Even images that aren't common to our daily experiences (kings, kingdoms, sieges) sound surprising familiar when seen as elements of a fairy tale. As anyone with children knows, telling stories is an incredibly intimate and common part of life. (cite fairy tale theory book)
figures like "good kings" "bad kings" "prophet" "kingdom" "temple" like cardboard cutouts or the outline of a mountain against the sun, help us generalize the story and make applications to ourselves
evokes the feeling of telling a parable, as the Master did Himself
Can you imagine (cozy setting of telling child a bedtime story, or helping a little on ride patiently in the car, or keeping the attention of a wiggly Primary class)
"Once upon upon a time there was a king...calling over the walls, in anguish find the prophet, prayed in the temple, told the people not to fear, woke up and the army was dead..."
Once upon a time... good king fell gravely sick, prayed to god, life extended by five years
Once upon a time...
