Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a
 neighbouring kingdom.  The monarch could have killed him, but was moved
 by Arthur's youthful happiness.  So he offered him freedom, as long he could
 answer a very difficult question.  Arthur would have a year to figure out
 the answer; if, after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to
 death.
 The question was: "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 princesses,
 the prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, and the court jester.  In all,
 he spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
 What most people did tell him was to consult the old witch, as only she
 would know the answer.  The price would be high, since the witch was
 famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
 The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to talk
 to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept
 her price first.  The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of
 the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
 Young Arthur was horrified: she was hunchbacked and awfully hideous, had
 only one tooth, smelled like sewage water, often made obscene noises, and
 had discoloured skin. He had never run across such a repugnant creature.
 He refused to force his friend to marry her and have to endure such a
 burden.
 However, Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He told
 him that nothing was too big a sacrifice in order to save Arthur's life
 and preserve the Round Table.
 Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and the witch answered Arthur's
 question:
 "What a woman really wants is to be able 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 went.  The neighbouring monarch
 spared Arthur's life and granted him 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 wedding night approached: Gawain, steeling himself for a horrific
 night, entered the bedroom. What a sight awaited! The most beautiful woman
 he'd ever seen lay before him!  Gawain was astounded and asked what had
 happened.
 The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her (when she'd been
 a witch), half the time she would be her horrible, deformed self and the
 other half, she would be her beautiful maiden self.
 Which would he want her to be during the day and which during the night?
 What a cruel question!  Gawain began to think of 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 spooky witch?  Or would he prefer having by
 day a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman to enjoy many intimate
 moments?
 What would you do?  What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read on
 until you've made your own choice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 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 and had let her be in charge of her own life.
   
 What is the moral of this story?
   
 The moral is that it doesn't matter if your woman is pretty or ugly.
 Underneath it all, she's still a witch and don't you forget it.

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