Once, there was a land far, far away, nestled among rolling mountains and a bubbling lake, where a lovely kingdom named “Crystalhaven” was. In this delightful kingdom, every corner was filled with joy and enchantment, and in its middle stood a huge castle adorned with glittering banners and towers that seemed to touch the sky. In the castle, the prince named Elijah Gilgamesh Darius, who lived in the palace, was deeply unhappy despite the lavish surroundings and the constant attention of the king, queen, and palace staff. He always looked dismal, and his life seemed dull and meaningless to him. His days were filled with leisure and luxury, but he found no joy in them. His overall aura made him faint more due to his furrowed brow.
One day, his mother, the Queen Rigara of Crystalhaven, was worried about him and declared, “Whoever made my prince laugh, brought him to happiness will be granted whatever they desire.” People came to the castle for the reason that they would be rewarded, but nothing affected the prince. Among them was a wise old man known for his ability to bring joy and happiness to those around him. Dressed in simple clothes, he came and observed the boy from a distance, looked deeper into his eyes, and noticed the dwelling sadness.
Then he told the queen, “If you want to bring your son back to life, give me two days’ time. Also, I’ll take him with me, and you can send your soldiers along, too; when he returns, he’ll be full of life and happiness.” The queen, desperate to see her son happy again, agreed to the wise man’s plan.
The queen Rigara hesitated initially but then asked, “What guarantee do you have that you’ll make him happy?”
The wise man replied gently, “Either trust me or watch your son remain in this state for the rest of his life.”
Queen Rigara, though hesitant at first, had no choice but to accept the wise man’s offer. She sent her son, along with some soldiers, to venture beyond the palace walls and explore a life he had never known.
The wise man took the prince and started walking on his path. The prince had never seen such things before. He had always been in his garden or palace. The old man took him to a riverbank, where he caught fish with his skills. The prince was amazed and asked how he did it. The old man handed him the fish and asked if he wanted to learn. The prince didn’t know how, but he started catching fish. The old man took him further, and they walked together; then the elderly gentleman told the soldiers to wait, but they refused, saying they wouldn’t leave the prince alone with him, but Elijah ordered them to stay by saying, “This is my command, Stay here with the horses.” The old man and the prince went deeper into the forest. They reached a place with strange beauty; birds were chirping, and trees were swaying. The old man asked if he had heard such birds before, and the prince said no.
The old man smiled and said, “Do you know, Elijah, these birds can talk as well?”
The prince was shocked for a while. The old man clapped, and one bird landed on his hand.
The old man said, “Little bird, do you know the prince Elijah of this kingdom is standing in front of you, and he is tired of his life?”
The bird turned to the prince and asked, “Your Highness, why are you tired of your life?” The prince was shocked that the bird could talk, a clear sign of his journey of discovery.
The old man said, “Now that you believe in me, let’s go further.” They walked, and the prince noticed that other creatures in the forests could also talk. He was amazed. The old man took him towards the cave; it was a huge cave with darkness in it, so the wise man sat on the floor inside the cave. The Prince initially hesitated to come inside, so, the old man noticed his hesitation and asked him,
“Elijah, why fear darkness when it is already present inside all of us?”
Prince Elijah was left speechless and asked him, “How could you say this? I’ve never faced any darkness in my life, my mother, Queen Rigara, has ordered all the servants of my castle to light up my room even at night.”
The old man nodded and said, “O, my little Elijah,” “The world’s colours have mesmerized us, making us overlook the importance of tiny yet vital things.”
The elderly man said, “Everything around you, including people serving some purpose, you’ve seen many servants in your palace, but have you ever put yourself in their shoes? They worked tirelessly for you, day and night, keeping the lights on, sacrificing their sleep to guard you.”
Elijah was stunned. He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything. Then he listened to the wise man: “My child, due to your sadness, you’ve never noticed the struggles of those around you; therefore, when we help others, we learn from their struggles, and when we try to alleviate the pain of others, we forget our own sorrows.”
The prince was astonished by the elderly man’s words and asked to accompany him. He fearlessly joined the elderly man and stepped forward into the cave, eager to learn more from him. The prince followed the elderly man, and the only sound was the echo of their footsteps. As they walked through the house, the prince noticed that sunlight peeked through small openings, illuminating the interior. He saw plants, rabbits, and two deer eating leaves from the plants. The elderly man asked the prince to sit on the floor, which the prince had never done before. However, he obeyed and sat down. The old man handed him a bowl with a strange concoction and offered it to him to drink. The prince hesitated at first, having never eaten or seen anything like this before in his life. The old man held his own bowl in his hand and began to drink, encouraging the prince to do the same. The prince, as he touched the bowl to his lips and drank, realized he had never experienced anything like it before. It was incredibly delightful. This experience opened his eyes to the struggles and sacrifices of others, and he began to understand the true purpose of his life.
“What is this?” the prince asked.
The elderly man smiled and replied, “This was a poor man’s concoction, made with love and care, made for me, but since I had only this, I gave it to you. “The prince was taken aback, unsure what to say.
As darkness slowly began to fall in the cave, the wise man asked the prince to tell him something about himself. When the prince tried to describe himself, he suddenly forgot everything. His life had been full of perfect events and functions, good clothes, and delicious food, and everyone around him always loved him. Being the son of a king, he didn’t have to do anything; everything happened on its own.
The wise man asked, “What have you learned from your life?”
The prince replied, “Nothing.”
The wise man smiled slightly and said, “Now you will learn.” He asked the prince, “Have you ever looked within yourself?” The prince was puzzled, “How can one look within?”
The wise man said, “Sleep now, and I’ll tell you more tomorrow.” They both slept on the muddy ground of the cave. The prince wondered who this man was and why he was with him. He thought, “Is life like this too?” Thinking deeply, the prince fell asleep.