A Tale of Two Stones

Passed down from generations of mothers and fathers under the Jaenzi Empire's rule is a story of love and of two stones. It goes like this:

Once there was a woman named Carmina who lived in a village near a mountain pass, far from the view of the Emperor’s palace.

Carmina was regarded as the smartest, kindest, most talented, and most beautiful woman in all the lands. Wherever she walked, flowers bloomed. Whenever she spoke, the sun shone brighter. It was as though nature himself smiled down on her every living moment.

One day, the emperor’s son, the prince, came to visit the village by the mountains. He was entranced by Carmina’s beauty, and he knew she must be his.

“Fair maiden,” said the prince. “What would it take for a man like me to be blessed with your hand in marriage?”

Carmina pondered his request, then said, “Bring me the finest sapphire necklace your hands can make. Only then might I consider your request.”

The prince jumped for joy. Swiftly, he left the town and returned to his palace. He called upon all the best magicians and craftsmen of the empire to make him the most perfect sapphire necklace.

“Make me a necklace that glows just as brightly as she!” He commanded. “May even the chain it rests on draw the attention of our kingdom and the next and the next! May the sapphire’s blue be as deep as all of Veisso's oceans and the silver brighter than Zephi's own sun!”

And so, the magicians and the craftsmen worked day and night. The magicians took wood dust from an ancient tree and the feathers of a dove and melded them into a metal much like the finest silver. They enchanted the metal so that each time the sun shone, the light flowed through the silver in a multitude of bright colors. The craftsmen then took this silver and braided some into a long chain, each link as equal as the rest. They molded the rest into a sparkling pendant for the sapphire to rest within.

The magicians then took some coal and compressed it into a diamond. With hands made to work miracles, they removed every speck of coal and dust from the diamond's surface so that it sparkled at every angle. With water from the deepest sea, they washed the diamond so that its sparkling clear surface transformed into a dark blue, like a sapphire. The craftsmen took the sapphire and pressed it into a circle, then placed it in the center of the silver pendant.

The prince held the necklace in his hand, with silver that could capture the light of the sun and a pristine sapphire as deep as the ocean blue.

“In all the lands and all the seas, none could ever recreate this,” said the prince. “To the whole world, it is perfect.”

“May the sapphire’s blue be as deep as all of Veisso's oceans and the silver brighter than Zephi's own sun!”

Meanwhile, in the village, a humble smith heard the request of Carmina. Now he had fancied Carmina for a long while, though never had the courage to admit it. Though he had no intention of competing against the prince, he could not bear the thought of Carmina leaving the village without knowing how he felt for her. If ever there was a way to confess his love for her, this would provide him with the best chance.

So, he took a voyage to the darkest caves. For days, he searched for the finest silver and the most precious sapphire. His hands grew weary from mining and his eyes strained in the dark. He found iron and coal, he even found some lapis lazuli, but it wasn’t until he reached the furthest part of the cave did he find a lone sapphire. It was small and covered in rock and mud, but there it was in the cavern wall. With weary hands, he mined the sapphire and held it in his hand.

“This is for you, my precious gem.” He kissed the sapphire and placed it in his pocket.

He searched and he searched for silver in the caves, yet not a sparkle did he find. So, the smith returned to the village and took out all the silver he had- fifteen silver coins. Hardly enough to form the tip of a hunting knife. Yet if formed right, it could very well make a sturdy chain.

“This is for you, my shining light.” He kissed the silver and placed it in his pocket.

In his smithing shop, he toiled day and night to make a necklace for Carmina. The heat from the furnace dried and cracked his hands. The silver often broke, thus needing to be rekindled and remolded until it was thick enough to hold a chain together. He washed and polished the sapphire, removing as much dirt and blemish from the surface as he could.

By the time the smith had finished, he held up a simple necklace. The chain linked unevenly and tiny scratches littered the surface of the sapphire. Yet, it could still link around her neck, and it was still made of sapphire, just as she had asked.

“Perhaps this will not be as grandiose as the prince’s gift,” sighed the smith. “But to me, she is perfect.”

It wasn’t until he reached the furthest part of the cave did he find a lone sapphire. It was small and covered in rock and mud, but there it was in the cavern wall.

The next morning, the prince and the smith appeared with their gifts. The prince arrived first at Carmina’s doorstep.

“My fair maiden,” declared the prince. “I have arrived with what you have asked me! Come, lay your eyes on the finest necklace hands could make!”

Carmina appeared and took the necklace in her hand. As she held it to the sun, the silver reflected a rainbow of color. The sapphire sparkled in the light, appearing as crystal clear as the ocean was blue. Were she small, she could swim in the sapphire and get lost for a hundred years.

“By the standards set, this necklace is indeed perfect,” she mused. “Truly, I see not one imperfection.”

The prince puffed out his chest, for he knew none could best the beauty of this necklace. As his was the finest in the land, surely Carmina would choose him as her betrothed.

The smith, who stood close by, looked down at his own necklace, at all the imperfections in his gem. A wave of sadness washed over him, and he began to turn away.

Carmina saw him from afar and beckoned him closer. “Why is it you sadden so?”

His hands trembled as he spoke. “I made a necklace for you, as well. Yet it is far from the beauty given to you by the prince, and I am now ashamed to show it to you.”

Carmina’s heart softened at the smith’s honesty. “Do not be ashamed. Please, show it to me!”

With his head hung, he held out the necklace to Carmina. As he handed it over, the prince laughed in his face. “Why, what mockery of a necklace is this? The chain links are uneven! The sapphire merely hangs; there is no pendent for it to rest within! And the sapphire, are we even sure it is such a thing? Look, it has scratches and blemishes! It looks more like a swamp than the sea!”

But Carmina marveled over the silver chain and the small sapphire which hung from it. In fact, its beauty left her speechless for quite some time.

“By my standard, this is the necklace which I will cherish forever.” She looked to the smith and said, “My hand is yours to take. Never could a finer necklace be made.”

“But, my maiden!” The prince exclaimed. “My necklace shines in the sun! My sapphire is clear as diamond! There is not a blemish to be had on it! It is the most perfect necklace hands can make!”

“Perhaps it is,” said Carmina. “Perhaps this one will never sparkle in the sun nor be as deep a blue as the ocean. Perhaps this one is full of mistakes. Of scratches and of blemishes even yet to be seen.”

She took the smith’s necklace and fastened it around her neck.

“Yet it is these things that make this necklace all the more beautiful. Because while your necklace is perfect, this one is real.”