knew a leader when they saw one. Anyway, your grandfather never let me forget the honor and blessing it was to live in a place like this.” The Prince nodded in agreement, and while he did agree that they lived a wonderful life of privilege, he could not shake the vision of his grandfather living among the forests and the trees. Having the freedom to roam as high and as far as he wanted. The Prince couldn’t help but feel there was something appealing about that life. Like in some ways, it could even be better. He dwelled on these thoughts for a good long while, until the subjects interrupted his reflections with that day’s fresh fruit: their offering of lunch to the royal family. Having his food brought to him by his loyal and loving subjects calmed any doubts the Prince had been having about their current way of life. “After all,” the Prince thought to himself, “Mother is right. What could be better than a life such as this?” And with that thought, the Prince leaned back against his seat, plopping a sweet berry into his mouth. *
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A few years later, when the young Prince had grown into his adolescence, he suddenly found himself very ill. The Queen was beside herself with anxiety about the health of her beloved, and the future heir to her throne. The Prince’s weakness was evident to everyone in their kingdom, including their subjects who began to take special care of the Prince, feeding him only the finest fruits and greens in the land. However, despite their best efforts, the Prince could not regain his strength. One night, after the Prince had had a terrible bout of chills, fever, and restlessness, he heard the rustling of his subjects coming into the castle. “How odd,” The Prince thought to himself. “It is much too late for my subjects to be walking about our castle. I wonder what they are up to.” But no sooner had he finished this thought when he was plunged into darkness, a bag placed over his head, and he was tied up and thrown into a cage.
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