feelings of respect and love for you. Your many acts of kindness to the people of this realm and your notice of the weak, the blind, the deaf, the old and the young have illustrated your goodness. It is now true to say that you are loved throughout your realm and that you rule the hearts of your subjects. However, my lord, I cannot marry you."

The king was shocked. The whole of the court was unprepared for her answer. Some of the ladies whispered to each other, "Why, every woman in the kingdom would gladly accept a proposal from the king."

Brian looked at her. His face portraying his disappointment, and he said, "My lady, you know that I love you. In your own words, you have agreed that this kingdom has become a place where love reigns.

"My lady, you have recreated this country. You have inspired love, contentment and care for all the people. Personally, your presence in my life has given me the greatest of gifts, my own manhood. I beg you once again. Be my queen."

The whole of the country silently watched this most private love being played out in public. The lawyers hung upon each word; the royal physician looked to the physical reactions of the king; the royal chaplain wondered if his dreams of a royal wedding were for naught. The ladies of the court watched and wept silently.

Once more Maura addressed the king, “My lord, I am a poor peasant girl, orphaned by a mother's death and the senility of a father broken by years of toil and grief. I have scant chance to be whimsical in my decisions concerning life. Yes, I do love you. I love your goodness. I love your ability to inspire the young and to help the old.

"My lord, I am a girl who knows that you are the king. To even dream of marriage to a king; to even think of the frightening prospects of being queen arouses terror in my soul."

Many of those watching looked away. They were conscious that the loves of kings and queens are state affairs, often carried on in public, but they were experiencing unease hearing such personal feelings. It made them eavesdroppers. Gradually, in groups of two and three, they walked to the other end of the great hall, out of earshot of the king and Maura.

Brian looked deeply in to the eyes of Maura and said, "My dear Maura, never have I met a human who has so affected my life. I existed before I met you; now I live. My kingdom functioned minimally out of fear; now it is productive out of love. You are my life, you are the life of the kingdom, my subjects. Be my wife. Be my queen."

Maura was pleased and smiled with love and concern for the suffering Brian. She replied, "My lord, my king, my love. Be patient with me a poor peasant girl attempting to visualize myself as queen, tempted to say yes to a marriage above my state in life."

"Say Yes, Maura. I beg you," beseeched Brian.

"Brian, consider what you say. Both of us know that love settles into the habits of life. That which is new and fresh and full of emotion today often becomes the coarse habit of tomorrow. Well may there come the day when you will regret you vowed love for a peasant girl and you will long to withdraw the life vow you urge on me today."

"Maura, have mercy on a lover who begs your favour. I vow I will not grow tired of our love and I vow that I will never remind you of your humble beginnings. Believe me on my family honour, If I ever remind you of your peasant beginnings, I will allow you the three traditional wishes which always accompany a family vow; any three wishes which you can carry on your back from this castle, you may possess and may hold in peace without any reference to me. This is a vow sacred to the memory of my ancestors."

In his passion, Brian had raised the level of his voice so that all the court, no matter how far they had withdrawn from the couple could hear. Immediately the court lawyer winced at such generous and unhedged terms.

He whispered to his peers, "What can I do to protect the king from himself? His generosity to this woman will be his undoing. Does he realize he has entered into an agreement heard by all of his court? The terms are frightening and very binding."

The chaplain wondered whether the promises of the king had interfered with any eventual marriage. Could he preside at the ceremonies if the king had made preconditions to his marriage? Preconditions invalidate marriage vows which must have no conditions attached. A fine theological point but a good one. He made mental note to seek the advice of a canon lawyer.

One of the ladies in court, who had been following every word of the romantic encounter, observed, "The young fool, she'll never get a better offer than that. Take it, take it, take it."

The voice of Maura was heard, once again, "My dear Brian, I do love you and I will marry you under the condition of the three wishes."

They were married three weeks to the day from Brian's proposal. There was never such a marriage in the history of the country. Kings and queens came from foreign countries. The nobility graced the marriage, dressed in their finest clothes. The peasants feasted for a week before and after the wedding. Everyone lined the streets to watch the newlyweds pass by. The whole country, noble and peasant, rejoiced in the wedding, especially in their new queen.

Maura was a great and a gentle queen. Without effort, she sat, walked and greeted kings, queens and bishops. Everyone seemed to forget that she was of peasant heritage. She was a Queen and the whole nation knew it.

A few months went by and the word went out from the castle that the queen was pregnant. King Brian was delighted;' the peasants cheered and feasted once again. The royal chaplain consulted his library to determine if there was ceremony for a royal baptism. The king's distant relatives searched for the royal baptismal robe. The whole country lived from day to day in expectation of the royal infant.

Finally, the day arrived. Queen Maura gave birth to a healthy son. They named him Peter; the people referred to him as the Prince.

Brian was ecstatic with joy. He had a son, an heir. The birth only increased his love of Maura. Hand in hand they walked the castle corridors and the roads close to the castle. They were an example of love and gentleness for the whole country.

Two years passed and the baby grew strong. The king was proud of his son and his beautiful wife. Brian considered himself to be the most advantaged man in the world. No other king had a wife with the beauty of Maura. No other royal family had an infant possessed of the beauty of Peter.

It had been two and a half years since the king had given a moments worry or thought to his wealth. the months of courting Maura, the wedding and the birth of his son preoccupied him. When at last he checked, he was shocked to discover the royal treasure was depleted. He ran his finger down the long column of figures of money spent. Quickly his eyes darted to the short columns of money received. He felt betrayed. A wealthy treasure had been his life's work. A dark gloom settled over him. A gloom which drove thoughts of love and gentleness from his mind and actions. Without thought, he pushed aside the royal accountant who had fetched the ledgers and he rushed from the room.

Old habits die-hard. He had always realized, since he first ascended the throne, a healthy treasury and strong army would assure his kingdom. As if he had never experienced the gentle strength of the beautiful Maura; as if he never knew of the great wealth of his son, Brian for the first time in two and a half years exploded in a blind rage. He was heard to shout, "I want my treasury restored. I will have every penny of tax which is rightfully mine."

Immediately he ordered his collectors to collect from those who were negligent and owed taxes. Next, he called his advisors together and asked them to prepare the proper documents for raising the taxes of the peasants.

The country was shocked at the sudden change in King Brian. He became irritable and less patient with the weak and the poor. He failed to notice the elderly of the land. The worry of money and taxes robbed him of his good disposition. It had been two and a half years since Brian had hollered at a peasant or uttered a threat. His first burst of temper struck terror into the hearts of his subjects. It was recounted by the nurses that cared for the young prince that the child wept for the first time on hearing his father's angry voice.

At first, days would go by and Maura would not see her husband. He was in conference with his ministers or sitting in judgment on some peasant who owed money to the royal treasury.

When Brian's absence from her bed had stretched into the third consecutive week, Maura decided to wait late into the evening for him. When he arrived he was tired and out of sorts. He did not greet her with a kiss nor did he visit the young prince's room. He was preoccupied.

"My husband, come and sit with me awhile," said Maura, "I have missed your presence for too long."

Brian, in an ugly, selfish mood replied, "No, you haven't missed me and it will be less you will see of me until I have the royal treasury respectable with wealth."

"Brian, you are tearing yourself apart for the sake of money. I am sure, if you ask the peasants to meet the financial needs of the land, they will do so out of love."

"What do you know what the peasants should or would do? Is it because you are a peasant? You care more for your peasant heritage than you do for the royal house. I rue the day I thought of marrying you."

His words brought Maura to her feet. Her eyes clouded with tears, she glared at Brian and said, "I will take my three wishes this evening."

Immediately, Brian's temper was cooled by his realization of the enormity of his words. He had broken his vow to Maura and she was demanding her three wishes. His original vow left no room for words of forgiveness. He had vowed that she could carry any three wishes she might have out of the castle on her back. Now, honour dictated, he must pay.

Immediately, the royal lawyer and three witnesses were summoned to the royal chambers and were informed of the claim made by Queen Maura.

With much agitation, the royal lawyers shuffled their papers, arranged their law books and began setting the rights and obligations for each party.

"Leave off such nonsense," shouted Brian, "This is my wife. She has behaved herself with great dignity. I demand she be treated with every royal prerogative. She is our Queen."

In voices chastened by the king's rebuke, the lawyers continued. "My lady, you have the right to three wishes from the king. Three wishes which you can carry on your back from this castle. You may hold what you carry from this castle for the rest of your life without reference to my lord the king. Are you ready to proceed?"

"I am ready to proceed," answered Maura.

Since the summoning of the lawyers two hours had passed and the whole of the castle, as usual, knew what was happening. Everyone was speculating.

"What will she carry from the castle?

“I know what I would take If I had such an opportunity."

"May we have your first wish, my lady?” asked the chief lawyer.

Brian occupied a special throne brought to him by his chief servant. He sat slouched in the chair. His head bowed. He looked ever so much like the man who knew he had done wrong and did not know how to rectify his error. He was distraught. He couldn't imagine what Maura might wish.

In a loud clear voice Maura declared, "I wish you to gather all the jewels, crowns, gold and silver and precious gems which belong to the king by inheritance or right and put them into two large bags by the front entrance of the castle."

Her first wish was a great disappointment to the king. He thought his wife above such crass things as jewels and other trinkets. Her first wish put her more on his greedy level and he lifted his head to look at her for the first time since he insulted her with his harsh words.

The whole court was aghast at the enormity of the first wish. Some of the ladies gathered around at the edge of the crowd, were thankful she had the sense not to ask for China and furniture but valuables she could trade with in the market. The royal economist stood stunned at the cost of the first wish.

At last, it was announced that all the jewels, crowns gold and silver and precious gems were gathered. The whole contingent of courtiers lead by Maura, the King and the lawyers moved toward the front door of the castle. There, two huge bags filled to the top waited for Maura to transport them out of the castle on her back. When the crowd saw the size and the obvious weight of the bags, they gasped. Some thought, Maura would never be able to carry those heavy bags. Many considered that she would not obtain her first wish because she wouldn't be able to carry the bags out of the castle.

"Such are the fruits of greed," said the royal chaplain, "She should have chosen something she could carry. Her greed has been her undoing. She must leave her first wish unfulfilled."

Brian himself, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the size and weight of the bags.

The economist let the crowd know that this impasse between Maura's right to carry three wishes on her back and the impossible weight of the bags was all part of the plan.

"The fruits of knowing the inner workings of the financial world and the human tendency to greed."

"Too bad she didn't consult with an expert before she made that wish," said the economist.

The queen walked toward the huge front door. A servant rushed to open it for her but she indicated by a move of her hand that she would look after the door herself. Grasping the handle she swung the heavy door aside.

Next, she turned to the huge bags of gold and silver, grasped the top of each bag, shook them so that the treasure would be tightly compacted and then twisted the tops of each bag closed. Next, her hands encircled both tops at once and with a mighty heave she swung the heavy bags on to her back. With great effort and mindful of the drudgery of the thousands of bags of grain and feed she had carried in her peasant days, she struggled to the door and out of the castle. She deposited the two bags outside the castle, stretched and straightened her back from the weight of the bags and reentered the castle to confront the silent, incredulous crowd of courtiers and servants.

Why, any peasant who knew Maura could have told them she was strong. In the world of the nobility and royalty, it would have been impossible for a lord to lift such a load let alone the queen. Maura may have been the queen but she was also a peasant and accustomed to heavy loads.

The king looked at his wife with love and admiration. Once more she had done that which even he thought impossible. His heart swelled with pride.

The rest of the court did not know how to react or what to say. There were, of course, the usual number of ladies who thought it common that the queen would even attempt such a feat.

"Royalty will never be as royal after that display of peasantry," said one of the noble ladies.

In a loud, clear voice, Maura once more addressed the king, "Now for my second wish, My Lord. I ask you to bring our child, Prince Peter, and place him here on my back."

"Oh no," said the king, "My son, the heir to my throne, the future king of this land."

Of all the treasures the king possessed, his son was the most dear. She could not have taken anything more precious. His whole being cried "No" but his honour disciplined such a reaction. He summoned his servants and asked them to bring the young prince.

It was obvious that the youngster had been asleep. He came into the room brushing the sleep from his eyes. He was the favourite of the whole court and they so indicated by the universal smile that characterized their faces.

Immediately, the young prince ran to his father. He had not seen him in a number of weeks. Brian took him into his arms and kissed him. Without waiting for the emotion to build, he walked over to Maura, bent over, waiting for her son to be put on her back. Visibly shaken, Brian lifted his son and placed him on the back of his mother. Without a word, she proceeded with the child out the front door to the limits of the castle property. There she whispered something to the prince, kissed him, placed him next to the bags of Gold and silver and turned toward the castle, once again.

King Brian was devastated. He wondered, "What could she wish from me that she has not already taken? She has all my gold and silver; she now possesses my precious son. She might well wish my death."

The whole court lived in expectancy. What could she possibly wish for that she did not have already? She is now the wealthiest person in the whole kingdom. She controls the future of the country, she has the heir to the throne. What else could she wish?

Maura walked directly to the anxious Brian and stood in front of him. "And now, my Lord, I desire the most precious of gifts that has ever come into my life."

Turning her back to Brian, she knelt and said in a voice filled with love and respect, "You, my Lord are my third wish. I will carry you from this castle." Never, in the history of the kingdom was there such a sight: the king being carried from the castle on the back of the queen. She deposited him next to their young son, turned to the crowd and said, "This evening, I have exacted the three wishes promised me by the king before our wedding. These I will possess in peace as long as I have life."

Maura, the king and their son lived out their lives happily.

It has been noted in history that their love for each other and the people of the kingdom was infectious. It brought peace and prosperity to the land and such family happiness that it became the custom for the citizens to wish each new bride and groom, "The happiness of Maura and Brian."

After many years of ruling his kingdom in peace and fulfillment, Brian came to death. His faithful wife Maura was beside his bed. With minutes to go before his last breath, the king summoned the strength to address his queen, once again, "My wife, my queen. Never could I have lived without you. As my dying wish, I ask you once again to carry me on your back to my grave."

The king died soon after and the distraught Maura gave orders that the body of the king should be readied for burial that evening.

When all was in readiness and the king's body was lying in state, she invited the nobles and peasants to come and to pay their last respects to their king. Afterwards, she ordered the servants to remove the body of the king from the royal casket and to carry the casket to the site of the grave.

"Now," she said, "Place the body of my husband, my love, my king, on my back."

Maura did not live long after the death of her husband. Some say, she died of loneliness for the love of the one to whom she gave her life.

However, her son, King Peter, ruled long and happily for many years. The kingdom was prosperous and peaceful. Those who visited the country came away wondering, what is there about this land that makes everyone feel so welcome, secure and at peace?

Today there is a statue outside the castle. It was placed in the exact spot where Maura deposited the gold and silver and her child and her husband. It depicts the scene of king Brian being carried from the castle on the back of his beautiful Maura. There is an inscription on the base of the statue:

Love conquers all:
Gold, Silver and Jewels;
The future of a country;
The heart of a king.

THE END

 TF Mohan Henry Carr Farm, 2007