Tale 73- The Thousand Norigae

 Arriving in a small village, the Traveler encountered a young maid who was cleaning a fountain. The attire reminded her of Sarafelle and she got her familiar sensation, so she approached the girl. She was scrubbing hard and seemed exhausted, so despite her frailty the Traveler offered to take over, scrubbing at the fountain until it shone and she could see her reflection. She wondered to herself if Sarafelle had to scrub every inch of the castle, wash every banner, and clean each pillar. The castle had been huge, wooden floors would need to be swept and cleaned, the stone walls would need to be polished and the rampant flowers held back. The stairs would need wiping, the rooms dusting, the tables cleaning… It made the Traveler weary just thinking about it, and to think Sarafelle did that for hours on end…she couldn’t help but dream of the day when both of them would get proper jobs and live in their cottage together, taking care of Sarafelle’s mother. The Traveler could easily be a scribe or a tutor, and Sarafelle could be a seamstress or baker, and the two would spend the rest of their days together in harmony. As the Traveler scrubbed, she caught sight of herself in the water’s reflection- she looked like one half of a whole, the Yang to Sarafelle’s Yin, and gave a tiny smile- she was chasing that bright future now, and remembered too the wish she held dear. Perhaps it was possible to regain Sarafelle’s love and even eventually the love of her family, though both would take time. When she was free, she would regain her autonomy, and be able to do whatever she pleased. Finishing the scrubbing, the maid asked what she could give in return for the favour, the Traveler asking if she had any tales. The maid smiled and told the tale of ‘the Thousand Norigae’.

‘Once upon a time, far far away, there was a beautiful foreign princess trapped in a tower by a cruel king. The king wanted nothing more than to marry her, but the princess denied him, so he locked her up. He told her that if she managed to make a thousand norigae she would be able to free, a punishment he gave every single one of his prisoners. Day after day the princess toiled, until her thumbs bled and her robe was stained, with the singular goal of earning her freedom from the wicked king, and making hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful handmade knots. Her room became a tapestry, walls covered in the beautiful little charms, and she finally completed her goal before she burned out, regaining her strength and freedom that the king had stolen. Now she was much older, she took her rightful place on her throne, ruling her kingdom and making sure every single person was happy and free, the kingdom prospering ever since.’

The Traveler finished writing, feeling her heart throb slightly at the tale. It was almost like looking in a mirror- a thousand norigae and a hundred tales might be different, but the price of freedom was clearly high no matter where she went. But to her credit, the Traveler had persevered through cold, fear and danger, overcoming obstacles time and again until she would finally be free of the shackles. She looked down at her small hands, and wondered if she could create a thousand norigae someday, and turn her old room into a tapestry. A weaved quilt would cover all three of the beds in that small room, and she and her brothers could make forts and dens just as they once did. Chuckling, she walked away, deciding to try and find some food somewhere as she was growing hungry again.