The Salamanca Grapes

Once upon a time, there lived a king who had a daughter of extraordinary beauty. His neighbor, also a king, had three young sons, and all three fell in love with the princess.

"For me, you are all the same," said the princess's father to the brothers. "I cannot favor any one of you. But to prevent you from quarreling over my daughter's hand, let us do this: go out into the world and travel. Whoever returns in six months with the most remarkable gift shall become my son-in-law."

The brothers set off on their journey, and where the main road split into three, they parted ways.

One month passed, then another, and a third, but the eldest brother still had not found a gift worthy of the beautiful bride.

By the sixth month, as the prince was staying at an inn in a very distant land, he suddenly heard a loud voice:

"Carpets, carpets of the most exquisite craftsmanship!" The prince looked out the window, and the merchant called to him:

"Would you like to buy a marvelous carpet?"

"A carpet is the last thing I need," the prince chuckled. "My palace has so many carpets that we even lay them in the kitchen."

"But you won't find carpets like these, with a secret, anywhere else."

"And what is this secret?"

"Once you sit on my carpet, it will rise into the air. In a day, you can fly a hundred miles!"

Delighted, the prince snapped his fingers.

"That's exactly what I need! How much do you want for it, my good man?"

"One hundred scudi, no more, no less."

"Deal," said the prince, and he counted out a hundred scudi.

As soon as he stepped onto the carpet, it soared like a bird into the clouds, flew over mountains and valleys, and landed near the inn where the brothers had agreed to meet after six months. But his brothers were not there yet.

The middle brother was still on his journey. He had visited many lands but had not found a suitable gift. One day, he encountered a wandering merchant who was shouting:

"Telescopes, the finest telescopes! Young sir, would you like to buy a telescope?"

"What do I need it for?" said the prince. "At home, I have many telescopes of the finest quality."

"I bet you don't have a single telescope with a secret like this one," said the merchant.

"And what is so special about it?"

"With this telescope, you can see everything that happens a hundred miles away, even through walls!"

The prince was overjoyed:

"Then this is perfect for me! How much does it cost?"

"Exactly one hundred scudi."

"Here are a hundred scudi. Give me one telescope."

The middle brother bought the gift and hurried to the meeting place. There, he found the eldest brother, and together they waited for the youngest.

The youngest brother had spent all six months searching for a gift but had found nothing suitable. Despairing, he began his journey back when he encountered a fruit merchant who was calling out:

"Who wants Salamanca grapes! Buy Salamanca grapes!"

The prince had never heard of Salamanca grapes; they didn't grow in his homeland. So he asked the merchant:

"What kind of grapes are these?"

"Salamanca grapes, the most delicious grapes, and they possess a wondrous power."

"And what is this power?"

"A single grape can bring a dying person back to life."

"How much do they cost?"

"For you, sir, I'll sell them for a hundred scudi per grape."

The prince had three hundred scudi in his pocket, so he bought only three grapes, carefully wrapped each one, placed them in a box, and set off to where his brothers were waiting.

The brothers met and began to ask each other what they had brought.

"I? Oh, just a little carpet," said the eldest.

"And I brought a telescope," said the second.

"And I brought some fruit. That's all," said the youngest.

"I wonder what's happening at home and in the princess's palace now," said one of them.

The middle brother took the telescope and, as if casually, pointed it toward their homeland. Everything was as usual. He then looked toward the neighboring kingdom, where the palace of their beloved was, and was horrified.

"What do you see?" asked the brothers.

"Do you know what I see? There are many carriages at the princess's palace, people are crying and tearing their hair out. And inside the palace, a doctor and a priest are at someone's bedside... It's the princess's bed! There she is, pale and motionless. She's dying!"

"What do we do? We still have over fifty miles to go!"

"Don't worry, we'll make it!" said the eldest. "Quick, onto my carpet!"

The carpet swiftly carried them to the palace, flew through the window into the princess's room, and landed by her bed.

The youngest brother took out the three Salamanca grapes from the box and placed one in the princess's pale lips. As soon as she swallowed the berry, her eyes opened. Without wasting a second, the prince gave her the second grape. Color returned to her cheeks. After the third, she took a deep breath and stretched. The princess was saved. Then the bride rose from her bed and ordered her maids to bring her most beautiful dress.

Everyone was overjoyed, and the youngest brother said:

"Well, I've won! The princess will be my wife: without the Salamanca grapes, she would have died."

"No, brother," objected the middle one, "without my telescope and my warning that the princess was dying, the grapes would have been useless. I will marry the princess."

"Forgive me, brothers," declared the eldest, "but no one can take the princess from me. What are your merits compared to mine? We arrived here in time on my carpet, not on a telescope or grapes."

To end their quarrel, the king had to give the princess's hand to a fourth suitor who arrived at the palace without a gift. Fairy girl