Once upon a time, there was a large kingdom known for an ancient prophecy speaking of a princess without a palace. The prophecy said she would be the most just and wise wherever she was. In the kingdom lived a noble family of kings who owned a palace of great beauty. Generations of that family lived inside it.
After many years, a great earthquake occurred, causing a catastrophe for that royal family. The earthquake completely destroyed the palace. The king and queen also died in that painful incident, leaving only their two daughters, Nour and Sabina.
After that tragedy, Nour thought that as the king’s eldest daughter, she might be the expected princess of that ancient prophecy. Princess Nour took her sister Sabina on a journey searching for a new palace suitable for them. Nour made every effort to reach that palace.
While Princess Nour and her sister were searching for the palace, they met an old wise man during their journey. He gave them an old key and told them that this key would open the palace doors. Then he said to them: I have no idea where the palace is exactly, but what you must do is use this key wherever you go until you reach the intended palace.
Princess Nour went with her sister to every place where a palace could be. The key didn’t open any of those many palaces, which made Nour think the key might open the door of one of the important, large houses. However, it didn’t open any of the houses the two sisters went to.
Nour felt despair at finding her palace, as she had traveled with her sister to many countries until only a little money remained with them. When they reached a small, poor town, they decided to stay in that town and work in its fields with its poor yet happy people, who didn’t know anything about the sisters’ reality except that they were two poor orphans.
The two sisters lived for a few years working in the town. They knew the people’s problems, their worries, and their suffering from hunger and poverty. The two sisters became attached to the place and became very fond of the town’s people until they forgot their reality. One day, while Sabina was organizing Nour’s belongings, she found that old key. She carried it to her sister Nour, who felt longing for that palace waiting for them somewhere.
Nour said to her sister: There’s a palace in one of the forests we didn’t know about before. Perhaps it’s our only hope. Her younger sister answered: We’ve spent months searching for that palace and for royal life, but we didn’t feel happiness and security like what we feel now in this poor town, even though we don’t possess much. If we must use that key, then let’s open that old hut here.
When the key approached the hut’s door, the door opened and the hut transformed into a beautiful palace. The entire town also transformed into a wonderful place filled with flowers. Nour became the expected queen of the country and spread happiness and love to all the town’s people.
Translated from Spanish with the title: La princesa sin palacio