"Read me 'De Fraggi Prutto'!" "Little Prince, are you not tired of this one? It is a foreign story after all." "Oh alright, how about one of your stories?"
"Well, I do remember an old Eastern Maldonian tale…." "Oooh, what is it?" "Al Sharibah Doci"
"The Two Stars?" "It is a very old story…About a warrior who gives up his love for his maiden… so that she could be free from a shadow curse."
"Oh, then please tell me this story." "But it is a sad story, my Prince. The maiden dies because of the curse, and the warrior had given her up for nothing. They never see each other again. They grow old and die never knowing how much they loved each other. The warrior and the maiden only find each other as their spirits turn into stars in the night sky."
"This… this is a sad…terrible…sad story! I do not want to hear it! … I've changed my mind, read me 'De Fraggi Prutto'!"
000000
The boy had everything he ever wanted.
When he was five, he had already owned five horses, all thoroughbreds his father had imported from Morocco and Turkey. One of the many riches and gifts lavished upon the eldest son of the Maldonian King.
When he was eight, his mother hired royal tutors to teach him academics. All of which included various languages: from classical Arabic, Spanish, French and of course, English. So well versed would he be in more than one tongue of smooth, eloquent speech.
When he was nine, a dutiful, though somewhat pompous valet, would ensure his safety while out and about around the palace and upper class square town plaza. Which gave him somewhat more freedom to scour the places with the best guitar players and musical imports from the west.
When he was just eleven, giving a single smile would send hundreds of girls though the town into a lovesick frenzy, and it wouldn't even be a matter of having to choose just one to dance with: a mere introduction to his many flings.
Everything he ever wanted.
But at twelve, a brief look out the window of his bedroom, to the common people below, would begin to make him feel an uncomfortable questioning of something he could not quite yet understand.
000000
It was a gloomy, rainy afternoon. The prince awoke drowsily from a nap to harsh shouts and angry voices that could be heard from below the courtyard.
Peering down, Naveen watched as a group of older male servants had pushed and cornered the young gardener; Masoud, against the wall. The poor young man merely looked to the ground as the surrounding men shoved his body. They all barked and made stinging insults and slapped him, as if Masoud had committed the worst crime.
Masoud had been a friend to young Naveen for years, much like an older brother and less a servant. He would sometimes tell stories to the little prince and even allow the child to sneak out through the back gate, when Naveen wanted to avoid another stern royal lecture from the King.
Why would the others want to treat him so badly? The naïve prince thought.
The gardener's silence appeared to further anger the others, and it was then Masoud was violently punched in the face. Though the man fell to the floor, more angry outbursts came, and painful kicks to his body followed.
"Ah, Prince Naveen, I see you're awake, due to all this ruckus." Naveen's valet calmly said, walking in with a tray of bread and cup of tea.
"It's not just ruckus, look!" Naveen yelled, outraged. "This is horrible! Lawrence, what is going on over there? Why are they doing this to Masoud?"
"No need to get upset, sire." the valet did not even glance out the window. "You need not worry yourself over trivial matters between these servants. It seems they'll be getting rid of that gardener, so you won't be bothered with all this noise."
"What? No! I am asking you, Lawrence. Why are they doing this!?"
"Because of that, young master." Lawrence pointed below.
It was then a young woman, Asha, one of the chambermaids, ran out into the courtyard, sobbing. She flung herself against Masoud to shield him. The men stopped.
"It seems Asha's family doesn't want her to be involved with a man of such background, she's already arranged to be married to someone from her own clan. "But apparently he did not heed the warnings."
Naveen then remembered, he would often see the two of them alone together in the garden at night, and catch the occasional moments the two would speak to each other in soft words during the day.
Even the Prince knew what this was.
Then, Asha yelled something at the men, refusing to move away from Masoud. A larger group of female servants rushed out.
Instead of helping the two, as Naveen began to hope, he was appalled to find the women forcefully tearing the hysterical girl away as the men grabbed hold of the young man.
Asha screamed and cried, and even Masoud, who had been quiet before despite his beatings, was now sobbing as well.
Naveen could not believe he was watching two people who loved each other being pulled apart in such a way.
"Faldi Faldonza, We cannot let this happen! I have to do something!" the young prince cried, running off and bumping into the valet and his tray of food. "I must tell father!"
"Oh of all the-" Lawrence fumbled "Sire! You won't be able to do anything. Come back here!"
So the boy told his father. For it is a prince's duty to see things are right in his kingdom.
And these things are easy for royalty to fix. Aren't they?
But they were not.
Masoud was to be sent away the next morning.
For his own safety, Naveen was told by his father not to get involved.
But the young prince could not let this sit.
"How could you let them do that to you, and let them take her away?" Naveen shouted in frustration at Masoud before he left. "I could have asked my father to take care of it, offer her family a reward, or…or something. You two would be together! Did you not want her?"
"Your majesty, I am grateful for your kindness, but do not be sad for me." Masoud murmured. "My blood is from Eastern Maldonia; from the gypsies, and Asha's family looks down upon my people. Do you understand, little prince?"
"Do not call me 'little' like I am stupid! And this is not fair for you!" Naveen grumbled, upset from having watched this terrible thing happen for the first time in his life.
"A lot of things, for the rest of us, are not fair, Prince Naveen. Asha…should not have to live a life of disgrace just to be with me….But I did want her. I wanted her to be with me forever."
The young man picked up his things and began to walk out of the back gate one last time. But not before saying to the boy;
"But I also want her to be safe and happy. What I want, is not what she needs."
"I don't understand."
"Abinaza, my Prince. Someday you will."
The gate closed, leaving the boy to ponder this unhappy and sad ending.
A week later, Asha was married to a friend of her father's clan. That girl obviously did not love her new husband. Asha was not happy. Masoud had been wrong. But Asha was already married. And that was that.
"How stupid." The little Prince thought. "That someone has to give up so much just for…for… how very stupid it is."
This is a sad story. I do not want to hear it.
000000
Years pass and the Prince pushes away the inconvenient memory and thoughts of it out of his mind little by little. After all, what mattered is that HE had everything he wanted. HE had everything his heart desired. It would not matter to him that some people did not and would probably never even get what THEY dreamed of.
The Prince had his pick of girls, riches, and nights of endless parties.
Life is short, and when it is done, it's done.
He was here to have some fun.
No use thinking of giving up things that made him happy.
Right?
000000
Years have passed, and the Frog Prince is sitting next to someone.
Someone special.
Irreplaceable.
No money in the world could buy what she has in her spirit.
Someone who looks at him and sees for a moment in his heart, not what he looks like now, not the royalty, the good looks he claims or the suave demeanor.
But he reveals to her inside him is the confused little boy who doesn't know how to do anything.
He looks back at her and sees in her heart past what he thought of her before, beyond her small, green form now.
She willingly reveals to him herself. A sweet little girl with a big dream that her father had left her.
She is radiant as she does what she loves. As she shares what she loves with those around her. As she speaks of the dream that keeps her going through their whole, very strange journey. Something he does not have on his own, but can feel through her.
She is so beautiful to him.
The thought comes back. Revealing it carefully out of him, he remembers the old hidden question in his heart and it forms the answer to what the old voodoo priestess had told him as well…
He simply understands.
"Tiana, I love…"
She looks at him.
"The way you…light up when you talk about your dream."
He will do what he thinks must be done, not for what he wants.
But what she needs.
000000
A bit more time passes.
Naveen dips Tiana back in their dance. Looking up, she smiles at the two stars finally joined together in the night sky.