Long ago, a king fell gravely ill, and none of the doctors could cure him.
The king had three sons, and one day, they gathered in the garden discussing where they could find a cure to save their father.
Suddenly, a small old man appeared and said, “I know of a water called the Water of Life, which can bring people back from the brink of death. However, to find it, the journey is long, full of difficulties, and fraught with danger.”
The eldest prince thought, “If I find the Water of Life and save my father, he will surely pass the throne to me.”
So, he asked the king to let him go and find the Water of Life.
The king worried about the eldest prince’s safety and initially refused, but after the prince insisted repeatedly, he reluctantly agreed.
Thus, the eldest prince set off.
After traveling for a long time, he came to a deep mountain.
Suddenly, he heard someone say, “Prince, where are you going in such a hurry?”
He looked up and saw a dwarf sitting on a rock high above.
The eldest prince glared at him and said, “What business is it of yours, ugly dwarf!”
Then he continued on his way.
The dwarf was very angry, so he cast a spell on the prince.
Instantly, the path ahead of the eldest prince became narrower and narrower, until it was so narrow that he couldn’t take another step.
He tried to turn back, but the road behind him was blocked, and he was completely trapped.
When the eldest prince didn’t return, the second prince asked for permission to go in search of the Water of Life.
The second prince was determined, and the king reluctantly agreed.
Thus, the second prince set off, thinking, “Since my brother has been gone so long without returning, he must have met misfortune. If I find the Water of Life, my father will surely pass the throne to me.”
The second prince reached the same mountain and met the dwarf in the same way.
When the dwarf asked where he was going, the second prince responded arrogantly, “You ugly thing! Mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you!”
Angered, the dwarf cast the same spell on him, and he too was trapped in the mountain.
With both princes gone for so long, the youngest prince requested the king’s permission to seek the Water of Life as well.
He reached the same mountain and also encountered the dwarf.
When the dwarf asked the third prince where he was going, the third prince replied, “My father is gravely ill, and I’ve heard that the Water of Life can bring people back from the brink of death. I want to find it to save him, but I don’t know where the Water of Life is. If you know, could you please tell me?”
The dwarf thought: “This prince is polite, kind, and humble, willing to ask for help, unlike the first two princes.”
So, the dwarf said, “There aren’t many people in this world who know where the Water of Life is, but you’ve asked the right person! Of course, I know where it is! Listen carefully: in a magical castle, there is an ancient well, and the water flowing from it is the Water of Life.”
The third prince was overjoyed. After thanking the dwarf, he was about to leave immediately.
But the dwarf said, “Wait! I haven’t finished speaking yet. Do you think it’s that easy to obtain the Water of Life? That castle is enchanted, and the gates are tightly sealed. How could an ordinary person like you enter? Even if you manage to get in, there are two ferocious lions guarding the entrance, and they’ll pounce on you and eat you right away!”
The third prince quickly asked what he should do.
The dwarf said, “Since you’re a kind and humble person, I’m willing to help you.”
As he spoke, he took out an iron rod and two small pieces of bread, saying, “When you reach the magical castle, use this iron rod to knock on the gate three times, and it will open. Once inside, when the two lions pounce on you, throw these pieces of bread to them. They’ll eat the bread and let you pass.”
The young prince thanked him again and turned to leave.
The dwarf said, “Don’t rush! I’m not done yet. Remember: you must leave the castle before the clock strikes twelve. Otherwise, the gates will close, and you’ll be trapped inside forever.”
The third prince thanked the dwarf once again and set off with the gifts he had been given.
He crossed mountains, forests, seas, and lands, and finally arrived at the magical castle.
He followed the dwarf’s instructions, knocked on the gate three times with the iron rod, and the gate opened.
As soon as he stepped inside, two fierce lions indeed rushed toward him.
He quickly threw the two pieces of bread to them, and the lions went off to eat the bread, letting him pass.
As he walked further, a magnificent palace appeared before him.
He entered the palace and saw a beautiful woman.
As soon as she saw him, she said, “You’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for you.”
The third prince looked at her and said, “Do you know me? It seems we’ve never met before.”
“Listen to me. I am the princess of this kingdom. My castle was enchanted by a wicked witch. No one can leave, and no one can enter. The curse can only be broken when someone comes in and is able to leave. So, I’ve been waiting for someone to come. Now you’re here, but you still need to leave to fully break the curse. Remember, you must leave before twelve o’clock, or not only will you fail to lift the curse, but you’ll also be trapped in the castle forever.”
The princess then took out a sword and a piece of bread, saying, “These are gifts from me. This is no ordinary sword, and this is no ordinary bread. The sword can defeat an entire army, and the bread will never run out.”
The princess continued, “Also, if you’re willing, come back here a year from now and marry me, and my kingdom will be yours.”
The third prince fell in love with the beautiful princess at first sight and immediately agreed.
The princess said, “I know you came for the Water of Life. There’s an ancient well in the royal garden, and the water in the well is the Water of Life. Time is running out, so go fetch the water first. I’ll prepare some refreshments for you to eat before you leave.”
The third prince went to the garden and indeed found an ancient well. Just as he was about to fetch the water, he noticed a sofa nearby.
For some reason, as soon as he saw the sofa, he felt an overwhelming desire to sleep.
He yawned, lay down on the sofa, and fell asleep, completely forgetting that he had to hurry and leave the castle before the clock struck twelve.
It turned out the sofa was also enchanted, designed to lure people into sleep.
With only a quarter left, the princess brought over the refreshments.
When she saw the prince asleep, she was shocked and hurried over to wake him.
The third prince woke up and realized there was less than a quarter left. In a panic, he rushed to the well to fetch the Water of Life.
After filling a bottle with water, he didn’t have time to eat the refreshments. He ran desperately towards the castle gate.
Just as he ran out of the gate, the clock struck twelve. The gate slammed shut behind him, taking a chunk of flesh from his heel as it closed.
The third prince hurried back to give the Water of Life to the king.
When he returned to the mountain where the dwarf lived, the dwarf looked at him and said, “It seems you’ve gained a lot. Not only have you successfully obtained the Water of Life, but you’ve also won the love of the princess and her kingdom. Additionally, she gave you two treasures: the magical sword and the piece of bread.”
The third prince was very happy and thanked the dwarf once again.
He then said, “My two brothers also went to fetch the Water of Life, but there has been no news from them. Can you tell me where they are?”
The dwarf said, “They were arrogant and rude, so I used magic to trap them in the mountain.”
The third prince quickly apologized on their behalf and begged the dwarf to release them.
The dwarf initially refused but, after much pleading from the third prince, reluctantly agreed.
However, he warned, “Your two brothers are not kind-hearted. They will try to harm you. Be careful!”
But when the third prince saw his brothers, he was overjoyed and told them everything without reservation.
He shared how he obtained the Water of Life, how he broke the princess’s curse, and how they planned to marry a year later.
On their way back to their kingdom, they passed through a land that was on the verge of destruction due to foreign invasion and famine.
The third prince generously shared his magical bread with the people.
As the princess had said, the bread never ran out, and soon, no one was hungry anymore.
He then lent the sword to the king, who easily drove away the foreign invaders.
Peace and prosperity were restored to the land.
When the third prince and his brothers left, the entire nation came out to see them off.
As they passed through two more countries, the third prince used the same methods to help them.
However, the two brothers had grown extremely jealous.
As they sailed across the sea, they secretly plotted, saying, “The third prince obtained the Water of Life, and father will surely pass the kingdom to him, even though it rightfully belongs to us!”
“Moreover, he has also won the princess and her kingdom, which should have been ours as well!”
So, while the third prince was asleep, they poured the Water of Life into their own bottles and filled the third prince’s bottle with seawater.
When they returned to the palace, the third prince went to see the king and gave him the Water of Life, hoping it would help him recover quickly.
However, he didn’t know that the Water of Life had been swapped for seawater. After drinking the seawater, the king became even more ill.
The two brothers seized the opportunity to accuse him of trying to harm the king and said, “We have the real Water of Life!”
They gave the king the stolen Water of Life, and after drinking it, the king not only recovered immediately but also felt stronger and healthier than when he was young.
The third prince was confused, so he privately questioned his two brothers.
One of the brothers said, “Yes, we switched your Water of Life, so what? You can only blame yourself for being foolish!”
“We didn’t just swap your Water of Life. Next year, we’ll pretend to be you and marry the princess. Then the princess and her kingdom will belong to us.”
“Don’t even think about going to the king and telling him, or you’ll meet a terrible end!”
The two brothers continued to slander the third prince in front of the king, accusing him of trying to poison their father.
The king became increasingly angry.
One day, the king took his three sons hunting. He secretly told a hunter who accompanied them, “Go and kill the third prince!”
The hunter went to see the third prince, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
The third prince noticed the hunter’s troubled expression and asked him what was wrong.
The hunter said, “Prince, I’ll be honest with you. The king has ordered me to kill you, but how could I do that? You’ve been so kind to me and to everyone. Here’s what we’ll do—give me your clothes, and I’ll take them back to the king and tell him that you’re dead.”
So the third prince quickly took off his clothes, thanked the hunter, and fled into the forest to hide.
Soon after, three envoys arrived at the palace, bringing gold, silver, and jewels. They asked to see the third prince.
They said the third prince had helped their country by using his sword to defeat foreign enemies and his bread to save the people from famine. They had come to thank him with these rich gifts.
The king then realized that he had wrongly accused the third prince and regretted it deeply, saying, “It’s a shame I misunderstood him, for I’ve already had him killed!”
At this point, the hunter said, “Your Majesty, I knew the truth would come out one day, so I let the third prince go. He is not dead.”
The king immediately issued a public notice, hoping the third prince would return to the palace.
Meanwhile, the princess in the castle was also waiting for the third prince to arrive and marry her.
She ordered that the road from the city gate to the palace be covered with gold and decreed, “Only the person who walks on the golden path is the one I truly love. He should be received with respect. Anyone who walks beside the golden path is not the person I wish to marry and should be driven away immediately.”
The eldest prince rushed to meet the princess.
When he arrived at the golden path, he thought, “The golden road is so beautiful and splendid. It would be a shame to damage it.”
So he walked along the right side of the golden path.
Immediately, guards and soldiers ran up and said, “You are not the one the princess loves. Please leave the castle immediately!”
As soon as the eldest prince left, the second prince arrived.
Similarly, he walked along the left side of the golden path and was also driven out of the castle.
Meanwhile, the third prince emerged from his hiding place in the forest. He remembered his one-year appointment with the princess and was eager to see her.
When he reached the golden path, he didn’t notice it was covered in gold and simply rode his horse along the path.
At that moment, everyone was welcoming him.
When he arrived at the palace gate, the princess personally came out to greet him.
They talked about the events of the past year, and the princess told him that the king wanted him to return to the palace.
So, the third prince took the princess back to the palace.
He informed the king about the two brothers who had swapped the Water of Life and pretended to be him to marry the princess.
The king was furious and immediately ordered their arrest.
However, the two princes had already fled and their whereabouts were unknown.
The third prince and the princess held their wedding.
The third prince invited many people, especially the dwarf and the hunter, who were treated as honored guests.
👉 Very Short Story
There was a king who fell gravely ill. Upon hearing that there existed a miraculous water capable of bringing the dead back to life, his three sons decided to set out to find it.
The eldest prince set off first. On his way through a high mountain, he encountered a dwarf.
The dwarf asked him where he was heading, and the prince disdainfully replied, “None of your business, ugly creature!”
The dwarf, infuriated by the prince’s rudeness, cast a spell on him, trapping him in the mountain.
Similarly, the second prince also met the dwarf, and, being just as rude, he too was trapped in the mountain by a spell.
Soon, the youngest prince arrived in the mountains. When he met the dwarf, he greeted him politely and said, “My father is gravely ill. I’ve heard of a miraculous water that can bring the dead back to life. Do you know where it is?”
The dwarf found the prince gentle and polite, so he told him that the Water of Life was in an ancient well in the palace of a magical castle. He also gave him a small hammer and two slices of bread.
The youngest prince used the hammer to open the gates of the magic castle and used the bread to distract the lions guarding the castle.
He made his way to the palace and encountered a beautiful princess.
It turned out that the castle was under a spell that could only be broken if someone entered and then managed to leave again.
The princess said, “You’ve broken our curse. If you agree to marry me, you shall become the king.”
The youngest prince, who had already fallen for the beautiful princess, agreed to return in a year to marry her.
Before he left, the princess gave him a magical sword that could defeat an entire army and a piece of bread that would never run out.
On his way back, the youngest prince used the magic sword and the endless bread to aid three kingdoms that were suffering from invasions and famine.
When he returned to the mountain, he thanked the dwarf.
Upon discovering that his two older brothers were trapped, he pleaded with the dwarf to release them.
However, the two older brothers were ungrateful and envious of their younger brother’s success. Jealous of the miraculous water he had obtained, the princess’s love, and the promise of a kingdom, they waited until he fell asleep and replaced the Water of Life with seawater.
When they returned to the palace, the king drank the water brought by the youngest prince, but his condition worsened.
However, upon drinking the water that the two elder princes had stolen from their brother, the king was immediately cured.
The two older princes then took the opportunity to accuse their younger brother of trying to poison their father.
The king, believing their story, ordered a huntsman to kill the youngest prince.
The hunter couldn’t bear to kill the kind-hearted third prince and let him go.
Not long after, the three kingdoms that the youngest prince had helped sent ambassadors bearing gifts to express their gratitude.
Realizing that he had wronged the youngest prince, the king was filled with regret.
The huntsman then revealed that the youngest prince was still alive, and the king issued a proclamation begging him to return.
In time, the youngest prince returned with the princess and revealed how his brothers had swapped the Water of Life and plotted to frame him, even attempting to impersonate him to marry the princess.
The king, furious, ordered the arrest of the two older princes.
The youngest prince married the princess, and they lived happily ever after.
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