The Prince and The Ogress
The king was worried! He had every reason to worry about. He was getting a steady stream of complaints from the subjects that some of the people, especially the lone walkers, who used the forest road had disappeared!
“Is there any wild animals lurking over there?’ he mused. It looked likely few merchants from the other part who used this deserted road kept vanishing! The king pressed a battalion of the army to investigate.
"Comb the entire stretch of forest road,” he ordered. A group of people who went to that side saw a bundle of clothes lying in the middle of the road! It could mean another mysterious disappearance that would have happened over there!
One day, the young and handsome and courageous prince, Zayn said to his father, “O’ the king…only the lone walkers are getting vanished! So, let me go and check,” he volunteered. But the king did not want to send his only son.
“Never mind father…I am a grown-up boy. You have trained me in warfare too. So, I can always take care of myself. Let me go under the guise of a merchant,” he said firmly.
The next morning, he dressed like a merchant. He carried a small bundle with him on the horseback. After going deep inside the jungle, he saw people coming ahead in groups.
“Don’t go alone! It is dangerous,” all of them cautioned him not knowing that he was a prince!
Zayn smiled at them and proceeded. Now he was heading to the curve in the road that was flanked on either side by rocks and bushes. Then he spotted her!
He saw a beautiful looking girl on the way. She smiled at him. Zayn pulled up and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Going to the next town to see my mother who is serious!” she said musically
“All right….hop on. Let me take you,” Zayn said as she climbed up and sat in the front. After going a short distance, it happened!
There were some flowers with sweet fragrance on one side “Wow, the flowers are nice and sweet!”
She exclaimed Zayn who knew that women have a weakness for flowers and asked whether she wanted to pluck some of them.
“Yes, please,” she nodded Zayn pulled up again. The girl glided down and began plucking the flowers and put them in her dress. She went out of his sight by plucking more flowers.
Zayn saw her disappearing from his sight. It bothered him!
If she had disappeared like many other lonely walkers, then it would be a disgrace to him and to the kingdom. How could he allow a girl to disappear when he was around?
At once, he slid down from the horse. Tying the horse to a bush, he slowly went in the direction she had gone. Suddenly he heard some voices! One was the girls!
“Who is she talking with?” Prince Zayn stopped at a distance. Hiding against a rock, he gingerly moved sideways like a crab. Then he saw them.
He saw an ogress talking to her children.
“Listen,” the ogress went on to her kids, “Today all of you will have a good feast I have brought a muscular, handsome, and young man. So, wait for some time. Meanwhile, let me go and bring him here!” The next instant, she transformed into the same beautiful girl.
Prince Zayn understood that the pretty girl he had brought was an ogress. Then he also understood why and how many lonely walkers had disappeared! He immediately went back and waited beside the horse, as if he did not know that she was an ogress.
When the girl came closer, he yanked out his sword and chopped off her head! The ogress gave a muffled grunt as it collapsed on the road. Just then two more things happened!
Some men, who were passing by, saw this. At the same time, the young ogre and ogress came out to the street. Zayn and the others together killed all of them. Then Zayn removed his disguise.
The king was very pleased. And so were the people. Since then no lonely walker ever disappeared!