The Golden Love

CHAPTER 4: THE THEFT OF THE RING

Owen had made the biggest mistake of his life.

He had told his wife the secret of the most powerful ring in the world.

He did not know that an evil witch was hiding behind the curtain and listening.

That one mistake would cost him his wife and his entire kingdom.

Emma's eyes were wide with shock.

"Owen, do you really have The Magic Ring?"

Owen smiled. He trusted his wife more than his own life.

"Yes, my love. This is our life. This golden palace, this food, everything is because of this ring."

Emma said softly, "Show me the ring."

Owen showed her the ring on his finger. It was glowing with a soft, divine light.

The next morning, Shamona, the fake Haji woman, came to Emma.

Her face looked very kind, but her heart was black like coal.

"My daughter, what did your husband tell you last night? I am worried about you."

Emma, with her innocent and pure heart, told her everything.

She told her about the three tin boxes from the Lake of Destiny, about Sahara, the son of the King of Snakes, and about The Magic Ring.

Shamona's eyes lit up with greed.

"My daughter, this ring is very precious. It could get lost. Tell your husband to give it to you. A good wife should keep her husband's treasure safe. You can wear it on your own finger."

Emma thought it was good advice.

"Yes, I will ask him."

That night, Emma said to Owen, "Owen, give me the ring. It might get lost. I will keep it safe."

Owen loved his wife blindly.

Without thinking for a second, he took The Magic Ring off his finger and gave it to her.

Emma wore it on her finger. It was shining.

The next day, Shamona sent a secret message to the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom.

She wrote, "Tomorrow I will bring the Princess to the riverbank. Come with fast horses."

Then she went to Emma with a sweet smile.

"My daughter, come, let us go for a walk to the riverbank for five minutes. The fresh air will be good for you."

Emma said, "My husband has forbidden me to go out."

Shamona said cunningly, "It is only for five minutes. Your husband has gone hunting. He will never know."

Emma believed her. She went with Shamona to the riverbank.

Owen was indeed far away in the forest, hunting.

As soon as they reached the riverbank, soldiers on black horses came out of the forest.

They created a huge cloud of dust.

Before Emma could even scream, they put a cloth on her mouth and made her unconscious.

They lifted her and put her on a horse.

Shamona also jumped onto a horse with them.

In a few seconds, they all disappeared.

When Emma woke up, she was in a strange palace.

The palace was made of black marble. It was huge and dark.

She was lying on a royal bed.

She saw Shamona and cried, "Grandmother, save me! Where am I?"

Shamona laughed loudly. She tore off her white holy clothes.

Her face became old and evil. Her true form was revealed.

"Ha ha ha! Which grandmother, you fool? I did not come to save you. I came to sell you! Now you belong to the King of this kingdom!"

Emma started crying bitterly.

Then the King of the Northern Kingdom entered the room.

He was an old man with a cruel face.

When he saw Emma's beauty, he went crazy.

"Who are you, oh beautiful girl? I have never seen anyone so beautiful."

Emma cried, "I am Owen's wife! My husband lives in a golden palace on the river! Please let me go!"

The King said, "From today, you will be my wife. Forget that beggar Owen."

Emma shouted bravely, "I will never marry you! I love my husband more than my life!"

The King became angry, but he controlled himself because he was obsessed with her beauty.

Emma said with courage, "Give me one year. Give me one year to forget my past. Then I will think."

The King thought and said, "Alright, I give you one year. After one year, you must marry me, whether you like it or not."

Then Shamona did the most evil thing.

She pulled The Magic Ring from Emma's finger.

She gave it to the King and said, "My King, this is the magical ring! With this ring, that boy built a golden palace in one night! It is the most powerful ring in the world!"

The King took the ring. He put it on his fat finger.

He shouted, "Ring, bring me gold! Bring me diamonds!"

But nothing happened.

He asked Emma, "How does this ring work? Tell me!"

Emma said, "I do not know."

The King became very frustrated.

He looked at Shamona and ordered, "You! You will be her servant and her guard. Watch her every second. She must not run away."

Far away, in the golden palace, Owen returned from hunting.

He was carrying fresh fruits and flowers for Emma.

He was smiling and calling, "Emma! My love! Look what I brought for you!"

He entered the palace. The main door was wide open.

Inside, the palace was completely silent. There was no one.

His smile disappeared. His heart sank.

He shouted loudly, "Emma! Emma! Where are you? My love!"

No answer came.

He searched every room, every corner of the huge golden palace.

Emma was gone. The old Haji woman was also gone.

He ran to the golden bridge. There he saw footprints in the mud.

Small, delicate footprints of Emma.

And next to them, large footprints of horses and soldiers' boots.

He fell to his knees on the golden bridge and cried.

He understood everything in one second.

"This is all done by that old witch! She has taken my Emma! She has stolen my ring!"

He looked at his finger. It was empty.

The Magic Ring was gone.

Now he had nothing left.

The huge golden palace was empty and cold.

His love was stolen. His power was stolen.

He cried for hours alone in that empty palace.

Then he wiped his tears and made a firm decision.

He took off his royal silk clothes.

He found an old, torn sack and wore it like a beggar.

He put dust and mud on his face and hands.

He let his beard grow long.

He looked like a true, dirty, poor beggar.

He said to himself, "I will become a beggar and go to every kingdom in this world. I will search for my Emma, even if I have to search for a hundred years."

He walked to the first kingdom.

People pushed him and beat him.

"Get out of here, you dirty beggar! There is nothing for you!"

But he went to every street, every market, every house, looking for Emma.

He did not find her.

He went to the second kingdom. He did not find her there either.

He went to the third and fourth kingdom.

Everywhere he pretended to beg for food and looked inside palaces.

But Emma was nowhere to be found.

Finally, only one kingdom was left in the world.

It was the biggest and most powerful kingdom.

Owen was completely exhausted.

His feet had deep blisters and were bleeding.

His body was weak from hunger and walking for months.

When he reached the gate of the last kingdom, soldiers shouted at him.

"Go away, beggar! You will get nothing here! If you are truly hungry, go to the King's palace. There is a woman in the langar khana who gives free food to every beggar."

Owen's heart started beating very fast.

"Could that woman be my Emma?"

He dragged his tired body to the langar khana, the free food kitchen of the royal palace.

There was a very long line of beggars.

A woman was giving food to everyone.

Her face was covered with a veil. Only her beautiful blue eyes were visible.

When it was Owen's turn, he looked closely into those eyes.

His heart stopped.

Those were the same blue eyes like the ocean.

The same eyes he had kissed a thousand times.

It was Emma.

Tears filled Owen's eyes.

But Emma did not recognize him.

His face was covered in mud, his beard was long, and he looked like a real beggar.

Emma put rice on his plate.

Owen whispered very softly, so no one else could hear, "Emma."

Emma was startled. She looked up.

Owen whispered again, "It is me, your husband Owen. Do you not recognize me?"

Emma stared at his eyes carefully.

She looked deep into his eyes, and suddenly she recognized her love.

Her soul recognized him.

She wanted to scream and hug him and cry loudly.

But there were hundreds of soldiers and beggars around.

She controlled herself, but tears started flowing from her eyes under her veil.

She whispered, "Owen, how did you come here?"

Owen whispered, "I searched every kingdom for you, my love. I walked for months."

Emma cried softly, "That old witch deceived me. She sold me to this cruel King."

Owen said, "Do not worry. I will take you away from here."

Emma said, "There are thousands of soldiers here. You alone can do nothing. And where is the magical ring?"

Owen asked, "Where is the ring?"

Emma said, "The King has taken it. He wears it on his finger every day, but he does not know how to use it."

Owen thought quickly. If he could get the ring back, he could fix everything.

He asked, "Emma, where do you sleep?"

Emma said, "I sleep with that old witch Shamona in a small room. And the King sleeps alone in his royal chamber upstairs."

Owen said, "Alright. Wait for me. I will come again tomorrow at the same time."

Owen left the langar khana and went to sit in a ruined, lonely place behind the palace.

He was very sad. He had no power, no army.

At that exact moment, the second tin box in his pocket started shaking violently.

He was shocked. He suddenly remembered!

He still had two tin boxes left from the Lake of Destiny! He had completely forgotten about them!

He took out the second tin box and opened it.

From inside, a small mouse jumped out.

And the mouse could talk like a human.

The mouse said, "Oh my master, why are you sitting here so worried? Tell me your problem. I will help you."

Owen was amazed, but he told the mouse his whole story. How his wife Emma was captured and his ring was stolen.

The mouse said, "Master, do not worry. I am small, so no one will see me. I will bring your ring back for you. But you must promise to set me free after that."

Owen promised, "I promise I will set you free."

The mouse asked, "Tell me, where does the King sleep?"

Owen said, "He sleeps in his royal chamber inside the palace."

The little mouse ran quickly toward the palace.

Because he was so small, no guard could see him.

He went through tiny holes in the walls, through dark corridors.

He finally reached the King's royal bedroom.

The King was sleeping deeply on his huge royal bed, snoring loudly.

And on his fat finger, The Magic Ring was shining in the dark.

The mouse slowly, very slowly, climbed onto the bed.

He came close to the King's hand.

He bit the King's finger very hard with his sharp teeth.

The King jerked his hand in his sleep, "Ouch!"

The ring slipped off his finger and fell to the marble floor with a tiny sound.

The mouse quickly grabbed the ring in his small mouth and ran.

He ran through the holes, through the corridors, out of the palace.

He ran straight to the ruined place where Owen was waiting.

He dropped the shining ring in front of Owen.

Owen saw The Magic Ring and his eyes filled with tears of joy.

He picked up his ring. His power had finally come back.

He hugged the little mouse and said, "Thank you, my friend. You are free now."

But now Owen had his power back, and his wife was still a prisoner inside.

What would Owen do now? Would he destroy the entire kingdom?