a bedtime story i wrote for fouad

once upon a time there was a prince in a far away kingdom... this prince's name was fouad... when the time came for him to marry his parents searched far and wide for the perfect young bride for their son... many were presented to him and he kept a would-be harem going and had his way with many beautiful girls... but still this was not enough for the prince... he wanted something more
one night he left the kingdom just wanting to get away from all the responsibilities that came with his title... he rode away by horse under the cover of night and left his burdens and his ladies far, far behind... by daybreak he came upon a group of nomads preparing their caravan for another days journey.... and that is when he saw her
a beautiful young woman stood on the edge of the group, on the fringe, unnoticed by most... all he could see of her were her eyes, and they were enough to melt mountains along with his proud heart... he had to know this girl... he approached another fellow about his age and inquired about her.... the other young man told the prince that she was an orphan who travelled with her extended family
at once fouad asked for her name... "claire" replied the man.... and fouad knew at that moment that he was in love with a stranger named claire who he had never met before.... how absurd it sounded, being in love with someone who was less than an aquaintance, but it was true and very possible
the caravan moved on and fouad stayed behind to rest at the place where they had made their camp.... as soon as he and his horse were rested enough he set out after them.... fouad remained at a safe distance and followed them until they made their next stop
he sought out the girl named claire with the wonderful eyes and found her alone only once and he seized his opportunity... he introduced himself as a prince and she didnt believe him at first but soon she believed when he presented her with more money than she had ever seen before in her life... he presented her with a proposition: that she leave with him that night and travel back to his kingdom
he told her he would make her his wife and have all her most whimsical dreams come true... of course she accepted.... she gathered her few worldly posessions and as everyone slept she distributed the money as equally as she could throughout all the nomads... they took off into the night and made it back to the kingdom by sunrise the next day
the first thing fouad did upon his return was casting out all the women who had been leeching off his wealth in his absence.... he gathered his parents and announced that claire would be the one he would marry... they did not disagree, assuming that she was just another girl he had been presented with and neither fouad nor claire ever enlightened them
i wedding was held within the week and the two not only lived happily ever after, but their many wise children made the kingdom wealthy and prosperous for centuries to come
the end