long long ago...

in a land far far away, there lived a prince. this prince was not just any ordinary prince. he was the meanest, the most cruel prince ever lived. in fact, he was so full of bile that rumour had it that venom ran in his blood and his heart was made of stone.

one night, while convening with his closest group of advisors (the council he called them), a question was posed to him, 'if you had only one wish, what would it be?' he thought about it carefully. he had everything he wanted, every thing that he fancied, he could obtain with a wield of the iron spectre he held in his hand. in all earnesty, he looked them in the eye and said, 'i want to know if i still have the ability to love.'

the council could hardly believe what they heard. is this the same prince who mocked the lowly, scoff the grotesque and spits on the downtrodden? then the wisest among them spoke, 'if you want to love again, you will need a heart of flesh. a heart that beats and feels.'

'where can i find this heart of flesh?' he asked.

the council members had no answer for him. no one that night could furnish him a reply but the stone-hearted prince was not about to give up. armed with a stallion, he rode off in search of a heart of flesh.

his first stop was a village. a little hamlet tucked away by the shadow of night. a place that was far beyond the reach of his kingdom. it was a sight that he never seen. laughter, smiles, kisses, hugs. silk, satin, cotton, linen. he asked, he questioned, he inquired. where was this elusive heart of flesh? not there apparently. no one there could offer him any clue. eat, drink and be merry. that was their proclamation.

the prince then thought, perhaps a decree would hasten his search. a decree he wanted, a decree he got. like a wildfire, news went from town to town, village to village. some came with a heart of gold, others offered a beating heart. he fancied none of them.

after searching high and low, far and wide, the prince finally threw in the towel. this search has brought nothing but tears and cracks on his heart of stone. his heart cannot be replaced. he was destined to live with his heart of stone simply because only stone could resist the venom that flowed within his veins. he had failed in his quest.

like every tale, he lived happily after.