The Poet and the Princess
Once upon a time. There once was a poet named Zoran, who wrote about love, and whose poems were cherished by people all over the world. Zoran lived alone with his parrot, Peri-Peri.
After years of writing and selling poems, he began to feel discouraged.
— Who am I writing for? So many poems about eternal love, butterflies in the stomach, love at first sight. It all seems so meaningless. — How can I write about love if I've never felt it? — Zoran, my friend, you're thinking too much. You need to relax!
A Journey to Relaxation
— Relax? Yes, yes, that's it! I need to relax! Ha! I need to relax! — Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Peri-Peri, you're the best! I need to relax, I need to relax! — Ha! What's wrong with him? I think he's gone mad! Where, where are you going? — It's not just me going, my friend, it's us. We're going. — Are you going to tell me where?
Zoran put Peri-Peri in his jacket pocket, grabbed his briefcase, and left home.
Arctic Destination
— Welcome aboard the Titanic, a world-renowned cruise ship! We will take you to the Arctic region, a vast and spectacular area. The Arctic region stretches from the Russian Far East to Arctic Norway. — Covered in ice for most of the year, during these short summer months, we have the opportunity to see diverse landscapes, unusual animals, and interesting people. That's what the Arctic region offers us.
Peri-Peri's trembling head popped out of the pocket.
— Are we, are we going to, to the Arctic? — Yes. — But why? — You told me to relax, remember? Did you forget? — And you had to go to the cold? — Yes. — Oh, no way! — He fell asleep again.
For five days, the ship sailed continuously. On the sixth day, it reached the Arctic.
— Hey, Zoran, where are you going? Aren't you going with everyone else? — No, my friend, I have my own agenda. But I'll be back when the ship leaves. — Alright then, good luck! And don't catch a cold! — Can we leave him here when we go? — Quiet, Peri!
The Mysterious Igloo and Lady Laga
Zoran stepped onto the frozen surface of the Arctic region with a map in hand. After walking for a while, a blue igloo appeared before him.
Zoran looked at the map and smiled.
— Come on, Peri-Peri! To find the love of my life!
Zoran entered the igloo, where he saw an old woman sitting by the fire. She was a witch named Lady Laga.
— Who are you and how did you find my igloo? — Aunt Laga, it's me, your nephew, Zoran. — Zoran? — Yes, and this is my parrot, Peri-Peri. — Very well. Now leave! Shoo! — No, I didn't come here just to tell you his name. I have a problem. — Yes? — I'm a poet and I write about love. And, and I've never been in love. It seems wrong. — And what am I supposed to do? — My mother used to tell me stories about you. She said you were a matchmaker for hundreds of people and helped them find their true love. — Oh, I don't do that anymore! — Please, Auntie! — Ah, alright. But it's not easy. — You underestimate me, madam! Sorry!
The Story of the Ice Princess
Lady Laga told Zoran about the Ice Princess, Mintos, who had not found love in her youth.
— No suitor had reached her heart or been able to win her over. They all came and went. In the end, she became so discouraged that her hope for true love vanished. Her heart grew cold, so cold, that her body turned to ice. — The king tried several methods to bring her back to normal, but nothing worked. However, on the advice of the wise hermit, the king, with a heavy heart, brought his daughter's ice body to the Arctic region. — Good! I love this Ice Age fairy tale you've told with such passion! — Are you laughing at me? — Don't listen to him, Auntie, please tell me more!
Zoran's Mission
— Not far from here lives a colony of penguins called the Joyful Ones. They are always happy and don't know what tears are. If you can make one cry tears of joy and have those tears fall onto a pebble, half the mission is surely accomplished. — And the other half? — Well, with the pebble in hand, you will have to propose to the ice sculpture. If your proposal is strong enough to reach the princess's heart, it means you've found your true love. — Tsk, tsk! — What is it? — I think our neighbor, Lana Rodriguez, is a better idea. She likes you a lot, and you don't have to go through all this pebble and ice sculpture stuff to win her over. — Peri-Peri! — Yes? — Quiet! Aunt Laga, before I leave, I want to ask you a favor.
The Joyful Penguins and the Unexpected Gift
Zoran and Peri-Peri set off towards the Joyful Ones. When they arrived, they realized they were surrounded by them.
— What are you looking for here, huh? — I, I came to bring you a gift. — A gift? — Yes, here it is. Look, take it!
The chief penguin took the gift, and when he opened it, out came...
— Wow! — Yes? Continue, storyteller! — Out of it came a glider! — Wow! A glider! — Yes. — And what does it do? Why don't you try it yourself? Ah!
The chief penguin tried it.
— Now run and lift off!
And that's what he did. And after a few moments, he was in the air, flying like a bird. Overwhelmed with joy, the penguin began to cry.
The Tear of Joy and the Ice Sculpture
Peri-Peri immediately grabbed a pebble and went after the tear.
— Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, yes, I caught you!
The tear fell onto the pebble and shone brightly. The penguins ran after their chief, who was flying happily.
Meanwhile, Zoran and Peri set off towards the ice sculpture. When they reached it, they were fascinated.
— Holy mother of parrots, it looks wonderful!
The Proposal
Zoran smiled and knelt down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
— In this moment, time stops. In this moment, my will leaves me to fulfill only what I have desired. To forget everything behind me and move forward, towards you, towards my heart, towards your mind, and towards your soul. Help me, princess, for I am losing control. Break that glass and come to me. — I am and always will be by your side. Come, princess, please come! Because in this moment, I hope time has stopped, because in this moment I hope my will has left me. Come to me, so please, so please!
Princess Mintos Awakens
A gentle breeze touched Zoran, and at that moment, the layer of ice shattered into pieces. And out of it emerged Princess Mintos.
She had flushed cheeks, moist eyes, and unbound hair. Zoran was speechless. Peri-Peri's jaw dropped.
— Goodness gracious!
Princess Mintos went to Zoran, and he stood up. The two looked into each other's eyes. Zoran gave the princess the pebble. She smiled at him and took it. For a few moments, they said nothing, just looked at each other.
— Okay, mission accomplished. Can we go home now, or what?
Happy Ending
And then, well, Princess Mintos returned to her palace, and the king was happier than ever. Zoran was named a knight of the royal army, and soon the two were married. A grand feast was held.
And on that day, another parrot flew in through the palace window. Seeing her, Peri-Peri was fascinated. He flew towards her.
— Hello! What's your name? — My name is Potato. French Fry.
And so, the poet Zoran found not only his true love, but also happiness, and his parrot, Peri-Peri, found his own match too.
