Prince Symbolhoo was the pride of his kingdom being the only son of his father, King Medeval.
He was known throughout the lands governed by his father for his striking beauty.
“ I am the most handsome man in all the seven kingdoms” he often said and always boasted while admiring his image’s reflection on the golden mirror hung in his room.
Every morning, the servants would wake him with praise while the maidens admired him when he passed and this made his heart grow proud.
One fateful morning, the bass trumpet erupted from the palace followed by the gigantic bell.
“ The king is dead” the people in the kingdom mourned and the kingdom felt the loss.
After the burial, the kingdom's king's men gathered in the palace, and the oldest of them, Sir Rufous said to the prince, “Your Highness, according to our cultural practice by the early men.
Before you wear the crown, you must perform the Still Ritual”
The Prince frowned and waved his hands sideways.
“ What ritual is that? He asked.
“ Come with me” Sir Rufous replied politely and they went together into the royal library, which was hidden within the heart of the palace.
They walked through the towering shelves of the Royal library and the prince ran his fingers over the ancient books then Sir Rufous picked a book in a silk- orange Color which, “ Still Ritual” was written in calligraphic italics font on the book cover.
He handed it to the prince to read the first chapter and it goes like this, “In Still Ritual, you as the crowned prince must spend one day and one night in the ancestry forest beside the river of life. Your body will become a statue, but your soul and consciousness will remain awake”
“ What? , A whole day as a stone” The Prince said and continued.
“ I am the future king!
Why should I suffer such a foolish ritual” he concluded.
Sir Rufous lowered his head and said, “ Every king before you passed through it.
It teaches something through experience” he concluded.
“ I need no experience, I was born to rule,” the prince replied proudly.
Sir Rufous moved closer to him and put his hand on his shoulder.
“ Then you are the one who needs the ritual the most,” he said and they left the library.
The next day, the prince was taken to the ancestral forest which was at the outskirts of the kingdom. The forest looked beautiful as trees stood like ancient guards around it and the river of life flowed gently nearby.
“ You know what the next thing to do to start the ritual” the king's men said as they knew they had taught him well and as they set to leave.
“ Once the ritual begins, you cannot move or talk until tomorrow morning” Sir, Brutus uttered from his horse which was leading the king's men.
“ I fear nothing” Prince Symbolhoo declared and within a twinkle of an eye, the ancestral forest was empty.
The Prince drew a circle and stood in the center of it. He touched his forehead with his index finger, then the thumb finger, and chanted softly.
Suddenly, he turned into a stone statue, and at first, he smiled inwardly.
“ This is easier than I thought” he thought to himself but as the hours grew and passed, the sun grew hot and burnt upon him like hell.
Then after a few hours, the dark clouds gathered and rain poured heavily from the sky and soaked him from head to toe.
When the rain stopped, the scorching sun rose again and dried his body.
After that, a little bird landed on his head.
“Get off me” he wanted to shout but he could not move.
The bird relieved a poo on his head and flew away.
Soon, another bird came and then another, and the prince felt humiliated to the core.
As evening approached, monkeys jumped around him chattering loudly. One sat on his shoulder and another climbed onto his head, then one of them dirtied his royal robe and anger boiled his heart like rage.
“ I would severely punish you all if I could move,” he ruminated.
At night, a snake slowly crawled around his neck and its cold body sent fear through the prince. Another snake joined and climbed up his leg and bit him several times.
Although he felt the pain, he couldn't cry out loud and suddenly, a roar came from the darkness and a lion appeared.
It stared its golden eyes into the prince’s eyes and moved closer and roared into his face.
The prince trembled inwardly and for the first time in his life, he felt completely helpless.
The beast sniffed him and walked away and tears almost dropped from the prince’s eyes.
“ I am the prince” he soliloquizes within.
“ Yet I can do nothing to protect myself,” he concluded.
Hours dragged slowly like snails and it was as if he had been there for a year.
He remembered the servants he had insulted and the poor he had ignored.
He remembered the old Gardner he mocked because of his appearance and for the first time, shame entered his heart.
At midnight, the sky darkened and the wind blew in the form of a tornado which caused a great tsunami from the river of life which rose and rushed towards him, it covered him completely, pulled him, and then withdrew.
The Prince thought he would perish but in that moment, he heard the voice of his father.
“ My son, a king, is not great because he is handsome, powerful, or feared.
A king is great because he serves his people “
“ Father”, the prince cried inwardly, "I understand now” and the familiar voice continued.
“ And always remember the crown belongs only to the humble"
Everything went silent.
The spell broke and Prince Symbolhoo fell on his knees.
The King's men were waiting for him and Sir Rufous asked gently, “What did you learn my Prince”
“ The experience and reality show me that I am not greater than any man,” the prince replied.
Sir Rufous smiled and the prince bowed.
“ I do not wish to rule over my people. I wish to serve them” the prince concluded.
Sir Rufous placed the royal crown upon his head and said, “Then you are ready to be king”
That morning, the people gathered at the palace and expected to see the proud prince they had always known but instead, a different man appeared.
He descended from the throne and greeted the old, the poor, and the servants one by one.
The people whispered in surprise, “What happened to him?
King Symbolhoo smiled, “ I met myself in the forest, and left my pride beside the river of life” he said softly and so, the morning after the ritual, Symbolhoo was known not as the proud prince of yesterday but a humble ruler whose heart had been changed forever.
