Once upon a time, there lived a painter of extraordinary talent. Her skills were such that people came from far and wide to see the works of art that she would create. Her renown extended even to the royalty who ruled her kingdom.

When the Duchess heard about the painter’s extraordinary talent, she commissioned her to produce a series of works for her personal collection. The painter was honoured, and happily agreed to the request – after all, you don’t just turn down a Duchess!

The Duchess was so thrilled with the painter’s initial works that she commissioned more art for her private collection immediately afterward. The painter was again honoured, though a little less excited this time around. Painting this round of portraits felt a little more like work than she was accustomed to.

When the third request came, the painter respectfully declined it. By now, however, the Duchess had come to view the painter as her personal property, and would not be rebuffed. She ordered the painter to be sequestered into her own quarter of the Duchess’s castle, to be kept under round-the-clock guard to ensure the painter didn’t try to escape.

By now, the people of the kingdom had begun to wonder what had become of the painter who used to delight their hearts and inspire their minds so. Even the Queen, who was benevolent and revered by her people, had come to wonder why she hadn’t seen or heard anything her recently. She decided to personally request the painter’s company, tasking her son, the Prince, with tracking her down.

The Prince searched far and wide, with no success. After a great deal of time, he finally asked some of the commoners whether anyone knew anything of the painter’s whereabouts. One of the commoners spoke up and mentioned that they had last heard that the painter was producing a series of private works for the Duchess.

With that, the Prince took off at a gallop for the Duchess’s castle. The Duchess initially denied that the painter was being held captive, but she had forgotten that the room the painter was being held in had windows – the painter’s cries carried down to the Prince’s ears. The Duchess had no choice but to allow the painter to go free.

With that, the painter accept the invitation to have tea with the Queen, and rather than encourage her to paint only for royalty, the Queen implored her to spread her wings and show her works off to all the citizens of the land. The people of the kingdom rejoiced, for the painter’s creativity was contagious. Soon after, other talented artists began to emerge and showcase their skills, ushering in a period of unprecedented beauty and craftsmanship within the kingdom, and the people – and the painter – lived happily ever after.

Wrapping it Up

Was there a moral to this story? Nah… I just thought it sounded cool 🙂