{"product_id":"the-iron-ring-isbn-9780141303482","title":"The Iron Ring","description":"When Tamar, the young king of Sundari, loses a dice game, he loses everything--his kingdom, its riches, and even the right to call his life his own. His bondage is symbolized by the iron ring that appears mysteriously on his finger. To Tamar, born to the warrior caste, honor is everything. So he sets out on a journey to make good on his debt--and even to give up his life if necessary. And that journey leads him into a world of magic, where animals can talk, the foolish are surprisingly wise, and danger awaits...Born on January 30, 1924, in Philadelphia, storyteller \u003cb\u003eLloyd Alexander\u003c\/b\u003e spent his childhood filling his imagination with fantasies about other lands and eras. For ten years of his writing career, Alexander wrote for adults, then changed gears and wrote fiction for young people. Alexander has received a Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor Award, a National Book Award, and several IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Awards. He is also the author of many ALA Notable Children’s Books and School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.Chapter 2: The Iron Ring                \"King of Sundari\" --- Jaya half smiled --- \"I spoke                of the vagaries of the dice. Here you see proof. The                odds were in my favor, yet fortune stood at your                side. You have won.                 \"Yes.\" Tamar breathed again. He stared at the                diamond. Jaya scooped up the dice and once more                dropped them into the cup.                 \"A small loss,\" he said, \"but I shall try to regain it.\"                 \"No need.\" Tamar pushed the diamond and chain                across the board. His hands shook, as if he had just                been pulled back from the edge of a cliff. \"Enough. I                have no desire to play again. A friendly game-friends                do not keep each others possessions. Take back                your wager. I shall find you some better distraction,                if it pleases you.\"                 \"It does not please me. You dishonor me by                scorning what you rightfully won.\"                 \"Call it a gift. Call it whatever you choose. I play no                more.\"                 \"That is not for you to say,\" Jaya returned. \"By rule,                it is I who declare the game over. No. I set the                stakes again. Double what they were.\"                 Tamar's face tightened. What Jaya proposed would                have put most of Sundari's treasure at risk. Tamar                shook his head. \"A king serves his people as well as                himself, and answers to them for his actions. For me,                it would be reckless stewardship.\"                 \"Will you be reckless with your honor? You agreed                to the rules of aksha, did you not? Obey them.\"                 \"Lower the stakes, then, as you first offered to do.\"                 \"At first, yes. You did not accept. I no longer offer.\"                Jaya leaned over the table. \"The game continues; we                will play it out. A childish pastime? Also a question                of dharma. We are both bound by dharma, King of                Sundari.                 \"I do not break dharma,\" Jaya went on. \"But you, if                you choose to break yours by refusing, so be it. End                the game-and shame yourself.                 Tamar's blood rose. \"Take up the dice.\"                 Jaya rattled the cup and casually spilled out its                contents. \"How interesting. Once more, the odds                favor me. Once more, will fortune favor you?\"                 The dice danced on the board as Tamar threw in                turn. Jaya's smile was thin as a thread.                 \"You have won again, King of Sundari. Now, to me.                At triple the stakes.\"                 Without awaiting a reply, Jaya cast the dice. When                Tamar played in turn, his head spun like the ivory                cubes. He dimly grasped that his score was higher                than his opponent's.                 \"Truly, you are fortune's darling,\" Jaya said. \"We                play on. Triple what I have lost.\"                 How long even a maharajah might continue so                rashly, Tamar could not guess. Winning the next turn                yet again, Tamar gave up trying to calculate what he                had gained. King though he was, he had never                imagined such wealth within his reach. His thoughts                raced over all the plans he had, until now, only                dreamed: waterways from the outlying hills to the                public squares, parks and gardens throughout the                city, wide streets, shining new buildings, houses for                even the poorest of his subjects. He seized the dice                cup eagerly, threw-and won again. He was giddy,                flushed with wild joy and soaked in cold sweat.                 The king of Mahapura yawned. \"The game grows                boring. One final throw for each of us. But, to play                for meaningless trinkets --- surely there are more                exciting wagers.  Something to add a touch of spice,                a little stimulation.\"                 \"Wager what you please,\" Tamar said impatiently.                The game had caught him up and held him in its arms                like a lover, whispering in his ear.                 \"Honor binds you to accept it.\"                 As I do. Lay down the stakes.                 \"Life against life.\"                 Tamar's head went back as if he had been struck.                He was suddenly cold. \"I do not understand.\"                 \"Very simple.\" Jaya folded his arms and looked                impassively at Tamar. \"Win, my life is yours to do                with as you please. Lose, your life is forfeit to me.\"                 \"I cannot --- \"                 \"Can. And must.\" With a lazy movement, Jaya                scattered the dice over the board. He pursed his                lips. \"Fortune still favors you. My score is small,                easily surpassed.\"                 Tamar's fingers had gone numb, scarcely able to                hold the cup. The dice seemed to leap out by their                own will.                 \"King of Sundari,\" Jaya said, \"you have lost.\"                 For long moments, Tamar did not speak. Then, in a                voice he barely recognized as his own, he                murmured, \"This is folly. Madness.\"                 \"No. It is honor,\" Jaya said. \"And you, so proud of                keeping it, learn what it truly is. Have you ever                tested it? I think not.\"                 \"I lost a wager. I still keep my honor.\"                 \"Then obey dharma.\" Jaya rose, taller than he had                first appeared. \"Hear me; understand me well. I                leave you now; I have other matters to deal with.                But, from this moment, you are at my command.                You will go to my palace in Mahapura and there                make good on your debt. Vow to do so without                fail.\"                 Tamar stood and looked squarely at Jaya. \"You                have my word as king and kshatriya. \"                 \"I accept it.\" Jaya nodded. He gripped Tamar's wrist                in one hand with such strength that Tamar clenched                his teeth to keep from crying out; and, with the                other, set a ring of black iron on his finger.                 \"The emblem of your pledge,\" Jaya said. \"Your life is                my property.\"                 \"So, King of Mahapura,\" Tamar flung back, \"what                will you do with it?\"                 \"How dare you question me?\" Jaya answered in a                voice of cold stones grinding against each other. \"Do                I explain myself to a dog if I choose to kill him?\" He                dropped Tamar's wrist and turned away.                 \"I am not your dog!\" Tamar lunged after him. Jaya                was already through the doorway. Tamar would                have followed, but a roar like breaking surf filled his                ears. His legs gave way; he stumbled and fell to the                floor. The ring felt as if it had been bound tight                around his heart.                 \"I am not your dog!\" he shouted again. And again.                Until he drowned in the echoes. Text copyright © Lloyd Alexander, 1997; Published by Puffin Books, a member of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers","brand":"Puffin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301095428325,"sku":"NP9780141303482","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780141303482.jpg?v=1742922970","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-iron-ring-isbn-9780141303482","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}