Prince and New King

DARANGAN
(Epic of Maranao)

There was a king in a faraway kingdom in Mindanao who had two sons. The elder was Prince Madali and the younger one was Prince Bantugan had shown superior qualities over his older brother Prince Madali. Their tutors would always tell their father that prince Bantugan was very intelligent. He was a fast learner, even in the use of sword and bow and arrow. And he possessed such great strenght that he could subdue three to five men in a hand-to-hand combat. The first indication that he would soon be a formidable soldier was seen when he single-handedly killed a big and ferocious crocodile that had killed several villagers. As year pass, Prince Bantugan reach to his manhood, he became a kingdom's number one soldier. He always led their soldiers to the battlefield. And he always triumphed over their kingdom's enemies. His name became a word of the mouth among the soldiers of the neighboring kingdoms. Soon no kingdom ever dared to make war with their kingdom. No one would want to fight him. Peace and progress reigned in their kingdom because they had gained the respect and recognition of their neighbors. When their father died of old age, his elder brother, Prince Madali was named the new king. There were silent protests among the ranks and their people. They wanted Prince Bantugan to be the new king. Even the ordinary people were one in saying that Prince Bantugan was the better between the two Princes. '' My brother desrves to be our new king because he studied how to run the government,'' Prince Bantugan told his soldier and ministers of the kingdom. ''He knows how to deal the foreign relations. And several good ideas on how we can improve the life of everyone!''. The ministers and te soldiers just nodded and agreement. However, a rift insued between Prince Bantugan and King Madali. Because Prince Bantugan was not only brave and strong but very