The Magic Ring
The Prodigal Prince
Once upon a time, there lived a king who had two sons. The elder son, Prince Edward, was wise and careful with his things, while the younger, Prince Clifford, was a great spendthrift.
— Ah, Rubus, bring me the jewels! — Your Majesty, I made these rings especially for you. — They are extraordinary! Here you go! — Sire, thank you! Your Majesty, I still needed 100 more gold coins. — Oh, wait a moment!
— Edward, can you lend me 100 gold coins? — But Father just gave us each 1000 gold coins. — I spent them. — Already? Not even an hour has passed, Clifford! — Brother, someone is waiting for me! You should see what rings and bracelets he makes! You should get some too! — Clifford, you are impossible! — Give me the money, please, brother! We are princes, we will never run out of gold.
Prince Edward lent Prince Clifford 100 gold coins, but he was worried. With such a habit of spending, his brother would deplete all the gold in the palace. So he decided to talk to his father about it.
— Father, this way Clifford will spend all the gold in the palace. — You are right. Haven't you talked to him? — He only says that we are princes and that we will never run out of gold. — Ah! So if talking to him doesn't help, tell Prince Clifford that I want to see him at once.
The King's Lesson
Prince Clifford was summoned, and the king spoke to him.
— You only know the power of gold. It is time for you to understand how powerless it can make you. — I don't understand, Father. — Here are 1000 gold coins. If you manage to keep them for a month, that's good. But if you spend them sooner, you will have to leave the palace and only return when you have learned about the worthlessness of gold and about things that are worth more than gold. — As you wish, Father.
So the king gave Prince Clifford 1000 gold coins, which, of course, the prodigal prince spent in a few days. As was the condition, he had to leave the palace, having only four gold coins that Prince Edward had given him.
— Father, is there really no other way? — It is good for him. Clifford has a kind soul. His kind soul will protect him and make him return wiser.
Unexpected Friends
Prince Clifford reached the outskirts of the kingdom. There, he suddenly heard a sound.
— Meow! — Hey! Don't hit the poor animal! — It drank all the milk from my bottle! Now what will I drink? This cat is more trouble than help. — I will buy the cat from you. How much does it cost? — One gold coin, no less. — Here you go! — Hey kitty, you're free now! No one will hit you again. — Meow! I want to come with you! — Alright, come on! But I have nothing to give you. — You have a kind soul and that is more than enough! Meow!
A little further on, the prince reached a field, where he saw a very angry farmer.
— You terrible creature! — What's the problem? Don't hit the poor animal! — The birds pecked all my fruits. He was supposed to keep them away. — But look at his feet! I will buy the dog from you. How much does it cost? — One gold coin, no less. — Here you go! — You are free now, friend! — I will come with you! — Alright, come on! But I have nothing to give you. — You have a kind soul and that is more than enough! Come!
A little further, the prince came across a man carrying a strange package wrapped in a red cloth. Passing by him, he heard a cry.
— Someone let me go! — Hey! What do you have there? — What do you care? — I want to see what it is! Free the parrot! It should fly free! Not be locked in a cage! — If you want to free my parrot, it will cost you one gold coin. — Here you go! Now free the poor creature! — Now you can fly wherever you want! — I want to come with you! — Alright, but I have nothing to give you. — You have a kind soul and that is more than enough! Come!
The Magic Ring
The prince continued walking with his new friends. Somewhere along the way, he met a snake charmer.
— Do you want to see my act? — I can't do this anymore! Someone save me! — Hey, man! It's cruel of you to keep a snake locked in a basket. Let it go! — If you want to free the snake, it will cost you no less than one gold coin. — Here you go! — You are free to go, friend! — I will stay with you and I want to reward you for your kindness. — It's not necessary, friend. — No! Come with me to my family and when my father asks you what you want, ask him for the ring he wears.
The prince was amazed by the strange request the snake was asking him to make. But he decided to do as the snake said. All together they reached a hideout on the hill. The snake went to talk to his father and soon Prince Clifford was called.
— You saved my son's life. What can I do for you? — I did what any man should do. I want nothing in return. Thank you. — You have a kind soul. It will be an honor to grant your wish. Please, tell me what you want. — In that case, give me the ring you are wearing. — I would never have parted with this ring, but a promise is a promise. Here you go! Take it! Beware of the witch, she has wanted this ring for years.
Although the prince did as he was told, he couldn't understand the point of asking for a ring when there was so much gold he could have had. But he said nothing. The prince opened his bag and took out the single piece of bread that was in it. But when he realized that the animals might also be hungry, he gave them the piece of bread.
— You know what? I'm not hungry. Why don't you share this? — Why don't you ask the ring? — It's a ring, not a chef to cook for us! — Come on, ask! — Food? — Anything you want! For now, let it be food. — I want the most delicious sweets, pudding for me, strawberries and cream for the cat, fruits and nuts for the parrot, and biscuits for the dog. And for you? — I've already eaten. Thank you. — So, I want... The food is already here! It's delicious! — Now do what I did. Keep this bottle with you and you will be able to ask the ring for anything. — Thank you very much, friend!
The Golden Palace
The prince and his animal friends walked on. Having the miraculous ring with them, they didn't have to worry about anything. The ring gave them food, shelter, warm clothes for cold nights, it gave them everything. As they walked, they arrived in a new kingdom. A strange announcement was being made just as they entered the kingdom.
— The King challenges you! Whoever manages to build a golden palace in the middle of the sea in a single night will marry the princess and have half the kingdom. — What a strange announcement! — There must be some evil spell on the king, otherwise why would he challenge us to such an impossible thing? — It is indeed a spell. To find the ring! — Ha ha! — With the power of the ring, the challenge was nothing to the prince. He went to court and told the king that he could build the palace. — I will be able to fulfill the challenge in the blink of an eye. — Are you sure? — Yes, Your Majesty.
The prince was taken to the sea, where he slept peacefully during the night. Everyone was worried about him, but as soon as dawn broke, the prince woke up, prayed to the ring, and behold: a magnificent golden palace rose in the middle of the sea. The guard, who was the witch, saw this.
— The ring! I knew it! No one will stop me from getting my hands on it!
The Witch and the Ring
The prince and princess married and lived in the golden palace. The witch was planning to steal the ring.
— This is my chance!
The witch transformed into an old woman and pretended to be lost at sea. The generous princess let her stay at the palace.
— Your Majesty, what a beautiful home you have! But how is it that in such a large palace you have no servants? — Oh, we don't need servants! The prince has a magic ring that does everything for us! — I want to see the ring! Quickly! I mean, if you don't mind. — My husband always keeps the ring with him. You will have to wait for him to return if you want to see it. — It will be difficult to steal the ring from the prince. I must try something different. Oh, no! You should keep the ring here with you! — Why? — Well, if it gets lost at sea, wouldn't it be safer here at the palace? — You are right! I will talk to my husband when he returns.
That night, the princess asked the prince to leave the ring with her while he was away at sea. The prince immediately agreed. The next morning, the prince left for sea without the ring. The witch saw him leave, and now that the princess was alone, she took her true form and snatched the ring from the princess.
— Finally! I've been looking for you my whole life! I cast a spell over this kingdom to find you! Finally you are mine! When your husband comes home, he won't even know what happened here! Ha ha ha!
Rescue and Wisdom
The animals told the prince everything that had happened when he returned from the sea.
— I know where she took the princess! — Yes! — Quickly, take me there! — It's dangerous to go there! Don't forget the witch has the ring! — The dog is right! Who knows what she will do with the ring! — Meow! We will bring you the ring!
The parrot led the others to where the witch was holding the princess. First, the snake crawled to the princess.
— Shhh! Be sure to ask for cheese for dinner tonight and leave a piece near the cave walls. — Mhm!
The princess asked for cheese for dinner and secretly left a piece near the cave walls. At night, when the princess and the witch were sleeping, the rats came to eat the cheese. The cat was waiting. It caught a rat, and put its tail in the witch's nostril.
— Haa!
The witch sneezed and the ring flew out. The parrot caught it and flew away with it. The dog freed the princess, and the snake made sure the witch didn't attack them. Soon, they were all with the prince.
— Please, make all the witch's evil and the spell on the king disappear forever!
— Now I understand what my father was saying. — What? — I had all the gold and riches in the world, but it wasn't enough to protect you from evil. Friends, not money, helped me. All my life, just because I am a prince, I gave importance to objects you can buy with money and not to the people who loved me. No amount of money can ensure happiness, but the love of a single friend is enough to light up our lives forever. And I have five friends, plus my brother and father. I don't need more money. Take this and return to your father. It belongs to him.
In the end, Prince Clifford returned home wiser.
He finally learned the value of important things in life and remained with his father and brother, with his animal friends, and with the love of his life, the princess. Happily ever after.
