Mondiluce's+Legend

The Princess's Poor Boy

Once upon a time there was a young princess named Phia. She was the daughter of a rich and powerful king. One day when she was out about the village, she met a poor boy on the streets named Mollin. Mollin stole her heart instantly and she told her father, “This is the man I want to marry.” Her father was enraged. “This man cannot be your husband. He is penniless and he is unfit to support you as a wife.” He ordered for a different man, a prince this time, to arrive at the castle and win over his daughter at once. The prince who showed up within an hour of the call was Prince Artac. Prince Artac was taken by Princess Phia’s beauty and vowed to try with all his might to win her heart. Secretly, however, the prince was taken more by the beauty of her clothes and jewelry and other riches than the actual princess herself. He came from a smaller, poorer kingdom and knew he could benefit from marrying a richer princess. “Beautiful Princess Phia,” he said, “I would do anything to be your husband. Name for me what you love about the poor boy and I will show you that I can do it all so much better.” Princess Phia could not explain her feelings for Mollin to the prince although she tried her best. “He can make me feel like I’m the most important thing in the world. I feel like I’m worth even the last rose in existence.” The prince pondered this for a moment and then ordered his servants to gather the world’s roses and destroy all but one of them. He took the last rose and gave it to Princess Phia in hopes of literally fulfilling her wish. Princess Phia laughed at his literal approach and, upon receiving it, tossed the rose aside. Prince Artac was unwilling to give up though and asked her for another clue to winning her heart. “Well,” Princess Phia began, “Mollin is able to light up my whole world. He brings the brightest glow to my darkest moments.” After some thought, Prince Artac crafted a brilliant plan to bring the brightest of lights to Princess Phia. He then ordered his servants to steal a piece of the sky. He tucked the sky away in a cave in a large mountain where citizens would glow like the sun and diamonds would shimmer like the moon. It was like stepping foot among the stars. He called this mountain of light Mondiluce. On their way to Mondiluce, Prince Artac and Princess Phia heard the most beautiful guitar sound. Entranced by the sound, Princess Phia forgot about Prince Artac and went in search of the source instead. They found the sound coming from a poor boy playing his guitar on the steps of an old house. As they approached, the boy looked up and called out, “Phia!” The boy, as they found when he lifted his head, was Mollin. “See? Here’s another,” Princess Phia said, turning to Artac. “Mollin can also play the most beautiful music I have ever heard.” At once, Prince Artac ordered his servants to bring him doves that would sing and follow Princess Phia wherever she went so she could always hear the most beautiful sounds. Still Princess Phia refused. “What could I possibly be missing?” Prince Artac exclaimed. “Mollin loves me and you don’t,” she answered. “What is the difference between love and no love if I can give you all the same things?” “Marrying me without loving me is like stealing a piece of the sky, or destroying all the roses in the world but one, or capturing the two most beautifully voiced birds and keeping them for only yourself; It’s selfish.” Leaving Prince Artac confused and defeated, Princess Phia ran off with Mollin. Together they carved the deepest winding tunnels in the cave of Mondiluce and that’s where they lived. The king and Prince Artac would never find them there. They could be alone and in love and live happily ever after.