The King and the Nightingale Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a king. His palace was one of the most beautiful and magnificent in the world. However, the king was a poor soul who did not pay much attention to the splendor of his realm. Nearby, there was a large garden that rivaled the beauty of the palace, filled with the most beautiful flowers in the world. According to the people, the most remarkable thing was a nightingale that resided in that garden. Those who heard the nightingale's beautiful song would rush from distant lands to see it. One day, the fame of the nightingale reached the ears of the king.

However, the king was furious that he had been unaware of this news and summoned his vizier, saying:

- How could this happen!? Why did I not know about the nightingale in the palace garden? - The vizier could not answer him, as he also had no knowledge of the nightingale. Immediately, the king called for the gardener:

- There is a world-famous nightingale in the palace, why didn’t you tell us? - said the king. The gardener replied:

- I beg your pardon, my lord. - To which the vizier shouted: - Find it and bring it to me at once! - The gardener searched everywhere and inquired, but could not find the nightingale. Then the vizier suggested to the king:

- This must be a fabricated story! - The king grew even angrier:

- No, that cannot be! A trustworthy person delivered this news to me. Bring me the nightingale immediately, or I will punish all of you! - At that moment, a servant girl from the palace kitchen approached the gardener:

- You will not find what you are looking for here, but if you want, I can take you to it, - she said. Hearing this, the palace staff rejoiced and immediately set off towards the grove where the nightingale lived. When they arrived at the nightingale's home, the girl shouted: "Little nightingale!" When the nightingale appeared on a branch of a tree, she said:

- Our king wants to see you and hear your voice. If you do not come with us, our king will punish us all. - The nightingale agreed to go with them. On the way, they listened to its beautiful song, and they all arrived at the palace. Thus, they stood before the king, and the nightingale began to sing with its lovely voice. Touched by its voice, tears welled up in the king's eyes, and joy filled his face. The king asked the nightingale:

- What do you wish from me, tell me! - The nightingale replied: - The greatest gift for me is to bring you joy. - Having gained the love of all, the nightingale became a cherished gem in the palace. From then on, it settled in the palace garden and sang for the king with its beautiful voice. The people would gather around the palace to listen to the nightingale's songs. One day, a gift chest arrived for the king. When he opened it, a toy nightingale adorned with precious gems and stones emerged. This toy, made of glass, had a screw key on top. When the key was turned, it produced the sound of a real nightingale. Over time, the real nightingale, feeling neglected by the king, found a way to fly away from the palace. The toy nightingale, which used to sing beautifully every day, broke one day. Only then did the king realize the absence of the real nightingale and understood the injustice he had done to it. Grief-stricken, he fell ill and lay in bed. As days passed, his condition worsened, and the people worried greatly. Seeing his helpless state, they decided to appoint a new king, believing that his situation would not improve. The news of the king's illness and the appointment of a new king also reached the ears of the nightingale that had flown away from the palace. Hearing that the king loved him and regretted his actions, the nightingale decided to help him and immediately flew to the window of the king's room, starting to sing with its beautiful voice. The king, lying in bed, began to regain his strength upon hearing the nightingale's song. Near dawn, he got up and recovered from his illness. The king realized that it was the beautiful voice of the nightingale that had healed him and promised to always cherish it from then on, and the nightingale agreed to visit occasionally to sing.