Once upon a time was an old Kingdom. The King of this Kingdom had Three Sons, all brave and loved by all. After a long period of prosperity, it came about that The Kingdom’s larger neighbor that began to covet its lands, and war broke out. The King's Favorite Friend was a common soldier, who being a man who knew how to fight and lead, made his way quickly up the ranks until he became the head of the King's Army.
The war went on for some time without conclusion, going back and forth between the Sides. Finally, in a last terrible battle, one which went on for weeks, the war was won decisively by the Kingdom, but at a huge price: Not only was the King himself killed, but his Three Sons also.
The lords of the Kingdom came together and decided that the head of their army, who was not only wise and brave, but also a True Leader, would become the next King.
Celebrations commenced, and the new King took his place. A New Era was entered in, while prosperity and Universal Happiness came to both lands. The noble families were given new lands in the country conquered, the old families in the conquered country we sanctioned to continue their lives under the new King, and the small folk felt that the New King was one of their own.
The only Subject in the Kingdom who was not happy with the new situation was the oldest son of the New King, the Crown Prince.
Speaking to his mother, The Queen, he confided in her.
"My old friends changed how they treat me, though I beg them to see I am still the same man, their old friend. When we play in the fields, they make sure I win. When once they would joke with me, they now demand to call me "sire" and "my Prince". In fact, they think up reasons to refuse my company, telling me they are sick, or must work."
He would show up at the ale house he and his friends would go to in the evenings, and all would stand and bow to him. Drinks would be brought to him and no payment would be tolerated. His friends would sit with him, but their discomfort was clear.
Not only did he suffer from his Old Friends, but in addition, he now had to somehow deal with New Friends. These New Friends of his from the Noble Families fawned on him, hoping to be able to profit from being close to the Crown Prince.
The new Prince's life changed radically in one blow, and he found it hard to come to grasp with it.
After several months of this, the Prince decided to change His Appearance and go off to places he would not be known, where people would treat him like any other commoner.
During one of these nights out, he made friends with a young man his age. The two of them became Fast Friends who would sit and talk, or take long walks and hunting trips. The Prince made every effort to get away in order to spend with his new friend. His only fear was that his friend would find out his true identity and would be lost to him, like all the others.
Just as he feared, one night as he sat in an Ale House in a remote quiet corner of the Royal City, it happened that a group of soldiers, who had once trained with him, came in. They were able to see through his disguise and they approached him, bowing to him. There was silence in the Ale House, as all got up to bend their knee, a bit ashamed that they had been treating the Crown Prince for some time as just another commoner.
At first, the Prince could not look at his friend, but finally did. Much to his surprise, his friend was still seated and was smiling at him warmly.
As soon as the commotion died down and the Prince made sure people went on with their matters, he turned to his friend and stammered.
"I am sorry, my friend that I lied to you. I … I just couldn't bring myself to tell you who I was… I feared …"
"No need to fear from me my friend. I knew who you were from the very First Day we met."
The Prince looked at him confused. His friend smiled back.
"It was apparent from the start, from your disguise that you wanted your Old Life back. You needed a real friend, one who didn't need from you anything. Providence had brought us together. You know me. I like my life, common as it is, much like yourself before your father became King. That is why we get on so well. You accept me, as I am, and I accept you, as you are."
The Prince looked at his friend and smiled.
"Another Round, shall we?"
I like it