The Ruby Prince

 The Ruby Prince

Once upon a time, a poor Brahman was walking along a dusty road when he noticed a red stone sparkling at his feet. He picked it up, slipped it into his pocket, and continued on his way.

Later, hungry and without money, he stopped at a corn merchant’s shop and offered the stone in exchange for a meal.

The merchant examined it with astonishment.

“Take this to the king,” he said. “Everything in my shop together is worth less than this jewel!”

At the palace, the gatekeeper reluctantly admitted the Brahman. The king marvelled at the stone, which glowed like a ruby with fire inside it.

“What do you ask for it?” he said.

“Only enough food to satisfy my hunger, Your Majesty.”

“It is worth far more than a meal.”

The king paid him a lakh of rupees, and the delighted Brahman went away. The queen wrapped the precious jewel in cotton, placed it in a chest, and secured it with two locks.

There it remained for twelve years.

One day, the king asked to see it again. But when the queen opened the chest, she drew back in amazement. The ruby had vanished. In its place sat a handsome young prince!

She hurriedly closed the lid, wondering how to explain such a thing. At last, she had the chest brought before the king and opened it.

The young man stepped out.

“Who are you?” demanded the king. “And where is my jewel?”

“I am the Ruby Prince,” he answered. “More than that, you cannot know.”

Angered by this mysterious reply, the king ordered him to leave. Yet he would not send a young man into the world helpless, so he gave him a horse and weapons.

The Ruby Prince rode away.

On the outskirts of the town, he found an old woman making bread. As she mixed the flour, she laughed; as she kneaded the dough, she wept.

“Why do you laugh and cry, Mother?” he asked.

“A monster comes here every day to devour a young man,” she replied. “Today, it is my son’s turn. How can I bear to lose him? How can I save him?”

“I shall fight the monster,” said the prince. “Let me rest here first, and wake me when it is time.”

The woman shook her head.

“You will only be killed, and tomorrow it will still demand my son. Sleep here if you wish, but I will not wake you.”

“Then I shall sleep where the monster expects its meal.”

He rode beyond the town gates, tied his horse to a tree, and lay down.

Before long, the monster arrived. Finding no frightened victim waiting, it prepared to punish the townspeople. But the prince sprang up and attacked. After a fierce encounter, he killed the creature and placed its head and hands upon the town gate.

Then he returned to the old woman.

“Your son is safe,” he told her. “The monster is dead.”

And, as though he had finished an ordinary day’s work, he lay down to sleep again.

When the townspeople saw the monster’s remains above the gate, they mistook them for the living creature and rushed to the king in terror. Suspecting that something had gone wrong with the promised offering, the king went to the old woman’s house.

To his surprise, she was laughing and singing.

“Why are you so cheerful?” he demanded.

“Because my son will live! The prince who killed the monster is sleeping inside.”

Once the truth was confirmed, the king asked to see the hero. He immediately recognised the young man he had driven from the palace.

“What reward does he deserve?” he asked his chief minister.

“Your daughter’s hand and half your kingdom would not be too much for such a service,” came the reply.

So the Ruby Prince married the princess, and half the kingdom became his to rule.

The princess loved her brave husband dearly. Yet the women of the palace troubled her with their questions.

“Who is he? Where is his family? Have you married a man from nowhere?”

Their words unsettled her. Again and again, she asked the prince about his origins.

“Dear heart,” he would answer, “ask me anything but that. That you must not know.”

But her uncertainty grew stronger than her trust.

One day, as they stood beside a river, she took his hand.

“If you love me, tell me who your people are.”

The prince stepped into the water.

“Dear heart, anything but that.”

She asked again. He moved farther into the river, until the water reached his knees.

“Please do not ask,” he said sadly.

Still she persisted. Now he stood waist-deep in the stream.

“Tell me!” she cried. “Tell me!”

Before her astonished eyes, his human form disappeared. A magnificent serpent rose from the water, wearing a golden crown and a ruby star. It looked towards her sorrowfully, then vanished beneath the surface.

The princess called after him, but the river gave no answer.

She returned to the palace heartbroken. She offered a great reward to anyone who could bring news of her husband, yet the days passed without word.

At last, a dancing woman came to her.

“I saw something strange last night,” she said. “While gathering sticks, I fell asleep beneath a tree. When I woke, the clearing was filled with a light that was neither sunlight nor moonlight.

“A sweeper came from a snake hole at the tree’s roots and swept the ground. A water-carrier sprinkled it, and servants spread rich carpets. Then music began, and a procession of splendid young men emerged, surrounding their king.

“One by one, they danced before him. But a young man with a red star upon his forehead looked pale and sorrowful. He scarcely seemed willing to dance.”

The princess knew at once that this must be her husband.

The following night, she accompanied the woman to the tree. Hidden behind its trunk, they watched the servants prepare the clearing and the glittering procession appear.

There was the Ruby Prince.

The princess’s heart leapt at the sight of him, then ached at his sadness. She longed to call out, but remained concealed until the gathering ended and the mysterious light faded.

Night after night, she returned. She could see him, yet she could not bring him home.

At last, the dancing woman suggested a plan.

“The Snake King delights in dancing. If a woman danced before him beautifully enough, perhaps he would grant her a wish. Let me try.”

“No,” said the princess. “Teach me. I must try myself.”

She practised patiently, day after day, until her movements became graceful and assured. Then she dressed in fine white muslin and silver brocade, with jewels sparkling upon her veil, and returned to the tree.

That night, the Ruby Prince looked sadder than ever. When his turn came, he hesitated.

Before he could begin, the princess stepped from her hiding place.

She danced before the Snake King, pouring out all the longing she had carried through her lonely days. The court fell silent. Even the king watched, unmoving, until her dance ended.

Then he cried, “Unknown dancer, ask what you will, and it shall be yours!”

“Give me the man for whom I danced,” she answered.

The Snake King’s expression darkened.

“You have asked for what you had no right to claim,” he said. “But I have given my word. Take him—and go!”

The princess seized the Ruby Prince’s hand and led him beyond the enchanted circle. Together, they fled into the night.

After that, they lived happily. The palace women sometimes continued their taunts, but the princess no longer listened. She had learned that love did not require every mystery to be solved.

This time, she chose trust.