CLEVER PRINCESS RETELLING CATALOGUE

ROSANA DA SILVA SANTOS, 2014

A história de uma princesa que queria casar-se e para conseguir tal feito os candidatos a noivo deveriam falar bem e agradar-lhe. A princesa gostou de um rapaz.
... agora com bons trajes, botas e uma carruagem que lhe foram presenteados pelo príncipe e pela princesa.

Na quarta história, sobre um príncipe e uma princesa, o ambiente é outro e o tempo passou. Já é inverno. No conto “A rainha da neve”, o espaço físico se altera à medida que a ação se desenvolve. O espaço, além de marcar, geograficamente, o local onde ocorre a ação, vincula-se ao espaço psicológico das protagonistas.
A história de uma princesa que queria casar-se com alguém que, além de boa aparência, soubesse responder quando ela lhe falasse, pois considerava-se muito inteligente.
O noivo escolhido para desposá-la.
No terceiro dia de apresentação dos pretendentes, surgiu um rapaz com a seguinte descrição: “[...] um sujeito miúdo, sem cavalo, nem carro, marchando, audacioso e confiante, até o palácio. Os olhos dele brilhavam. Tinha lindos cabelos compridos, mas vinha pobremente trajado” (HANSSEN, 1981, p. 281). Além disso, trazia às costas uma grande mochila e suas botinas rangiam.
Outro aspecto mencionado relacionava-se à inteligência do candidato.
No caminho para os aposentos reais, passam os sonhos dos nobres. O sonho é outro elemento importante na narrativa.
 Nos aposentos, Gerda encontra o príncipe e a princesa, cada qual em suas camas,
e conta-lhes sua história. O príncipe dá sua cama para a menina descansar. Ela tem seu segundo monólogo interior: “Como são bons os homens e animais!” (HANSSEN, 1981, p. 284).
No dia seguinte, o príncipe e a princesa presenteiam-na com vestido, sapatos e uma bela carruagem com cocheiros e criados.
dando início à quinta história. Esta história, quinta, é sobre a filhinha dos salteadores e inicia-se descrevendo uma estrada escura onde a carruagem brilha como ouro e chama a atenção de salteadores que
matam o cocheiro, os criados...
De trenó, eles partem para a floresta e encontram a filha dos salteadores, que lhes conta que o príncipe e a princesa viajaram para o estrangeiro.
 As personagens secundárias não saem de seu núcleo temático.


:)

THE STORYTELLER
I saw a boy pass this way last week. He had won the heart of a princess! They live together in a beautiful palace not far from here!

:)

2005 EGMONT (THE FAIRYTALER)
(A rarity meant to be put on a pedestal. Check out my screenshots from that version as well!)
The princess of this kingdom is so wonderfully clever, she's usually read all newspapers in the world before breakfast. Twice! Not that there's ever much news in them, mind. Mostly just gossip about her!
But being a clever princess can be a lonely job, and boring too. So, one day, she announces a contest to find herself a husband! Someone she can actually talk to! But good-looking too, obviously!
Young men of all backgrounds lined up from far and wide. But it was always the same! No one knew what to say or how to act! They were all too afraid of appearing foolish in front of her!
This princess's palace: there it is, down yonder.
Eventually, one handsome, bold young man comes along, saying he's long been curious to meet such a famously clever princess! But he couldn't possibly marry her, for they had barely been introduced.
And the princess laughed!
Now, that was a sound that hadn't been around the palace for a while.
So they got acquainted, they fell in love... and that, as they say, was that.

:)

BRIAN ALDERSON (ill. BAGRAM IBATOULLINE)

(Retells the Fourth Story in a straightforward manner, that can be easily understood by anyone):

The land belonged to a princess who not long ago had decided to get married. 

She had decreed that all the eligible men in the land could come to the castle and woo her. Whoever was most clever would receive the princess's hand in marriage. 

The eager men lined up at the palace. There was a boy with blue eyes and brown hair.

This boy was so clever that the princess chose him to be her husband.

The royal garden led to a door at the back of the castle. The door opened into a long, winding staircase. Once upon the stairs, one ornate hallway gave way to the next before arriving at the royal bedchamber.

The princess and her fiancé awoke and lit the lamp between their beds. 

They were good people.

:)

THE SNOW QUEEN STORY SUMMARY

4. The Prince and Princess 

In the kingdom there lived a very clever Princess. The Princess decided she should get married, but she wanted to find someone who wouldn’t just stand around and be boring, or be intimidated by the grand castle. She wanted someone who was clever and cheerful. Many people came for her hand but they all became frightened and tongue-tied when they entered the castle. 

Then a young man came with long hair, intelligent eyes and poor clothes. He strode in to the palace and wasn’t at all shy. He was bright and interested in learning the Princess’ wisdom. They liked each other right away and he became the Prince. 

...into the palace that night...

Shadows along the wall swished past and  it was the dreams of the Prince and Princess. They came to the bedroom and the Prince and Princess were each in a bed that looked like a lily.

...the leaves to peek at the Prince, and seeing his red neck...

...the dreams swept through the room, he woke and turned his head...

The Princess woke and asked what was the matter.

...how kind human beings were!  In the morning the Prince and Princess gave lovely clothes to wear and asked to stay with them. They gave a muff and boots and a coach of gold with coachmen and horsemen. Then they waved goodbye...

...asked her about the Prince and Princess. “They’re traveling in foreign lands,” said the robber girl.

:)

A retelling of the original tale

You see, this princess is very very smart and no one could possibly have been wise enough for her. Most princes were quite dumb in comparison to her and she didn't like that one bit.

She is so smart that she has read all the newspapers in the world and then forgotten them

again!

You see, most people who are smart are smart enough only to learn and then blab information that people really don't want to hear to begin with. But this princess is so smart that she forgets then until they are needed. She is wise as well as smart. Do you see how that works?

So this smart Princess decides that she is lonely in all her brilliance and should like to have a husband. But she doesn't know where to find a suitable one. After a lot of thought she came up with a contest. Whichever young man in all the world who didn't cower at her cleverness, whichever man would talk back to her and not just take everything she said lying down, would be her husband.

They had tons of young men waiting in line outside the palace. Many of the ones who thought themselves smart enough weren't even clever enough to bring lunch with them! ha ha. And none of these young men smart or not were most certainly not up for sharing. I suppose they thought a hungry looking man could never win the princess and so wanted to keep the others as hungry as possible to improve their own chances.

The young men were all idiots more or less. For when they stood before the princess they said nothing at all but they gaped at her and only repeated the last word she had spoken. And let me tell you, that got old fast.

So then a boy shows up in dressed in rags. And he walks up to the gates and sees the royal guards covered in jewels and gold threads. And does he feel intimidated by them at all? No! He simply says, "I do pity you standing out there all day. It must be dull. I know I would rather go in." and the guards took a liking to him at once they said you could see he was quite witty once you got passed his awful clothing.

I saw the back of him going into the palace. He was in rags as I said before. And he had creaky boots in better condition than his clothes. And he had a little bundle on his back.

There were many rooms with silk drapes, satin sofas, and velvet lined walls. Soon, he came to be in front of two big golden doors.

Suddenly we heard a faint call of a hunting horn and out of the room came tiny finger-sized shadows. The shadows were in the form of a hunting party. There were tiny shadow stallions with royal lords sitting upon then, tiny shadow mares with ladies of the court seated side saddle eager to watch their men hunt, and there was even a couple of shadow ponies with little shadow children sitting up tall and proud.

The velvet carpeting passed clear yellowish curtains over to where one white swan-feathered bed was. Notice a small candle-already lit- in a silver holder. It was on a little wooden table next to a dove-feathered love-seat.

On the side, there laid the most beautiful young woman ever seen with mortal eyes. She was pale and delicate with long wavy hair that was spend out on her frilly-cased pillow. I knew she must be the princess. No wonder the young men and been so dumb-struck in front of her. She was stunning as well as remarkably smart. [...]

It was a young man. He was remarkably handsome with bright friendly eyes.

It was a glorious breakfast. The sort that has courses like a fancy supper. First there was toast with butter and orange juice to wash it down with. Then came silver trays filled with pastries and mini cakes. After than there were sausage and bacon and pancakes. Followed by little chocolate truffles with strawberries baked in them.

The princess mouthed "Sorry." to the physician and handed him his payment, a bag of gold coins. After he left the Princess smiled at the prince as if to say, "I thought what you said was very funny indeed by I wasn't about to admit it with the physician in the room."

"She could be a lady of the court. And we have enough room for her. And as I said before, the guards can go out and find her playmate."

The princess never wanted her maids to do anything, rather she insisted that everyone in the castle do things for them. And the prince? God forbid one of the servants let the courtiers' offspring touch dirt! That was a crime worthy of the dungeon. No wonder rich children were often such brats. They didn't know that most children didn't have everything done for them.  It is not so easy to remember when you are always covered with fancy garments and have twenty-five playrooms set aside just for you.

Guests were made much of and always bowed to by the servants, ladies-in-waiting, and visitors to the castle.

The room where the prince and princess and some other ladies and lords of the court were sitting on red-silk cushions listening to the flute players they hired to entertain them.

"You really should have footmen but they are so loyal to that husband of mine that they'd blab about you leaving. It's a miracle that we found a mute driver!"

He handed a cardboard box. "and it was so mean of you to leave without a goodbye to me and the other members of the court. The princess isn't the only one who loves you."

:)

By elspethdixon (Sue and Reed Richards!)

Story the Fourth: The Prince and the Princess

In this kingdom where we now are, there lives a princess of unusual cleverness.

They say she owns as many books as all crows in the land have feathers, and studies philosophy and art and other such things, and speaks Latin as easily as you please. The late king made his daughter his heir, you see, because his son was the younger of the two, and the crown here always goes to the eldest, so he had her trained in statescraft instead of the usual occupations of young women.

A short time ago, after ruling for several years just as well as any prince could have done, she

turned to her advisors and spoke the following words:

‘Why should I not be married?’

‘Why not indeed?’ they said, and so she determined to marry if she could find a husband who

knew what to say when he was spoken to, and not one who could only look grand, for that

would be tiresome. Then she assembled her entire court together in the palace gardens and

told them of her intentions, to much rejoicing and acclaim.

The princess's advisors suggested putting notices in the newspapers, but she declined on

the grounds that this would attract too many men of the ordinary sort. Instead, she wrote

a proclamation out herself, in Latin, and had it copied out and affixed to the doors of every

University in three kingdoms.

The notice stated that every young man who was handsome was free to visit the castle and

speak with the princess; and those who could reply loud enough to be heard when spoken to,

were to make themselves quite at home at the palace; but the one who spoke best would be

chosen as a husband for the princess.
One would have expressed surprise at this unusual method of selecting a husband,

Scholars and alchemists and theologians and other learned men came in crowds, until the

palace was quite crowded with men in black gowns, but not one of them was able to meet the

requirements. They could all speak very well in a lecture hall, or outside on the streets, but

when they stood in the great hall of the palace, surrounded by gilded plasterwork, and rose-red tapestries, and great, silver mirrors that glowed with the light of a thousand candles, and saw the counts and barons in all their finery, and the guards in blue and silver uniforms, they grew nervous, and felt themselves shabby, though they all wore their best academic robes of black silk. And when they were called up to stand before the princess herself, seated on her throne with her golden hair as bright as the candles, they could do nothing but repeat the last thing she had said. And so she soon grew bored with each man, and sent them away.

There was quite a long line of them reaching from the town-gate to the palace. They looked very foolish standing there, jabbering away at one another like so many crows, as practice for when they went inside.

A young student arrived there on the third day. He came on foot, and did not wear a black robe like the others, and he was tall and thin, with very dark hair.

When he passed through the palace gates, he saw the guards in their silver and blue uniforms, and the nobles in all their splendor, but was not the least embarrassed, though his own clothes were faded and worn. He went boldly up to the princess herself, who was seated on a throne entirely covered in mother of pearl, and all the ladies of the court were present with their maids, and all the counts and barons and knights with their servants; and every one of them was dressed so finely that they shone as brightly as the mirrors. Even the servants wore cloth of gold, and they were all so proud that they would not even look at him,

because he had come to the palace with ink on his fingers.

He was quite solemn and not at all afraid, and said he had not come to woo the princess, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.

You cannot enter the palace by the front entrance, for the soldiers in their blue and silver

uniforms would surely try and stop you. The princess's younger brother is their captain, and

he guards his sister's welfare most faithfully. They say he is a most fearsome young firebrand

indeed.
Today, the princess was walking in the garden.

The moon was high overhead the palace gardens, its light so bright that around and within the garden wall.

The garden was full of moonlight, turning the snow-covered flowerbeds into great sheets of silver. The fountains were dry, because of the cold, and the princess's gardeners had set little statues carved of ice atop them to take the place of the streams of water.

The first landing of the long staircase, where a lamp was burning. Beside it stood a bust of the goddess Minerva.

There was, within the palace, at the end of the long staircase, a series of halls, each grander than the last. First came a hall with a floor of white marble, hung with tapestries of crimson silk. Then a hall with a floor of pink marble, hung with paintings of such size and magnificence, followed in turn by a third hall, which had a floor of black and white marble laid in squares like a chessboard, and which was hung with mirrors in gilded frames.

The princess's bedchamber was more magnificent still, with all the gold and silk and marble, a great canopy bed in the middle, the bed-curtains thickly embroidered with gold and silver thread. Through a narrow gap in the bed-curtains, one could see a head of dark hair, quite black.

The princess and the new prince were asleep in one another's arms, his face quite hidden in her golden hair.

He was quite another man, clean shaven and with grey streaks at his temples, though he was

still young. The part of his hair that was not grey was so dark.
Then the princess woke as well, and sat up and asked what was the matter.

The prince and the princess, learned as they both were, looked quite sorrowful, though the prince asked with a keen interest after a great alchemist, saying that they had been at University together once.

The princess, regretting that she could not help more, and not at all angry to be woken in the middle of the night by a stranger standing in her bedchamber, offered to have another notice delivered through three kingdoms.

And then the prince and princess summoned servants.

The following day, they were served breakfast in a great hall, out of a golden bowl, and the prince and princess talked about what he had seen on his journeys, and about art, which the princess had studied a little, in between reading philosophy books, and about military tactics, and they invited us to stay at the palace for a few days, and enjoy ourselves.
a fine, tall horse, its hide a deep grey color like polished steel, with a black mane and tail. Its saddle and bridle were trimmed with silver bells, and its saddle-cloth had the prince and princess's coats of arms, entwined, embroidered on it in silk thread.

The prince and princess themselves wished success, from the garden gate.

“Farewell, farewell,” cried the prince and princess.
The Prince and Princess would certainly pay the ransom, but they had already been so very generous that one was loathe to cost them any further expense.
...to the prince and the princess, and they gave provision and a fine horse.
...through the palaces of princes...

But the soldier ruffled his hair and asked after the prince and princess.

“They are gone to foreign countries,” said the robber-boy. "On a great voyage of exploration,

and they have taken the princess's brother, her captain of the guard, with them, and also one of the prince's oldest friends.

All good stories, of course, must have a happy ending, and this one is no exception, but the important part, dear reader, is not that the prince, and princess lived happily ever after.

The important part, reader, is that, together or separately, they lived.

The End

COMMENTS:

{It took me all the way down to the part about the fiery brother before I realise it was Sue and Reed...as I've always thought of Reed with very brown hair.

Wow, Sue's always been a bit of a nonentity for me as far as characters go - mostly she just doesn't seem to show up much I think - but I adored her here. She was awesome! The whole chapter I was pondering who you'd cast as the Prince and Princess and considered Reed and Sue but it wasn't until you mentioned the firebrand of a brother that it really clicked - so much fun to read. ^_^

Thanks! I wish I could say I took Sue's characterization straight from canon in this

(because a Sue would could canonically write love letters in Latin would rock), but I

actually took most of it from the original fairytale, where the Princess is the smartest

person in three kingdoms (so smart that she's "read all the newspapers in the world")

and wants a prince who is her equal. But since Sue is married to Reed, she must have

married him for his brains rather than, say, charm or tact or looks -- because Reed's nt

bad looking, but Sue is definitely out of his league -- hence making the Princess her.

[Things that I especially loved: Sue Storm's idea of courtship.]

[Sue's method of courting Reed I can't take credit for - it's straight out of the original fairytale. It's why I decided to make the two of them the Prince and Princess; it just seemed to fit them.]

The test of the ink-stained prince.

This is the first (and ONLY) time I've seen a fairytale fic that actually WORKS.

And it does.

Beautifully.

I'm left with the mental image of an ornamental music box, filled with figures and scenes as tiny and perfect as the details of a glittering Fabergé egg. The music is done, and the lid falls gently closed...

Until the next time the key on the back is wound again.

:)

~The Soldier and the Iron-Hearted Prince~

By Rosekay (Tony Stark and Steve Rogers!)

"I have a tame sweetheart who plays music in a kingdom to the west, and I have heard an interesting tale out of that great palace."

There was a clever prince, who sat on the western throne. He had read all the maps in the world and built a great many things that made his kingdom thrive in iron and steel. He had a mind like quicksilver and a sharp tongue that did not always do him favors, but he was loved and he made wondrous things. They said that his uncle, the regent of his youth after his father's death, had sent assassins out to bring him the prince's living heart, but his greed had undone him.

"You do not pay hard men trinkets to kill a prince"

The assassins wanted the prince's mind more than his heart, his great gift to build machines of conquest, but the brave prince proved cleverer than the kingmaking assassins, and forged himself a heart of iron that gave him the strength to gain his freedom. So he returned and slew the treacherous uncle who had loved him as a boy and tried to take the very heart out of his breast as a man, and the kingdom had been whole again.

But the prince had paid a price. His heart bled metal in his chest, and he became cold and unhappy. Without a wedding, he could not become a king, and there were other greedy men who lived in the shadows. So it was decreed that the prince should wed, and the palace doors thrown open for the worthy youth of the land. Grand ladies came with their glittering trains, each lovelier than the last. Heroes who had slain monsters and brute beasts in distant lands brought the spoils of their deeds to show the prince that they had heart enough for two. The great minds of the land came too, with new maps and books and designs, to show the prince he could have an equal beside him on the throne. But the prince was unmoved, and turned them all away.

One day, a young man came to the palace, a plain sparrow amongst the glittering peacocks in his dusty traveling clothes and well-worn boots. He had no brilliant maps or wealth to recommend him, and indeed seemed very shabby compared to those who had come before.

Yet it turned out that he did not seek the prince's hand at all, but merely his wisdom. He boldly climbed the steps to where the prince sat, paying hardly any attention to all the ladies with their maids, who each had their own maid, or any of the haughty cavaliers ringed with pages and servants.

He would be travel-worn, surely, and shabby in his appearance. He was not interested in a grand marriage or a kingdom at his feet, she knew.

When they reached the great palace, the girl and the doctor admired the all the intricate gears and metalwork that operated its many doors, all the clever things that ran like magic, with no servants to set them in motion. What a mind, thought the doctor, to have created such things, for he had once been a great mind himself until his ambition created what lived now inside him.

The boy must be here, and perhaps he had even won himself a prince in the bargain, who might change the very way of the world.

"You must be quiet," said the sweetheart, whose very voice held notes so pure and lovely it was no wonder that royalty came to listen. They were led through curving, dark hallways and many chambers, each richer than the last, the walls hung with gleaming metal and precious jewels. At last they came to a chamber of glass that faced the roaring sea, so close that the girl and the doctor could smell the fresh salt thick in the air. It was nighttime and the prince was abed, so the girl bravely held up her lantern over the intertwined figures, and nearly gasped with joy when she saw a hint of gold in the hair, a strong brown neck.

But when the prince awoke and called the torches to life with a swift motion of his hands, she saw that the man beside him, though surpassingly fair of face and form, was not her friend after all. He was tall and well-made, with hair gilt like the sun and eyes that burned as the summer sky does, no hint of frost at all. You see, he was a brave soldier returned from a faraway war, with strength to challenge even an iron heart. His face was young but his mind was wise, for he had known the old king, the prince's father, and still carried the great shield that man had crafted. Newly woken from a deep slumber that had seen countless seasons, he had come only to seek out the son of an old friend, to see how the world had changed.

It was said that at first the kingdom feared that they would tear each other apart, for the prince, always quick with his tongue, thought the soldier old-fashioned and simple, and the soldier in turn thought the prince haughty, which he was, and cruel, which he could be, and unworthy of his father, which was a thing raw and open like a nerve. When he said as much, the prince raged for days, for he was unlucky with fathers, and his heart burned to think of it. Awful, cutting things dripped from his tongue, but the soldier knew how to use a shield, and stood his ground.

"But look," said the prince's oldest friend, a canny general who had been in the school room with him when they were young, a man as patient as a mountain. The girl saw that one had to be, to remain in the prince's confidence. "See how he paces, how his eyes are bright." And he was right, for none of the other suitors had held the prince's attention for even a moment.

"And see," said the prince's seneschal, a lady tall and fair, with skin like new cream and hair the rich color of a rising sun, "how he considers his words, and how his hand goes to his heart."

"And watch," said the prince's castellan, who was metal and parts and gears, the prince's own creation, but as refined as such a thing could be and who loved him as deeply as a forest spring, "how he forgets that his wounds hurt."

So it was that the iron-hearted prince and the weary soldier were in the glass chamber, and they listened to the story with great interest, from the prince, and compassion, from the soldier.

"I have heard," said the prince, "of this frost that spreads like cold fingers, and takes loved ones far away." He winked at the robber girl. "Who are we to turn away a beautiful spy?"

He was one of the first to name her so.

"We must help you," said the soldier in a voice so firm and good that it was no question that everything would be arranged.

They offered them silks and satin and jewels beautiful to behold.

"You shall go to the north as a queen," said the seneschal, who had a spray of freckles across her face like a dusting of gold. She was a formidable woman.

They offered the doctor all the riches of the prince's kingdom, the true ones of the mind, and he was not so humble as the robber girl, for he had been hungry for such things for a long time, and soon joined the prince in lively discourse over this invention and that, until all the palace was cluttered with their clever, half-made things and intricate scrawls, and the soldier could only smile in wry indulgence.

The girl told them what the one-eyed man had whispered to her, and the prince looked at her with eyes bright and eager, as if his heart were as light as air. Soon, he mused, he would be king, and tied to his kingdom, but would it not be a great adventure to go north with brave souls and see how the frost was made?

:)

By Killabeez (Amanda and Connor, of Highlander)

In this kingdom there lives a princess, who is so wonderfully clever that she has read all the newspapers in the world, and forgotten them, too.

A short time ago, as she was sitting on her throne, she determined to marry if she could find a husband who knew what to say when he was spoken to, and not one who could only look grand, for that is so tiresome. Then she assembled all her ladies-in-waiting, and when they heard of her intentions, they were very much pleased.

Proclamations were sent out immediately, with a border of gold filigree and the initials of the princess woven in silver thread. They gave notice that every young man fair of countenance was free to visit the castle and speak with the princess, and those who could show themselves to be intelligent when spoken to were to make themselves quite at home at the palace, but the one who spoke best would be chosen as a husband for the princess. Yes, yes, you may believe me, it is all as true as I sit here, The people came in crowds, there was a great deal of pushing and jostling, but no one succeeded either on the first or second day. They could all speak very well while they were outside in the streets, but when they entered the palace gates, and saw the guards in their silver uniforms and the footmen in their golden livery on the staircase, and the great halls lit up, they became quite flustered. When they stood before the throne on which the princess sat, they could do nothing but repeat the last words she had said—and she had no particular wish to hear her own words over again. It was just as if they had all been struck dumb while they were in the palace, for as soon as they were back out they could talk fast enough. There was a regular procession.

It was on the third day, there came striding along to the palace a most handsome personage, without horses or carriage, with a most pleasing burr in his accent. He had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very poor. He had a sword strapped to his back. He passed through the palace gates, saw the guards in their silver uniforms and the servants in their liveries of gold on the stairs, but he was not in the least intimidated. 'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs,' he said. 'I prefer to go in.' The rooms were blazing with light. Councilors and ambassadors walked about in satin slippers, carrying golden vessels. It was enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed. His boots creaked loudly as he walked, and yet he was not at all uneasy.

They really did creak, yet he went boldly up to the princess herself. All the ladies of the court were present with their maids, and all the cavaliers with their servants. Each of the maids had another maid to wait upon her, and the cavaliers' servants had their own servants, as well as a page each. They all stood in circles round the princess, and the nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. The servants' pages, who always wore slippers, could hardly be looked at, they held themselves up so proudly.

He did not come to woo her, he said, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.

They came onto the palace grounds along a great, wide avenue lined with fir trees, the snow glistening like diamonds.

They came then into a great hall, the walls of which were hung with rose-colored satin embroidered with flowers. At length, they reached a bedchamber, even more splendid than the rose-colored hall. The ceiling was like a great palm tree, with glass leaves of the most costly crystal, and over the center of the floor, two beds, each resembling a lily, hung from a stem of gold. One, in which the princess lay, was white; the other was red, and the prince's sleeping countenance was, indeed, pushing one of the red leaves aside, soft, dark hair spread across the pillow. Then one saw a strong hand, curled lightly against the bedclothes. The handsome face was still in repose. Another young man lay there, asleep, and it was only in his dark hair and strong hands that he looked like Duncan at all. At that, the princess woke as well, and looked out of her white lily-bed to ask what was the matter.

Feeling as though he might weep from sheer weariness,the prince laid a hand against his arm and urged him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Please," he said, "stay and tell us what you're doing here. I can see that you have traveled a long way, and that you are near the end of your strength." And his voice did, indeed, sound deep and velvety with compassion and that faint, pleasing burr .

"Perhaps we can help," the prince added, and his kindness was almost more than Methos could bear.

"Indeed not," said the prince and princess; then they praised the ravens, and said they were not angry for what they had done, and that they had done the right thing. The princess later rewarded them with a fixed appointment to the court for each of them. She had always been rather fond of ravens.

When the ravens had gone, the prince got out of his bed and told Methos that he should lie down and rest, for he could plainly go no farther that night.

"Your Highness, you have already shown me more kindness than I deserve," Methos protested, though his body ached for the comfort of that soft-looking bed.

"Nonsense," said the prince, smiling a crooked smile not unlike Duncan's own. "Sleep now. We'll talk in the morning. And call me Connor," he insisted, gesturing again for Methos to take his bed.

The following day he was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet. Connor and Amanda invited him to stay at the palace for a few days and enjoy himself, but Methos asked only for a pair of boots and a reliable horse so that he might go back out into the wide world to search for Duncan. He obtained not only boots, but also a warm peacoat, and when he was dressed and ready to go, he found at the door a white gelding with a raven crest upon his headstall and a wallet of foodstuffs behind the saddle. Touched by the kindness of the prince and princess, able to kiss the princess farewell and shake the prince's hand without embarrassing himself.

:)

Supernatural, Anna and Michael:

Our kingdom is ruled over by a wise and beautiful princess. She’s an angel as well, and she came to Earth many years ago so that she might study and further improve her mind. She is a just ruler, and beloved by all her subjects. She had many suitors, but none of them could keep her interest – rich clothes and handsome faces were not enough for her. So she published a decree stating that any man who could converse with her for an hour and keep her amused would be her husband. Princes and dukes and earls came from all across the world, but none passed the test until one day a blue-eyed angel came to the palace and requested an audience. He and our princess talked for the rest of the day, for he was very clever and could converse on many subjects.”

She really was beautiful, with delicate features and dark red hair, her head resting on her auburn wings. Her arm was around the waist of her husband, whose head was turned away.

The angel’s eyes were blue, but he was fairer than Castiel and his wings were tawny gold.

:)

Another Supernatural one (John and Mary Winchester, the lead brothers' parents!)

The Queen and King announced throughout all of Sur La Lune that any men who desired the Princess’ hand could step forward as a suitor on her eighteenth birthday. When that day came, men lined up outside the castle for miles, all waiting for their brief audience with the Princess. Most were so awed by her and the castle that they could not speak, and in the end she turned them away. But one man came, and though he dressed very poorly, he was said to be unimpressed with the riches of the castle. And when he met the Princess, he asked her what she thought about politics, and science, and religion, and told her he came seeking her wisdom, rather than her crown.

She chose him among all others. They were wed just this past month.

Is the Princess very graceful and fair?

The fairest in all the land.

Is she very wise, and will she be a great Queen?

The oracles have foreseen her reign will be glorious and peaceful.

Does he love her, this Prince?

With all of his being. For who would not love a princess?

They snuck through the castle grounds and up the servant’s stairwell into the kitchen. Most of the staff was in an uproar preparing hot and cold delicacies for the King and Queen’s banquet, leaving only a few servants to handle the Prince and Princess.

The dining chamber was an impressive room, with a large fireplace and heavy stone walls adorned with intricately woven tapestries depicting great battles.

The man was handsome with broad shoulders, his hair was jet black and his eyes a warm brown.

The Princess smiled, and she was every bit as fair and lovely as had been described, with waves of blonde hair and an enchanting smile.

:)

Strong Female Characters:

 another fascinating female character: a princess who is so clever that “she has read all the newspapers in the whole world, and has forgotten them again.” This princess decides to get married, but explicitly states that her prince will be someone intelligent and articulate, a man “who knew how to give an answer when he was spoken to--not one who looked only as if he were a great personage, for that is so tiresome.” She ends up choosing a suitor who had no intention of marrying her, but merely entered the castle in order to hear the princess’ wisdom. She chooses a husband who admires her brain, someone who, unlike the actual suitors, did not seek to win her but merely to hear her and enjoy her intellect.

:)

A Eureka AU. The Clever Princess is Allison Blake.

This character has 2 Ph. D.s !!

Her "fiancé" is Allison's fatherless autistic and surpassingly clever (aspie?) son, Kevin Blake.

The queen sought the most intelligent man of the kingdom to become her companion, and rumor has it she found him just a year ago in the kingdom of science.

The next day they arrived at the palace but found the doors barred to their entrance. ...over the walls, once in the palace,  the beautiful woman sank to her knees...

She was beautiful, but her skin was the warmest earthen color, her energy was golden.

“I am Lady Allison. It has been a long time since I have felt such devotion in my court.”

“Then my little prince and I shall help you,” she decreed, gesturing to a small boy, skin as dark as midnight but with a smile as golden and bright as day at her side. “This is Kevin, who I love as my own son,” she introduced him. “And like many of our magical scholars, he has shunned the Snow Queen’s ways.

A rather laconic Spanish summary:

[···] el desconocido que se había casado con la princesa del lugar. 

The “Robinsville” version:

Where I come from, there lives a princess who was looking for a suitor who could match her knowledge. She wanted to marry a boy who was able to carry an intelligent conversation. One day, news spread that she was looking for a compatible prince. Hundreds of men came to our palace, but they all failed to meet her expectations. All of them disappointed her until a boy wearing a new pair of boots and carrying a knapsack came to the palace.

Well, this boy was different from the other men. He had wooed her with his extraordinary intelligence. They were both pleased with each other. I believe he is with her right now.

:)

Miss Clara's illustration of the damsel (la Damoiselle) in Marie Diaz's retelling.
The author made her a daughter of the landed gentry because she dislikes the baroque style.
She appears poised and mature, learned on account of the books, globe, and spectacles,
and dark-haired to appear mature as well. A truly beautiful figurine in an equally beautiful diorama.

Marie Diaz

QUATRIÈME HISTOIRE

Le Chevalier et la Damoiselle

In the heart of this shire, there is a wooden fortress, where the menu is most exquisite! In the highest story of the fortress, in the tower of the keep, there lives a damsel: she is charming, and so clever that she's read all the books in the world, but she was bored to death and she didn't even have a single friend. She's so learned that no one knew what to say to her in conversation. Thus, the damsel decided to wed the first man who would talk to her about something else than her beauty.
Her parents, the lord and lady of the shire, organized an audience for all the young men in the land. The best eligible bachelors presented themselves, even woodcutters and farmers, since everyone would have a chance.
The dashing suitors crowded the staircase, cheerfully talking to each other. They spoke eloquently, yet none of them passed the test. Upon entering the damsel's bedchamber, as they saw her before her rows of ornate picture books, the young men were seized by some kind of trance: they turned pale, they stuttered, and they could hardly recitate a single poem in praise of the damsel's fair visage, or of her beautiful complexion.
On the third day in the evening, a young knight without entourage or carriage presented himself, and he marched confidently up the staircase: he kept his hair long, and his eyes sparkled. He was carrying a knapsack...
The stranger passed beneath the brocades and the golden dragons of the great hall without even flinching; he saluted, with a smile, the lord and his vassals with their shining swords; and then, he greeted the lady and her maids, who were looking with scorn at his torn garments. His boots creaked and clinked in the silent room...
He passed before the armed and breastplated guards, and he finally arrived in the presence of the damsel, who was reading, sitting by the music stand she used to hold her books: she was reading a thousand-page book, as eagerly as if she were relishing the most delicious among desserts. She was so tired of listening to so much foolishness in a row that she didn't hear him come, nor notice that he had arrived.
All those who have seen the damsel dream of wedding her!
The strangest thing by far was that the young knight hadn't come to court her: he only felt curious about her knowledge. He asked her a question in some unknown foreign language, and the damsel replied immediately, looking rather pleased. That overjoyed her. She liked the knight so much, and he liked the damsel as well! She was overjoyed with him, and he was overjoyed with her too!
The fortress, which towered in the middle of the heath, was surrounded by a high palisade. Beyond the fence, the streets were deserted that night. In the tavern, the suitors that the damsel had scorned were drowning their sorrows in tankards of hot chocolate.
The bedchamber was sumptous: there were two wooden beds with golden carvings, covered in velvet brocade. Under the white canopy slept the damsel, and under the crimson one slept the knight. The young man was dashing.
In the stables, there were the best steeds, brought over from all corners of the world. 

Later on, when autumn had given way to winter and winter had changed into spring, the knight and the damsel took a trip abroad. They loved to speak Pig Latin.

:)

AMY EHRLICH (illustrated by Susan Jeffers)

There is a castle not far from here, and in it lives a princess. Recently she has taken a husband, a young man who is a stranger and is rumoured to be afraid of nothing.
Many had tried to win the princess, but it was the stranger she wanted, because he was far cleverer than the rest.
As they entered the castle... up the back stairs to the bridal chamber. Suddenly, there was a whirling, rushing sound, and shadows of horses and hunters, of dogs and falcons, moved upon the wall.

"They are only dreams come to fetch the princess and her bridegroom. They will be asleep..."

... at the royal bedchamber... the bridegroom... his long brown hair...

Then, the young man awoke and looked... 

As... told... , the princess held... close. They said... must spend the night, and in the morning, they gave... a  silk dress and a pair of boots and a coach drawn by four horses.