The Prince and the Fakir

Watercolor illustration of a weary, defeated King lying face down at a dusty crossroads at twilight. Four paths, overgrown with weeds, stretch in different directions. Long, dramatic shadows from the setting sun emphasize his prone form. People with uncaring expressions walk over him, their feet kicking up dust motes illuminated by the golden light. A wise man with a long, flowing grey beard and deep wrinkles etched with sorrow stands beside him, looking down with profound concern, his hand resting gently on his gnarled wooden staff. The King’s tarnished gold crown has fallen askew, nestled in the dirt. The color palette is muted browns, oranges, and greys, creating a somber, melancholic tone. Texture of rough cobblestones and worn leather sandals are evident. Soft watercolor blending allows light to filter through wisps of clouds.

Once upon a time, there was a King who really wanted kids, but he didn’t have any. So, this King went to a place where four roads met and laid down! That way, everyone who walked by had to step over him.

Finally, a wise man came along and asked the King, “Hey, why are you lying here?”

The King answered, “Lots of people have walked by, wise man. Just keep going.”

But the wise man said, “Who are you, anyway?”

The King replied, “I’m a King! I have lots of treasure and shiny things, but I’m old and don’t have any children. So, I’m lying here hoping that if people step over me, maybe I’ll be forgiven for anything bad I’ve done, and maybe I’ll finally have a son.”

The wise man asked, “Oh, King! If you DO have children, what will you give me?”

“Anything you want, wise man!” said the King.

The wise man said, “I don’t need gold or jewels. But I’ll say a special prayer for you, and you’ll have two sons! One of those sons will be mine.”

Then, he pulled out two yummy treats and gave them to the King. He said, “King! Give these treats to your wives – the ones you love the most!”

Watercolor illustration of the King, looking anxious and hopeful, offering two small, intricately decorated pastries (one a honey cake drizzled with syrup, the other a fruit tart dusted with sugar) to his two wives in a royal chamber illuminated by soft candlelight. The chamber walls are richly decorated with faded tapestries depicting scenes of hunts and battles, their colors muted with age. The King is wearing a velvet robe with fur trim. The wives stand before him, their faces reflecting a mixture of surprise and cautious pleasure. One is younger with dark, flowing hair and wears a silk gown; the other is older with braided hair adorned with jewels, wearing a simpler linen dress. The light reflects off the polished wooden floor and the gold trim of a nearby ornate mirror. The color palette uses warm golds, reds, and oranges, creating a hopeful yet slightly apprehensive mood. Watercolor texture defines velvet, silk, and flaky pastry layers.

The King took the treats and kept them safe.

Then the wise man said, “King! I’ll be back in one year. One of the two sons you’ll have will be mine, and one will be yours.”

The King said, “Okay, deal!”

Then the wise man left, and the King went home and gave one treat to each of his two wives. After a while, the King’s wives had two sons! But the King built a secret room under the ground and put the two sons in there.

Time went by, and one day the wise man came back. He said, “King! Bring me your son!”

So, the King brought two boys who were servants’ sons and said they were his. While the wise man was there, the King’s real sons were in the underground room, eating their lunch. A tiny ant picked up a grain of rice from their food and started carrying it to her babies. But a bigger, stronger ant came along and tried to steal the rice! The first ant said, “Hey! Why are you taking my rice? I’m old and slow, and I just found this one grain for my kids. The King’s sons are eating in the room below – go get some rice from them!”

Watercolor illustration of the wise man, his face a mask of profound understanding, staff in hand, gesturing towards two young boys huddled together, eating rice in a dimly lit underground room. The single light source is a flickering oil lamp, casting dancing shadows on the rough-hewn stone walls. One boy is lean and eager, the other hesitant and timid. An ant, painstakingly carrying a grain of rice, struggles towards the entrance, while a larger, more aggressive ant tries to steal it. The wise man’s head is tilted, and his eyes are closed, suggesting he is listening intently to something beyond the visible. The color palette is dominated by dark browns and greys, with small touches of yellow from the lamp and white from the rice, creating a sense of confinement and hardship. Texture details include damp stone, rough spun cloth, and coarse grains of rice. Blending is used to suggest atmospheric depth and humidity.

So, the second ant let go of the rice and went to where the King’s sons were eating.

When the wise man heard this, he said, “King! These aren’t your sons! Go get the children who are eating in the underground room!”

So the King went and brought his own sons. The wise man picked the older son and took him away. When they got to the wise man’s house, he told the King’s son to go get firewood.

So the King’s son went out to collect dry leaves and branches and brought them back.

Then the wise man looked at the King’s son and put a big pot on the fire. He said, “Come here, student!”

But the King’s son said, “Teacher first, then student!”

The wise man told him to come once, twice, three times! Each time, the King’s son answered, “Teacher first, then student!”

Watercolor illustration of the King’s son, now a sneering young man consumed by ambition, forcefully pushing the wise man into a large pot of bubbling hot oil over a blazing fire. The flames lick aggressively at the cauldron. The son has a determined and cruel expression, his jaw clenched. The wise man is caught entirely by surprise, his face etched with terror, his arms flailing wildly in the air, his staff falling to the ground. Embers are flying. The color palette is dominated by fiery reds, oranges, and yellows, contrasted with the deep shadows, creating a scene of intense violence and betrayal. Texture detail include the rough bark of the wood feeding the fire, the slick surface of the oil, and the fraying edges of the wise man’s robe. Blending around fire creates a sense of heat distortion.

Then the wise man tried to grab the King’s son and throw him into the pot! There was a lot of hot oil in the pot, and the fire was burning hot! But the King’s son picked up the wise man, gave him a big push, and threw HIM into the pot! The wise man was burned up! Then, the King’s son saw a key lying there. He took the key and opened the door to the wise man’s house.

Watercolor illustration of the King’s son, leading a joyous procession of animals (two dappled grey horses with braided manes, two majestic tigers with gleaming stripes, two loyal-looking dogs of mixed breeds, and two giant, colorful birds of paradise) and grateful people out of a large, old wooden gate, its hinges groaning with age. The faces of the people are alight with relief and hope. All are moving towards a brighter, sun-drenched landscape in the distance. A rusty, ornate key lies abandoned on the cracked earth near the gate. The color palette transitions from darker, muted tones near the gate to vibrant greens, blues, and yellows in the distance, symbolizing freedom and hope. Texture detail includes the rough wood of the gate, the smooth coats of the animals, and the worn fabric of the people’s clothes. Soft blending of color washes enhances the sense of vastness and movement.

Lots of people were locked up in the house! There were also two horses in a shed, two fast dogs tied up, two giant birds in cages, and two tigers too! So, the King’s son let all the animals go and took them out of the house. They were all so happy and thanked him! Then, he let all the people out of prison. He took the two horses, the two tigers, the two dogs, and the two giant birds, and they all went to another country.

Watercolor illustration of the King’s son, lithe and strong, fighting a bald man with a surprised expression near a herd of fluffy, innocent-looking baby cows in a grassy field under a bright blue sky. The son is mid-kick, his movements agile and powerful, while the bald man is stumbling backward, his mouth agape in shock. The air is filled with the sounds of the cows’ gentle mooing. The lush green grass is dotted with wildflowers. The color palette is bright and cheerful, with a clear blue sky, verdant green grass, and the varied browns and whites of the cows, creating a sense of idyllic beauty disrupted by conflict. Texture detail includes the rough texture of the son’s leather armor, the smooth skin of the bald man’s head, and the soft fur of the baby cows. Highlights indicate the bright sunny atmosphere.

As they walked, they saw a bald man watching some baby cows. The bald man shouted, “Hey! Can you fight?”

The King’s son replied, “When I was little, I could fight a little bit. And now, if someone wants to fight, I’m not going to run away! Come on, I’ll fight you!”

The bald man said, “If I win, you’ll be my servant! And if you win, I’ll be your servant!” So they started to fight, and the King’s son won!

So, the King’s son said, “I’m going to leave my animals here while I go to the city to see the sights. The tigers will guard my stuff. And you’re my servant now, so you have to stay here with my things too!” Then the King’s son went to the city to have a look around and came to a pond.

Watercolor illustration of the King’s daughter, her face a study in thoughtful intrigue, sitting on a tiled palace roof, looking down with interest at the King’s son, who is by a shimmering pond, taking off his clothes, unaware that he is being observed. She is surrounded by a riot of colorful silk pillows and intricately woven tapestries, their patterns fading slightly in the sunlight. The air is still and warm. Dragonflies flit near the pond. The water reflects the sky. The color palette is rich and vibrant, using jewel tones of sapphire, ruby, and emerald, creating a sense of luxury and hidden observation. Texture detail includes the smooth tiles of the roof, the soft fabric of the pillows, and the rippling surface of the water. Soft washes with sharp detail emphasis different focus points.

He thought it was a nice pond and decided to take a swim. He started to take off his clothes.

Now, the King’s daughter was sitting on the roof of the palace and saw special marks on his skin that showed he was a prince. She said, “That man is a king! When I get married, I want to marry him and no one else!” So she told her dad, “Dad! I want to get married!”

“Okay!” said her dad.

Then the King announced, “Everyone, come to the big hall today! The King’s daughter is going to choose a husband!”

All the men in the land came, and the prince also came, wearing the wise man’s old clothes. He thought, “I have to see this!” He went inside and sat down.

The King’s daughter came out and sat on the balcony. She looked around at everyone. She saw the prince sitting there in the wise man’s clothes.

Watercolor illustration of the King’s daughter, with a mischievous glint in her eye, carefully placing a bowl of fragrant, shimmering perfume on the head of the King’s son, cleverly disguised as a ‘wise man’, in a grand hall filled with curious onlookers. The grand hall is adorned with ornate columns, high arches, and colorful banners displaying the kingdom’s sigil. The King sits on his ornate throne, looking utterly perplexed, his brow furrowed in confusion. The architecture is richly detailed and the hall is filled with warm light. The color palette is opulent and vibrant, using golds, purples, and reds to create a sense of royal grandeur and theatrical deception. Texture detail includes the smooth surface of the bowl, the rich fabrics of the onlookers’ clothing, and the intricate carvings on the throne. Soft color gradients emphasize light and shadows.

The Princess told her helper, “Take this bowl of perfume and go put some on that traveler dressed like a wise man.”

The helper did what she was told and put the perfume on him.

Then the people said, “The helper made a mistake!”

But she replied, “The helper didn’t make a mistake! My mistress made the mistake!”

So the King married his daughter to the ‘wise man,’ who wasn’t really a wise man at all, but a prince!

Whatever was meant to happen, happened! But the King was sad because his daughter had chosen the ‘wise man’ instead of all the other important people. But he kept his thoughts to himself.

One day, the prince said, “All the King’s sons-in-law, let’s go hunting today!”

People said, “Why would the ‘wise man’ go hunting?”

But they all went hunting anyway, and they decided to meet at a certain pond.

The new prince went to his tigers and told them and the dogs to catch lots of deer and other animals. Right away, they killed and brought back a lot! Then, the prince took all the animals to the pond. The other princes, who were married to the King’s other daughters, came too. But they didn’t catch anything! The new prince had caught a lot!

Watercolor illustration of the King’s son, now revealed as a prince, resplendent in fine clothes of crimson and gold, proudly showing the King a vast, impressive pile of hunted animals (deer with majestic antlers, wild boars with razor-sharp tusks, etc.) that his loyal tigers and dogs have brought down. The other princes, who are the King’s other sons-in-law, stand nearby, their faces contorted with envy and resentment. The setting is a lush forest clearing bathed in dappled sunlight, creating a sense of abundance and competition. Birds are flitting between trees. The color palette uses a mix of earthy tones (greens, browns) and vibrant colors (reds, golds), creating a sense of wealth, prowess, and underlying tension. Texture detail includes the rough fur of the animals, the smooth silk of the prince’s clothes, and the dappled light filtering through the leaves. Highlighted water colour wash indicates the effect of dappled light.

Then they all went back to the town and showed the King all the animals they had caught.

Now, that King didn’t have a son. Then the new prince told him that he was actually a prince too! The King was so happy and took him by the hand and gave him a hug. He sat him next to him and said, “Oh, Prince! I’m so glad you came here and married my daughter! I’m very happy, and I’m giving you my kingdom!”

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THE PRINCESS WHO LOVED HER FATHER LIKE SALT.

The Power of Unity

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