Author: ELMER JR. CANITAN 

A long time ago, there was once a kingdom in the Orient. There reigned a kind and wise queen beloved by her people. She was the mother of three princesses, and one of them is heirs to the throne.

Their father passed away because he had died from the bite of a centipede in the forest. The people mourned the death of their king. However, the queen took over the king’s responsibility and ruled the kingdom wisely.

The older princess was named Athea, the second princess was named Sanya, and the younger princess was named Bea. These princesses were all beautiful and had the same qualities as their mothers and their people loved them so much. 

One day, the queen decided to go on the hunting excursion and invited the princesses. The youngest princess was ecstatic to accompany her mother into the wilderness. She dashed up to her former teacher and begged her permission.

The old teacher said, “Yes, you can join your mother on a hunting trip, but listen to me. Show your kindness,  and you must not harm a single living thing. And if the majesty asks why simply explain that it is unkind and terrible to separate the mother animals from their children. And tell the majesty, animals are the same to a human being, they can feel pain, and we need to show humanity and love to every living thing.”

The little princess pledged that she would keep her teacher’s word. 

When they safely arrived in the forest the youngest princess enjoyed seeing all the lovely animals. She caught a coruscating bird where the feather was emerald and the eyes were like gold, she preceded the bird and saw the glistening river and she was mesmerized by the colorful plants that became the habitats of the animals. While her sisters focused on hunting animals, the princess joyfully swam to the river.

When the hunting was over, the three princesses proudly presented their bags to their mother. The first two bags were overflowing with birds, but the last was empty.

“And why aren’t you carrying anything in your bag?” inquired her mother, the queen. 

The youngest princess replied to her mother, “My Majesty, it is unkind and terrible to separate the mother animals from their children. Because animals are the same as humans, they can feel pain, and we can feel it too. My Majesty, we need to show humanity and love to every living thing.”

The queen mumbled to herself as she gazed intently at her youngest daughter. The queen said, “This young woman will grow up to be a kind and tenderhearted ruler someday.

After a long time, the excellent queen fell gravely ill. She was well aware that her time in this world was limited. She wanted to know which of her daughters would be the best successor, so she asked his old servant to devise a strategy for making her decision.