Once in a land not far from Fairie, in the time before messengers from the East proclaimed their sacrificed King as a Savior for all, a stranger came, whose face was not unlike the face of the king.
When the stranger came to an Inn at a town outside the capital, much was made of him and some mistook him for the king.
The stranger began to put on airs and to play upon the resemblance, until his head was quite swollen, cutting off his view of reality.
Naturally, word of this stranger and his sport reached the palace. At first the true king was amused, but as time wore on he began to feel consternation.
At last the king vowed to set the situation to rights. He gathered an entourage and headed out to meet the imposter.
Meanwhile, at a tiny house in the town where the imposter held court, a child was taken ill with a fever.
It was known to all in the kingdom that the king's hands had a healing touch, and that the king was always prepared to fulfill his obligations to his people, to sacrifice his own life, if need be. The child's parents had heard that the king was in town, and sent to the Inn, asking him to come and heal the child.
At first the imposter did not want to soil his hands on a visit to a sick child, but soon was convinced that the visit would be necessary if his ruse was to continue. He left the Inn and went to where the child lay and, not knowing what to do, asked that a cup of wine be brought. He drank the wine and thus contracted the fever.
When the king arrived at the Inn, the townspeople were at first surprised, then angered as they learned of the imposter's deception. Soon an angry mob was headed toward the house, intent upon murder. The king followed at the back of the crowd.
As the mob reached its destination, the king pushed to the front. He spoke to the people, reminding them that the child must first be saved, after which the imposter could be taken to task for his actions.
The king entered the house and was led to the child. He laid his hand upon the child's head, and with that touch, the fever broke. Within moments the child was awake and sitting up.
The king then brought the imposter out to the crowd. Jeers erupted but were soon quieted. The local customs were explained to the stranger. Though the crowd wished to burn the imposter for putting the child's life in danger, the king merely banished him.
On the day that the child fully recovered, a lonely man died of a fever on a backroad outside the kingdom. In any land but this kingdom, the fever meant certain death, but the child lived on, and eventually came to rule the kingdom, and share the healing touch.
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