Once upon a time there was a prince. And this prince was very privileged. He had it all, the best start in life, for he was very gifted and born into a wonderful, loving family. Everyone could see that he had a bright future ahead of him. But one day, while he was out travelling, he took a wrong turn on his path and got lost. He tried to make his way back onto familiar roads, but he only succeeded in straying further and further away from his father’s kingdom, until somehow he ended up in another country altogether. The King was of course terribly upset to have lost his son, so he sent another of his sons, the eldest, to go out into the country and look for him. The elder son found the prince eventually, of course, though he was a long way off from his father’s kingdom. He offered to bring him back, and together they set out on the long and perilous journey home. On the way back, the young prince met a beautiful woman, who was also trying to find her way back to the kingdom of his father, and fell in love with her. They took her along on the journey with them too. On the way back, first they passed over a great plain, which took a long time, but was easy travel. Then they went through a dense, dark forest where the prince lost his way several times, injuring himself in the process. Then they walked across some sprawling, green fields, where they were captured by some bandits and had to escape. Then they sailed up a wide, winding river, with the help of some friends they made along the way. When they were nearly back, the prince was more eager than ever to be back in his father’s kingdom, but he was worried now that the King would be angry at him for having gotten lost in the first place, for having hurt and injured himself on the way back, and that he would not be granted his wish of marriage nor be able to fulfil it, for in his mind he thought he was not worthy of it. But his brother, the elder son, who had been sent to rescue him, encouraged him on towards his goal. After many toils and dangers, when in the end the prince only made it back alive with his brother’s help, they arrived back in their father’s kingdom. The King was not angry, but ran out to meet the prince who had gone astray. He forgave him his mistakes, brought the best doctors to tend to his injuries, and even granted that he might marry the woman with whom he had fallen in love on his journey. So he took her to be his princess, and they all lived happily ever after to the end of their days, which they spent in service of the King, telling of his wonderful loving kindness and the sacrifice of his eldest Son, who endured all that struggle and went all that way to rescue them and bring them back to the kingdom.

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