In my constant quest to learn all I can about what motivates people, what inspires them, and what defeats them, I,  more often than not,  am disappointed in the human race.
It seems most people crumble when faced with adversity. They may not crumble outwardly, but they disintegrate internally, succumbing to the pressures and the heartaches of life.
Some lose their faith, some lose their focus, some lose their naivete, some lose their sweethearts.
However, every now and then, I come across a story that inspires me and reminds me of what some people are willing to endure to make "their dream come true."
I recently found such a story in a land far from here where a young man who had just a basic education, who had no money, and who came from a lower middle class family in a village of 3000 fell in love with a beautiful, highly-educated princess who had grown up in palaces with every advantage. Moreover,  one day she would  be queen of her country.  And she returned his love.
 Now, this is the point in the story where traditionally, the stereotypical "they lived happily ever after" should apply.  Unfortunately, that's not what happened. Though the couple were 28 and 24, certainly old enough to make their own decisions, that was not an option for them.  
The princess could not marry without the king's consent without giving up what she had been trained all her life to be--the future queen of her subjects.
The king not only refused to give his consent; he was mortified at the very thought that she would love this uneducated commoner who worked as a personal trainer at a gym.  
The fact that he owned a part of the fitness center as well as another upscale center in the city did not impress the king in the least.
He went so far as to forbid his daughter to be seen in public with this ruffian.  So, when the two were invited to weddings or social events, they were forced to arrive separately and socialize with others but never with one another.
The princess believed that her father would eventually give in; but she knew her first obligation was to the people.  On more than one occasion, she replied that if she had to make a choice, she would chose her country.
Meanwhile, she steadfastly refused to discuss the relationship in the press, stating that it was "private." The young man too never spoke publically of the relationship.
Eventually, the two began living together but quietly, rarely being seen in public. In eight years, only a handful of pictures of them together ever emerged in the press.
Meanwhile, the king continued for those eight long years to withold his permission, sending the princess around the world and throughout the kingdom on diplomatic and public relation trips. The young man remained faithful, waiting for her to return for a few days before she had to leave again. There were times when she literally got off a train and onto a plane not even having time to go home for a night between her obligations to her country.

Then, the young man's health began to fail; he needed a kidney transplant to survive.
It was at that point that the princess made her decision; she would give up the throne if necessary to marry her sweetheart.  When she went to her father to tell him that she was going to renounce her right to the throne if he would not give permission for the two to wed,  the father finally relented.  
By now the Princess was 32 and the young man was 36.  The couple announced their engagement in February of 2009..  Two months later, the young man received a donor kidney from his father.
Finally, in June of 2010,  a year and a half later with the young man fully recovered, the two married in a royal wedding of the grandest scale. Today, they are known as HRH, Crown Princess Victoria and HRH Prince Daniel of Sweden.
The Crown Princess, interviewed after her honeymoon remarked, "For me, a dream has come true."

But I think for most people put in their situation, the outcome would have been much different.