About a Tsar and His Son

Once there lived a great king. When the king grew old and his time to die approached, he called his only son and heir and said:
"My son, you can see for yourself—I already have one foot in the grave. I will die any day now, and you will be left alone, with the entire kingdom in your hands. Go and establish for yourself, wherever you find it necessary, reliable homes where you can take shelter and find refuge in times of sorrow or need."

The son obeyed his father and immediately set out to fulfill his command.

He took plenty of money with him, traveled throughout the kingdom, and wherever he liked a place—be it a mountain, a valley, a village, or a wild forest—he built beautiful palaces. He built so many palaces and, satisfied, returned home. His father called for him and asked:

"Well, my son, did you set up homes for yourself as I told you? Will you have a place to take shelter in difficult times?"
"Yes, father!" replied the son. "Everywhere I found a place I liked—in the mountains or in the valleys—I built magnificent palaces."

"Woe to your enemy, my son," said the father. "You did not build the kind of homes I spoke of. Empty palaces, my son, will not help you in sorrow or shelter you from trouble. I taught you to find honest and loyal people throughout the kingdom, to love them, to befriend them, and they will provide you with a true and reliable refuge in difficult times. Know this: wherever a person has a faithful and honest friend, there they will find a home and shelter."

More fairy tales

• The Arrogant Scholar and the Boatman
• The Blue Carpet
• The Tale of Tskhetag and Devtag
• One Earned Ruble
• The Tsar and the Peasant's Daughter