Tale 35: The Patient Prince (Brock)

(real tale: He Wins Who Waits)

"There was once a king who had a daughter he loved very much--we'll call her Christa." Brock begins. "Princess Christa had been spoiled rotten ever since she was born, and was as crafty and wise as she was beautiful."

"Uh oh..." Misty wonders if the story will play out like "Brave"--minus the Ursarings.

Brock has other ideas. "By the time Princess Christa was of age to marry, she didn't want a thing to do with all the would be suitors that came to call every day. She the declared she would be choosing her own husband, thank you very much."

Ash's giggles are the loudest at this. "Why not just call her Merida?"

"That name's taken!" Misty hisses.

"Besides, I have a reason why I named her Christa." Brock assures his audience. " Anyway, her father had learned long ago that once Princess Christa had made up her mind, she would not take no for an answer. So he asked her what she wanted to do to choose a husband. Princess Christa showed her father a gold Leppa Berry, and said..."

Misty decides to jump in the role of Princess Christa. "Summon all the young men in the land to come here on this day next month. The one I give this Leppa Berry to will be my husband."

"But, sweetheart--!" Brock protests in character as the king.

"I SAID WHOEVER I GIVE THIS LEPPA BERRY TO WILL BE MY HUSBAND!!!!" Misty roars in reply as Princess Christa, making Ash and the Pokemon laugh and applaud at the interplay.

"Nice job, there..." Brock sheepishly replies before he remembers where he is in the tale. "A month went by, and all the young men of the land assembled at the palace gate. The princess passed before them all--short and tall, fat, and thin, rich and poor, until she finally gave the Leppa Berry to a poor widow's son--we'll call him Justin."

"I bet the king was mad..." Ash muses.

"Not so much mad as confused--he asked Princess Christa to pass through the rows a second time, and then a third, before reluctantly allowing her to marry Justin." Brock continues. "Christa was well versed in sewing and building things to sell, but despite everyone's efforts, Justin's family grew poorer still. Justin offered to go into town in search of work. He happened upon a merchant's caravan, and offered to come on board as a servant. The merchant agreed, and gave him a thousand gold pieces up front."

"Pini pi?" Happini asks.

"He would receive the rest of his wages when the caravan reached its ultimate destination." Brock explains. "Before he left, Princess Christa gave him three words of advice--"The one the heart loves is the most beautiful", "Patience is the first step on the road to happiness" and "He who waits, wins"

"There's not a fourth word of wisdom?" Ash is confused.

"There's only three in this version." Brock concedes. "The caravan left early the next day, and while the journey was pleasant at first, it wasn't too long before the Ponytas and the Ponytas were all dying of thirst from the hot sun. Justin saw a pool of water inside a cave, but as he was drawing water, a ghost appeared and asked which of two children--a boy and a girl--were the nicest looking."

"The one the heart loves is the most beautiful." Ash replies.

"Justin told the ghost this answer, and it transformed into a man. He gave Justin a ruby, a diamond, and an emerald as thanks for setting him free from an evil wizard's curse." Brock continues. "Justin sent the jewels home, and Princess Christa used them to buy food, shelter and clothing, so Justin's mom didn't need to worry about food or money again."

"How sweet..." Misty smiles.

"The caravan reached its ultimate destination, and Justin received the remainder of his wages." Brock continues. "Justin wanted to return to his beloved Christa, but the merchant's wife had grown fond of him, and pleaded with him to stay. Justin remembered what Christa had said before..."

"Patience is the first step on the road to happiness." Ash repeats.

"Good! You've been paying attention." Misty smiles.

"How can I NOT pay attention when Brock is the one telling?" Ash replies.

"Anyway, Justin agreed to stay with the merchant and his family for a year." Brock continues. "Meanwhile, other men were getting word of Princess Christa's wisdom and beauty, and many of them came to the house as would be suitors. But Princess Christa kept refusing them, saying she still had hope Justin would return. When the year was up and Justin returned home, his first thought was to kill all the suitors crowded around Princess Christa. But then he remembered Princess Christa's advice..."

"He who waits. wins." Ash replies.

"Justin waited until all the men had left before showing himself to Princess Christa." Brock concludes. "Needless to say, Christa was overjoyed to see him. A year later, they had a child of their own. But Justin was the happiest of all when the boy was born--he had waited, and he had won."

"Aw, how sweet..." Melody smiles as she leads the applause. "Your heartwarming tales are as good as your adventurous ones!"