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The Princess' Heart






long, long time ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a young and lonely thief. He spends his days searching for adventures and looking for valuables to plunder. One day, he stumbled upon a small castle. Curious as he is, he entered the castle stealthily one night, and found that there lived a beautiful princess, sleeping and surrounded by scores of treasures from different parts of the world. Naturally, he picked one of the gems and placed it inside his pocket. Suddenly, the princess awoke and saw what the thief did.

“And where are you taking one of my treasures?” said the princess.

“Well, I'm a thief, so I'll take it for myself”, he answered.

“Oh no you won’t, I have guards, wizards and a dragon all under my disposal, so if you want to get of here alive, you have to give me something in return", said the princess.

“But, what could I give someone like you who has everything in this world?" mumbled the thief.

As it turns out, the princess has been living inside the castle since she was young, and hasn’t seen the outside world. So, the princess demanded that the thief tell her a story instead.

“A story? For a treasure?” said the thief.

“Yes, any story from the outside. You can tell me what it feels like to be climbing on trees, or swimming on the river, or watching the townspeople walking around on their duties.”

And thus, their friendship began. Every night, the thief would break-in inside the castle, and traded with the princess a treasure for a story. He told her the legends of the wolves that live along the wilderness, his adventures as a pirate across the vast ocean, and his exploits to find all the greatest treasures around the world.

The princess enjoyed all the stories the thief had told, and said that the he can steal anything inside the castle except for her heart.

However, one day, the thief wondered how it is to steal the princess' heart. So he decided to sneak into the castle one night, and steal it. When the princess awoke, she was shocked to find that she was missing her heart.

“Who stole my heart?!?” the princess' voice echoed across the hallways of the castle.

The thief heard the princess, and so he admitted his mistake. The princess was mad, “I told you not to steal my heart, but since you already did, you must give me something in return.”

“But I don't have a story as valuable as your heart!” the thief complained.

“Then why not give me your heart as well.” And so, the thief carved out his heart and offered it to the princess.

Sometimes the thief would sneak the princess out of the castle, and he would take her to different adventures. He took her to the ends of a giant rainbow, as they collected the treasures while the Leprechaun was looking away. They went and played on flowering gardens as they laughed and giggled loudly. They rode around the town on a horse and, leaping and galloping along the avenues. They would lie down on a cornfield as the sun sets behind the mountains. The princess and the thief are overjoyed, and he promised her that he would hold her heart forever.

But one day, the thief was tasked by his master to recover a relic from an island far from the castle. He bid the princess goodbye and promised that he will take care of the princess' heart, as it is the greatest treasure he ever found. Months passed by, and the thief finally returned from his deed, but to his amazement, the castle was not like what he left it. It was old and abandoned and weary, and the princess was gone. He roamed the forests, searching for her, until his foots brought him to another castle. There, he saw the princess staring outside her windows. The thief scaled the castle, and entered the princess’ room.

“What happened?” asked the thief.

“I met someone”, said the princess, “and he wants to have my heart. Can I have my heart back now?”

“But…I thought you heart was mine? I gave you my own heart for it. I took care of your heart; I never did anything that would harm it, “answered the thief.

“I’m sorry, but I want it back now. I will give you back your heart as well.”


“No,” cried the thief, “I don’t need it, and I don’t take back things that I have given away”, he added as he slowly handed the princess’ heart to her.

Heartless, the thief turned around and walked outside the castle. From then on, the thief lived a sad and lonely life again.

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