Sakuramoria

"Stories, you say? Hmm... Well, listen closely. Long ago, in Sangvinaria, there lived a mighty chieftain, renowned throughout the land for his wisdom, strength, and courage. However, his only son was quite the opposite – he had delicate hands, was afraid of everything, constantly overthought things, and was burdened by heavy thoughts. In our lands, such a person wouldn't earn respect, let alone find a bride, which made him increasingly despondent. He was on the verge of tying himself to a stone and throwing himself into the river, but as he approached the shore, he saw a small fish washed up on the sand, unable to do anything but suffer and die. The young man, with his compassionate heart, picked up the fish and released it back into the river. Thinking about how fiercely it had fought for its life, the young man decided to postpone his suicide attempt and set out on a journey to see the world. As he walked, he saw an eagle struggling to walk on the ground, its wing injured. He took pity on it and used his remaining medicine to heal it. He continued on his way and saw a demon about to eat a horse. The young man was afraid for his own life in the face of such a monster, but he also felt sorry for the innocent animal, so he offered the demon all his provisions in exchange for the horse's life. He walked on, already forgetting that he had recently wanted to throw himself into the river, but he was now weak and had nothing left to restore his health. It seemed his life force would soon be exhausted. Then he saw a beautiful Sangvinarian princess, and her beauty immediately made him want to live again. But, of course, how could a simple, exhausted, and unkempt young man compare himself to a princess? Then he heard that the one who could find the royal family's lost ring would be allowed to marry the king's daughter, that very beautiful princess. The young man was initially overjoyed, but then he became despondent again. He went to the river and looked at his reflection, asking himself, "Where will I find this ring?" And then, a fish swam up to him – the very one he had saved from certain death – and in its mouth was the ring. The fish gave him the ring and swam away, and the young man, overjoyed, ran to the king, who gave his consent. But the princess refused, saying she would not marry an unkempt barbarian. If he wanted to change her mind, he had to go to the ends of the earth and bring her a unique precious stone – a snowdrop. Disappointed, he walked away, wondering how he could fulfill this task. Then, an eagle landed on his shoulder – the very one he had healed – and in its beak was a white stone. It gave the stone to the young man and flew away. Again overjoyed, the young man ran to the princess, but she refused him again, saying, "If you want to marry me, first, you must take care of yourself: wash, shave your beard, and dress like a husband of a royal person!" The young man left the city, thinking that he should probably return home, as he would not find enough money anywhere to satisfy the princess's request. But then, a horse came running towards him – the very one he had saved from the demon – and said, "In gratitude for saving my life, human, sell me, and use the money to have a wedding!" And so, the princess could no longer refuse him, and they got married, had many children, and lived together happily for a long time.