A parable about a father’s true love for his son, and how it is possible to love not only one’s own child.
A king had an only son whom he loved dearly. Being kind, the king allowed children to come and play in the royal park. The park was very beautiful, and many different animals lived there. The king’s son enjoyed walking with the other children, even though most of them were children of poor parents or orphans. The king’s son became very close friends with one such orphan.
The king liked the boy. He was the same age as his son, and the king allowed him to come to the palace with his son and eat with them. The friendship between the boys continued, and the king was very pleased. But one day, disaster struck.
That day, the children were playing in the park near the horses. When a storm began and lightning struck nearby, one of the horses became terrified and bolted forward. The orphan boy did not have time to jump aside; the horse knocked him to the ground, and he ended up beneath its hooves. Seeing his friend in danger, the king’s son threw himself beneath the horse’s hooves and pushed him aside.
The palace servants who ran to the scene saw a horrifying sight. The king’s son was lying face down on the ground, and the grass around him was splattered with blood.
Several days later, the king’s son was buried. All the courtiers were deeply moved by the boy’s deed, and the king was so grieved that he did not leave his rooms for several days. The orphan, terrified that he would be punished for what had happened, fled the area.
Time passed. Grieving for his son, the king went out to the park every day, but from then on, none of the children came there anymore.
Then the king sent his servants to find the orphan. They searched for many days until they found him in one of the abandoned cities. The boy was so thin and dirty that they recognized him only with difficulty. When the servants approached him, he began to run away. They had to chase him until, having lost all his strength, he fell to the ground. They bound the orphan so that he could not escape again and brought him to the royal palace.
The king personally came out to meet his servants. When the orphan was brought out and placed before the king, he began to weep and beg the king to forgive him. Then the king said to him:
– “Do not be afraid; I will not hurt you. If my son loved you so much that he gave his life to save you, then you are like my son to me. I want you to forget everything that happened and live with me. I promise that I will treat you as my own son.”
The king came over, embraced the boy, and began to weep as well.
The boy moved into the royal palace, and everyone came to love him as the king’s son.
A few days later, to celebrate this event, the king decided to hold a grand feast and invited everyone who wished to attend. A great number of tables were set up in the royal park, and the finest food was prepared. Many guests came at the king’s invitation, and the feast began. In the middle of the feast, the king rose to give a speech, and when everyone had quieted down, he began to speak.
He placed his hand on the shoulder of the boy sitting beside him.
– I want you all to know that this is my son, whom I love very much. If you love me, I ask you to love my son as well.
After that, the feast continued, and all the guests ate, drank, and celebrated.
The king leaned toward his son and said to him:
– Son, I want you to remember: I am not a king to you; I am your father. And I will always be your father, no matter what happens.
The feast continued until midnight. Some of the guests had already gone home, while others were still eating, drinking, and celebrating. The king’s son rose from the table and went for a short walk. As he passed the tables and looked at the guests, he saw some boys he knew, with whom he had once run to this park to play.
He went over to greet them and ask how they were doing. One of the boys asked him:
– Why did the king call you his son? You aren’t his son, after all. I know you never had a father; you’re an orphan.
The king’s son felt very embarrassed in front of his friends, and after a brief pause, he replied. – Yes, the king is not my father; he simply wants me to be his son. He offered me a place to live with him, and I agreed.
After that, the boys turned away from him and continued talking among themselves.
The king’s son felt deeply ashamed, so he went to a secluded part of the park and wept bitterly. After some time, his father found him and asked who had hurt him and why he was crying.
– I cannot be your son, because I am not your son. Your son died. I am an orphan, and I have never had a father.
Then his father answered:
– My son did not die; my son is alive, and he is standing before me now.
– Come, let’s go to everyone. It is not right for the king’s son to sit here and cry while everyone else is rejoicing.
They returned to the guests with their arms around each other.
The very first thing the boy did was return to his former friends, with whom he had spoken shortly before.
He went up to their table and said:
– I was just with my father, and I want you to know that he is very glad you came to our feast.
Then one of the boys corrected him:
– Yes, we saw you walking beside the king.
– No, you saw me walking with my father. He is my only father; I have never had, and never will have, another.
Author: Dmitriy Leo
