The 2 Birds (Completed)

Chapter 2 - Human Life

Centuries passed and the male bird was reborn as a poor orphan boy who lived on the fringes of the country. Growing up with no parents and no relatives to take care of him, he only survived by being servants of others and doing odd jobs just enough to survive and live for the next day. Every night he'd catch glimpses of his past life of when he was still flying freely as a bird. A sprout of worry for his lover weighed heavily on his heart because he'd left her behind when he'd died.

At the same time, the female bird had the fortune to be reborn as the emperor's beloved only daughter, who was blessed with beauty. But to the dismay of her family, she never uttered a single word to her father or brothers, or any men, only showing displays of hate and anger towards the opposite gender. When she came of age, her father worried for his cold and reticent daughter.

The emperor sent out a decree to the city that if there is a man who is courageous enough, who would be able to get a response from his darling daughter, the princess, and have a conversation with her, he would give her hand in marriage to him. Hearing of the news, suitors from the poorest to the noblest made their way to the palace for a chance to have her hand in marriage. No matter how much power or status a person had, rich or poor, or how smart and eloquent they may be, they could not move her heart enough to hear a sliver of a word from her lips. The emperor was embarrassed in front of his citizens who'd come for her hand in marriage but was unsuccessful. He sent out an imperial decree for any and all young men to report to the palace to accept the challenge. The decree reached to the ends of the country and all young men from the unemployed to farmers made their way to the palace. All the men who'd tried their best to get a response from the princess failed miserably.

The emperor furrowed his brows in worry and asked his servants, "Is this all the young men in my entire Empire?"

"Sire. The people that we thought would be useful to you, or would do what you desire, have all came, the only one left would probably be the poorest orphan who lives at the end of the our Empire. He's the only one who refused the summons, what is it you'd have we do?" answered his servants.

The emperor roared in fury, "Drag him here. I must have a few words with this man."

Two servants ran to do the emperor's biding and arrived outside of the poor orphan's run down abode. They'd found the dirty orphan in nothing but dirty paper-thin rags peeling bamboo strips to make a fishing basket.

"Orphan, the emperor requests your presence at the palace."

"I'm poor and stinky and have nothing but rags to present the emperor. I'm too embarrassed to present myself to someone such as the emperor, I'd only disgust everyone if I were to go. I must refuse you here."

"Orphan, the emperor hasn't said or thought anything of the sort. He has demanded that we take you to the palace. We can take you there or we can drag you there by force if we must. He is the emperor and one above many, he's graced you with the opportunity and no one will block your way as he's invited you. You have no way to refuse."

With no way to refuse, he departed from the his home in nothing but the paper-thin rags of clothes on his back. As soon as they reached the palace, all that were close and saw him, covered their nose and dry-heaved and those from afar snickered behind their hands while they whispered to each other. They all looked on at the entrance of this poor, stinky, smelly orphan who popped in from god knows where. The orphan made his way to the throne room and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

Going down onto his knees, he squeaked, "I've made my way here as you've desired, your majesty. What is it you request of this servant?"

The emperor looked down from his throne, a spark of hope in his heart, he replied, "My lad. I've asked you here as I've got a challenge in regards to my beloved daughter. She's angry as can be and even though I may be her father, she hates me and her brothers to the point that she refuses to talk to us. I've already invited all the young men to the palace to see if anyone would be able to talk or converse with her and win her hand in marriage but no one has succeeded. Now, you are the last one, my boy."