The Prince

Chapter 1

Once, there was a prince named Vidaya. He indulged himself with all kinds of rich food. But after every meal, he would complain about how bad the food was. The king and queen thought that maybe he was lonely. So they invited many princesses from other countries over, hoping that after he found his true love, he would change for the better. But the prince rejected them all. Every night Prince Vidaya would drink many bottles of wine and liquor till he was very drunk.

The king was old and wise. His name was Mathara. He was the first king who actually patrolled his own country to make sure there was minimal crime. The queen’s name was Minathire. The queen was from a village not too far away from the palace.

When she was younger, she used to entertain people from her village by performing magic tricks. She would make huge elephants disappear and would blow big fire out of her mouth. Some say she is a sorcerer. When king Mathara was still a prince, he would watch her perform every week. Years later, the king finally married her.

The king was a good king who was respected by everyone except his son, Prince Vidaya. But things weren’t always like that. There was a time when there was peace and harmony in the palace; a time when everyone would ride horses in the palace park; a time when Prince Vidaya was a happy boy. But it ended when the country went to war; a war which happened ten years ago.

The war happened because of something really small. Prince Vidaya and the neighbouring country’s prince were playing a game. Suddenly, the latter accused Prince Vidaya of cheating but Prince Vidaya denied it.

The king of the other country loved his son so much that he threatened war with King Mathara if Prince Vidaya would not admit he cheated. Prince Vidaya was young back then and kept denying he cheated which, in truth, he did. King Mathara and Queen Minathire tried to persuade him to tell the truth but he was as stubborn as a mule.

So, in the end, war was declared.