Nanowrimo - Parzival

Excerpt from Chapter 20 - so far I am on track to finish - to make 50,000 words, and I think I even know where the story is going now.  Feels so good.

As she pulled out of the driveway she thought about Parzival.

She had studied the book many years ago – a study group at the school where she taught.  She and her husband had taken the course and although she had learned much from the instructor she knew that most of the significance of that story was too esoteric, at the time, for her to grasp. 

But now, the Parzival story beckoned.  And she knew why. 

There is a part of the story where Parzival comes to a castle.  Many magical things occur while he is there, and much of the mystery surrounds the holy grail.  The grail is not a cup, as many Christians would have you believe, it is more of a platter, but that isn’t the part of the story that spoke to her now.

There is a king in this palace and he is very ill. He has a wound that won’t heal, and it is clear that there is an aura of death around him, and yet he can’t die. 

Parzival spends a night in the castle and leaves without asking the king.

What ails thee? 

And because he doesn’t ask the question, the king is destined to continue to suffer, but also Parzival is now destined to continue to suffer because he didn’t ask the question. 

What ails thee?  A simple enough question.  The king could have chosen to answer, or not to answer.  To tell the truth as he knew it, or to lie.  The point was the question was not asked. 

And why?  Why didn’t Parzival ask the question?