Once upon a
time there was a princess. She had reached the age to be wed. Her father was
very sick and did not have long to live. She would soon be Queen, and she
needed a King to help her run her kingdom. She wanted to marry a prince, but
she wanted him to be a real prince. He would need to be strong, brave, charming,
and sincere. The princess had found plenty of brave, charming princes, but none
of them were sincere. She would have one of her maids woo the princes, and the
princes would never stop the maid’s advances despite the potential of marrying
the princess. The princess would see
that they were not sincere and decide they were not worthy to be her husband.
One day the
princess found a prince she really loved and wanted to marry him. She found out
the day of her wedding that he, like the others, had not been sincere.
Devastated, she ran out of the prince’s castle and into a garden by the castle.
Still in her beautiful wedding dress, she collapsed from sorrow and wept. Would
she ever find a prince who would actually love her?
“Hello
dear, why are you weeping?” an old voice asked.
The
princess looked up to see an old, wrinkled woman in tattered clothing.
“I was
supposed to be wed today, but no man has been sincere. I fear I will never find
a prince that will love me,” the princess explained.
“How could
someone not love such a lovely girl like yourself?” the woman asked.
The
princess blushed and smiled slightly. “Thank you. You’re very kind,” the
princess answered.
The old
woman smiled and said, “I have a way for you to find a prince who will truly
love you.”
“How?” the
princess asked enthusiastically. “Please do explain. I’ll do anything!”
“You are to
hold a series of events. You must do them exactly as I explain,” the woman
explained.
The
princess nodded. She was willing to do anything to find a faithful man to help
her run her kingdom.
“You will
have men bring you a present. The one who brings the present fit for a princess
will be your husband,” the old woman said.
“How will I
know which present is the one of the fairest prince?” the princess questioned
worriedly.
“The man to
bring you a red rose will be the one who is fit to marry you,” the old woman
stated.
The
princess was overcome with excitement. The next day she announced the
competition for her hand in marriage. The princes would have one month to bring
a gift worthy of the handsome princess. Princes came from all over and brought
her gold, jewelry, and the finest animals, but no one brought her a red rose.
The last day of the competition was coming to an end. The princess felt she
would never find a husband. As she was about to announce the close of the competition,
a homely man walked into her court. He had a wrinkled face and was hunched over
and could not stand up straight due to a large hump on his back. His hair was long
and untamed. The guards began to seize him for fear he was attempting to bring
harm to the princess. The guards began to escort the man out when the princess
saw a red rose in the man’s hand.
“Stop,” she
commanded, “release him.”
The guards
immediately listened to her and released the ugly man.
“Have you
brought a gift for me?” the princess asked the man.
“I have
brought a red rose for none is as beautiful as the rose except you,” the man explained.
“You have
brought a gift worthy of a princess,” the princess stated. “You will be my
husband.”
The wedding
was held the next day. Many people came to the wedding. “How could she decide
to marry such an ugly man?” the people wondered. They gossiped as they saw the
man at the alter waiting for the lovely princess to arrive. She walked down the
aisle. She was as gorgeous as ever. She glowed with happiness. She did not care
that the man was ugly. She was excited to finally find a man that would love
her and be sincere.
The end of
the wedding ceremony came, and the joining of the two was signified by a kiss.
When their lips touched, the prince began to glow and transformed into the most
handsome man in the entire kingdom. The princess looked at him, amazed. She
could not believe what had happened.
“Only true
love could break the spell,” a familiar voice said. “Only the one who was
willing to look passed the surface was worthy to marry the prince.” It was the
old woman from before. She had brought the two together and they lived happily
ever after.
Author's Note: I was inspired by the Princess and the Pea and another story that I read last week about an ugly man the woman will marry being transformed into a handsome man.
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