At last the stranger stopped. He had a throat infection and was in severe pain trying to talk. He tried to beg of the king mercy but the king wouldn't hear of it. So the stranger was sent off to the courtyard and yet another young man lost his head. The storytelling competition continued for a few more years but nobody made their story last forever." Eventually the competition stopped because the king was once again bored with stories. The king began a new hobby playing
chess and he lived happily ever after.