Iron John(Part 4)

Thus, the prince left the forest and wandered day and night until he finally arrived at a big city. He sought work, but finding none. Moreover, he hadn’t learned any trade that could enable him to find employment. Eventually, he went to the king’s palace and asked if there was any work available for him. The court servants didn’t know what to assign him, but they liked him and told him to stay with them. Then, the king's cook took him in and asked him to bring firewood and water and to sweep up the ashes.

One day, when the cook was alone, he sent the boy to carry the trays of food to the royal table. However, not wanting anyone to see his golden hair, he didn’t remove his hat. The king, who had never seen anything like it, said, "When you serve at the royal table, you must take off your hat." The boy replied, "Your Majesty, I cannot remove my hat because I have a bald spot on my head." Upon hearing this, the king called for the cook, scolded him, and asked how he could have allowed such a boy into the kitchen. He demanded that the boy be sent away at once. However, the cook felt sorry for the boy and arranged for him to be exchanged with the gardener instead.

Now, the boy's work involved gardening, watering the plants, digging, and hoeing the ground in the rain and under the sun. One day, while he was working alone in the garden, it was so hot that he took off his hat to cool his head. When the sun's rays hit his hair, it shimmered so brightly that its reflection caught the attention of the princess in her chamber. She hurried to the window to see what it was. Upon seeing the boy, she called out to him, saying, "Boy, bring me a bouquet of flowers." The boy quickly put his hat back on.