As the dust blew through the clearing where the Fool and the Hanged Man were, the Fool could see someone walking around in the courtyard of the castle up the hill. The Fool left the Hanged Man to investigate.
A king sat at the gate of the courtyard. On a table before him was a globe. At his side was a shield with a rose and a lily emblazoned on it. Just inside the courtyard, an old olive tree stood with its silvery leaves. The Fool watched the man point at different places on the globe with two wands.
How do you rule a kingdom when you are also conquering the known world? the king asked eventually.
I can’t decide if I must stay here or make this atlas bigger, the king said sadly. This is all the known world to me, but there is more. I have so much to do here too. I have legislation to make, civil servants to appoint, enemies to crush…
The Fool could see that he knew the answer. The Fool never settled down and created a kingdom. He preferred to wander the wide world. He wanted to see new things every day, not the same old olive tree. He couldn’t understand why this king didn’t just leave the keys to someone else.
The Fool told the king about the Hanged Man. He hangs upside down to see a new perspective, said the Fool. The world doesn’t actually change, but you see the trees growing down, the clouds move under your feet, and the sun rises into night.
The king wanted to meet the Hanged Man very much, so they meandered down the winding road to the bend where the Hanged Man still hung upside down.
My perspective is only what I can see in front of me, the Hanged Man said, but there is so much behind me.
The Hanged Man went on to explain the power of making choices based on perspective. Sometimes you have to just go through, the Hanged Man said. I am now so scared of taking that kind of action that I am still hanging here trying to decide.
As a king, I have to make quick, decisive decisions, the king said, and I don’t know if I can afford to spend the time learning all the perspectives. I need to act.
The Hanged Man shrugged, nonplussed by the king’s problems. The Fool and the king walked back to the castle. The king sat back down at his globe, showing him his known world.
He got up, gathered his armor, weapons, and shield, and took it all to his mount.
I am going to make my world bigger, the king decided. Thank you, Fool, for your wise counsel. And the king rode off down the road.
The Fool stood there, unsure of what he had actually done to help.