Once upon a time,in a land far away there lived a princess and her friend named Omar. Omar was the son of the king’s servant and they lived with his father in a small house behind the palace. His mother had died shortly after his birth,before he could even see her. Omar was the same age as the princess so they became very good friends. They played together in the palace with the princess’ toys all day long as his father worked in the palace. They shared many secrets too.
One day the princess showed Omar one of her greatest secret. A pendant made of gold,it was magical too. The princess told Omar that it was a gift from her great grandmother and it had the chance of only one wish. One was not supposed to use it in anger,as people made many wrong decisions when they were angry. The princess told Omar that one day she would use her magic pendant to wish for a golden castle and a handsome prince. She kept the pendant back in her drawer,never to use it until the time was right.
Omar was always in the palace even when the princess went to school. Since his father was very poor to take him to school he stayed at home to help his father with his chores. The princess brought her books for him to read. Omar was a fast learner and whenever the princess taught him,he would never forget. In no time he could read and write almost as good as the princess.
As the days went by,the king began to take a special interest in Omar. He was smart and kind. He even joined the princess whenever she went to listen to his fathers stories of war,love,life and even death.
One day,the king wanted to go hunting,so he asked Omar to join him. The princess felt jealous as her father had never asked her to go anywhere with him,not even to ride her horse. As they were hunting,the king got to know more about Omar. Omar’s intelligence surpassed the one he had estimated. He knew so much about plants and insects. He was so happy about it and the good time they had shared hunting that he decided that it would be noble of him if he enrolled Omar to school the next year. Henceforth whenever the king went hunting,he always called Omar to join him.
When Omar joined school,he worked very hard and became top of his class. The princess was also in the same class. The princess was furious. No one was supposes to be top of the class,that was her position. She was filled with rage. She decided never to speak to Omar again. Why was he taking everything away from her? First his father,now her position? The princess had to teach him a lesson,so she did not invite Omar to her upcoming birthday party.
Ever since they were little Omar had never missed the princess’ party. When he found out he had not been invited to the upcoming one he was disheartened. When the party began,the king could not help but notice Omar’s absence. He called the princess and asked her what the problem could be. The princess broke down into tears. How could her father do this to her? Even at her party,all he was thinking about was the poor servant boy? Did he wish she was a boy like Omar? This could not be happening. Her father tried to calm her but she could hear none of it.
The princess rose to her feet and did the unexpected. Filled with anger and pain she rushed to her room and took out the golden pendant. “May Omar turn into a tree! Never to be noticed by anyone. Never!” She screamed. Everything came to a standstill. Slowly piece by piece the entire palace and its inhabitants began to turn into ash till the very last piece. The princess had defied the rule,to use the pendant in anger meant to loose everything that she loved. At that very moment, Omar was transformed into a tree. Lonely and desolate,to bear flowers only once after every hundred years only to be human if the flowers received a kiss of true love.
Many many years came to pass. On a fine sunny after noon a young beautiful princess was sitting under her favorite tree on a hill reading a book. She stopped to think. It was time for her to get married and a search for the perfect suitor was on.” He has to be kind and with good intentions, I don’t care if he looks like a monster,” she thought. She chuckled,of course she did not really mean a monster. A flower fell on her hair from one of the branches of the tree. She reached out for it and exclaimed when she saw it. A very magnificent flower indeed. She had sat under the tree and read as long as she could remember never had she noticed that it had any flowers. She lifted it up to her nostrils and inhaled it’s enchanting scent. She closed her eyes,she was in love with the flower. She kissed the flower and decided to take it home to put it in a vase.
As she stood up to leave,she turned to look and saw that there was no tree on the same spot it had been,instead there stood the most handsome young man she had ever laid her eyes on. She leapt in surprise and covered her lips not to scream. The young man took one step towards her,”Do not come near me or I shall scream,”she warned. He laughed lightheartedly. “I mean no harm miss. My name is Omar. I am just a poor unfortunate soul on whom a spell was cast on many years ago. My life could only be redeemed by a kiss of true love on one of my flowers which bloom once in a hundred years. You loved and kissed my flower,I am grateful for making me see the beauty of life once again.” He narrated. The princess was touched by the Omar’s soft spoken nature. She asked Omar to follow him home since he had no place to spend the night.
The king and the queen where impressed by Omar. He was by far the most humble man who had ever set foot in the palace. “I think we have found the perfect match for our daughter,” he whispered to the queen. Both the queen and the king consulted the princess on her thoughts on Omar. The princess was evidently smitten by him. She agreed in outward glee to marry him,only if he agreed too. Omar could not believe his fortune. He was grateful to the royal household. A wedding was planned and people from far kingdoms attended. Omar and the princess lived happily ever after.