One day, after he had been King for many years, the King had a visit from three strange travellers.  They had the faces of old men, but walked upright, with an almost springy gait, as if they were well used to walking or riding long distances. One was dressed in an old cloak that could have been brown, and had a kind, thoughtful face.  Remarkably, a small bird, possibly a thrush, seemed to follow him around everywhere he went. Not a pet, but a companion. The other two dressed similarly, in faded robes, now grey with dust and age, but which could just possibly once have been blue. Their eyes looked at the King, noticing his handsome face, fine clothes, exchanging glances as they caught the details of his beautiful palace.  The King saw they were all carrying gifts, and prepared to thank them in his most gracious and handsome manner.

‘Well, really,’ said the brown traveller, ‘the gifts are for the young prince who has just been born, not for you. We saw signs and received messages that he was close. Is he in the Palace or in the town nearby?’ This greatly surprised the King. ‘There are no princes,’ he thought, ‘I executed all my brothers and their sons. Perhaps one of them escaped, and is sending secret messages to these travellers to plot against me?’

‘Stay in my palace and we will see the young prince together’ said the King to the travellers.

‘Put them in the west wing where there is only one door out and the windows are high and small’ were his orders to his chief guard, ‘then bring them out one at a time so we can interrogate them more closely.’

However, when the guards went to the west wing to fetch the first of the travellers for examination, they found the room empty. Looking quickly for the other travellers, the same thing had happened. The three rooms were empty and the travellers had disappeared.

Increasingly convinced there was a plot against him, the King sent his soldiers out to find the travellers. People had seen them heading for one particular town, but after that there was no sign. Strange music and lights had been seen in the sky, and many of the people asked the soldiers ‘Is it true about the birth of the new prince?’ When he heard this the King lost his temper. ‘There is no new prince!’ His shouts could be heard through the Palace. ‘My country needs no prince. I am King. I am the cleverest the most handsome, best-dressed, and richest person and I am going to stay King! Forever, if necessary!