The Lonely Prince
Once King Harimanga held his court, there lived a young prince, Leo, in the heart of the kingdom. He resided in an ostentatious palace that had many servants, wore the finest clothes, and ate some very delicious food. But, there was a catch: Leo was lonely. He had no real friends.
His parents, the king and queen, were too busy to attend to him because of the royal duties they had to perform. His teachers spoke only of history, warfare, and politics. The guards of the palace showed him excessive respect. Nobody played with him, laughed with him, or shared secrets with him as a true friend would do.
A Curious Desire
One day Leo watched from his window as the children were playing and chasing each other, laughing and having fun in the village. He wanted to join them. “Why can’t I have any fun like them?” he mused.
His resolve to go and taste life outside the palace grew stronger. He decided to keep his disguise as a common boy, slipping away out of the palace and then into the village without alerting anyone.
The Prince’s Disguise
After midnight, Leo found old clothes broad in the servants’ quarters: a simple tunic, concealing his royal ring. Now he looked just like any other village boy. He was excited but nervous and sneaked out of the palace in the darkness with the help of a secret passage.
The streets of Harimanga welcomed him with all their life as he stepped down into them. The fresh bread, the roasting meat, and the flowers filled the air with more than they could express. People were busy, talking and laughing. Leo was free for the first time.
Meeting the Village Children
Leo made his way into a small park where the children were playing some sort of ball game. He hesitated for a second but walked over nonetheless. Could I join?” he asked hesitantly.
“Hello, are you new around here? Where’re you from?”; questioned one of the children.
“I just moved to this village,” Leo said. “I don’t know anybody yet.”
How sweet; then come play! Arin smiled brightly; the other children welcomed him unimpeded. Leo felt a warm happiness he had never felt before.
Learning About Friendship
Leo realized playing with the village children was not so easy. He fell down, missed a few balls, and often got dirty. Instead of bullying him, the other children helped him get better. They cheered him on and laughed at his misadventures over peanuts and snacks.
For once in Leo’s life, he felt accepted, not for he was a prince, but because he was such a boy as the other villagers.
A Test of Friendship
One day Leo and his new friends saw a boy named Sami, in tatters, being bullied by older kids. Without thinking twice, Leo stepped forward. “Stop! Leave him alone!” he yelled.
The bullies sneered, but Leo wouldn’t back down. His friends, seeing Leo’s courage, decided to join him. Together they made the bullies run away. Sami was grateful. “Thank you,” he said. “Nobody ever stands up for me.”
Leo learned that true friendships protect each other in several situations. Friendship is kindness and not status.
The Truth Revealed
One evening, while Leo was playing with the other kids, a royal guard arrived in the village and searched for him. “Prince Leo! There you are! The king and queen are literally worried sick!”
The kids gasped. “Prince?!” Arin exclaimed. “You are a prince?!”
Leo sighed, just looking down. “Yes, I am. But I didn’t lie. What I wanted was true friends.”
There was a pause. Then Arin grinned and declared: “And you are, prince or not, still our friend.”
The others nodded in agreement. Leo’s heart swelled with joy. They accepted him for who he was, not because of his title.
A Changed Prince
Leo returned to the palace and recounted his adventure to his parents. They did not scold him but rather listened to what he had to say. He told them of his new understanding of true friendship and the critical need to be connected to the people of Harimanga.
Inspired by their son, the king and queen decided to open their hearts and palaces to the villagers, holding parties where nobles and commoners mingled together, breaking all those barriers of class.
A Kingdom of Friendship
Very few things made Leo more happy than visits to his friends. In this mode, he showed himself to be a prince and invited them up to the palace never to let a child in Harimanga feel lonely.
“Befriend the prince, and maybe he earns some respect for it,” Leo thought, baring it out in characters of idealism. And so the lonely prince became really not lonely anymore.
