The Price And The Birds

Once, in a place called Granada, in Spain, there were two big palaces. They stood on top of two hills above the city. One was built of fine red stone, and the other was yellow.

In the yellow stone palace, there lived a Moorish prince named Ahmed. He had never seen outside the palace, for the court magicians had told his father that when Ahmed grew up, he would travel to a far country to seek a beautiful princess. It was thought that if he did so, he might never return. As he was the only son, the king kept him shut up in the palace with only his tutor for company.

Ahmed had no friends, and no girls were allowed near the palace, for his father thought that if he never saw a girl, he would not be able to fall in love.

The prince grew very clever, for he had nothing to do but his lessons. He was very lonely, and he often looked over at the red palace, which he could see from his window, and longed to be there. It seemed always full of people, and there was music, dancing, and plenty of fun and merriment.

Sometimes the prince asked his tutor about the world outside, but the tutor had been warned to tell him nothing at all.

One day, a dove flew in through the prince’s window and landed exhausted on the bed. The prince picked up the bird and gave it food and water. Then he put it into a beautiful golden cage. To his surprise, when he went to see the dove that evening, there were tears in its eyes.

“Poor little bird, why are you crying?” asked Ahmed.

“I am crying because I miss my love who is very beautiful and waits for me in a far country,” said the bird. “I called here only to rest on my journey, for I was tired and hungry. I have been away from home for a long time and I want to return. I do not wish to live in a cage, even a golden one.”

The prince sighed. “I would gladly leave home for a long time,” he said, “but I am never allowed out of the palace. I am often lonely and unhappy here.”

“That is because you have no one to love,” said the dove.

“Love, what is that?” said the prince, looking puzzled.

The dove put its head on one side and looked at him in amazement. “Love is impossible for one but brings great happiness for two,” it said at last.

“Tell me more about it,” said the prince. “How can I find this thing called love? Perhaps if I could find it, I would be less unhappy.”

The dove sighed. “I am afraid I cannot help you,” it said. “But I would like to fly away now.”

The prince opened the door of the golden cage, and the bird flew away.

A few weeks later, Ahmed awoke to find the dove perched on his windowsill again. It told him of a beautiful princess who lived in a far country.

“I will write a letter to her,” said Ahmed, and he gave the dove a letter to take to the princess. Some days later, it returned again. This time it carried a portrait of the princess, and she was so lovely that Ahmed decided to set out at once to seek her.

He did not know how to start, so he went down the garden to an old oak tree in which lived a wise old owl. The owl did not know how to find the princess, but promised to take Ahmed to a wise old crow.

The owl showed the prince how to fasten a rope to the oak tree and use it to swing up and over the high wall around the palace.

After a long journey, they reached the town of Seville where the crow lived. The crow told them to go to Cordova and ask the parrot who lived in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque there.

“He is said to be a thousand years old and he knows everything,” said the crow.

When the old parrot saw the portrait of the princess, he said, “That is the princess Aldegunda. She lives in Toledo, shut up in a high tower. There she will stay until the king has found a suitable prince for her to marry.”

The prince set out for Toledo, but when he saw the thick walls of the princess’s tower, he despaired of getting in, so he sent the owl in through the window with a message. The princess was overjoyed, “Tell your prince that tomorrow is my birthday and a great tournament will be held,” she said. “My father will marry me to the victor.” Then she sent the prince her scarf to wear.

The prince was even more unhappy, for he had no horse and armor, and he was not used to fighting skilled knights. However, the owl flew away, and some time later he returned with a stork. “Come with us,” said the owl, and the prince followed them out onto the plain.

Soon they reached a cave. The stork tapped with his beak on a large stone, and it swung back.

“Here is your horse and armor,” said the owl. “The stork is old, and he remembers how, many years ago, the Spaniards conquered this part of the country. They drove out the Moors, who now live in your part of the country, but one of the chieftains swore he would return and fight again. He left his horse and armor in this cave.

“They have magic powers and whoever wears the armor will be safe while the sun is rising higher in the sky. The sword will strike down all enemies and the armor will keep him safe, but when the sun is overhead at noon, the spell ceases.”

Ahmed dressed in the armor and as soon as he mounted the horse, it carried him as swift as lightning to the field where the tournament was to be held. There, a herald asked his name, but before he could reply, a nearby knight said, “You are a Moorish prince from the South of Spain. No Moorish knave shall marry our fair princess.”

At these words, Ahmed’s horse reared and carried him towards the knight. The knight turned and rode towards Ahmed at full speed, but with a swift thrust, Ahmed’s lance lifted him from his horse.

A dozen others flocked to take his place, but Ahmed defeated them all easily. At last, there was no one left, and Ahmed was just about to claim the princess when he saw, to his horror, that the king himself was riding towards him.

Ahmed did not want to defeat the king, but with the magic weapons, he had no choice. Down went the king, his crown rolling over and over. The next moment, the king’s soldiers poured out onto the field to avenge their master. One of them shot an arrow, and Ahmed felt it pierce his magic armor. He looked up and saw that the sun stood directly overhead. The magic had ceased.

Ahmed rode swiftly to where the princess sat and whispered in her ear. At once she leapt on the horse behind him, and Ahmed rode from the field. The king’s soldiers raced after him, but Ahmed’s fine Arab horse left them all far behind.

At last, they reached Granada again, where Ahmed and his princess were married and lived happily in the yellow palace on the hill for the rest of their lives.