Genie Ring/Magic King Ranma: Magic Kingdom For Sale^Stolen_Sold. [Episode 14120]

It was a nice little kingdom.   It had windy hills, snowy mountains, sunny plains, pleasant lakes, reedy marshes, golden grassland, green forests, a sandy seaside, and even nice a little rainforest and a stretch of arid desert.   It had everything.   It even had a history.

Once upon a time, in a place far, far away yet was also nearer than a thought, a land was created from the stuff of which dreams are made. …

It was a small world, a mere pocket of existence, but it grew and prospered under it’s king and creator’s care, drawing substance from the ethereal mists at its borders.   As the land grew in size and prosperity, the king also grew in power and wealth.   And as the king prospered, so to did the land, for the king was the land, and the land was the king, spell bound together by ties of magic.

The path through the misty borders of the land were difficult to find, but not impassable.   New people found their way to the world from time to time, bringing with them new animals and plants.   Yet, as well as people, monsters also came.   In return for their loyalty, the king protected his new people from the monsters.   He also protected the monsters from the people, for sometimes the monsters were also people, and some people were also monsters.   It wasn’t always easy to tell which were which.

In the fullness of time, the king took a bride and they lived for a reasonably long time in a state of approximately contentment.   She bore him a son and, when the old king faded away, the son became the new king.   So began the succession of kings to rule the land in an unbroken line.

Until it was broken.

One young king, the last king, was not happy with this state of affairs.   It was a very nice kingdom, full of wonders and beauty, but it was ever so small and he wanted to see more.   He wanted to explore the worlds beyond the borders, of which he’d only heard in tales.   Some of his advisors warned him against it, but the rest said that he was the king and could do whatever he liked.   So the King listened to the advise and walked across the border into the mists and was never, ever, seen again.

For a time, the advisors were happy, and named themselves Lords of the Land and vied among themselves for the throne.   But without a king, the land began to die, and the throne would accept none of them.

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It was once a very nice kingdom.   It was a fair sized island, with a lake and mountains, forests and plains. It even had a little arid region that passed as a desert, but which was getting larger by the years.   It once boosted a nice thriving rainforest, but that was withering away unto a small patch.

So it wasn’t in the best of condition, in fact it was suffering from neglect.   Think of it as a fixer upper.

The oval island was surrounded by a little sea on all sides, except for a long, slender, mountain ranged isthmus that jutted into the border mists.   It had a marshy lagoon on one side, and a rocky cove on the other, and in the center was the crater lake with it’s crystal clear waters that shine like a polished mirror under the worlds little daystar.

Every magic kingdom has a castle, and this was no exception.   It stood on a hill on an island in heartland lake.   It’s name was Caer Palladium, and its towers once shone like polished platinum.   However, the castle was long abandoned.

It was neglected not because nobody wished to claim it, for the Lord who held it would be able to rule undisputed over all.  Besides, it contained many treasures of wealth and magic.   However, the castle simply refused entry to all but the rightful king.   Without such to claim the throne, the castle languished unattended and, like the land and the lake, became tarnished and despoiled.

Then along came Ranma.

When word got out, there would be much rejoicing at the return of the king, yet also much wailing and gnashing of teeth.   While most would welcome the renewed health that flowed into the land, many still would not be pleased to see a stranger claim their throne.   The Saotome family would not be welcomed to the land with entirely open arms (unless one defined "open arms" as "drawn weapons").   Eventually a sizable cadre of misfits, mavericks, and refugees would arrive ready to serve as staff, tutors, and, especially, guards.   Meanwhile, the Saotome family arrived at the palace alone, except for a small welcoming committee.   They would have to deal with the Land Lords, and others, mostly on their own.

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.