Long, long ago, in the time of lords and ladies, castles and kings, monsters and dragons, there lived a young prince. As was his custom, the Prince rose well before dawn and made his way from his room in the castle, across the courtyard, and through the gate. Once outside he crossed a small field and then began to follow a narrow path that led to the top of a large hill. Near the top of the hill the Prince passed through a small gate and entered the Royal Gardens. Many times, even as a small child he had come to the Gardens. It was his favorite place in the whole kingdom, and since his father was in good health, and he was the youngest of three sons, the Prince had little in the way of royal duties. This left him plenty of free time, and much of it he chose to spend in the Gardens. He walked quickly to the center of the garden. There a small delicately carved bench, placed so that if one were seated there they would be able to see the very first rays of light as the dawn arrived. The Prince loved that spot for a very special reason. It was the Stone Princess, at least that is what he called her. There, seated directly across from the bench, was a beautiful stone carving. The carving was that of a young woman, seated on a stone throne, wearing stone robes, and a stone crown on her head. The Prince had often marveled at the skill the stone cutter must have had to carve such a small creature. When his father had come to the land to build his castle the Stone Princess was already there. The Prince had been told by his mother that the beauty of the statue was such that the gardens had been built around it.