There once lived a greedy prince who loved his vast riches

There once lived a greedy prince who loved his vast riches.

He had a fancy of finding and owning the most expense and strange things among the land, golden coins that clanked together with such force, skulls of nobles with jewels for eyes, and even things he couldn’t have such as. . .

His mothers prized Koi fish.

Each fish held a different color; Gold ones that shimmered in the water like the burning rays of a summers sun, Blue ones that looked to be picked out of the skies themselves all swimming in a small pond that was hidden away deep into the princes' castle.

He wanted to eat their pretty bodies oh so badly, taste the taste of such beauty he could only dream of the Prince longed to catch one.

Though as he would speak of such deeds his servant would object, now his servant was a tall lad who was born into this business for his mother and her mother before her all had served among the princes' family. The servant had a large heart for all things and so begged the prince to not go and fish in the small pond yet the prince was far too stubborn and paid no mind to the help.

Tilting his head with a harsh grunt he left off into the castle, deep into its depths through long white halls and many yards he did find the small pool of water and so sat along the sides ready to work the hardest he ever had in his entire life.

Much to the Princes' surprise he did catch a Koi!

A beautiful white one that was like a fresh sheet of snow in the moon light, violet casts in its scales and large black orb eyes in looked like night. The Prince had never seen such a fish and so was delighted as he opened his mouth wide to taste on its powder flesh.

Though as the Prince opened his mouth the Koi did too, "Stop!" it shouted "Please do not eat me!"

The Prince was dumbfounded and amazed that such a being could talk, "It must be worth so much!" he thought as he smiled wide.

"You can talk little Koi?" he asked with such thrill in his voice the fish seemed to frown upon.

"Yes," it whined "Please don’t eat me or; or I'll take away your most loved possession."

"Take from me?" this angered the Prince and so with this new emotion decided instead of selling the Koi he would right there and then bite off its head.

As its crimson blood split out into the pond and the other small creatures fluttered away from it the prince thought about what he had just done. His red chin on his pale skin he ignored for now the prince was filled with worry, "What if it did take my most loved possession away?"

Without another word he dropped the flopping koi's body to the ground, getting up to run in haste.

When he returned to the main part of the castle he went to his room.

His clothes were still there,

And his jewels were still there.

The money and the riches of his family all still in the spots he had left them.

All the objects the Prince loved were still there and in a tired and relieved smirk he laughed, "That stupid fish lied to me!"

He felt proud that he had outdone such a pitiful thing yet as he walked about the castle completely full of himself he noticed something strange.

The castle seemed oddly quite.

The Prince though figured that his servant was simply upset with him and so yelled, "Servant!"

No answer.

This worried the Prince and so he yelled louder, "Servant!"

No answer.

The fish had done as it had said and so the prince with left with only riches.