Codex - Princess of Wahsili

Section 1
"Said the supreme Prince Ursulus, 'Saddle a wild cat to transport me to Agbana, for I wish to meet this princess. I intend to marry her, and to bond our peoples to theirs.'"

"These were the days when power rested in the hands of the few, and such behaviour was common. Ursulus rode the wild cat for a month throu h the green pastures of the north. He took in the sights of he country, and the work of his people, whom he called the 'Pilipai', since they were happy to live outside the city. His entourage of fifty men and women saw to his every whim."

"At the end of the fourth week he arrived in Agbana, anxious to see the foreign princess about whom all the people had remarked. Ursulus invited her to his private parlour, so that he could propose. Awaiting her were great citrus cakes, and game pies, and carafes of the finest wines, and a golden chequerboard table for the feast to rest upon. But when the princess arrived, supreme Prince Ursulus spewed his wine down his best toga."

The foreign princess turned out to be a gigantic rat, with the bushiest bulging cheeks, and the sleekest pinkest ears.

Section 6
"What Ursulus did not know, was that the princess had survived the terrible voyage. With her remarkable ingenuity she managed to construct a makeshift boat from a sail and beam of the old one. Once returned to the Wahsili, the story of the prince's deception quickly spread, and the Wahsili vowed to rise above the selfishness and cruelty of humankind. The rat clans met in the great burrow beneath the moon, and agreed to a pact of peace." "'The Wahsili shall no longer fight over the Lighter of the Lamps. Nor shall they squabble over the prophecies of Envoys, who say the cavern shall shatter. The cavern-beneath-the-cavern hears us, and we must remain humble.'" "Some of the clans objected to the lack of 'sport', so it was agreed that the battles themselves should continue, but that no rat should be allowed to come to harm. If you ever chance to visit the burrow in your travels across Foundation, put your ear to the soil, and you may hear the rumble of sword on board, as to this day, the rat-people commemorate the return of their princess."