The Water of Life
World Fairy Tales · 1 min read
A dying king could be cured by only one thing, according to a wise old man: the legendary Water of Life, hidden in a distant, dangerous castle. His two eldest sons set off separately to find it, each arrogant and dismissive of an old dwarf who offered directions along the way, and each was consequently trapped in an enchanted, thorn-filled ravine as punishment for their rudeness.
The youngest son, kind and humble by nature, treated the same dwarf with genuine respect, and was rewarded with an iron wand to open the enchanted castle's gate and bread to calm its hungry lions. Inside, he found not just the Water of Life, but a sword and bread of unlimited abundance, and, warned by a princess he freed along the way, escaped just before the castle's gates closed forever at the stroke of midnight.
On his journey home, the same grateful dwarf helped free his imprisoned, unworthy brothers, who repaid this kindness by secretly stealing the true healing water and replacing it with seawater, then falsely claiming credit for saving their father themselves. The truth was revealed only later, through the returning princess and the youngest son's own honest bearing, and the king, upon learning of his elder sons' treachery, banished them while restoring his true, deserving heir to his rightful place.
Moral of the story
Kindness shown even to those who seem powerless is often repaid when you least expect it.