Once upon a time there was a tiny, delicate princess who longingly looked out from her tower. It was a wonderful day; the sky was a clear blue and the bees hummed. The princess spied a point far off on the horizon and her heart began to beat faster. Who could that be? She had not expected anyone in broad daylight – but life is full of surprises. And so the horse drew nearer by and by. The horse and rider were enjoying their journey and were surprised to see a princess in a tower.
“Good day, Milady, you brighten my day with your beauty. May I introduce myself? My name is Thomas Lommel and I am travelling around the world.” “Aha,” said the lady a bit taken aback from his directness, “and why are you on the road?” “It is a long story, but I can make it short: it is the olive tree.” “Oh, that is very unusual,” said the princess and asked herself what’s with this knight? She was about to turn away when the knight asked if the princess wouldn’t like to join him for a moment. “Oh no, I can’t do that. You are a stranger – and how do I know if I can trust you?” “That is a very good question,” answered the knight, “I understand you very well. May I ask you a question?” “Yes, you may.” “Good... Are you happy?” Huh? What kind of a question was that, thought the princess, but fair is fair, I allowed him one question. She wanted to give him an honest answer and said, “Well, not really.” “Oh”, said the knight, “then I have an answer for you: You sometimes have to have the courage to become happy!” This impressed the princess so much that she climbed down from her tower quickly. She sat next to the knight on a boulder and they talked and talked until the sun went down.
The princess listened intently to his stories from far off lands, but what captivated her most were his observations about the olive tree and its powers. The knight knew just how to make a story awe-inspiring. He talked about the oil, about leaves, the bark and about his mission. The princess admired the knight’s olive wood sword and the numerous