Sang Thong: Rojana's Garland

King Samon arranged a ceremony where each daughter would choose a husband by offering a garland. Princes from many cities wore splendid clothes and spoke of their wealth and victories. Rojana wondered whether clothes, praise, and titles could truly reveal what kind of person someone was.

That morning, Rojana had seen a stranger in a woven cloak and mask pick up a bracelet dropped by a young flower bearer. He knelt to return it, reassured the frightened child, and left without accepting a reward. People laughed at his clothing, but Rojana remembered his gentleness.

After the other daughters had chosen, King Samon ordered the disguised man brought in last. Laughter filled the hall. The stranger was Prince Sang. He stood quietly, answered no insult, and wished that Rojana might see a truth that eyes alone could not reveal.

For one moment, Rojana saw a soft golden light around images of the same man returning the bracelet and lifting a basket of flowers. No handsome face made the decision for her. His actions confirmed what she had already witnessed. Rojana offered him the garland and said, “I choose the person who did good when no one was expected to praise him.”

King Samon was furious because Rojana had not chosen as he expected. He sent them to live in a hut beyond the rice fields. Rojana feared the hardship, but blamed no one. “I made this choice,” she told Sang, “and I will help build the life that follows it.” Together they began repairing the roof.

When the first rain fell, the flower bearer and villagers Sang had helped arrived with bamboo, mats, and food to share. Sang removed the woven mask, revealing his own face in the golden light. Rojana laughed softly. “I first see your face today, but I saw your kindness yesterday.” Then she hung the garland above the door of the home they had built together.