The City of Ivory
Prince Marco and His Mission
Once upon a time, in the great kingdom of Palasia, there lived a prince named Marco. He was a very handsome man, but he was very emotional and didn't think rationally or logically.
When the prince turned twenty-one, the king summoned him.
— Son, you are twenty-one now, so it's time you learned about our neighbors. — Our neighbors? — Yes, a kingdom just as peaceful as the other one nearby. Therefore, I have decided that you shall go to the kingdom of the City of Ivory and find out everything that's happening there. Yes, that's it. — A vacation? Fantastic! — This is no vacation. You must go there as a commoner and no one must know who you are. You will be accompanied by Minister Dan's son, Sam. — Oh, wonderful! Me and my best friend, ready to go on a super-secret mission! Pew, pew!
Saying this, Prince Marco left. The king sighed.
— Oh, I wonder what my son's destiny holds.
The Journey and the Mysterious Encounter
The next day, Prince Marco and the minister's son, Sam, set off for the kingdom of the City of Ivory. They traveled for days through jungles, across rivers, and through cities. Finally, they reached a dense jungle, a sign that the kingdom of the City of Ivory was beginning.
— I'm very tired. I want to rest a little. — Sure, friend. We're already in the City of Ivory anyway. A break for rest and something to drink won't hurt. Why don't you go get us some water from the river? I'll take care of the food.
Prince Marco nodded and left. When Marco reached the stream, he set down his flask and leaned over to drink some water. But just as he was about to, he saw in the water's reflection a face so beautiful that he was spellbound.
— Who? Who are you?
Discovering the Legend
Meanwhile, Sam, who had prepared the food, was beginning to wonder where his friend was.
— Why is it taking so long? Hey! Marco! Marco!
Quickly, Sam ran to the river, where he found his friend on the ground, unconscious.
— Marco!
Startled, Marco opened his eyes and immediately stood up.
— What? What happened? Where did the beautiful maiden go? — Who?
Marco explained to Sam what had happened.
— I saw her reflection in the water, and the moment I wanted to touch it, I heard a loud scream. It was as if, as if she were a witch.
Sam suddenly understood what had happened.
— So it really is true? — What? What are you talking about? — Friend, my prince, I believe you are the chosen one. — I'm the what? — You see, the legend says that the princess of the City of Ivory, Princess Gulizer, was kidnapped by a witch who took her place in the kingdom. But, you should know, no one knew for sure, because the princess spoke, looked, and behaved exactly the same. Not even the best hermits and fairies could tell for certain. — Maybe it was just a rumor. — Well, it seems that's what the king and queen thought too, and they did nothing. And within a few years, no one spoke about it anymore, until everyone forgot. Until... — Until what? — Until what happened today.
Sam's Plan
Sam explained to Prince Marco how the legend says that one day, a prince dressed as a commoner would come to the kingdom of the City of Ivory, and only his eyes would be able to see the princess, and only his ears would be able to hear the witch's scream.
— If that's the truth, then, then we must go quickly to the king of the City of Ivory and tell him the truth. — Oh, no, no, not so fast, my prince. We need to think logically. I have a plan.
And according to the plan, Sam and Prince Marco went to a house in the City of Ivory where a woman named old Rachet lived. Old Rachet was a very greedy woman, and Sam had heard about her from a friend of his who had visited the City of Ivory a few years earlier. Sam knocked on the door and old Rachet came out.
— Yes? — My friend and I come from a distant kingdom and we'll be staying here in the City of Ivory for two days. Can you give us shelter? We'll pay you well. — My! I haven't seen so many banknotes gathered together in a long time. Come in! Make yourselves at home!
The Disguised Witch
Later, when she was giving food to Prince Marco and Sam, old Rachet said:
— That's all I have right now. Eat! And then for dinner I'll bring you something delicious from the palace. — From the palace? — Yes, from the palace. Oh, you don't know?
Sam and Prince Marco pretended not to know.
— Hm, know what? — Well, I work at the palace. I'm Princess Gulizer's personal servant. I do her hair every day. And I'm a very important person. — I've heard she's the most beautiful woman in the entire world. — Hm, well, how lucky you are to be with someone so important. Listen, Mrs. Rachet, could you perhaps do us a favor? — Of course, tell me!
Sam took a diamond pendant from his pocket and gave it to her.
— Here, give Princess Gulizer this pendant and tell her that I, the prince of Palasia, Prince Marco, ask for her hand.
Prince Marco was left speechless, and old Rachet laughed.
— You, a prince?
Sam raised an eyebrow and pulled out Prince Marco's crown from his saddlebag. Seeing the crown, Rachet's face dropped. Suddenly, she bowed and rushed off.
— What are you up to? — You'll see. — And where are you going? — To buy a gift for the princess. Don't wait up, I'll be late.
Unmasking the Witch
When old Rachet went to the palace, she showed the princess the diamond pendant and told her everything. She smiled cunningly.
— Go quickly and tell him I'm inviting him to dinner tomorrow evening.
Old Rachet nodded and left. The next day, at the princess's invitation, Sam and Prince Marco went to the palace. Sam was dressed as a prince, while Prince Marco was dressed as a commoner, carrying a box. Princess Gulizer pretended to be delighted to meet Sam. They greeted each other, and the princess introduced him to her parents, who were glad to meet him.
During dinner, Sam asked:
— Hey, excuse me for asking, but isn't it strange that there are no animals in the kingdom, other than horses? — Well, Gulizer believes animals belong in the jungle. So we had to send them all out of the kingdom. Fortunately, she let us keep the horses. — What a pity, because I brought this for the princess.
Sam clapped his hands, and Prince Marco came with the box. He opened it and out jumped a cute little kitten. Princess Gulizer leaped up screaming.
— Ah!
She began backing away, but the cat walked toward her and suddenly touched her foot.
— Ah!
Suddenly, the witch reverted to her original form, and Princess Gulizer's dress fell to the floor. Everyone was shocked.
— Ah! — Soldiers! Seize her immediately! She can do nothing in the presence of cats.
The soldiers immediately caught the witch and took her away.
— All these years we've been raising a witch! Oh, how foolish we've been! — Well, don't be disheartened, for here we have the true prince of Palasia, Prince Marco, who is the chosen one.
Sam explained everything to the king and queen. They were shocked by what they heard.
— So you're saying there's hope?
Prince Marco and Sam nodded, and a large vessel filled with water was immediately brought to them.
— Remember! Only you can see her in the water. When you touch the reflection, you'll hear the witch's loud scream. If you can resist, then the princess will be able to break the curse and enter our world. — But couldn't I have done this at the stream? — Yes, but the witch would have realized and devised a plan before we reached the king and queen. — You know, you are the cleverest person I've ever met.
Sam smiled.
— Now, save your princess!
The Reunion and the Happy Ending
As soon as Prince Marco leaned over the vessel of water, he saw the reflection of Princess Gulizer. He placed his palm on the surface of the water and began to hear a loud scream.
— Ah!
Prince Marco closed his eyes tight and endured. After some time, the loud scream stopped, and with sparkling stars, Princess Gulizer emerged from the water.
Seeing her, the king and queen rushed over and embraced her.
— Mother! Father! — Oh, my child! — Oh, thank goodness you're alright! — Fortunately, you were here.
The king and queen explained everything to Gulizer. She looked at Prince Marco and smiled.
— You saved me! Thank you so much! — There's no need. — Please! — Yes.
And so, Princess Gulizer and Prince Marco became very good friends. Under their leadership, the two kingdoms began trading more and became good neighbors. But did they marry? Well, we don't know. But we do know that Sam was appointed royal advisor to King Marco, and under their leadership, Palasia became the most prosperous kingdom on the continent.
This story teaches us that intelligence and courage can defeat evil, and true friendship can change destinies.
