Swineherd

The swineherd is a once-lazy, good-for-nothing peasant that couldn’t do a chore his mother has ever proposed for him to do. One day, his mother told him to do a certain task, and on that day he met a pair of doves that he was so hungry he was about to pummel them for his good. The two doves begged him to not kill them for one good task comes another and therefore requested that he fetch them water, so the swineherd, despite his cruel laziness, fetched them water for them to drink and he got a bit of a sip himself. On his way, he met a lame fox, who he tried to slaughter to scare away his famine, the lame fox, like the doves, told him to spare his life, for one good task comes for another, so the swineherd spared the foxes’ life as well. Continuing on his journey, he saw a great lake and saw a fish flopping about to get back into the water, as he snatched up the fish, the fish told him to spare his life as well, the swineherd saw how glamorous the fish was and felt bad so he released the fish back into the great lake. On his way, he saw another pair of doves and he was about to eat them as well, but they said “one good task comes another” and to fetch the water as well, so he got water for the two doves and they drank it and he got a sip himself. He then reached a king’s castle where the king petitioned that if one was to hide from his daughter, one will take her hand in marriage, and if they fail, they will be decapitated and parked onto his wall. The swineherd took his bravery to do the task, so he slept and the next morning, the king awoke him. As he was readying to hide, the two doves that he helped earlier came to his window and took him behind the sun, as the king’s daughter came out to the rose garden twirled around, picked the finest rose, and easily called out his hiding spot, whereas the swineherd came out from behind the sun. The next morning, he woke up to the lame fox at his window, who took him to the end of the world, as the king’s daughter came out, twirled around, picked the finest rose and easily called out his hiding spot once more. The next morning, he awoke to the fish at his window, which took him down to the depths of the ocean where no living man has been themselves, as the king’s daughter came out, twirled around, and picked the finest rose and easily called out his hiding spot once again. The swineherd was losing hope, knowing he might be beheaded. The next morning, the second pair of doves came to his window, while one dove has instantly flown away, one stayed and took him to the rose garden where they both transformed into roses. The king’s daughter came out, twirled around, found two fine roses, which was the dove and the swineherd. She couldn't find the swineherd anywhere, as the king requested she spun around once more, as she did when one of the roses turned to a dove and flew away. Finally, the rose turned to the swineherd which he stood beside her, they clung and kissed, as they became king and queen.