The prince had never been refused anything before.  He did not know what to do.  So they walked on, until they reached a second well.  “Fetch me something to drink,” the prince requested. “I am very thirsty.”

"No," the servant replied.

The two walked on.  Finally they came to a third well.  Again the servant refused to fetch water.  By now the prince was dreadfully thirsty, so he decided to climb down the well to find water himself. But once the prince was in the well, the servant closed its lid and locked the boy in darkness.  “Your foolishness has led to my suffering,” the servant called out. “I am cast out because of you. I will let you out of this prison, and we will continue on our way, only if you swear that I shall be the prince and you shall be my servant.”

Trapped, the prince had no choice.  He signed an oath in blood and was released from the well.  The two exchanged clothes and then resumed their travels.  Now the servant, dressed in finery, led the way, and the prince humbly followed at a servant’s appropriate distance. Eventually they came to another kingdom, and they went to the palace to present themselves.   Naturally the king embraced the “prince” who had come to visit, invited him to a feast, and offered him comfortable rooms to rest in.  And what of the “servant” who followed his master into this kingdom? Naturally he was set to work in the kitchens and given the most menial of tasks to fulfill.   

So it was that the prince learned to fetch wood, scrub pots and pans, and do many other household chores. He even learned to cook.  Indeed he soon became the best cook in the palace, and his efforts gained royal favor and gold rewards. But this success only caused jealous resentment among the other royal cooks, and they plotted to get rid of this upstart newcomer.

One night, as the king sat down to eat his dinner, the head cook rushed in and cried out that the food had been poisoned.  The king tossed scraps to one of his dogs.  The dog ate the food, then curled up in agony to die, for the cooks themselves had poisoned the meal that the prince had prepared.  The enraged king listened as the head cook told him all manner of lies about the prince who worked in the kitchens.  Then the young prince was dragged before the king.