ALL MY TUDORS...history chat

King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the
monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch
could have killed him, but was moved by Arthur's
youth and ideals. So the monarch offered him
freedom, as long as he could answer a very
difficult question.

Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer
and if, after a year, he still had no answer, he
would be put to death.

The question: What do women really want?

Such a question would perplex even the most
knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed
an impossible query. But, since it was better than
death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to
have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll
everybody: the princess, the prostitutes, the
priests, the wise men, and the court jester. He
spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a
satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to
consult the old witch -- only she would know the
answer.

The price would be high; the witch was famous
throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices
she charged.

Finally, the last day of the year arrived and
Arthur had no alternative but to talk to the
witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he
had to accept her price first. The old witch
wanted to marry Gawain, the most notable of the
Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest
friend!

Young Arthur was horrified: she was hunchbacked
and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like
sewage, made obscene noises... etc. He had never
encountered such a repugnant creature. He refused
to force his friend to marry her and have to
endure such a burden.

Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with
Arthur. He told him that nothing was too big a
sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the
preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and the witch
answered Arthur's thus: What a woman really wants
is to be in charge of her own life.

Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered
a great truth and that Arthur's life would be
spared. And so it was. The neighboring monarch
granted Arthur total freedom.

What a wedding Gawain and the witch had! Arthur
was torn between relief and anguish. Gawain was
proper as always, gentle and courteous. The old
witch put her worst manners on display, and
generally made everyone very uncomfortable.

The hour approached, Gawain, steeling himself for
a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But
what a sight waited him! The most beautiful woman
he had never seen lay before him!

The astounded Gawain asked what had happened. The
beauty replied that since he had been so kind to
her when she'd appeared as a witch, she would
henceforth be her horrible, deformed self half the
time, and the other half, she would be her
beautiful maiden self. Which would he want her to
be during the day, and during the night?

What a cruel question! Gawain pondered his
predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to
show off to his friends, but at night, in the
privacy of his home, an old witch?

Or would he prefer having by day a hideous witch,
but by night a beautiful woman with whom to enjoy
many intimate moments?

What would you do?

(Pause awhile and do not read on until you have
made up your own mind)

Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose
for herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that
she would be beautiful all the time, because he
had respected her enough to let her be in charge
of her own life.

What is the moral of this story?

THE MORAL IS: IF A WOMAN DOESN'T GET HER WAY,
THINGS GET UGLY.

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