“Was she beautiful?” a child a few cells down asked.
“She was breathtaking. In fact, the tiger had never seen a creature more lovely. At that point in his long life, he only had a few stripes on his hindquarters and he was a bit embarrassed by them, so he kept his back hidden in the grass, not that she could see him if he wanted to remain hidden, but a tiger does have his pride to consider.
“When the princess approached, the tiger despaired, thinking he’d have to kill her. What was interesting, though, was that the girl’s eyes weren’t on the tree at all but on the tiger. That she could see him where he hid in the grass, tail twitching, was surprising since most mortals couldn’t see him at all unless he allowed it. The tiger felt an overwhelming desire to meet the girl. He stuck his nose out of the grass first, then his face, and he stopped and sniffed the air. There was no one else around.
“The tiger took one step toward the girl and then another. She gasped at seeing his size, for he was large even by tiger standards, but there was no fear in her eyes. In fact, she held out her hand and sank to her knees. The tiger looked at her outstretched hand and blew his breath on it softly.
“She spoke. ‘Mighty tiger,’ the girl said, ‘I do not come to steal that which you protect. Instead, I come to beg you not to take the life of my brother.’
“The tiger didn’t know what to make of this. ‘Your brother will come here?’ he asked.
“Trembling, the girl answered, ‘Yes. Our father, the king, is suffering and will die soon. He has decreed that my eldest brother be crowned the next king immediately if he can return with a fruit and grant my father immortality.’
“The tiger sat. ‘I see,’ he said. ‘Do you know what happens when a man eats the fruit?’
“She replied, ‘Yes. My father knows what happens. He longs to ascend to the heavens so that he might watch over his kingdom forever.’
“The tiger considered. ‘I have never seen anyone take a fruit and not bite into it themselves.’
“Straightening her spine, the princess said, ‘My brother is an honorable man. He does not seek immortality for himself but for my father.’
“The tiger was moved by the plea of the princess, especially when she reached up and stroked his neck, for it is a well-known truth that tigers enjoy nothing more than to be massaged on the ruff of their necks.”
“What did he decide?” the boy asked.
“Well, the tiger thought about it and decided that he liked the deference the princess showed to him. He also liked the kiss on the top of his head she gave him when he told her he would allow her brother to take a fruit. The tiger thought it was worth a stripe on his back to help a dying king and his beautiful daughter.”
“Did it work?” the girl queried.
“Unfortunately, no. The prince got a fruit easily enough. But on his return journey, he gave in to temptation and ate it himself. Immediately, he turned into light and was caught up by the gods and placed into the sky.
“The tiger got a long lecture and another stripe. It was still red when the princess came calling again. This time it was for the second-eldest brother. Again, the tiger allowed the prince to come, and once more, the young man tasted the fruit before giving it to his father.
“When the princess returned and saw the second stripe, still raw and pink, that she had caused, she wrapped her arms around the tiger and wept. The tiger rather liked the girl’s arms around him and he decided to forgive her. Then she said, ‘I hate to ask this of you but I have another brother. Will you allow him to come?’
“The tiger sighed, but he had started to enjoy his visits with the girl. ‘I will allow it,’ he said. ‘If you agree to stay with me the rest of the day.’
“Quickly, the girl agreed and the tiger passed the day in the most pleasant way he’d ever experienced. He even laid his head in the girl’s lap and napped as she ran her fingers through his fur. When the sun went down, he begged her not to leave. He was afraid that another predator, one who liked the flesh of mortals, might hurt her.
“She agreed to stay and slept by his side that night. After she left the next morning, he was miserable. He paced back and forth unhappily as he pondered the thought that he might never see the princess again. The third prince came and the tiger allowed him to take a fruit. He felt wrong to hope that the boy would follow the examples of his elder brothers, but hope he did. He was guiltily happy to discover that his hopes had been fulfilled and readily accepted another stripe even as he watched for her familiar form on the winding road. The tiger leapt from the grass, truly joyful to see the princess again.
“The girl slumped to the ground, sorrowing over the loss of her brothers. ‘I thought they were honorable,’ the girl mourned.
“Attempting to comfort her, the tiger said, ‘I am sorry. I wish there was more I could do to help.’ There was, of course, more the tiger could do to help, but to do so was something that would anger the gods. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, the princess had six more brothers. Each time one came, the tiger allowed him to take a fruit. Each time, the prince took a bite and failed in his quest. And each time the princess returned, he agreed that another could try if she stayed with him. He persuaded her to spend more days with him on each visit.
“The days they spent together were the finest the tiger had ever known. He hunted for the princess and brought back branches bursting with ripe berries. The tiger showed her the best spots to nap in the sunshine and where to find the sweetest water. The princess seemed as happy to be with him as he was with her. It was with great regret that they parted company after their weeks together and the tiger mourned her each time she journeyed home.
“When there was only one brother left, she came one last time. She knelt, wrapped her arms around the tiger, and wept into his fur. By that time the tiger was in love with the girl, for they had spent many weeks together to fulfill the bargains he had made. His heart broke, for he had nothing to give her. No token to show her the depth of his affection. But then the tiger thought of his secret, and he knew there was one thing he could give her that would mean more to her than anything else.
“He was forbidden to tell her his secret, but he hated seeing her so despondent, especially when he knew how happy it would make her to save her last living brother. In defiance of the gods and knowing it would mean more stripes across his back, he said, ‘Your brothers were honorable.’ He sighed. ‘It was not their fault that they ate the fruit. Once the fruit touches the skin, it works its magic on mortals. If that person does not take a bite, the pressure becomes so intense it’s almost painful to resist it.’ Shifting so the girl could stroke his back in the right spot, the tiger rubbed his head against the girl’s shoulder. ‘I am sorry I had to keep the information from you,’ he said.
“The princess cried over her lost brothers and, when she recovered enough to speak, replied, ‘You must not blame yourself. I see how much you’ve suffered for my brothers, and I know you will suffer more for telling me the truth.’ She traced her fingers over the stripes on his back that had turned black over time. He shuddered with pleasure at her touch. ‘If you will allow it,’ she said, ‘I will warn my youngest brother so he does not touch the fruit with his hands.’