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“Let's shake on it.” A pause. “Oh.”

Now, this was back in the days when the promise of a man, even if he
were a demon, meant something (don't get me started), and a bargain was
made that very day.

The Emperor went back to his empire, and lo and behold, his goldmines
were again teeming with gold. His riverbeds, his mountain streams, his gullies
and gorges and gulches puked out all the gold he could ever want for.

If you are thinking, “Too easy. The Emperor needs to pay some horrible
price for his greet. That Gold Devil has tricked him somehow.” You would be
right. Clever you.

It so happened that Emperor Aurumius IV had nine children: two sons
and seven daughters. He loved them very much. He loved his children almost
as much as he loved his gold. And the demon Diavolo knew this, of course. So
when it came time for him to collect his part of the bargain, Diavolo said, “I
want eight of your children. They will be the pillars of my palace.”

“No!” cried the Emperor, “Not my children!”

“Yes!” cried Diavolo in mockery. “Your children. Eight of them! I'll turn
them to gold, and they'll hold up my palace for ever and all eternity.”

“No,” whispered the Emperor, “what have I done! I've lost my children,
all through greed and selfishness. I let my own lust for gold blind me and
make me forget that the greatest pleasure in life, the only reason for living, is
for love.” He was saying just what you'd expect him to say near the end of the
tale after he's learned his lessons, which was odd, given so much of the tale
has yet to unfold. But he's the Emperor, so when he pontificates, he means for
the world to believe him. Emperors are like that. They can be so --

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