Ages 10 and up — 12 min read
Two women prepare for the Prince’s banquet — one with outward beauty, one with humble care.
A parable about outward show versus humble devotion. It follows two women who both want the Prince, and asks what the King really weighs when the banquet begins.
In a village at the foot of the King’s mountain, word spread that the Prince, the heir to all things, was seeking a bride. The King decreed that a great banquet would be held, and there the Prince would choose the one who would reign by his side.
Among the women of the village were two who wanted to marry the Prince.
The first woman was a woman of great reputation. She was esteemed in the village for her stature. She spent her days preparing for the banquet. She bought the finest silks, the most expensive perfumes, and spent hours braiding her hair and painting her face. She made herself a masterpiece of beauty, ensuring she would be noticed.
The second woman was a woman of the streets, known by all for her brokenness and her common ways. She had no status and no wealth. Knowing she had nothing to offer a royal house, she simply went to the Prince in the days leading up to the banquet. Each day, she brought a simple cup of water to refresh him. She wore her dusty, common clothes, for she had no way to hide who she was. She simply wanted to care for him.
One afternoon, as the poor woman was returning from the palace, she crossed paths with the woman of stature. The poor woman offered a humble greeting, but the woman in silk did not greet her back and laughed in her face.
“You foolish creature,” the first woman sneered. “Do you truly think the Prince would choose a common woman in rags? Look at my gown! Look at my radiance! I am preparing a vision for him, while you bring him nothing but common water and the sight of your poverty.”
The woman of stature did not know that the Prince was standing on his balcony above, watching the exchange and weighing the hearts of them both.
Continue reading the full story in the app