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Proper Prince

In the good and fair land of Wale, a prince lived in a castle with the king and queen. The prince was a newborn baby, and the king and queen couldn't have been happier.

Every year, the prince, being an only child of the rulers of the kingdom, had a magical birthday celebration. Many people from everywhere came to see the prince age.

The prince was a prince, but he wasn't a normal prince. Every year he aged, he got a bit more unproper. When he turned five, when he really started to understand his royalty, he started dropping food on his lap. Six, he had smudges on his face. Seven, he played in mud. It went on for years, and it got worse. The year that the prince turned fifteen, he was even worse.

The celebration was amazing. Everyone came, they ate different foods, danced different dances. As soon as it was drawing to an end, the prince made sure everyone was watching. He stripped down to his underwear and ran. Everyone followed him until they reached a barn. The prince climed in the pig pin, hugged each pig, and rolled in the mud with the pigs. He then went to the pasture, covered in mud, and rolled in the cows' waste. He then jumped in the horses' drinking water.

Everyone fled, disgusted of the prince's disrespect. The prince went back to the castle, where his outraged mother and father waited.

"You are an outrage! You are a prince and princes are proper," the king said.

The prince went to his chamber to rest, and the queen left the castle. The queen was headed to see if anyone could help the prince and train him to be proper.

"So, you are looking to change your son?" the queen heard.

She turned around to see a bird on a fence.

"Did you say that?"

"Yes, I did. You are looking to change your son?" the bird repeated.

"Yes. He is not proper at all. He is a prince, and princes are proper."

"I will change your son under one condition. The king must be the only one present during the change of the prince.

The queen returned home and told the king and prince the bird's deal.

The next day, the king and prince walked to the bird's fence. The bird led them to the barn where the prince had made a fool of himself.

"King, you really wish to change your son?" the bird asked.

"Yes. Very much."

"Very well. King, you must do everything that the prince did here a few days ago."

The king obeyed. He stripped down to his underwear. Rolled with the pigs, rolled in the cows' waste, and sat in the horses' drinking water.

The king came back dirty and looked at his son. They returned home later.

The king went to take a bath and remove the mud and smell. When he soaped and scrubbed it wouldn't come off. He tried for hours with no luck.

The prince went to roll in the mud to make his father angry. When he rolled and slopped, he stayed perfectly clean.

The king and prince went to the bird's fence the next day, outraged.

"Why am I dirty?"

"Why am I clean?"

The bird chuckled.

"Your son is you at a younger age. When you were young, you acted the same way as this prince. You grew to be proper and he did not. You tried to change your son's way of life, and you did, but it was passed back up to you again," the bird explained.

So the king went the rest of his life dirty, and the prince went the rest of his life clean.