Story: The Enchanted Prince

("Common squirrel monkey" via Wikimedia Commons)

A few centuries ago, there once was a beautiful kingdom that contained an enormous palace near a mysterious forest.

            In the palace lived a very wealthy king and his son, Ucay. Growing up, Ucay was always forbidden to go near the forest, because there were dangerous witches that lived in the middle of it. However, Ucay was about to turn 18, so he figured he was brave enough to fight whatever came his way.

            Ucay took one of the white horses from the palace’s stable and eagerly rode into the forest. The forest was mysteriously dark, even though it was still daytime. He proceeded on a makeshift trail, towards a swamp that was headed north. The swamp was a deep green color, and bubbling like a hot soup. However, it smelled absolutely disgusting – Ucay could barely breathe. For a moment, he was trying to take the scenery in when all of a sudden, someone shouted,

            “What are you doing here?!” Ucay could not tell where the source of the shouting was located. He pulled out his sword, while his heart was starting to beat a little faster than normal. Ucay started stealthily walking around the swamp, and then finally came across a girl who was hiding behind a tree. She was a very petite girl, with long, dark curly hair and pale skin. Her clothes were completely black, with the exception of a few emerald jewels around the neckline.

            “Uh… hi? I am just exploring the forest,” Ucay said. “What are you doing here?”

            “Not that it is any of your business, but I live here. Well, not right here, but I live in the forest with my family,” she replied. “My name is Stellabell. And I am assuming from the crown and the royal horse, you must be the prince.”

            “Wait if you live here that must mean you are a—“

            “Yep. A witch. It is not a big deal unless you make it a big deal,” Stellabell said. From that moment on, the two started learning more about each other and their lives. They made an effort to become friends and meet up at least every other day. She learned about his world and he learned about hers. They could not be more different, but they still managed to get along really well.

            After a few years of being close friends, Ucay finally got the courage to ask Stellabell to marry him.

            “What would your father say? He expects you to marry a princess,” Stellabell said.

            “That might be true, but once he gets to know you, he would absolutely love you. Just like I do,” Ucay replied. Stellabell pondered this for a second, and then nodded in agreement. They decided that it would be best if Ucay talked about this with his father alone, so Stellabell stayed behind.

            To Ucay’s surprise, his father was actually in favor of him not marrying a princess, so the two were able to get married within the next few months. And they have been happily married ever since.

Author's Note: In the original story, the prince is supposed to find a girl to marry, but he falls in love with a witch and is afraid his father won't approve. So the king ends up picking his wife, and the witch becomes furious and turns him into a monkey. I liked the idea of the prince and the witch falling in love, so I builded more on that part of the story. 

Bibliography: "The Enchanted Prince" from Dean S. Fansler's Filipino Popular Tales; link to the reading online