There once was a great king who ruled over a great kingdom. The king rose during the day to attend to matters and slumbered at night, dreaming of things to be and were. Yet, the king was bound within the castle having never known the green plains and the high mountains of the land. The king decided to know the kingdom and its expanses.
Each day upon waking, the king ventured out and walked the lands. Each day a new territory was seen and studied, new plants and animals were discovered, new friends were made. Each night the king returned to the castle and slumbered, pondering the new discoveries. The next morning the king would set out again in a new direction and to new places. By this, the king came to know every measure of the kingdom and its inhabitants.
One day, while wandering through a great forest, the king came upon a river. It was pure and clear and flowed through the whole land. While pondering the river the king noticed jewels resting in the sandy bottom. There were sapphires and rubies, gold, emeralds, citrine and onyx. They were beautiful to behold.
The king longed to own these jewels and make them into a splendid crown. Surely these will show my right as ruler of this land, the king thought. So, the king dove into the river and swam to the depths. There collecting the jewels from the sand and placing them under an arm as to hold.
Once the king had collected all the jewels that could be reached, the king's attention was focused on other jewels a little ways off. The king swam to gather them, but the act disturbed the water and created a wake that pushed the jewels away, further from the kings reach.
The king tried again and again to come close to the jewels only for them to be thrown further away by the motion. Even the jewels that had been collected were pulled from the king's arm and scattered back on the sandy floor.
The king stopped and pondered what to do. The king thought of many devices and tricks that could be employed to attempt to catch the jewels. While deep in thought, the king noticed being caught in the river's current. The river carried the king along and brought near the jewels.
The king remained still and floated on the current and was able to collect the jewels that passed by, even the ones that had been lost were regained. After some time the king found that all the jewels necessary for a glorious crown were collected.
The king left the water and traveled back to the castle to set to work. Once the crown was created and set upon the kings head, the people of the kingdom were called to the river. The king then instructed the people of the land how they too could traverse the depths of the river and gain wonderful jewels and become co-rules along the side of the king.