Personal Project - Book Illustration
A riddle to the king
This book is a personal project of mine, made with Adobe Photoshop using photos and illustrations based on a short story written by me. The idea is to be able to use different tools and techniques in its composition, within a pre-defined concept linked to the story.
I will share the pages here as they are ready. Hope you like it!
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Este livro é um projeto pessoal meu, feito através Photoshop com o tratamento de fotos e ilustrações baseado em um conto escrito por mim. A ideia é poder utilizar diferentes ferramentas e técnicas em sua composição, dentro de um conceito pré-definido e atrelado à história.
Irei compartilhar aqui as páginas conforme elas ficam prontas. Espero que gostem!
Pages 1 & 2
Pages 3 & 4
Pages 5 & 6
Pages 7 & 8
Em breve mais páginas!
The Smith’s Riddle to the King
As it is convenient to begin narrations in a somewhat vague way, I limit myself to establishing here only the fact that this story has happened a reasonable time ago. A dozen hundred years, at least. The kingdom doesn't really matter, as it could be near where your city now stands or even at an incalculable distance from the most distant place you have ever been to.
Without further ado, what should be remembered is that the events narrated here take place in an ancient kingdom and, as befits these particular places, a king ruled it.
This king, Edward, the third in his line to bear that name (thus King Edward III) prided himself on his accomplishments to all the unfortunate who would listen. He was also infamous for his charades and silly riddles, and from time to time he would gather the entire population of the kingdom in his castle for a riddle competition where, no matter the outcome, he was the winner.
Despite being something that made the participants annoyed, it was generally agreed that it was also convenient to ignore such an action, since few gave up the privilege of being able to walk around with their head above their torso. What a privilege!
Amongst many other attributes always remembered by the King, he always boasted of having a gigantic army, far exceeding five thousand men, with the best amongst then being chosen to integrate his Royal Guard, guaranteeing to the soldier a slightly better life. That is why more and more boys were joining army each day, some of them in search of glories and a more honorable life, as much as a plethora just finding a way to be far from the kingdom and the king.
Many of those who ingress the army also dreamed about one day dethroning King Edward III, ending a reign marked by wars, hunger and poverty. Even with all these problems, the population's questioning for their King always came up against superfluous answers about how power, food and money always come first to those who already have them.
So there was a recurring opinion that defying the King was just a 'utopian ambition' – an expression high-ranking soldiers in the Royal Guard used to say to their newcomers. At one point, one of these soldiers was Thomas, a young blacksmith of great strength and determination, as well as very good swordsman, but with a fortune inversely proportional to all of these. Amidst the swords from a very young age, Thomas had always dreamed of leaving behind the daily toil that work at the blacksmith's required and joining the army to finally have some real action with swords.
But Thomas is such an important character here, and you must be curious and eager to know more about him, right? Well... here we go.
Thomas was just another one of the kingdom's illegitimate children, and like so many he had grown tired of starvation and cold. Being the eldest of seven siblings, with an unknown father and a mother who was barely able to take care of her offspring, he didn't have many options left but to preserve his integrity, at least ensuring food for his out of step family.
Thomas was just another one of the kingdom's illegitimate children, and like so many he had grown tired of starvation and cold. Being the eldest of seven siblings, with an unknown father and a mother who was barely able to take care of her offspring, he didn't have many options left but to preserve his integrity, at least ensuring food for his out of step family.
Thomas had always tried to be fair and honest, a literal reflection of the King who ruled him. Little did he know that fate would unite both paths in such a fateful outcome.
As a small boy, Thomas had started working in the city's blacksmith shop as an apprentice with the old kingdom’s blacksmith, but long ago he also decided to join the army and use his sword skills for real. Fact is his ambition was postponed for quite some time when our so-called hero met his beloved Agatha. A simple maiden, not that uncommon in the eyes of all. Owner of above-average beauty and a charming smile, she won Thomas' heart as soon as the blacksmith laid eyes on her in the street market.
Not long after that, a romance between these two had become real. Thomas was able to make Agatha feel weightless, happy and, above all, apart of the tyrannical and callous reality in which they lived.
Agatha felt safe with Thomas, and that was enough for her.
This adventure lasted for a few moons, and Thomas kept working as a blacksmith, making a job so good with swords, shields and armors everybody in the Royal Guard became friends with him.
Everything fine until the fateful day when King Edward III awoke rejoicing, appointing that he lacked servants in the castle, and so he ordered his subordinates to capture young ladies across the realm. There was a good reason for that – or at least King Edward III believed it was a good reason.
After all, everyone inside the castle had already heard all the riddles, charades and jokes Their Majesty had in his vast repertoire, and under that argument, it was convenient to the will of the dear and beloved King that there were new people in the castle. Yes, it was that simple.
As you may have guessed, Agatha was taken as one of these new royal guests, and she was having unhappy days inside the castle, being forced to perform duties like helping in the kitchen, cleaning the royal stables and other strenuous household chores during the day, and at night she was supposed to sit beside King Edward III for hours on end, with other unhappy girls, listening to him talk endlessly, while laughing and drinking wine.
All this to, at times, gain the privilege of sending a letter to her lover, who lived beyond the walls that held her captive.
Thomas tried to resist her imprisoning, but as said by the Royal Guard, who protected the castle, the only way to get access to the king was taking part on it. For that reason, and filled with grief and longing, Thomas’ old ambition was restored, as he was determined to become the most important man in the Royal Guard, and thus personally ask the King for Agatha's hand.
Thomas tried to resist her imprisoning, but as said by the Royal Guard, who protected the castle, the only way to get access to the king was taking part on it. For that reason, and filled with grief and longing, Thomas’ old ambition was restored, as he was determined to become the most important man in the Royal Guard, and thus personally ask the King for Agatha's hand.
Now taking a poetic license here and thus advancing the unfolding of this story, we resume our narrative at the moment when Thomas finally got to said position and was thus able to speak directly with His Highness.
Yes, Thomas had trained hard and fought deadly for a long time to then have his dream come true. Now, at last, he was there, along with the Royal Guard and closer to his goal. The dog years that had passed were finally proving to be significant.
King Edward III, very proud of the soldier he had, after he had led countless battles with the army, and won them all, agreed with Thomas's wish. Agatha would be freed as desired, as long as he performed one last task for His Lord. He had to create a riddle that no one in the realm, not even the King, would be able to solve.
Then King Edward III gave Thomas three days to think, and so he did. Then, after the allotted time, an assembly of all the smartest men in the realm, the Royal Guard, the King, Thomas and his beloved Agatha was held in the castle hall. Before so many curious eyes staring at someone who finally was defying the King, Thomas' elaborated riddle, well thought out by the shrewd blacksmith, was then said:
“The one above all at this time, for real
Causing harm and pain day after day,
A face you can see on every dime he steals
What is his name, I dare you to say”
Causing harm and pain day after day,
A face you can see on every dime he steals
What is his name, I dare you to say”
Of course, the entire crowd there (as well as you, I suppose) immediately solved the riddle - which the answer was King Edward III himself. But as the riddle said, who would have the guts to say his name?
If no one questioned, the riddle would pass as indecipherable and so Thomas would get what he wanted. Oh, what a beautiful plan of our hero!
The King wondered for a long time without saying anything and, with this outcome, it is tendentious to assume that Agatha's hand was given to Thomas, as promised, and the King limited himself to recognizing that he had lost at his own game. Everyone lived happily forever, which would be very convenient, except for the King.
The End.
However, I hereby commit myself to the truth, so if you would like a happy and casual ending to this short story, you can stop reading here and enjoy something beautifully written by the Brothers Grimm or one of the brilliant Aesop's fables, while I continue with the narrative that actually occurred.
Well don't say I didn't warn you.
The King wondered for a long time without saying anything and, finally, he replied:
- "But of course! It's power and food and money and mood!”
With these specific words, the assembly became to an end. King Edward III left the hall laughing aloud, followed by his subjects, who took Agatha with them.
All the other citizens went back to their abodes and kept living their poor lives as they always had. Thomas stayed at the Royal Guard, so close but so far of his beloved Agatha. For him, was given a new chance once he got a riddle that Edward III admitted he didn't really know how to solve, which now we are inclined to accept as a true utopian ambition.
