The Beggar's Honest Tale

 

Once upon a time, in a small kingdom, there was a beggar named Bert who lived on the streets, asking for alms from the kind citizens. One day, as he was begging for money, a wealthy merchant stopped in front of him. The merchant asked Bert if he wanted to earn some money for the day, to which Bert replied eagerly, "Yes, of course, sir!"

The merchant then handed Bert a sack of gold coins and told him to deliver it to the castle. Bert was overjoyed at the prospect of earning such a huge amount of money, but he was also quite apprehensive, as he had a reputation for being a bit absent-minded.

Bert set off to the castle, but on the way, he was stopped by a group of bandits who tried to rob him of the sack of gold. Bert, being the honest man that he was, refused to give in to their demands and instead told them the truth about his mission. To his surprise, the bandits burst out laughing and apologized, saying that they were just trying to see if he was a trustworthy person.

When Bert finally reached the castle, the king was pleased to see the sack of gold and rewarded Bert with a hefty sum of money, as well as a job as the kingdom's official treasure guard. Bert was over the moon, as he had never expected such a turn of events.

From that day on, Bert was known as the "Honest Beggar" and became a beloved figure in the kingdom. He lived a life of comfort and happiness, always grateful for the power of honesty and the choices he had made along the way.

So, the moral of the story is, even the smallest of actions can lead to big consequences, and honesty truly is the best policy, even when dealing with bandits!