Three Adventures
Once upon a time, there lived three adventurous brothers. One day the eldest brother said, "Let's go and explore the world. But each of us should take a different direction. At the end of seven years, we will meet at this very spot, to see what extraordinary thing each of us has brought." So the three brothers bade farewell to one another and set off on their respective journeys. Seven long years passed. The three brothers met at the spot they had decided upon. All of them had grown into handsome young men. When they had finished embracing each other the eldest brother said, "Look what I have brought! I found this wounded eagle in one of the jungles. For days and nights, I looked after it. When it recovered we became the best of friends." "So what's extraordinary about that?" asked the second brother. "It is faster than any living horse. It can fly me across the world in a twinkle of the eye," replied the brother with pride.
The second brother took out a strange looking mirror from his waistband. "I hadn't eaten for a week. One day I was so tired that I tripped and fell into a hole. The next moment I found myself in the underworld. There I found an old sorcerer. His feeble voice was asking for water. Quickly, I poured some water into his mouth. He thanked me and before dying gave me this magic mirror." "But what can it do?" asked the eldest brother. "It can tell you what is happening miles away from you. Look!" he said and rubbed the mirror. Colors flew across the surface of the glass. Then everything cleared. "I see a beautiful princess," said the eldest. "Quick," said the youngest who had been silent all this while, "We must go and help her. Don't you see that she is dying." "But alas! What can we do?" asked the second brother. "I have an apple with me. A small bite of it is enough to cure a person of any illness. Come, I'll tell you my story as we fly." The three brothers sat astride on the huge eagle. "Take us to the princess across the seven oceans and hills," the eldest brother told his eagle. Soon they were flying over forests and rivers. "Tell us your story," said the brothers to the youngest. "I went up to the white mountains. For miles and miles, there was nothing but gleaming snow. One day I saw a sage in deep meditation. That very moment a snake raised its hood to bite him. In a flash, I took out my sword and cut off its head. The sage came out of his meditation. He thanked me for saving his life and gave me this apple. But look, we have reached the palace."
The eagle alighted on the palace terrace. Immediately the guards caught the three brothers and brought them before the king. "O king, we have come from very far to save your daughter," said the youngest brother. The king looked at them and said, "If you succeed, my daughter will be yours, but if you fail, I will behead the three of you." The youngest brother entered the princess' chamber and gave her the apple. She took one bite and lo! She was up and talking and already blushing at the sight of this handsome stranger. There was great rejoicing. The princess was cured but now the question was: Who would marry her? The eldest brother said, "Without my eagle, we would have never reached her on time." The second brother said, "But wasn't it my mirror that told us about the sick princess?" The youngest brother said, "What you two say is true. But after all, it was my apple that really cured her." So the wise king called the three brothers. He asked the eldest, "Is something missing from your eagle?" "No," replied the brother. The king asked the second brother, "Is something missing from your magic mirror?" "No, nothing is missing," replied the second. The king then asked the third brother, "Is something missing from your apple?" "Yes," said the youngest. "The bite that the princess took is missing from my apple." "So to your loss shall be added the gain," said the king and handed over the princess to the youngest brother. But the king was a just man. He had two other daughters too. So he gave the two elder brothers a daughter each. The next day the three brothers were married to the three daughters of the king. The king gave a kingdom each to the three brothers and they lived happily ever after.
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