This is part I of the two part folktale from India
Summary
Two brothers, Vikram and Veeru, were mistreated by their stepmother and decided to leave their palace to seek their fortune. While resting under a tree, they overheard a starling and a parrot arguing about their importance. The brothers decided to capture the birds, with Vikram taking the parrot and Veeru taking the starling, believing that doing so would make one of them a Prime Minister and the other a King.
In a land far away, a king had two sons, Vikram and Veeru. They were good boys, but their lives changed when their mother passed away and the king remarried. The new queen was jealous of the princes and started mistreating them. Unable to bear the ill-treatment, the brothers decided to leave the palace and seek their fortune elsewhere.
On their journey, they rested under a tree and overheard a starling and a parrot arguing about their importance. The starling claimed that capturing it would make someone a Prime Minister, while the parrot said capturing it would make someone a King. The brothers decided to capture the birds, with Vikram, the elder brother, taking the parrot and Veeru taking the starling. As they continued their journey, Vikram accidentally left his whip behind, and Veeru went back to retrieve it. Unfortunately, a snake-demon killed Veeru when he entered the tree's shade.
Meanwhile, Vikram arrived at a town where the king had recently died, and the sacred elephant had not chosen a new king. As soon as Vikram entered the town, the elephant kneeled and saluted him, and the people elected him as their new king. Vikram, however, could not find his brother and appointed another Prime Minister.
Back at the tree, a magician and his wife found Veeru's body. The wife challenged her husband to bring the prince back to life. The magician, using his cunning, managed to force the serpents living in the tree to restore the prince's life in exchange for returning water to their dried-up spring. When Veeru woke up, he grabbed the whip, mounted the pony, and rode off in search of his brother. However, he took the wrong road and ended up in a different city. Without money, Veeru traded his pony to an old woman for food, not knowing what the future held for him.
The whole kingdom celebrated the union of the two brothers and the new marriages. The King and his new wife were happy, and the kingdom flourished under their wise rule. The Prime Minister Prince and his wife continued to live in the palace, working side by side to ensure the prosperity and happiness of their people.
As for the merchants who had betrayed the Prince, they were brought to justice and punished for their deceit. The potters who had saved the Prince's life were rewarded with wealth and recognition, and they continued to create beautiful pottery that was highly sought after throughout the kingdom.
The two brothers never forgot the lessons they had learned from the parrot and the starling. They ruled with wisdom, humility, and a deep love for their people. Their kingdom became known far and wide as a place of fairness, justice, and prosperity.
And so, the two brothers and their wives lived long and happy lives, their kingdom flourishing under their wise and just rule. The memory of their bravery, kindness, and love for one another was passed down through the generations, becoming a timeless tale that would inspire people for centuries to come.