“Your highness, what’s your command today?,” the soldier asked the Princess.
The Princess, dressed in her royal gown, stood up and moved towards her loving Soldier.
Everyone was aware that Princess was in love with the Soldier. And the soldier too was insane in love with her. The royal codes of protocol couldn’t stop them from loving each other.
Princess used to test his sweet-heart love time and again. She wasn’t skeptic on the love he used to shower. But she simply felt good and enjoyed when she did so. And the Soldier would leave no stone unturned to prove his love was true and accepted any challenges she would offer.
On that day, the Princess was going to make him accomplish really a difficult task. “Oh great conqueror of the world, WE know, you can neither be chained nor be killed. But conquering OUR heart isn’t so easy. If you really want US, my dear loving Soldier, go and get a red rose. If you are proved incapable in fulfilling OUR wish, WE will get married with the Prince of Wedland,” said the Princess.
Soldier just said, “Your wish is my command, your grace” and left the palace.
The Soldier went in search of red rose. He searched it everywhere. There were only white roses in the royal garden. Making the Soldier more difficult, there wasn’t a single red species of rose in the kingdom. He hadn’t thought it would have been the most difficult task the Princess had asked so far. Then the soldier began to sob in the royal garden where he had passed many tests as asked by the Princess.
When it was dark, two love birds returned to their nest. They had witnessed the love of the Soldier and Princess many times in the royal garden.
The male birdie asked the sobbing Soldier, “What’s the matter, Soldier? Where’s your Princess?”
“Princess had wished to have a red rose. If I failed to do so, she will go with the Prince of Wedland,” the Soldier shed tears.
“It shouldn’t happen. You go home now. Bring the Princess in the garden tomorrow. We’ll manage the red rose,” assured the birdie concluding, “True love should never die.”
Soldier went home desperately.
Whole night the garden was warbled by the ‘Songs of Sorrow’.
Next day Soldier dared to face the Princess. Princess demanded, “Where’s the red rose, dear Soldier?,” in her usual royal tone. Soldier took the Princess to the royal garden. And it was a miracle…..
Every white rose in the garden had turned into red. The Soldier was surprised. The Princess was happy. They went forward admiring the beauty of never-seen-before garden of the RED ROSES. But the ‘Songs of Sorrow’ was still being heard in the royal garden.
As they appeared to the end of the garden, the ‘Songs of Sorrow’ went loud. They finally noticed the love-birds. The female birdie was singing the song. The male was piercing itself against the thorns of the rose and sprinkling its blood to make the white rose look red. Making the last bit of rose red, the male birdie laid its body flat on the ground. The female stopped singing and joined its partner.
The ‘Songs of Sorrow’ stopped forever.
(based on folk tale aired on Bulbul radio program)
