Two Eyes on the Price: Bi(g) Dreams

Once upon a time, a woman had three sons. The eldest was engaged to the goldsmith’s brother. The youngest had his heart set on the princess, who had traveled through their village months prior. But it was the middle child who did not quite fit in with the others.
At first, he had thought the miller’s daughter to be the most beautiful girl. They had held hands and promised a future to each other. But as young love was, it had faded. After, came the tailor’s son, then another boy, and only two weeks ago he had kissed the baker’s sister.
His family refused to understand him, they would tell him, “You cannot have both. You must choose!” But when the middle son stayed true to his heart, his mother and brothers punished him. They forced him to do all the work and left him with nothing but scraps to eat.
One day, when he was sent out to shepherd the family’s goat, he felt his stomach grumbling. Unable to move anymore, he sat down on a ridge. He stayed there until a woman stopped in front of him. When she heard his story, she told him, “You must not be ashamed of who you are. You are allowed to like both – girls and boys –, do not feel pressured to choose.”
“But if I had my heart set on one, my family would finally love me. They would help me with these chores, and they would eat with me.” As the boy spoke, tears had begun to fill his eyes, “I just want to be accepted and able to go to bed sated for once.”
The old woman, sympathetic to what the boy had to live through, offered one more bit of advice, “You don’t have to go hungry. Just speak to your goat, “Bleat, my little goat, bleat, cover the table with something to eat,” and when your stomach is filled, call, “Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray, and take the table quite away”.”
The boy tried it immediately and feasted on the most delicious meal. From there on out, he left the scraps his siblings offered him untouched. But with time they grew suspicious. And when they found out about the goat, they blurted, “You think you are better than we are?” And to punish the boy, they cut the goat’s throat.
The next day, the boy sat at the ridge again when the wise woman appeared, “Don’t cry, little one, just bury your goat and all will be well.”
Thus, the boy did as he was told, and the next morning a tree with silver leaves and golden apples had grown on the grave. But every time his siblings tried to fetch some of the riches, they grew just out of reach.
It was only by chance, that the young princess rode by then, and, impressed by the tree, she offered her hand in marriage to whomever could fetch her one of the golden fruits. The youngest brother was eager to prove himself, but as he failed, the middle child stepped forward and succeeded.
He lived a better life from there on, and when he became King, he spotted two beggars on the street. He needed to look twice to recognize his siblings. But when he did, he showed them the kindness they had refused him and welcomed them into his castle.