King Midas
became a ruler by his own hand. He did not inherit his power through blood or
family. He was not a conqueror or a warlord. He despised violence and
bloodshed. He ruled with a magical ability in his touch.
There was
much rumor and suspicion as to how King Midas acquired his power. Some thought
he was a great sorcerer, practiced in arcane arts. Some suspected he made a
bargain with a demon, through dark currents of necromancy. Some said he freed a
genie, or a dragon and with his wish he made a clever request, granting him
magical powers.
King Midas
could turn anything he touched to gold. This only occurred when he wanted to,
and sometimes at great expense of his physical energy. Little objects were easy
to change into gold, and large solid objects could cause him to fall ill for
days before recovering.
King Midas
ruled through money, he ruled through the threat of destabilizing nearby
kingdoms. A flush of gold could cause hysteria, war, and unrest. He balanced
his power carefully, keeping the scarcity of gold within his control.
This didn’t
stop him from being surrounded by gold. He had gold robes, gold forks and
knives, gold hats and shoes. He had a golden throne, a golden bed, even a
golden table to impress guests. Gold was displayed and opulent in his palace.
He often thought of making his entire palace into gold, but the risk of death
or coma was too great.
People would
come from the edges of the world to ask King Midas for his touch, to grant them
riches in their times of need. They would beg for him to turn an object into
gold so they could overcome their problems with currency. King Midas would
grant those he deemed worthy with a single flower turned to gold.
King Midas
tried to rule justly, giving golden flowers to those who wanted to help the
poor and hungry.
He also had
had a great hall for which he brought visitors, guests, and ambassadors. This
hall was filled with a great golden mirror. The frame of this mirror was like a
large mouth, and golden teeth surrounded the edge. The mirror was a foggy black
glass twice the size of a person.
The
monstrous mirror had a magic which only King Midas understood. Anyone who gazed
into the mirror would see themselves, in some unknown place being attacked or
tortured by demons. They would see themselves panicked, afraid and then the
version of themselves in the mirror would run from the mirror and into the
landscape beyond.
Sometimes
the landscape was filled with smoke and ash, desolate and hot, and waves of
scorching fire surrounded the scene. Then a horned creature would enter, chase
the image of the watcher, and corner them, poking them with hot irons or
grabbing them and throwing them inside a brass bull or iron pot.
Only the
viewer could see the hellscape and hear their own cries.
There was an
icy landscape, and a swampy marsh. There was an oubliette of smothering
silence, there was an avalanche which would bury the image of the watcher.
There were also scenes where perhaps a trusted friend would poison them or betray
them with a dagger in the back.
The scene
would end, and the cloudy glass would return to its dull reflective state,
surrounded by the golden mouth. The watcher would be relieved that such an
image wasn’t real.
No harm
would come to the watcher, and some considered the experience prophetic. They
would change their ways, abandoning the pursuit of power, or renounce some
great crime which had burden them. The chance to gaze into the golden mirror
was rare and the retelling of the experience would draw great crowds.
King Midas
ruled many years trying to balance his golden touch with the needs of his
people.
Then one day
a visitor came from a distant land. They wore strange clothes made of silver
threads, and long black gloves. They claimed to have a similar touch to King
Midas and could turn anything to silver.
King Midas
welcomed the visitor and asked for a display of their silver touch. The strange
visitor said they would not until they could gaze upon the legendary golden
mirror. The stories of the mirror reached to the most distant places of the
world, and such a vision was prized more than any silver or gold.
The King
obliged them and showed them to the great hall with the monstrous golden
mirror.
The stranger
gazed at the mirror, deep into the swirling clouds of dark glass. The image of
the stranger appeared and soon they were surrounded by demons with iron hooks,
ready to restrain them. As the demons approached and the scene began to unfold,
the stranger removed their gloves and touched the golden mirror.
The golden
mirror cracked with a white lightning bolt, and the image disappeared.
The gold frame
turned to flesh and the mouth surrounding the mirror growled. The mirror became
animated and pounced from its place on the wall. The mouth of the mirror demon
fell on King Midas, consuming him, swallowing him in a single gulp. The
stranger backed away slowly.
The mirror
demon howled and clawed at its throat, as King Midas attempted to turn the
creature back into a gold from within. The stranger then rushed to the demon,
placing their hand on the creature, preventing them from turning back into
gold. Within a moment the cries of demon were replaced with the purrs of a
content creature, satisfied with their meal.
The stranger
and the mirror demon walked from the palace, and everywhere the stranger
touched they undid the gold that Midas made, returning the objects to their
original construction. The throne returned to a rotted wood, the bed to a
decaying pile, and the riches of Midas to a heap of trash.
The stranger
in the silver robes and the mirror demon were not seen again.
