Fourth story.
The prince and princess
In the kingdom we are now sitting in there lives a princess who is so immensely clever, but then she has also read all the newspapers that exist in the world, and forgotten them again – she is that clever. The other day she’s sitting on the throne, and that is not all that much fun, people say, when she happens to start humming a tune that is precisely this one: ‘Why shouldn’t I get married!’ ‘Hey, that’s not a bad idea,’ she says, and was so eager to get married, but she wanted to have a husband that knew how to answer back when talked to, one that didn’t just stand there looking fine – for that’s so boring. So she had all her ladies-in-waiting drummed together, and when they heard what she wanted, they were so pleased, “I like this!” they said, “I was thinking something similar only the other day!”
The newspapers immediately came out edged with hearts and the princess’s monogram; there people could read that any young man who was handsome was free to come up to the palace and speak with the princess, and the one who spoke in such a way that one could hear he belonged there, and who spoke best, the princess would take as her husband! – Yes, yes!’ the crow said, ‘believe you me, it is certain as I’m sitting here, people flocked to the palace, there was such a hustle and bustle, but there was no success on either the first or the second day. All of them were well able to speak when they were out in the street, but the moment they entered the palace gate and saw the lifeguards all clad in silver, and on the staircase the footmen clad in gold and the huge, illuminated halls, they were taken aback; and as soon as they were before the throne where the princess was sitting, all they could manage was to repeat the last word she had said, and she wasn’t interested in hearing that again. It was as if people in there had taken snuff and it had fallen onto their stomachs and they had fallen into a trance until they were back in the street – yes, then they could talk all right. There was a long line right to the palace.
It was on the third day when a little fellow turned up, without horse or carriage, marching quite unperturbed right up to the palace; his eyes shone, he had lovely long hair, but apart from that poor clothes!
He had a small knapsack on his back!
When he came in at the palace gate and saw the lifeguards all in silver and on the staircase the footmen all in gold, he wasn’t the slightest bit overawed, he nodded and said to them: “It must be boring standing on the stairs, I think I’d rather go inside!” There he came to halls glittering with light; privy councillors and excellencies walked around on their bare feet and carried gold dishes – the more ceremony the better! his boots creaked so terribly loudly, but he wasn’t the slightest bit afraid!
Well, they certainly did creak! and he walked as calm as you please right up to the princess, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning wheel; and all the ladies-in-waiting with their maids, and maid’s maids, and all the lords-in-waiting with their servants and servant’s servants with their pages stood lined up around her; and the closer they stood by the door, the prouder they looked. The servant’s servant’s page, who always wears slippers, is almost impossible to look at, so p
roudly does he stand at the door!
He must have spoken well. He was unperturbed and dashing; he hadn’t come at all to propose, only to hear the princess’s cleverness, which he liked, and she liked him in return!
inside the palace, ; the lifeguards in silver and footmen in gold wouldn’t allow it;
into the garden, into the avenue where one leaf fell after the other, and when the palace lights were put out,
one after the other, to a backdoor that was ajar.
Now they were on the staircase; a little lamp was burning on a cupboard; in the middle of the floor
it swished past; it was like shadows along the wall, horses with flowing manes and thin legs, hunting lads, gentlemen and ladies on horseback.
‘It’s only dreams! they’ve come to fetch the thoughts of the royal household out hunting, a good thing as you can then more easily observe them in bed. But let me see, if you gain glory and honour, that you then display a grateful heart!’
the first hall, it was of rose-pink satin with imitation flowers up the walls; here the dreams already shot past them, but at such a pace that one did not catch a glimpse of the royal household. Each hall was finer than the previous one, yes, it really took one’s breath away, and now they were in the bedroom. Here the ceiling was like a tall palm tree with leaves of glass, precious glass, and in the middle of the floor on a golden stalk hung two beds, each of which looked like a lily: The one was white, in it the princess lay; the other was red, and turning aside one of the red leaves one saw a brown nape of a neck.
– the dreams swished on horseback back into the room – he woke up, turned his head and – –
It was only the back of the prince’s neck that resembled him, although he was young and handsome. And the princess looked out from the white lily-bed and asked what was happening. Then little Gerda cried and told them her entire story and everything that the crows had done for her.
‘You poor little thing!’ the prince and princess said, and they praised the crows and said they weren’t the slightest bit angry with them, but they shouldn’t make a habit of it. They were, though, to have a reward.
‘Do you wish to fly freely?’ the princess asked, ‘or would you like a permanent position as court crows, with everything left over in the kitchen?’
And both the crows bowed and asked for a permanent position; for they thought of the future and said, ‘it’s a good idea to have something for one’s old age’, as they put it.
And the prince got out of bed and let Gerda sleep in it – he could not do more. She folded her small hands and thought: ‘How good creatures humans and animals are,’ and then she closed her eyes and slept profoundly.
The next day she was dressed from top to toe in silk and velvet; she was invited to stay at the palace and have a pleasant time, but all she asked for was to have a small carriage with a horse in front and a pair of small boots, and then she would be off again into the great wide world to find Kay. And she was given both boots and a muff; she was so finely clothed, and when she wanted to set off, a new coach of pure gold was standing at the door; the arms of the prince and princess shone from it like a star; coachman, servants and postilions – for there were also postilions – sat dressed in golden crowns. The prince and princess helped her into the carriage themselves and wished her every success.
Inside, the coach was lined with sugared pretzels, and there were various types of fruit and small spicy biscuits in the seats.
‘Goodbye! goodbye!’ the prince and princess cried out,
Fifth story.
The little robber girl.
They drove through the dark forest, but the coach shone like a torch, it dazzled the robbers, and that they couldn’t stomach. ‘It’s gold! it’s gold!’ they shouted, rushed forwards, seized the horses, killed the small jockeys, the coachman and the servants
But Gerda patted her on the cheek, and asked about the prince and princess.
‘They’ve left for abroad!’ the robber girl said.
Translated into English by John Irons in 2014 for the Hans Christian Andersen Centre at the University of Southern Denmark.
NAOMI LEWIS, 1980s (present-day official English translation)
The Snow Queen
Part the Fourth:
Prince and PrincessIn the kingdom, a princess dwells. She is extremely clever; she has read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them again -- that's how clever she is. She was sitting on her throne the other day when she happened to hear a little song. It goes like this: Why should I not married be? Why not? Why not? Why not? Well, there's something to be said for that, she thought. So she decided to find a partner, but she wanted one who could speak to himself when he was spoken to --- one who didn't just stand and look important. That's very dull. She ordered her ladies-in-waiting to be called together (it was done by sounding a roll of drums) and when they heard her plan they were delighted.
"What a splendid idea! We were thinking something of the kind just the other day!" They went on making remarks like these.
The newspapers promptly came out with a border of hearts and the princess's monogram. They announced that any good-looking young man might come to the palace and meet the princess; the one who seemed most at home in the princess's company but who was also the best and most interesting talker --- that was the one she meant to choose.
Well, the suitors flocked to the palace --- there never was such a crowd! But nobody won the prize, either the first day, or the next. They could all talk smartly enough when they were out in the street, but when they came through the palace gate and saw the guards in their silver uniforms, and the footmen in gold all the way up the stairs, and the great halls with their brilliant lights --- they seemed to be struck dumb. And when they stood before the throne where the princess sat, they could find nothing to say but the last word she had spoken herself, and she had no wish to hear that again. Though once they were back in the street, it was all chatter, chatter as before.
It was on the third day when a little chap appeared without horse or carriage, and stepped jauntily up to the palace. His eyes were shining: he had fine thick flowing hair, but his clothes were shabby.
He had a little knapsack, or bundle, on his back.
When he reached the palace gate and saw the guards in silver and the footmen in gold, he was not in the least dismayed. He only nodded pleasantly and said to them: "It must be dull work standing there; I'd sooner go inside."
The great halls blazed with light; it was enough to make anyone feel small. The young chap's boots squeaked dreadfully, but even this didn't trouble him.
Well, they squeaked to be sure. But he went merrily up to the princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel; all the ladies-in-waiting, with their maids and their maids' maids, and all the gentlemen courtiers with their serving-men and their serving-men's serving-men were ranged around her in order.
He is said to have spoken well. He was so lively and confident; he hadn't come to woo the princess, he declared, only to hear her wise conversation. He liked it very well, and she liked him.
Into the garden, and along the avenue where the leaves were falling, leaf after leaf; then, when all the lights in the palace had gone out...
The staircase; a little lamp was glimmering on a stand.
And indeed, something did seem to rush past; it looked like a flight of shadows on the wall, horses with thin legs and flowing manes, huntsmen, lords and ladies on horseback.
“Those are only dreams. They come and take the gentry's thoughts on midnight rides and that’s a good thing, for one will be able to observe them more safely while they are asleep.”
The first room, where the walls were hung with rose-coloured satin embroidered with flowers. Here, the dreams were racing past so swiftly that one could not distinguish any one of the lords and ladies.
Each hall was more magnificent than the one before; then, at last, at the royal bedroom.
The ceiling was like the crown of a palm tree, with leaves of rarest crystal; and, hanging from a thick gold stem in the centre of the floor, were two beds, each in the shape of a lily. One was white, and in this lay the princess. The other was scarlet, and, if you turned one of the red leaves over, you would see a boy's brown hair. The dreams on their wild steeds came whirling back to the sleeper; he woke -- he turned his head --
The prince was a handsome boy. And now the princess looked out from the white lily bed and asked what was happening.
“You poor child,” said the prince and princess, and they praised the ravens, adding, though, that they must not do it again. This time, all things considered, they would be given a reward.
"Would you like to fly away free?" the princess asked. "Or would you like a permanent place as Court Ravens?"
The prince stepped out of his bed --- and who could do more than that?
to stay at the palace and pass delightful days...
A new carriage of pure gold drew up before the door; on it, the coat-of-arms of the royal pair glistened like a star. Coachman, footmen, and outriders --- for there were outriders too --- wore gold crowns. The prince and princess personally helped into the carriage and wished good luck.
The inside of the coach was lined with iced cake and sugar candy, while the space beneath the seat was packed with fruit and ginger nuts.
'Farewell! Farewell!' cried the prince and princess.
The carriage gleamed as bright as the sun.
The carriage gleamed as bright as the sun.
.......................................................................................................
... and asked after the prince and princess.
'They've gone travelling to foreign parts', said the robber girl.
M.R. JAMES, 1930
In the kingdom where we are now there lives a Princess who is exceedingly clever; besides, she's read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them again, she's so clever. The other day she was sitting on her throne, which isn't much fun after all, people say; and she happened to hum a song which was 'Heigh-ho for a husband!' 'Why, there's something in that,' said she, and she made up her mind to marry; only she would have a husband who knew how to answer when you talked to him, one that didn't merely stand there and look distinguished; that's very dull. So she had all the court ladies drummed up, and when they heard what she wanted, they were delighted. 'I do like that,' they said, 'we were just thinking something of the sort the other day.
The newspapers came out immediately with a border of hearts and the Princess's monogram, and you could read there how it was open to any good-looking young man to come up to the palace and speak with the Princess, and the one that spoke so you could see he was at home there, and talked the best, the Princess would take him for husband. Yes, indeed, the people came streaming in: there was a crowd and a commotion, but nothing came of it, either the first day or the second. They could all of them talk well enough while they were out in the street, but when they came in by the palace gate and saw the guards in silver, and footmen in gold, all up the stairs, and the big halls all lighted up, they were flabbergasted, and when they stood in front of the throne where the Princess was sitting, they couldn't think of anything to say but the last word she had said, and she didn't care about hearing that over again. It was just as if the people in there were stupefied till they got out into the street again, and they could talk. There was a row of them reaching right away from the town gate to the palace.
It was the third day, and there came a little fellow without horse or carriage, marching quite cheerfully straight up to the palace. His eyes shone like gems and he had lovely long hair, but his clothes were shabby.
He had a little bundle on his back.
When he came in at the palace gate and saw the lifeguards in silver and the footmen in gold all up the stairs, he wasn't in the least taken aback, but nodded and said to them: 'It must be dull standing on the stairs. I'd sooner go in.' The halls were shining with lights, and privy councillors and excellencies were walking barefoot and carrying golden dishes; it was enough to make anybody feel solemn. His boots creaked dreadfully loud, but he wasn't frightened a bit.
Yes, creak they did, and as bold as could be he walked straight into the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning-wheel, and all the court ladies with their maids and their maids' maids, and all the courtiers with their men and their men's men, who keep a page, were stationed all around, and the nearer they stood to the door the prouder they looked: the men's men's page, who always wears slippers, can hardly be looked at, he's so proud standing there at the door.
He was cheerful and nice-looking. He hadn't come courting at all, but only to hear the Princess's conversation, and he thought well of it, and she thought well of him.
Into the garden, up the great avenue where one leaf after another was falling; and when the lights in the palace were put out one by one...
Something came rushing by, as it were shadows passing along the wall, horses with fluttering manes and slender legs, huntsmen and lords and ladies on horseback.
"They're only dreams, they come and fetch the Quality's thoughts out a-hunting, and it's a good thing."
The first chamber, which was of rose-red satin with worked flowers on the walls. Each chamber was handsomer than the last, it was enough to bewilder anyone; and now they were in the bedchamber. The roof of this was made like a palm tree with leaves of glass—costly glass—and in the middle of the floor there hung from a thick stem of gold two beds, each made to look like a lily; one was white, and in it lay the Princess; the other was red, and there it was that one saw a brown neck.
The Prince was young and handsome, and out of the white lily bed the Princess peeped and asked what was the matter.
"Poor little dear!" said the Prince and the Princess, and they praised the crows and said they were not at all displeased with them, but all the same they mustn't do it again. Meanwhile they should be rewarded. "Would you like to go free?" the Princess asked, "or would you like a permanent situation as court crows?"
"How kind people and animals are."A new carriage of pure gold drew up at the door. The arms of the Prince and Princess shone like a star on it. The coachmen and servants and outriders (there were outriders too) wore gold crowns. The Prince and Princess helped her into the carriage themselves and wished her the best of luck.
Inside, the coach had a provision of sugar twists, and inside the seat was fruit and gingerbread nuts. "Good-bye, good-bye!" shouted the Prince and Princess.
...asked after the Prince and Princess.
"They've gone travelling abroad," said the robber girl.
EDMUND DULAC
In this kingdom where we are now, there lives a Princess who is very clever. She has read all the newspapers in the world, and forgotten them again, so clever is she. One day she was sitting on her throne, which is not such an amusing thing to do either, they say; and she began humming a tune, which happened to be
"Why should I not be married, oh why?"
"Why not indeed?" said she. And she made up her mind to marry, if she could find a husband who had an answer ready when a question was put to him. She called all the court ladies together, and when they heard what she wanted they were delighted.
'"I like that now," they said. "I was thinking the same thing myself the other day."
The newspapers all came out immediately with borders of hearts and the Princess's initials. They gave notice that any young man who was handsome enough might go up to the Palace to speak to the Princess. The one who spoke as if he were quite at home, and spoke well, would be chosen by the Princess as her husband. The people came crowding in; there was such running, and crushing, but no one was fortunate enough to be chosen, either on the first day, or on the second. They could all of them talk well enough in the street, but when they entered the castle gates, and saw the guard in silver uniforms, and when they went up the stairs through rows of lackeys in gold embroidered liveries, their courage forsook them. When they reached the brilliantly lighted reception-rooms, and stood in front of the throne where the Princess was seated, they could think of nothing to say, they only echoed her last words, and of course that was not what she wanted.
It was just as if they had all taken some kind of sleeping-powder, which made them lethargic; they did not recover themselves until they got out into the street again, and then they had plenty to say. There was quite a long line of them, reaching from the town gates up to the Palace.
It was on the third day that a little personage came marching cheerfully along, without either carriage or horse. His eyes sparkled, and he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very shabby.
He had a little knapsack on his back!
When he entered the Palace gates, and saw the life-guards in their silver uniforms, and the lackeys on the stairs in their gold-laced liveries, he was not the least bit abashed. He just nodded to them and said, "It must be very tiresome to stand upon the stairs. I am going inside!" The rooms were blazing with lights. Privy councillors and excellencies without number were walking about barefoot carrying golden vessels; it was enough to make you solemn! His boots creaked fearfully too, but he wasn't a bit upset.
But nothing daunted, he went straight up to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning-wheel. Poor, simple boy! all the court ladies and their attendants; the courtiers, and their gentlemen, each attended by a page, were standing round. The nearer the door they stood, so much the greater was their haughtiness; till the footman's boy, who always wore slippers and stood in the doorway, was almost too proud even to be looked at.
He was a picture of good looks and gallantry, and then, he had not come with any idea of wooing the Princess, but simply to hear her wisdom. He admired her just as much as she admired him!
Then they went into the garden, into the great avenue where the leaves were dropping, softly one by one; and when the Palace lights went out, one after the other...
They came now into the first apartment; it was hung with rose-coloured satin embroidered with flowers. The apartments became one more beautiful than the other; they were enough to bewilder anybody. They now reached the bedroom. The ceiling was like a great palm with crystal leaves, and in the middle of the room two beds, each like a lily hung from a golden stem. One was white, and in it lay the Princess; the other was red, and there lay he...
...he was young and handsome. The Princess peeped out of her lily-white bed, and asked what was the matter.
'You poor little thing!' said the Prince and Princess. And they praised the crows, and said that they were not at all angry with them, but they must not do it again. Then they gave them a reward.
'Would you like your liberty?' said the Princess, 'or would you prefer permanent posts about the court as court crows?"
'how good the people and the animals are'
Next day she was dressed in silk and velvet from head to foot; they asked her to stay at the Palace and have a good time...
They gave her a pair of boots and a muff. She was beautifully dressed, and when she was ready to start, there before the door stood a new chariot of pure gold. The Prince's and Princess's coat of arms were emblazoned on it, and shone like a star. Coachman, footman, and outrider, for there was even an outrider, all wore golden crowns. The Prince and Princess themselves helped her into the carriage and wished her joy.
The chariot was stored with sugar biscuits, and there were fruit and ginger nuts under the seat. 'Good-bye, good-bye,' cried the Prince and Princess.
... ... ...
...patted her cheek, and asked about the Prince and Princess.
'They are travelling in foreign countries,' said the robber girl.
......................................................................................................................................................
CHARLES BONER
In the kingdom where we now are there lives a Princess, who is extraordinarily clever; for she has read all the newspapers in the whole world, and has forgotten them again--so clever is she. She was lately, it is said, sitting on her throne--which is not very amusing after all--when she began humming an old tune, and it was just, 'Oh, why should I not be married?' "That song is not without its meaning,' said she, and so then she was determined to marry; but she would have a husband 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 then had all the ladies of the court drummed together; and when they heard her intention, all were very pleased, and said, 'We are very glad to hear it; it is the very thing we were thinking of.'
The newspapers appeared forthwith with a border of hearts and the initials of the Princess; and therein you might read that every good-looking young man was at liberty to come to the palace and speak to the Princess; and he who spoke in such wise as showed he felt himself at home there, that one the Princess would choose for her husband.
People came in crowds; there was a crush and a hurry, but no one was successful either on the first or second day. They could all talk well enough when they were out in the street; but as soon as they came inside the palace gates, and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys in gold on the staircase, and the large illuminated saloons, then they were abashed; and when they stood before the throne on which the Princess was sitting, all they could do was to repeat the last word they had uttered, and to hear it again did not interest her very much. It was just as if the people within were under a charm, and had fallen into a trance till they came out again into the street; for then they could chatter enough. There was a whole row of them standing from the town-gates to the palace.
It was on the third day when a little personage without horse or equipage, came marching right boldly up to the palace; his eyes shone, he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very shabby.
He had a little knapsack at his back.
When he came into the court-yard of the palace, and saw the body-guard in silver, the lackeys on the staircase, he was not the least abashed; he nodded, and said to them, 'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs; for my part, I shall go in.' The saloons were gleaming with lustres--privy councillors and excellencies were walking about barefooted, and wore gold keys; it was enough to make any one feel uncomfortable. His boots creaked, too, so loudly, but still he was not at all afraid.
And on he went boldly up to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning-wheel. All the ladies of the court, with their attendants and attendants' attendants, and all the cavaliers, with their gentlemen and gentlemen's gentlemen, stood round; and the nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. It was hardly possible to look at the gentleman's gentleman, so very haughtily did he stand in the doorway.
He was bold and nicely behaved; he had not come to woo the Princess, but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased him, and he pleased her.
And they went into the garden in the large avenue, where one leaf was falling after the other; and when the lights in the palace had all gradually disappeared...
They now entered the first saloon, which was of rose-colored satin, with artificial flowers on the wall.
One hall was more magnificent than the other; one might indeed well be abashed; and at last they came into the bedchamber. The ceiling of the room resembled a large palm-tree with leaves of glass, of costly glass; and in the middle, from a thick golden stem, hung two beds, each of which resembled a lily. One was white, and in this lay the Princess; the other was red, and it was here
The Prince was young and handsome. And out of the white lily leaves the Princess peeped, too, and asked what was the matter.
"Poor little thing!" said the Prince and the Princess. They praised the Ravens very much, and told them they were not at all angry with them, but they were not to do so again. However, they should have a reward. "Will you fly about here at liberty," asked the Princess; "or would you like to have a fixed appointment as court ravens?"
"How good men and animals are!"
The next day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet. They offered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a happy life...
Shoes and a muff were given her; she was, too, dressed very nicely; and when she was about to set off, a new carriage stopped before the door. It was of pure gold, and the arms of the Prince and Princess shone like a star upon it; the coachman, the footmen, and the outriders, for outriders were there, too, all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess assisted her into the carriage themselves, and wished her all success.
The carriage was lined inside with sugar-plums, and in the seats were fruits and gingerbread.
"Farewell! Farewell!" cried Prince and Princess...
... ... ...
....patted her cheeks, and inquired for the Prince and Princess.
"They are gone abroad," said the other.
...................................................................................................................................................
ANDREW LANG
In the kingdom in which we are now sitting lives a princess who is dreadfully clever. She has read all the newspapers in the world and has forgotten them again. She is as clever as that. The other day she came to the throne, and that is not so pleasant as people think. Then she began to say, "Why should I not marry?" But she wanted a husband who could answer when he was spoken to, not one who would stand up stiffly and look respectable—that would be too dull.
When she told all the Court ladies, they were delighted.
The newspapers came out next morning with a border of hearts round it, and the princess's monogram on it, and inside you could read that every good-looking young man might come into the palace and speak to the princess, and whoever should speak loud enough to be heard would be well fed and looked after, and the one who spoke best should become the princess's husband.
Young men came in streams, and there was such a crowding and a mixing together! But nothing came of it on the first nor on the second day. They could all speak quite well when they were in the street, but as soon as they came inside the palace door, and saw the guards in silver, and upstairs the footmen in gold, and the great hall all lighted up, then their wits left them! And when they stood in front of the throne where the princess was sitting, then they could not think of anything to say except to repeat the last word she had spoken, and she did not much care to hear that again. It seemed as if they were walking in their sleep until they came out into the street again, when they could speak once more. There was a row stretching from the gate of the town up to the castle.
On the third day a little figure came without horse or carriage and walked jauntily up to the palace. His eyes shone; he had lovely curling hair, but quite poor clothes.
He had a little bundle on his back.
When he came to the palace door and saw the royal guards in silver, and on the stairs the footmen in gold, he was not the least bit put out. He nodded to them, saying, "It must be rather dull standing on the stairs; I would rather go inside!"
The halls blazed with lights; councillors and ambassadors were walking about in noiseless shoes carrying gold dishes. It was enough to make one nervous! His boots creaked dreadfully loud, but he was not frightened.
And, not one bit afraid, up he went to the princess, who was sitting on a large pearl as round as a spinning wheel. All the ladies-in-waiting were standing round, each with their attendants, and the lords-in-waiting with their attendants. The nearer they stood to the door the prouder they were.
He was merry and quick-witted; he had not come to woo, he said, but to listen to the princess's wisdom. And the end of it was that they fell in love with each other.
They went into the garden, and when the lights in the palace were put out one after the other...
Through beautiful rooms they came to the sleeping-room. In the middle of it, hung on a thick rod of gold, were two beds, shaped like lilies, one all white, in which lay the princess, and the other red, in which he lay, and he was young and handsome. The princess sat up in her lily-bed and asked who was there.
The prince and princess praised the crows, and said that they were not angry with them, but that they must not do it again. Now they should have a reward.
'Would you like to fly away free?' said the princess, 'or will you have a permanent place as court crows?'
'How good people and animals are to me!'
The next day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and satin. They wanted her to stay on in the palace, but she begged for a little carriage and a horse...
They gave her a muff as well as some shoes; she was warmly dressed, and when she was ready, there in front of the door stood a coach of pure gold, with a coachman, footmen and postilions with gold crowns on.
The prince and princess helped her into the carriage and wished her good luck.
'Good-bye, good-bye!' called the prince and princess.
... ... ...
... patted her cheeks and asked after the prince and princess.
'They are travelling about,' said the robber girl.
......................................................................................................................................................
H. B. PAULL
In this kingdom where we now are, there lives a princess, who is so wonderfully clever that she has read all the newspapers in the world, and forgotten them too, although she is so clever. A short time ago, as she was sitting on her throne, which people say is not such an agreeable seat as is often supposed, she began to sing a song which commences in these words:
'Why not indeed?' said she, 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 was so tiresome. Then she assembled all her court ladies together at the beat of the drum, and when they heard of her intentions they were very much pleased. 'We are so glad to hear it,' said they, we were talking about it ourselves the other day.'
Newspapers were published immediately, with a border of hearts, and the initials of the princess among them. They gave notice 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. The people came in crowds. There was a great deal of crushing and running about, 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 silver uniforms, and the footmen in their golden livery on the staircase, and the great halls lighted up, they became quite confused. And 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 taken something to make them sleepy while they were in the palace, for they did not recover themselves nor speak till they got back again into the street. There was quite a long line of them reaching from the town-gate to the palace.
It was on the third day, there came marching cheerfully along to the palace a little personage, without horses or carriage, his eyes sparkling; he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very poor.
He had a little knapsack on his back.
Hhe passed through the palace gates, saw the guards in their silver uniform, and the servants in their liveries of gold on the stairs, but he was not in the least embarrassed. 'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs,' he said. 'I prefer to go in." The rooms were blazing with light. Councillors and ambassadors walked about with bare feet, carrying golden vessels; it was enough to make any one feel serious. 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, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning wheel, and all the ladies of the court were present with their maids, and all the cavaliers with their servants; and 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 by the door.
He was quite free and agreeable 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.
Then they went into the garden through the great avenue, where the leaves were falling one after another, and they could see the light in the palace being put out in the same manner.
They now came into the first hall, the walls of which were hung with rose-colored satin, embroidered with artificial flowers. ach hall appeared more splendid than the last, it was enought to bewilder any one. At length they reached a bedroom. The ceiling was like a great palm-tree, with glass leaves of the most costly crystal, and over the centre 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 in this one... The prince was young and pretty. Then the princess peeped out of her white-lily bed, and asked what was the matter.
The prince and princess praised the crows, and said they were not angry for what they had done, but that it must not happen again, and this time they should be rewarded.
"Would you like to have your freedom?" asked the princess, "or would you prefer to be raised to the position of court crows?"
"How good everyone is to me, men and animals too;"
The following day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet, and they invited her to stay at the palace for a few days, and enjoy herself, but she only begged for a pair of boots, and a little carriage, and a horse to draw it, so that she might go into the wide world...
And she obtained, not only boots, but also a muff, and she was neatly dressed; and when she was ready to go, there, at the door, she found a coach made of pure gold, with the coat-of-arms of the prince and princess shining upon it like a star, and the coachman, footman, and outriders all wearing golden crowns on their heads. The prince and princess themselves helped her into the coach, and wished her success. The coach was well stored with sweet cakes, and under the seat were fruit and gingerbread nuts. "Farewell, farewell," cried the prince and princess...
... ... ...
... patted her cheeks, and asked after the prince and princess.
"They are gone to foreign countries," said the robber-girl.
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W. HEATH ROBINSON
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PART THE FOURTH
THE PRINCE AND THE PRINCESS
In the kingdom wherein we are now sitting, there dwells a princess, a most uncommonly clever princess. All the newspapers in the world has she read, and forgotten them again, so clever is she. It is not long since she ascended the throne, which I have heard is not quite so agreeable a situation as one would fancy; and immediately after she began to sing a new song, the burden of which was this, "Why should I not marry me?' "There is some sense in this song!" said she, and she determined she would marry, but at the same time declared that the man whom she would choose must be able to answer sensibly whenever people spoke to him, and must be good for something else besides merely looking grand and stately. The ladies of the court were then all drummed together, in order to be informed of her intentions, whereupon they were highly delighted, and one exclaimed, "That is just what I wish"; and another, that she had lately been thinking of the very same thing.
Proclamations, adorned with borders of hearts, were immediately issued, wherein, after enumerating the style and titles of the princess, it was set forth that every well-favoured youth was free to go to the palace and converse with the princess, and that whoever should speak in such wise as showed that he felt himself at home, there would be the one the princess would choose for her husband.
The people all crowded to the palace; there was famous pressing and squeezing; but it was all of no use, either the first or the second day; the young men could speak well enough while they were outside the palace gates, but when they entered, and saw the royal guard in silver uniform, and the lackeys on the staircase in gold, and the spacious saloon, all lighted up, they were quite confounded. They stood before the throne where the princess sat, and when she spoke to them, they could only repeat the last word she had uttered, which, you know, it was not particularly interesting for her to hear over again. It was just as though they had been struck dumb the moment they entered the palace, for as soon as they got out, they could talk fast enough. There was a regular procession constantly moving from the gates of the town to the gates of the palace.
On the third day arrived a youth with neither horse nor carriage; gaily he marched up to the palace; his eyes sparkled; he had long beautiful hair, but was very meanly clad.
He carried a knapsack on his back.
When he entered the palace gates and saw the royal guard in silver, and the lackeys in gold upon the staircase, he did not seem in the least confused, but nodded pleasantly and said to them, "It must be very tedious standing out here; I prefer going in." The halls glistened with light, cabinet councillors and excellencies were walking about bare-footed and carrying golden keys—it was just a place to make a man solemn and silent—and the youth's boots creaked horribly, yet he was not at all afraid.
Indeed they did creak, but merrily went he up to the princess, who was sitting upon a pearl as large as a spinning-wheel, whilst all the ladies of the court, with the maids of honour and their handmaidens, ranged in order, stood on one side, and all the gentlemen in waiting, with their gentlemen, and their gentlemen's gentlemen, who also kept pages, stood ranged in order on the other side, and the nearer they were to the door the prouder they looked. The gentlemen's gentlemen's page, who always wears slippers, one dare hardly look at, so proudly he stands at the door.
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He was handsome and lively—"He did not come to woo her," he said, "he had only come to hear the wisdom of the princess," and he liked her much, and she liked him in return.
And they went into the garden, down the grand avenue, where the leaves dropped upon them as they passed along, and, when the lights in the palace one by one had all been extinguished...
Strange-looking shadows flitted rapidly along the wall, horses with long, slender legs and fluttering manes, huntsmen, knights, and ladies.
These are only dreams! they come to amuse the great personages here at night.
They now entered the first saloon; its walls were covered with rose-coloured satin, embroidered with gold flowers.
The apartments through which they passed vied with each other in splendour, and at last they reached the sleeping-hall. In the centre of this room stood a pillar of gold resembling the stem of a large palm-tree, whose leaves of glass, costly glass, formed the ceiling, and depending from the tree, hung near the door, on thick golden stalks, two beds in the form of lilies—the one was white, wherein reposed the princess, the other was red, and here...
The prince resembled him only about the throat; he was, however, young and handsome; and the princess looked out from the white lily petals, and asked what was the matter. The prince and princess praised the ravens, and said they were not at all angry with them. Such liberties must never be taken again in their palace, but this time they should be rewarded.
'Would you like to fly away free to the woods?' asked the princess, addressing the ravens, 'or to have the appointment secured to you as Court-Ravens?'
'How kind both men and animals are to me!'
The next day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet. She was invited to stay at the palace and enjoy all sorts of diversions, but she begged only for a little carriage and a horse...
And they gave her the boots and a muff besides; she was dressed so prettily. And as soon as she was ready there drove up to the door a new carriage of pure gold with the arms of the prince and princess glittering upon it like a star, the coachman, the footman, and outriders, all wearing gold crowns. The prince and princess themselves helped her into the carriage and wished her success.
The carriage was well provided with sugar-plums, fruit, and gingerbread nuts.
'Farewell! farewell!' cried the prince and princess.
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| CABINET COUNCILLORS WERE WALKING ABOUT BAREFOOTED |
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| AND THE NEARER THEY WERE TO THE DOOR THE PROUDER THEY LOOKED |
'They are gone travelling into foreign countries,' replied the robber-maiden.
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JEAN HERSHOLT
Fourth Story
The Prince and the Princess
In the kingdom where we are now, there is a Princess who is uncommonly clever, and no wonder. She has read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them again - that's how clever she is. Well, not long ago she was sitting on her throne. That's by no means as much fun as people suppose, so she fell to humming an old tune, and the refrain of it happened to run:
"Why, oh, why, shouldn't I get married?"
Why, that's an idea!' said she. And she made up her mind to marry as soon as she could find the sort of husband who could give a good answer when anyone spoke to him, instead of one of those fellows who merely stand around looking impressive, for that is so tiresome. She had the drums drubbed to call together all her ladies-in-waiting, and when they heard what she had in mind they were delighted.
'Oh, we like that!' they said. 'We were just thinking the very same thing.'
The newspapers immediately came out with a border of hearts and the initials of the Princess, and you could read an announcement that any presentable young man might go to the palace and talk with her. The one who spoke best, and who seemed most at home in the palace, would be chosen by the Princess as her husband.
Men flocked to the palace, and there was much crowding and crushing, but on neither the first nor the second day was anyone chosen. Out in the street they were all glib talkers, but after they entered the palace gate where the guardsmen were stationed in their silver-braided uniforms, and after they climbed up the staircase lined with footmen in gold-embroidered livery, they arrived in the brilliantly lighted reception halls without a word to say. And when they stood in front of the Princess on her throne, the best they could do was to echo the last word of her remarks, and she didn't care to hear it repeated.
It was just as if everyone in the throne room had fallen asleep; for as soon as they were back in the streets there was no stopping their talk.
The line of candidates extended all the way from the town gates to the palace. They got hungry and they got thirsty, but from the palace they got nothing-not even a glass of lukewarm water. To be sure, some of the clever candidates had brought sandwiches with them, but they did not share them with their neighbors. Each man thought, 'Just let him look hungry, then the Princess won't take him!'
But when did he come? Was he among those people?
We are just coming to him. On the third day a little person, with neither horse nor carriage, strode boldly up to the palace. His eyes sparkled, and he had handsome long hair, but his clothes were poor.
He had a little knapsack on his back.
When he went through the palace gates and saw the guardsmen in silver, and on the staircase the footmen in gold, he wasn't at all taken aback. He nodded and he said to them:
'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs. I'd rather go inside.'
'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs. I'd rather go inside.'
The halls were brilliantly lighted. Ministers of state and privy councilors were walking about barefooted, carrying golden trays in front of them. It was enough to make anyone feel solemn, and his boots creaked dreadfully, but he wasn't a bit afraid.
Oh, they creaked all right. But it was little enough he cared as he walked straight to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel. All the ladies-in-waiting with their attendants and their attendants' attendants, and all the lords-in-waiting with their gentlemen and their gentlemen's men, each of whom had his page with him, were standing there, and the nearer they stood to the door the more arrogant they looked. The gentlemen's men's pages, who always wore slippers, were almost too arrogant to look as they stood at the threshold.
They say he spoke as well as ... He was dashing and handsome, and he was not there to court the Princess but to hear her wisdom. This he liked, and she liked him.
Then they went into the garden and down the wide promenade where the leaves were falling one by one. When, one by one, the lights went out in the palace, ... led ... to the back door, which stood ajar.
Now they were on the stairway. A little lamp was burning on a cupboard, and there ...
Now they were on the stairway. A little lamp was burning on a cupboard, and there ...
"It seems to ... that someone is on the stairs behind us," ... Things brushed past, and from the shadows on the wall they seemed to be horses with spindly legs and waving manes. And there were shadows of huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen, on horseback.
Those are only dreams. They come to take the thoughts of their royal masters off to the chase. That's just as well, for it will give ... a good opportunity to see them while they sleep.
Now they entered the first room. It was hung with rose-colored satin, embroidered with flowers. The dream shadows were flitting by so fast that one could not see the lords and ladies. Hall after magnificent hall quite bewildered ..., until at last they reached the royal bedroom.
The ceiling of it was like the top of a huge palm tree, with leaves of glass, costly glass. In the middle of the room two beds hung from a massive stem of gold. Each of them looked like a lily. One bed was white, and there lay the Princess. The other was red, and there ... saw the nape of a little brown neck. ... The dreams on horseback pranced into the room again, as he awoke-and turned his head-and ...
The Prince ..., but he was young and handsome. The Princess peeked out of her lily-white bed, and asked what had happened.
"Poor little thing," the Prince and the Princess said. They praised the crows, and said they weren't the least bit angry with them, but not to do it again. Furthermore, they should have a reward.
"Would you rather fly about without any responsibilities," said the Princess, "or would you care to be appointed court crows for life?"
The Prince got up, and let ... have his bed. It was the utmost that he could do. ... and thought, "How nice the people ... are."
The next day ... was dressed from ... head to ... heels in silk and in velvet too. They asked ... to stay at the palace and have a nice time there, but instead ... begged them to let ... have a little carriage, a little horse, and a pair of little boots, so that ... could drive out into the wide world ...
They gave ... a pair of boots, and also a muff. They dressed ... as nicely as could be and, when ... was ready to go, there at the gate stood a brand new carriage of pure gold. On it the coat of arms of the Prince and the Princess glistened like a star.
The coachman, the footman, and the postilions-for postilions there were-all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess themselves helped ... into the carriage, and wished ... Godspeed. ...Inside, the carriage was lined with sugared cookies, and the seats were filled with fruit and gingerbread.
"Fare you well, fare you well," called the Prince and Princess. ... as long as ... could see the carriage, which flashed as brightly as the sun.
"That's gold! That's gold!" they cried. They sprang forward, seized the horses, killed the little postilions, the coachman, and the footman, ...
FIFTH STORY
THE LITTLE ROBBER GIRL
The carriage rolled on into a dark forest. Like a blazing torch, it shone in the eyes of some robbers. They could not bear it."That's gold! That's gold!" they cried. They sprang forward, seized the horses, killed the little postilions, the coachman, and the footman, ...
SEVENTH STORY
...
WHAT CAME OF IT
But ... asked her about the Prince and the Princess.
"They are traveling in foreign lands," the girl told ....
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Elspeth (My favourite retelling):
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:
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
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.
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.
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.
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, the richness of the tints and the skill of the brush strokes, 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 woke, and turned his head round, unwrapping his arms from around the princess, and it was ... 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.
The End
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.]
Until the next time the key on the back is wound again.
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.
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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. 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.
......................................................................................................................................................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.
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KAY WOODWARD
In this kingdom, there lives a princess who is extraordinarily clever.
She longed to marry. But she did not want an ordinary sort of husband - one who would be charming and handsome and say only what he thought she wanted to hear.
The princess wanted a husband who was as wise as an owl and as clever as a cat. She wanted a man who knew what to answer for himself.
Before long, the queue of suitors stretched three times around the palace. But as soon as they met the princess, each one of them was struck dumb. All they could do was repeat the same few words, over and over again.
The princess was not impressed.
The next day, a boy with neither horse nor fine clothes marched boldly up to the palace. His eyes sparkled like diamonds, but his clothes were shabby and his shoes creaked.
When he spoke, the princess fell under his spell.
But he wanted to hear what she had to say too, which made her love him all the more.
At the top of the stairs, there was a room...
Its glass ceiling was shaped like the leaves of a palm tree. Two lily-shaped beds hung from a thick golden stem in the centre of the room. In one bed lay the princess. In the other lay ---
The royal couple were as good as their word.
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A study guide
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.
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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.
(by Rosekay)
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.
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Strong Female Characters:
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~The Soldier and the Iron-Hearted Prince~
Another Avengers AU
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. He would be inquisitive, ...
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 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?
"How do we find him?" asked the iron-hearted prince, who was always interested in how things came to be made and what paths they took.
The soldier with his summer heart and the prince with his wisdom not wasted, fought side by side in the whirling storm.
But this is not a story about innocent love, nor is it even a story about the ties of blood, for none of them were kin, not even the Frost King and his brother in the end. What ... in turn had told ..., the iron-hearted prince, the soldier, and all the others, was that there had been an idea, that a group of remarkable people, lonely in their ... great palaces ..., might come together to fight the battles that others could not.
"How do we find him?" asked the iron-hearted prince, who was always interested in how things came to be made and what paths they took.
The soldier with his summer heart and the prince with his wisdom not wasted, fought side by side in the whirling storm.
But this is not a story about innocent love, nor is it even a story about the ties of blood, for none of them were kin, not even the Frost King and his brother in the end. What ... in turn had told ..., the iron-hearted prince, the soldier, and all the others, was that there had been an idea, that a group of remarkable people, lonely in their ... great palaces ..., might come together to fight the battles that others could not.
So perhaps it is a war story, a war of hearts, a war of debts, a war of those not bred for battle but who go bravely down nonetheless, of those with beasts inside and hearts not living, of those whose dear friends are long dead, who are broken and unmade and then made again.
And the idea lived, for they did come together and see, as the iron-hearted prince had wondered, how the frost was made, and wrest it back into the storm. Though in the end, bloodied and upright, they went their separate ways, to all the far corners of the world, they waited, eager, to be called again. For at long last, it was summer.
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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.
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Supernatural, John and Mary
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.
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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 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!
What is so clever about forgetting newspapers?
What is so clever about forgetting newspapers?
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."
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| 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, "Le Chevalier et la Damoiselle" (my translation from the French):
The Knight and the Damsel
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.
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2005 Egmont version (The Fairytaler):
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.
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procellous (Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson):In the kingdom we are in now, there lives a Princess who is extraordinarily clever; for she has read all the books in the whole world, and has not forgotten them again, so clever is she. She was lately, it is said, sitting on her throne, which is not very amusing after all, when she began humming an old tune, and it was just, 'Oh, why should I not be married?' "That song is not without its meaning,' said she, and so then she was determined to marry; but she would have a husband who knew how to give an answer when he was spoken to, not merely one who looked only as if he were a great personage, for that is so tiresome. She then had all the ladies of the court drummed together; and when they heard her intention, all were very pleased, and said, 'We are very glad to hear it; it is the very thing we were thinking of.
The newspapers appeared forthwith with a border of hearts and the initials of the Princess; and therein you might read that every good-looking young man was at liberty to come to the palace and speak to the Princess; and the one who was as clever as the Princess would be her husband.
People came in crowds, but no one was successful either on the first or second day. They could all talk well enough when they were out in the street; but as soon as they came inside the palace gates, and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys in gold on the staircase, and the large illuminated saloons, then they were shy; and when they stood before the throne on which the Princess was sitting, all they could do was to repeat the last word they had uttered, and to hear it again did not interest her very much. It was just as if the people within were under a charm, and had fallen into a trance till they came out again into the street; for then they could chatter enough. There was a whole row of them standing from the town-gates to the palace.
Now, on the third day, there came a little boy, with bright eyes and long dark hair, who walked boldly up to the palace alone.
He had a little knapsack on his back.
Now then, the boy went up to the Princess, and spoke to her well, but he was not there to woo the Princess, but hear her wisdom, and they spoke for many hours.
into the garden in the large avenue, where one leaf was falling after the other; and when the lights in the palace had all gradually disappeared...
through the palace, and in the first room there were two beds, one which held the Princess, and the other a sleeping man.
The Prince resembled him in neck and hair, but not at all in body. The Princess, too, awoke, and - oh! the Ravens had not mentioned her beauty, her red hair curled about her face, and her green eyes seemed to know everything – asked what the matter was.
"Poor little thing," said the Prince and Princess, and they praised the Ravens. The Princess gave her a key, and told her that there was a room she could sleep in for the night, and the Prince showed her where it was.
"How good are men and animals!"
the Princess, who told her to call her Barbara, for that was her name, and the Prince, who also told her to call him by his name, Richard, gave her a carriage all made of gold and filled with good things to eat, and had their coat of arms on it. The Princess also gave her a fine purple cape, all lined with fur.
...
They visited the Prince and Princess, who were now wed and quite happy together.
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