Week 11 Story: How much would you pay for my love?

Jataka Tales
Author source: Ellen C. Babbitt
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Alexander and Emily, Indulgy

King Alexander was a very honest man. The generations of kings before him, however, were not. People were always tip toeing around him to avoid getting scammed. Like every king, Alexander worked with a valuer. The valuer would acted as a the regulator of money, deciding what items would be worth what sum of money. 

King Alexander had high hopes for the valuer. He wanted to break the stereotype and streak of dishonest, corrupt leaders before him. There was a major problem though. His valuer was not an honest man. People would come to valuer, as people asked to exchange goods for money. 

"How much is a loaf of bread?," a villager asked. The valuer said, "200 coins!" The villager would reluctantly hand over his money. At the end of the day, the valuer would meet with the king. "Here are the 2 coins that I asked for, when someone came for bread." The king would smile to himself thinking about how much progress his kingdom was making, while giving fair deals to his family when in reality, the valuer pocketed the 198 other coins collected.

It came for King Alexander to start a family. The king began his search, but he was not greedy. He didn't want the richest woman. He was looking for someone with a good heart.

It was love at first sight. When walking the main street of the town Alexander found a beautiful woman named Emily, with dark, curly brown hair and green eyes. She was an artist of beautiful paintings and murals. Alexander came rushing home to tell his valuer, mesmerized by her beauty, grace, and smile. 

The valuer came to Emily's parents saying, "Your daughter has been chosen as a wife for the king. She must obey. You must pay 10,000 coins now or you will go to jail." Emily's father handed over the money, the last amount of value he owned. 

The valuer came back to the king saying, "Emily's parents were willing to give you the money for your love. Here are the 100 coins they gave me."

King Alexander exclaimed, "Do you think one can buy love? Do you think one can buy a life of happiness? Emily is priceless, and our love is priceless."

He angrily dismissed the valuer from his prestigious duty from that point onward. King Alexander embraced Emily, and they lived happily ever after.

Author's Note:
This is a retelling of the Jataka Tale, "A Measure of Rice." Instead of having a dishonest king, I chose a honest king, and I wanted to tell his journey as he found the love of his life.