The Prince And The Stone

Once upon a time a prince left his princess to go upon an important journey to a foreign land, promising that upon his return he would bring her back a fabulous ruby necklace to hang about her neck but while he was travelling along a rocky mountain pass he met a Changeling in a cave who cursed him so that he could not walk more than 10 paces from a heavy stone that was buried in the ground.
Then the changeling, turning himself into the likeness of the prince flew to the palace of the princess and, pretending to be him, took his place upon the throne.
Ofcourse, the prince tried to follow him but whenever he took more than ten steps from the changelings cursed stone he collapsed as if all the life had been drained from him.
And, what is worse, the changeling was very cruel; treating both his subjects and the princess very badly and when she tried to protest he locked her up in a tower and the poor princess's heart was broken for she thought the Prince she loved had become a monster inside.
But then, fortunately, one day a traveller passing by met the prince and when he had explained his predicament to the traveller, he helped the prince to uproot the stone and to attach a rope to it so that it could be pulled behind him.
"It is not as good as breaking the changelings curse", said the traveller, "But at least you will be able to return home to your princess".
So then the Prince walked back home to his kingdom and the palace of his princess, dragging the heavy stone behind him.
He walked over hills and through forests; over rivers and through deserts; he encountered wild beasts and storms and fierce robbers but though it was not easy, his love for the princess drew him on.
But then, finally, after he had travelled for almost a month he arrived at his palace.
Unfortunately, when he told the guards at the gates that he was the true prince they wouldn't believe him and when the Changeling saw him at the gates he put on the princes own armour, picked up the princes sword and mounted the princes horse before going out with the intention of killing him.
"I will deal with this impostor myself", he told the guards as they opened the gates and he rode out with his sword raised
And the changeling might well have killed the prince for the prince had brought no weapons with him but then, as the changeling charged upon his horse towards him, taking hold of the rope that was attached to the stone he had been dragging for so long, the prince swung it around his head before letting it go and it struck the changeling with such force that he was knocked clean from his horse and killed.
And when the changeling died, his wicked magic dying with him, he returned to his true form; a blue skinned, hideous monster with one eye in his forehead and the palace guards, seeing the changeling realized that the prince had been telling them the truth.
And the death of the changeling also lifted the curse that had bound the prince to the stone and, hearing that the princess had been locked in a tower, happily he ran to free her.
And when the princess heard the princes story, she was relieved because it meant that the prince had not stopped loving her as she had feared.
"My only regret", said the prince to his wife, "Was that I was never able to bring you that fabulous ruby necklace I promised".
But then, when the prince had his servants bring forth the great rock he had dragged for many miles and the rope attached to it to show the princess, to his astonishement it had been transformed into a giant ruby upon a golden chain.
The blood of the changeling had spilled upon it you see and changeling blood is like an alchemical potion that transforms all that it touches.
So then the prince had giant statues of he and his beloved princess made and round the neck of the statue of his wife was hung the giant ruby necklace.
Then just like those two smiling statues the prince and his wife lived happily ever after.