Dressed in his fine robes, the crown prince walked through the desert. It was hot, the sand scorched his feet through his sandals, and he was thirsty. Unaccustomed to the desert, he had already finished all his water. His camel was tired too, but since the master walked, so did he. Just a day ago, he had left the palace of his own accord. He wanted to walk the earth, to see the world, to be rich with life experiences. He felt stifled in the palace. His father sniggered and told him that he will never survive the outside world; he had been too sheltered all his life. He took it as a challenge, and told his father that he would make more riches by himself than his father himself ever had. His father told him that he would die old and frail and poor and alone, without anyone to love him. But defiantly, armed with his bottle of water and his favourite camel, he left the palace. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But now, the prince walked endlessly without direction, but with hope. He had spent the night at a commoner’s home, in a village way beyond the boundaries of his own kingdom. The commoner, who had a shop where he made and sold sweets, had welcomed him as a guest inside his humble home. His daughter had shyly fixed him supper and had offered him their only bed, while father and daughter stepped outside to sleep under the sky. The prince had felt uncomfortable in the small hovel, but little did he know that compared to what was in store, this was luxury. In the morning the girl had given him something to drink, and filled his water bottle for him. She was the prettiest girl the prince had ever seen; prettier than the dancers and slave girls in his palace. But he had his adventures to go on. After walking for hours, he finally stopped and fell to his feet, and rested his tired head against the camel who had plonked himself down too. Suddenly, much to his relief, he saw a man riding towards him on a horse. The man stopped in front of him, and looked him up and down. The prince asked for water, and the man threw him his bottle. After quenching his thirst, the prince thanked the man. But he had other ideas. From nowhere, four more appeared, and robbed the prince of every piece of jewellery he had. They beat him black and blue because he resisted, and when they had everything they wanted, left him alone in the sand, to die. His faithful camel too, was forcibly carted away, as the prince lay helplessly on the sand, his breath not coming to him. For days the prince stumbled from desert to desert, surviving on insects and hope. Until he couldn’t take it anymore. But just as he had collapsed, a couple of passing soldiers spotted him. They hauled him up, and took him to their base camp, where they presented him before their queen. The queen didn’t recognize him as the prince of her bitter enemy, he was in such a sorry state. She ordered her soldiers to bathe him, to shave him, to clean him up and get him ready for supper with her. When they were done with him, he was brought to the queen’s chambers, and she instantly fell in love. She looked at him as he tucked into this grand feast, and she smiled at his hands. They looked like they had seen better days. The prince spent the next one week with her, and realized that she was in love with him. When it was time for her to return to her palace, she begged him to come along and be with her, but he declined. He thanked her for all her kindness and with a heavy heart, she went her own way, as did he. The prince set off with his camel; a gift from the queen. He rode and he walked, this time more cautious and wiser than before. Until finally he realized that he had been walking around in a circle, and found himself at the same village he had spent the night in after he had left his palace. He walked up to the commoner who was pleasantly surprised to see him, and asked him for work. The commoner asked him what he would like to do, and the prince said he would like to learn to make sweets. Months passed by, and the prince took over from the commoner. The prince’s sweets were unmatchable in taste, and patrons from far and wide came to him for his wares. But his father never called upon him, or bothered to check on his well-being. It did not matter to the prince. He was happy; way happier than he was when he was holed up in the palace. He was brighter, wiser and more a part of the world than he ever was. And he was his own man, not his father’s son. No one in the village knew of his true identity, but they loved him for his quick wit, his simplicity, his loving nature and his delicious treats. The prince and the commoner’s daughter married just before the commoner passed on, leaving his little shop as legacy to the prince and his daughter. The prince was busier than ever before. His shop flourished as he now took care of the business, and kept two cooks to do all the work. His wife bore him a daughter, who grew up to have the grace of a swan and eyes like the sea. As the years passed, their daughter left for the city to pursue her studies. The prince grew old and frail. The entire village was overwhelmed with sorrow when he became bed-ridden, and the village doctor informed his distraught wife that there was no hope. His father’s soul came to his bedside, and told him that he was proud of the life his son had led. He had made it on his own, and he was dying surrounded by people who loved him. He may not have had the riches his father owned, but he had earned the love and respect of people, unlike his father, who had demanded and got it thanks to his power and the fear he created in them. The prince asked his wife if he had lived a good life, and if had made for a good husband and father. His wife held his hand and cried at his unnecessary query. Their daughter arrived just in time to see her father breathe his last, and the prince died peacefully in the company of his loving family and an entire village that mourned him for years to come, and adopted his wife and daughter and took care of them till they breathed their last. |
