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Once upon a time…

There was a king and queen who ruled over a rich kingdom, and although they had everything one could desire, they had no children. Oh they had wanted children and the queen wept day and night,
“I am of a barren earth, where not a thing could grow.” She would say
But atlas, she became large and with child. This was celebrated throughout the kingdom, but when the child came, it was not a child at all, instead, a little donkey was born. The queen was saddened by this, and wished it away, so the next night, she took the baby donkey to the river and threw him in for the fishes. Afterwards she fell to her knees and cried to the heavens,
“Oh why lord? I would rather have no children than to be sent an ass.”
As she wept, a gigantic sea turtle carried the little donkey back to shore and said,
“My queen, I saw you weeping and couldn’t help to find out why. When I came close I saw your son had fallen in the river, and must have caused your sadness.”
The queen was taken aback. She had once tried to kill her child and could not attempt a second time. So she took the little donkey back to the kingdom and raised him as she would a son. When the little donkey grew up, his skin color also changed, as he once was a dull gray, he was now a beautiful gold. The golden royal ass he was called by the people of the kingdom, and he was praised and cheered by everyone.
The day came when the golden ass sought a wife, and although the people loved him, no woman wanted to take such a beast as a husband. The golden ass was distraught, and one night, set out into the world to find a woman that would marry him. He traveled far in his travels, but no matter where he went, no wife would be his.
When one day he reached the crystal kingdom, and the people of the land did not recognize him but only seen that he was a donkey. They laughed and jeered at his golden color and wouldn’t believe any word that he was of royalty. The innkeeper wouldn’t even give him a room saying farm animals must sleep in the stable, so he spent the night underneath the stars, far away from home and lonely.
The next day came, and he decided to give up on finding a wife and was about to start his journey back home when he crossed paths with the King who took notice,
“Why a golden ass! So unusual, and it can speak! I must know of this bizarre happening” the king had told his guard, and then came and offered the golden donkey a meal in the palace.
But the donkey replied,
“Why, so you can mock me and laugh like the rest. I would rather to back to my palace where royalties are treated kinder”
“A royal ass you say?” the king exclamation, “I must hear you tales, it would honor me to have you at the palace tonight.”
Reluctantly the donkey agreed, and went to the palace where lords and ladies had gathered for the kings feast. He was seated next to the king and told him everything of his travel and how he sought a wife but no one would have him because he was a beast.
The king was delighted, and paid full attention although the nobles at the tables had begun making remarks. When the supper was nearly finished, the King’s daughter came to meet the golden ass and fell interested in his story. She was the most beautiful princess he had ever seen and when she invited him over the next day to continue, he cheerfully accepted.
Soon enough, as the days passed on, the ass and the princess fell deeply in love. When the ass went to ask the king for her hand though, the king laughed,
“A royal golden ass you are, but what says your for my daughter. If she agrees, than so do I.”
Afterwards there was a grand wedding for the princess and the golden ass. It was unusual and laughed at, but accepted within the crystal kingdom. Most of the citizens believed it to be a hoax, even the king believed it so. So when the ceremony was coming to an end, and the princess bride and her Golden Ass groom were swept into their bedchamber, everyone else continued the party and laughed about the situation.
“By the mid night, the princess will come screaming back to the king, begging for a way out!”
“And what do you suppose the children will look like?”
They had spoken horrible words and the king had joined, but the princess never came running.
As it happened, when the golden ass was alone with his new wife, the princess, he changed his form into a golden haired and handsome young prince. Which more than pleased his new wife.
When the king saw his new form, he cried out with rejoice and called upon a grandeur ceremony than the wedding. Then he pledged the golden haired prince the crystal kingdom.
The golden prince than lived out his life with his beautiful wife where he died a happy and cherished king…

The End

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