Crimson Fairy Book

Chapter 38 How to Identify a True Friend

Long, long ago, there was a king and queen who wanted a son very much.As their wishes had not been fulfilled, they swore at the Shrine of St. James that if their prayers were answered, they would promise their son to go on a pilgrimage when he was full.To their delight, one night, when the king returned from hunting, he saw a baby lying in a cradle.

People flocked to see the child, and they all said it was the most beautiful child they had ever seen.Of course, that's what they always say, but this time, they're telling the truth.The child is growing up day by day.When he was 12 years old, his father passed away, leaving him alone to take care of his mother.

In this way, another six years passed, and his birthday gradually approached.

When the queen thought of this, her heart became heavy. The prince was the light in her eyes. How could she have the heart to let him go on a journey and go through hardships like the pilgrims?As a result, the queen became more and more depressed, and she often cried sadly alone.

The queen always thought that she was the only one who knew her grief, but one morning, her son asked her, "Mother, why are you crying all day long?"

"It's nothing, my son, there's only one thing in the world that bothers me."

"What is it?" the son asked, "Are you worried that your territory is not well managed? I will investigate this matter."

In order to make the queen mother happy, the prince rode to the queen mother's territory on the plain.But everything here is in order. He ran back happily and said to his queen mother: "You can be happy now, queen mother. Your territory is managed better than anyone else's. The livestock are thriving and the rice is lush. There will be a good harvest."

"That is very good news," replied the queen.But all this did not seem to make her happy, and next morning she cried more than ever.

"My dear queen," said the prince in despair, "if you don't tell me the reason for your sorrow, I will leave home and wander the world."

"Oh, my son," cried the Queen, "it breaks my heart to think that I shall part with you. For I swore to St. James before you were born, that I will Let you go on a pilgrimage to his temple, and you will soon be full, and I will lose you. I will never see you again for a whole year, you know, the temple is far away from here. "

"Isn't it just to the temple?" said the prince, "don't be so sad. Only the dead don't come back.

As long as I live, don't worry, I will definitely come back to you. "

In this way, he comforted his queen mother.On his birthday, the fastest horses were prepared outside the palace. The prince said goodbye to his queen mother: "Dear queen mother, goodbye, I will return to you as soon as possible with the help of fate."

The queen wept bitterly, and as she sobbed she took three apples out of her pocket, and said, "My son, take these three apples, and remember my words. You need a companion on your long journey. If on the way you When you meet a young man you admire, you invite him to go with you, and when you arrive at the inn, you invite him to have dinner with you. After eating, you take out an apple, cut it into two pieces of different sizes, and let him choose One piece. If he takes a big piece, you leave him, because he is not a real friend. If he takes a small piece, you treat him as a brother and share everything with him.” After finishing, she Kissed his son again, prayed for him, and sent him on his way.

The young man rode for a long distance without meeting anyone. Finally, he finally saw a young man about his own age in the distance, so he urged his horse forward and caught up with the young man.The young man stopped and asked:

"Where are you going, handsome friend?"

"I'm going to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of St. James because my mother made a vow before I was born that I'm going there to give thanks when I'm here."

"My situation is the same." The young man said, "Since we are heading in the same direction, let's go together."

The Prince accepted the advice, however, taking great care not to get too close to him before tempting him with the apple.

Later, when they came to an inn, the Prince said, "I am very hungry. Let us go in and have something to eat."

The young man agreed, and the two quickly sat down.

After eating, the prince took an apple from his pocket, cut it into two pieces, one big and one small, and handed it to the young man, who picked up a big one. "You are not my friend," thought the Prince, and in order to get rid of him, he pretended to be ill, and said that he could not travel any further.

"Then I won't wait for you," said the young man, "I have to go on my way. Goodbye."

"Good-bye," said the Prince, secretly pleased at how easily he had escaped the youth.However, he still stayed in the inn for a while so that the young man could leave first.When he was gone, the prince rode away.The prince is a lively person, and the journey alone is long and boring for him. "If I could meet a real friend," he thought to himself, "I'd be able to talk to him. I hate traveling alone."

Presently he met a young man who stopped and asked, "Where are you going, handsome friend?" The prince explained to him the purpose of his journey.Like the previous young man, the young man said that he was also going to repay his mother's wish.

"Then we can travel together," said the Prince, and the journey seemed shorter than before with a companion.

At last they came to an inn, and the prince said, "I am very hungry, let us go in and have something to eat."

When he had finished eating, the prince took an apple from his pocket, cut it into two pieces, one large and one small, and gave it to his traveling companion. The young man immediately picked up the large piece, and quickly ate it. "You are not my friend," thought the Prince, and at once he pretended to be sick and unable to continue his journey.When the young man was far away, he set off alone, but the journey was longer and more boring than before. "If I could meet a real friend, I'd have a brother," he said with a sad sigh.At this time, he saw a young man walking in his direction.

The young man stepped forward and asked, "Where are you going, handsome friend?" The prince repeated the purpose of his journey. "Ah, then you are the same as me." said the young man.

"Then let's go together," said the prince.

The road under his feet seems to slip away silently. The young man is humorous and lively. The prince really hopes that he is his true friend.

They reached an inn by the roadside sooner than the prince expected.The prince turned to his traveling companion and said, "I'm very hungry. Let's go in and have something to eat." So the two of them went in and ordered some food.After eating, the prince took an apple from his pocket, cut it into two pieces, one large and one small, and handed it to the young man.The young man picked up a small piece, and the prince was overjoyed that at last he had found his true friend. "You are a good young man," he said, "let us be brothers, all that is mine is all yours, and all that is yours is mine. Let us go to worship together. Even if one dies on the way, the other One also has to transport his body to the place of pilgrimage."

The young people agreed to the prince's suggestion, and they moved on together.

It took them a year to reach the pilgrimage, passing through different countries on the way.One day, they came to a big city tired and hungry, and they both said, "Let's stay here and rest before we go." So they rented a small room next to the palace and lived there.

The next morning, the king of that country happened to see the two young men in the yard from the balcony, and he thought to himself, "My God, these two young men are really handsome. But one of them is more outstanding, and I want my daughter to marry him." Give him." Indeed, the prince was more handsome than his traveling companion.

To carry out his plan, the king invited the two young men to a feast.When they reached the castle, the king received them with great cordiality, and sent for the princess, who was as beautiful as the sun and the moon.When it was time to light the lamps, the king sent someone to give poisoned wine to the prince's traveling companion, and within a few minutes the young man died.The king thought: "If his traveling companion dies, this handsome boy will not go on pilgrimage, but he will stay and marry my daughter."

The prince got up the next morning, and when he did not see his friend, he asked his servant where he was."He died suddenly last night," said the servants, "and we buried him immediately."

The Prince stood up and cried, "If my friend dies, I cannot stay here long, nor can I stay in this house for a moment."

"Oh, give up your pilgrimage and stay here," said the king, "and you may marry my daughter."

"No!" replied the prince, "I cannot stay here. However, I beg you, grant me a good horse, and let me go away quietly. When I have fulfilled my vow, I will come back and marry you." daughter."

When the king saw that nothing could move him, he ordered a horse to be brought, and the prince mounted the horse, laid his friend's body before the saddle, and set off.

In fact, the prince's traveling companion was not really dead, but just passed out.

As soon as the prince reached the temple of St. James, he dismounted from his horse, and carried his friend's body to the altar like a child. "Saint James," he said, "I have fulfilled the vows my parents made for me. I bring my friend to your temple and deliver him into your hands. Bring him back to life, please, Although he is dead, he has fulfilled his wish." Look!His friend stood up in the midst of his prayers and walked up to him, and the two young men started their way home gratefully.

When they reached the city where the king was, they took up residence in a small house opposite the palace.

News of the two young men's return spread throughout the city.The king was even more overjoyed, and he ordered a rich banquet to prepare for his daughter's wedding.The prince had never been so happy. After a few months of marriage, he lived a happy life in the palace.

After several months, the prince said to the king, "My queen mother is waiting for me anxiously at home. I can't stay here any longer. Tomorrow I will go home with my wife and friends." The king was very much in favor of his decision. , ordered the men to prepare for their journey.

In fact, the king hated the prince's friend very much. He wanted to kill him at first, but he came back alive again.In order to harm him, the king deliberately ordered him to send a message far away. "You must hasten," said the King, "for your friend will not set off until you come back." The young man said goodbye to the Prince hastily, and set off with great haste in order to get the King's letter as soon as possible.No sooner had he gone than the king came into the prince's room, and said to him, "If you don't start at once, you will not be able to come to your place for the night."

"My friend has not come back. I cannot go," replied the prince.

"Oh, he will be back in an hour," said the king, "I will give him my best horse, and he will catch up with you." The prince obeyed the advice, said goodbye to his father-in-law, and took his wife on way home.

The prince's poor friend did not complete his task in the time the king had said, and when he finally came back, the king said to him, "Your companions have gone away, and you will see if you can catch up with them."

The young man bowed his good-bye to the king, and, as he had no horses, he had to follow his friend on foot.He ran and ran day and night, and finally came to the prince's tent, and he fell down on the ground.The poor man was ragged and muddy.However, the prince didn't dislike him at all, and took care of him like a brother.

They are finally home.After her son left, the queen sat in the palace every day waiting for her son's return.Seeing her son, she was so happy that she almost fainted.However, she soon thought of her son's sick friend, and ordered that the bed be made immediately, and the best doctor be called.Physicians came from all over the country at the Queen's order.However, there is no doctor who can cure the young man.When all the doctors had gone, a servant reported that a stranger had knocked at the palace door, claiming to be able to cure the dying young man.It turned out that this was a saint. He heard about the prince's friend and decided to come to help.

Just at this time, the prince's wife gave birth to a daughter, but the prince was worried about his friend and didn't have the heart to see his daughter.He stayed by the hospital bed all the time, and no one could persuade him to leave.Just then, the saint walked in. "Do you want to heal your friend?" the sage asked the prince. "What price do you want to pay?"

"At what price?" said the Prince, "you have only to tell me how to cure him."

"Listen, then," said the saint, "tonight you must bring your child, open her veins, and apply the baby's blood to your friend's wound. Watch, your friend will Wake up immediately."

The prince was startled when he heard this, for he was very fond of his child.However, he still said:

"I swore to treat my friends like my own brothers. If I really had no choice, I would sacrifice my own children."

After nightfall, he brought the child, opened her veins, and daubed the patient's wound with blood.The patient's face immediately became rosy and his physical strength recovered.But the poor child was as pale as dead.They put the baby in the cradle, thinking they would never see her again tomorrow, and wept bitterly.

When the sun rose, the old sage came back and asked how the sick man was doing.

"He has fully recovered," said the prince to the old man.

"What about your daughter?"

"In the cradle, I thought she was dead," said the Prince sadly.

"Go and see her again," said the saint, and they approached the cradle, where the baby girl was smiling at them.

"I am Saint James of Lycia," said the old man, "and I have come to help you on purpose, because I know you are a true friend. From now on, you will have a good life together. If you meet Trouble, send someone to me, and I will help you solve your problems."

After saying this, he clasped his hands together in a gesture of prayer, and then disappeared.

The prince and his friends followed the sage's advice and lived happily ever after.They also try to make life better for the people of the country.

(End of this chapter)