The third precious thing

BeccaPrice · 05-23-2013, 10:07 AM

As always, I find myself at a standstill for a story. This one is called the Third Precious Thing. A king sends his sons out to find the most precious thing they can find, to determine who will become king next. The first son sets out to find wisdom, and discovers simple beauty. The third son sets out to find heroism and finds love. The second son sets out to find justice... and I'm wanting to say he finds friendship, but I'm not sure how to make that transition. Mercy would also be a good thing for him to find, but I'm even less sure how to have that happen.

and I'm not sure how to have him search for justice in the first place. I have him currently studying law and talking with thieves and murderers, but that's not making for much of a quest.

help?

Turtle91 · 05-23-2013, 10:27 AM

To me friendship is just a different type of love. Wouldn't compassion be a better foil for justice?
The process of learning to temper justice with compassion is time-honored...and makes for a logical winner to be a king. Perhaps his time/adventures with the thieves (that are stealing to support the local orphanage) would "open his eyes" to the limits/inflexibility of the law he has studied.

teh603 · 05-23-2013, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

As always, I find myself at a standstill for a story. This one is called the Third Precious Thing. A king sends his sons out to find the most precious thing they can find, to determine who will become king next. The first son sets out to find wisdom, and discovers simple beauty. The third son sets out to find heroism and finds love. The second son sets out to find justice... and I'm wanting to say he finds friendship, but I'm not sure how to make that transition. Mercy would also be a good thing for him to find, but I'm even less sure how to have that happen.

Does the second son have to come back alive?

Quote:

and I'm not sure how to have him search for justice in the first place. I have him currently studying law and talking with thieves and murderers, but that's not making for much of a quest.

help?

Dunno, there's a lot of room for character development there, so I wouldn't say its "not much of a quest." He's going to see a slice of life that a prince usually doesn't ever see, and his reaction is going to be either trying to bring up conditions at the bottom (mercy), or just put everything to the sword (oppression). And in either case, he might not make it out alive- reformers often meet ends that are just as bad as tyrants when the powers that benefit the most from the status quo realize what he's doing.

BeccaPrice · 05-23-2013, 11:31 AM

I want all 3 princes to come back alive - the one who discovers love becomes king, but the other two become chief advisors, because the four things they represent: wisdom/beauty, and justice/mercy are important too. Anyway, this is a fairy tale, and I'm not sure that losing one third of the protagonists makes for a good bedtime story.

but yeah, setting forth to find justice and finding mercy is the way I'm tending. I just need a good crisis to jolt the prince out of his justice mindset and to discovering that mercy is more precious.

Maybe because he's hanging out with thieves (doing research) and gets taken up as one of them, and can't prove his innocence? Not sure how to get justice for the thieves and mercy for the innocent out of that though.

crich70 · 05-23-2013, 03:21 PM

Usually it's the 3rd son who succeeds where his brothers have failed. Maybe the 3rd brother could find the wisdom to mix justice and compassion together? Either one without the other isn't a good thing.

BeccaPrice · 05-23-2013, 03:39 PM

The third brother sets out to find heroism and finds love - he's chosen as the kings' successors, with brothers 1 and 2 as advisers. I have the 3rd brother's journey written already; it's brother #2 who is giving me the trouble,.

Brother #1: sets out to find wisdom, finds beauty
Brother #2: sets out to find justice, finds... ???
Brother $3: sets out to find heroism, finds love.

Turtle91 · 05-23-2013, 04:32 PM

It seems like brother 1 and 3 are finding something that is not necessarily an opposite (foil) to what they set out to find...wisdom/beauty, heroism/love... while brother 2 looks for justice and finds ??? (compassion/mercy). I would suppose that each of the brothers thinks that what they are looking for is the "primary" trait of a good king...and finds that the opposite trait is just as important (if not more so). Finding a trait that is not an opposite seems to me to be a little random...based solely on my vast knowledge of the rest of your story, of course

For symmetry, each of these brothers should go through the same type of process to learn...be presented with a problem/situation where they choose the trait they are looking for as the solution, and find through trials and tribulations that their initial trait choice will not always be the right answer.

For Justice/Compassion(Mercy) the thief could turn out to be a friend who is doing something illegal but for the right reasons. The prince chooses "following the law" as his course...goes undercover to track down the bad guys...eventually finds out that the theft is ultimately for a really good cause - to help someone desperately in need - and then finds out who the thief is.
-OR-
The prince finds someone (some group) on his travels that he really desires to help - but (for some reason) he can't call upon his wealth/nobleness(?) to solve the situation - in fact he can't help at all because the laws and situation are set up to make anything he tries illegal.

The discovery that not all laws are just, or fair, in all cases...and that a good leader needs to know when not to be rigid and when to be compassionate... and when to get the law changed...are a great lesson!

FWIW I think a good king would have to have ALL of the traits - so I like the fact that the other two princes are advisers. ...but please tell me that "beauty" is not skin deep

...

VydorScope · 05-23-2013, 04:50 PM

What about Grace instead of Mercy?

BeccaPrice · 05-23-2013, 05:16 PM

I've got it, and it's being beta tested tonight on a Real Live Child, who also likes my other stories, so we'll see what she thinks of it.

05-23-2013, 04:32 PM	#7
Turtle91 A Hairy Wizard Posts: 3,312 Karma: 20171571 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Charleston, SC today Device: iPhone 15/11/X/6/iPad 1,2,Air & Air Pro/Surface Pro/Kindle PW & Fire	It seems like brother 1 and 3 are finding something that is not necessarily an opposite (foil) to what they set out to find...wisdom/beauty, heroism/love... while brother 2 looks for justice and finds ??? (compassion/mercy). I would suppose that each of the brothers thinks that what they are looking for is the "primary" trait of a good king...and finds that the opposite trait is just as important (if not more so). Finding a trait that is not an opposite seems to me to be a little random...based solely on my vast knowledge of the rest of your story, of course For symmetry, each of these brothers should go through the same type of process to learn...be presented with a problem/situation where they choose the trait they are looking for as the solution, and find through trials and tribulations that their initial trait choice will not always be the right answer. For Justice/Compassion(Mercy) the thief could turn out to be a friend who is doing something illegal but for the right reasons. The prince chooses "following the law" as his course...goes undercover to track down the bad guys...eventually finds out that the theft is ultimately for a really good cause - to help someone desperately in need - and then finds out who the thief is. -OR- The prince finds someone (some group) on his travels that he really desires to help - but (for some reason) he can't call upon his wealth/nobleness(?) to solve the situation - in fact he can't help at all because the laws and situation are set up to make anything he tries illegal. The discovery that not all laws are just, or fair, in all cases...and that a good leader needs to know when not to be rigid and when to be compassionate... and when to get the law changed...are a great lesson! FWIW I think a good king would have to have ALL of the traits - so I like the fact that the other two princes are advisers. ...but please tell me that "beauty" is not skin deep...

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05-23-2013, 10:07 AM	#1
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	The third precious thing As always, I find myself at a standstill for a story. This one is called the Third Precious Thing. A king sends his sons out to find the most precious thing they can find, to determine who will become king next. The first son sets out to find wisdom, and discovers simple beauty. The third son sets out to find heroism and finds love. The second son sets out to find justice... and I'm wanting to say he finds friendship, but I'm not sure how to make that transition. Mercy would also be a good thing for him to find, but I'm even less sure how to have that happen. and I'm not sure how to have him search for justice in the first place. I have him currently studying law and talking with thieves and murderers, but that's not making for much of a quest. help?

05-23-2013, 10:27 AM	#2
Turtle91 A Hairy Wizard Posts: 3,312 Karma: 20171571 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Charleston, SC today Device: iPhone 15/11/X/6/iPad 1,2,Air & Air Pro/Surface Pro/Kindle PW & Fire	To me friendship is just a different type of love. Wouldn't compassion be a better foil for justice? The process of learning to temper justice with compassion is time-honored...and makes for a logical winner to be a king. Perhaps his time/adventures with the thieves (that are stealing to support the local orphanage) would "open his eyes" to the limits/inflexibility of the law he has studied. Last edited by Turtle91; 05-23-2013 at 10:34 AM.

05-23-2013, 11:31 AM	#4
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	I want all 3 princes to come back alive - the one who discovers love becomes king, but the other two become chief advisors, because the four things they represent: wisdom/beauty, and justice/mercy are important too. Anyway, this is a fairy tale, and I'm not sure that losing one third of the protagonists makes for a good bedtime story. but yeah, setting forth to find justice and finding mercy is the way I'm tending. I just need a good crisis to jolt the prince out of his justice mindset and to discovering that mercy is more precious. Maybe because he's hanging out with thieves (doing research) and gets taken up as one of them, and can't prove his innocence? Not sure how to get justice for the thieves and mercy for the innocent out of that though.

05-23-2013, 03:21 PM	#5
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Usually it's the 3rd son who succeeds where his brothers have failed. Maybe the 3rd brother could find the wisdom to mix justice and compassion together? Either one without the other isn't a good thing.

05-23-2013, 03:39 PM	#6
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	The third brother sets out to find heroism and finds love - he's chosen as the kings' successors, with brothers 1 and 2 as advisers. I have the 3rd brother's journey written already; it's brother #2 who is giving me the trouble,. Brother #1: sets out to find wisdom, finds beauty Brother #2: sets out to find justice, finds... ??? Brother $3: sets out to find heroism, finds love.

05-23-2013, 04:50 PM	#8
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	What about Grace instead of Mercy?

05-23-2013, 05:16 PM	#9
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	I've got it, and it's being beta tested tonight on a Real Live Child, who also likes my other stories, so we'll see what she thinks of it.