THE PRINCESS OF THE IRON KEEP

One day, I discovered a fine story that shares more than one similarity with the Fourth Story of Andersen's Snow Queen, and that may have served as inspiration for the Bard of Odense.
For those who don't remember or don't know the tale, let me give you a quick summary:

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.

 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.

 Here, the princess "has read all the newspapers in the world and has forgotten what was written in them", suggesting that the world has not yet penetrated, both for good and for bad. She is still somewhat innocent and also somewhat ignorant. Her husband, the prince, came to her a commoner with boots that squeak, but became prince because he was not intimidated by her stature. 

"a princess of surpassing cleverness and beauty":

The princess is a supplementary character who only appears in one of the chapters of the Snow Queen story - but she is nonetheless an admirable and inspirational female character, whose story hints at a much longer and grander untold narrative.

"In this kingdom in which we are now sitting, lives a Princess, who is so immoderately clever; but then she has read all the newspapers that are in the world, read and forgotten them again, so clever is she. Lately she was sitting on her throne, when she began to sing, and the theme of her song was "Why should I not marry?" "Well there is something in that, she said, and so she determined to get married; but she must have a husband who knew how to answer when spoken to, not one who could only stand there and look grand, for that is too stupid."

What a fantastic introduction to a character! And what a refreshing change from the fairytale standard of princesses being first and foremost beautiful! The Princess decides on her own that she wants to get married, and she then goes on to specify what kind of a husband she is looking for - one who is intelligent, unabashed by royalty, unafraid of her power and one who "feels at home' with her.
Andersen then goes on to describe the meeting of the princess and her husband-to-be:

"He was merry and well behaved, but had not come at all to pay court to the Princess, but only to hear how clever she was. He had every reason to be satisfied with her, and she no less so with him."

Again, what a refreshing subversion of the princess trope! The princess' chosen husband is bright-eyed and merry; a poorly dressed "little person" - a wanderer with creaking boots and a knapsack on his back. No dragonslayer he - but one who can match the princess' intellect, rather than impress her with feats of arms.

As well as being clever, the Princess is later shown to be generous and sympathetic, willing to help Gerda into her new golden carriage herself without formality.Though her part is small in the overall story, and she and the Prince go away to "live in foreign places", one feels sure that such a great character must be the heroine of her own legend.

The story that may have inspired Andersen is also the fourth story out of seven: the fourth story in Persian nested narrative (a frame novel with seven stories in it) called the Haft Paykar or Seven Beauties, in which a young and dashing shah asks each of his seven equally young and lovely wives, each from a different nation, for a story each day of a winter week. On Tuesday, the fourth day, the Russian beauty tells a story very similar to the Fourth Story of the Snow Queen:

The princess in this tale was tall and fair, rosy-cheeked, with ice blue eyes and raven hair, fluent in more than three foreign languages, an excellent artist and musician, and a learned lady as well. She is even knew much about the occult sciences like alchemy and astrology:

A heart-beguiler, witching by her glance, of roseate cheeks, and cypress-slender form.

Face lovelier than the moon in beauty bright, in sweetness lips more sweet than sugar is.

All strength of heart she took from those who sued; sugar and taper near her were put out.

Sugar, before her small and sugary mouth, in heart was more contracted than her waist.

The black musk afflicted at her curling locks; on thorns the rose and basil at her face.

High-statured like the cypress in the grove; like lamp and taper radiant of face.

The freshness of her face more fresh than Spring; than picture lovelier her lovely tints.

The drowsy jonquil languorous for her; the grace of eglantine her humble slave.

All men the dust beneath her servants’ feet; the rose prepared to serve her slaves as slave.

Besides her beauty and her smiling grace, she had the ornament of learning too.

Knowledge of every order she had gained; and had perused a leaf on every art;

Had read the world’s famed books on magic lore, on sorcery and other secret things.

Over her face she’d drawn a veil of locks; and was averse to all command to wed.

For she who in her time’s unmatched, unique, how can it fit that she be mated, paired?

When that the rumour spread throughout the world that from the heavens a fairy had appeared,

And that the moon and sun had born a child, with the beauty of Venus and wisdom of Mercury;

An eager longing for her rose in each; each one with deprecation urged his suit.

One backed his claim with gold and one with strength; she on the instant hid her gold from view.

 Beleaguered by countless shallow, vain, and status-seeking suitors, she moved from her grand palace to a fortress topped with scarlet towers on a high and steep mesa. This was the Iron Keep: the most inexpicable stronghold, which never had fallen, in the whole realm.

She a Slavonian princess in that fort—of princesses naught like it had been dreamt.

She’d closed the road to those who took the road; she’d foiled the wish of those whose wish was law.

The accomplished princess was on every theme most fertile in device and quick in thought.

She knew the constitutions of the stars, their temperaments together she’d compared.

She’d fully mastered all the temperaments; she’d taken in her hand the fragrant wine.

So that the treatment of all dry and moist, how water is made hot and fire made cold,

How men behave towards their fellow-men, how to community community,

All that may help and further culture too, all that may add adornment to mankind,—

Of all this she had gathered knowledge true,—she, who in form was woman, man in mind.

As she became content within those walls, she cast all thought of mankind from her heart.
And she added to the fortress garrison a whole regiment of a thousand artificial clockwork guards, android elite soldiers she had invented herself. Then, she announced throughout the kingdom that the young man who succeeded in entering the fort and defeating her in a battle of wits would be chosen as her consort. She painted the most realistic self-portraits she could on her proclamations, written on silk cloth, in which she stated that the suitors should be dashing, brave, sensitive, and clever as well:
"Whoever in the world may wish for me, with such a castle as is my abode,

Let him, not speaking from afar, come in, moth-like no simple gazer at the light.

A brave man may gain access to such fort; no coward can have any business here.

Whoever wishes for the beauteous one, must have not only one but thousand lives;

Must boldly set his mind upon the road, and four conditions (strictly) must observe.

The first condition of this wedlock (then) is (that he have) fair fame and beauty (too).

The second, that by knowledge he has gained, he loosen on this road the talismans.

The third condition is that having loosed from their connections all the talismans,

He show where is the portal of this fort, that he become my mate by door, not roof.

If he the fourth condition would fulfil, I'll question him upon some learned themes.

If he should answer me in fitting mode, (then) I will wed him as good faith requires.

That honoured man shall be my husband (then), for that which I have promised must be done.

And whosoe’er in these conditions fails, false to the terms, his blood be on his head!

Who holds this admonition in esteem,—he has the alchemy of happiness.

But he who cannot penetrate my words,—though he be great, he shortly shall be small."

Hundreds of suitors tried, but they either gave up before the steel warriors or before the confrontation with the princess on her throne, in her scarlet gown and ruby crown. And thus, they were sent away, looking back in disappointment.

One day, a dashing young officer in an armour of scarlet steel like freshly-shed blood, his clothes completely bloodstained (drenched on more than one battlefield), with nowhere to go after the wars, found one of the proclamations at a marketplace and decided to try his luck at the Iron Keep, and win the fairy-like royal maiden. His heart had been taken by storm, and he was himself as clever as he was brave and handsome, having never found his equal, whom he wanted for a bride. Thus he was night and day with anguished heart; nor night was night to him, nor day was day.

  But, in spite of the storm of flames in his chest and the hardships of the quest, he steeled his resolve: he was a military man and a war hero, who never had surrendered or fled on the battlefield. The Iron Keep would yield to him as well! Once there, keeping calm, he defeated the regiment of artificial warriors with his brains rather than brawn: he made simple strokes at the warriors and their swords shattered, thus disarming them. Then, seeing that the doors of the keep were firmly shut and made of  hard iron, our young hero looked for a hidden trapdoor on the ground, and at least he found one and a tunnel after it, thus entering the fort. There, servants were waiting for him to wash him clean and clear, but he wished rather to see the princess dressed in his blood-stained doublet and scarlet armour. The servants let him have his way.

And thus, he was led into the throne room, where the princess would sit, dressed in ruby red and wearing her late father's ruby crown, surrounded by her guards, court, and council. Now, the young officer was to face a far harder test than the previous: the battle of wits from which there was no turning back.

But the princess wasn't there. In her stead, the wise old regent of her childhood sat upon the throne, explaining that Her Highness had hidden behind a curtain in the great hall and that, from her hiding-place, she would propose four riddles: the four rounds of the epic battle of wits.

Precious baroque pearls, shining like stars, were strewn across the throne-room floor. The silhouette of the princess, tall and slender, could be seen from behind the curtain. She took the twin pearls from her earrings and had a servant send them to the suitor. The officer replied by weighing the pearls in his hands, and then he understood. He picked three pearls from the floor and added them to the two he had received. Thus, the valet returned to his liege lady with five pearls. 

In the meantime, the princess had a mortar and pestle brought from the fort kitchen to her. After weighing the five precious pearls in her little scales, she quickly ground them into powder with the pestle, displaying strength and speed uncommon in any lady, adding a spoonful of sugar into the mortar as well. Then, she had the valet send the mortar to the suitor.

Surprisingly, the young officer asked for a cupful of milk, which a cupbearer soon brought in a ruby-set chalice. Into this cup, the suitor mixed the pearl powder laced with icing sugar. The cupbearer then gave the chalice to his liege lady, who put it to her lips and drank heartily. The whole room was in silence: the only sound that could be heard was that of the drink coursing down her throat.

Still, dregs of pearl powder and icing sugar mixed with milk lay at the bottom of the cup: these the princess spared and weighed in her little scales, realizing that their weight had not diminished. Then, she took off a ruby ring from her left index finger, giving it to the cupbearer with instructions to give it to the suitor. The young officer received the jewel and, picking a pearl the size of the ruby on the ring, he put the ring on his right ring finger and gave the servant the pearl he had taken.

Upon seeing the pearl she had received, the princess took her necklace off and strung off all the pearls, until she found one the shape, colour, and size of the one the suitor had given her... and then, she threaded the twin pearls on the same string. This string was given to the officer, and he couldn't find a single difference between the two pearls. He could not find a third pearl to match these two, so he took a little blue glass bead from his helmet and threaded it in between the twin pearls.

Upon receiving the string with this change upon it, the princess kept silent and sweetly smiled. She fixed the blue bead on her bracelet, placing her left hand on her chest, and both pearls on her earrings. And then, her voice echoed calm and lovely through the great hall of the Iron Keep:

"Rise, my council, arrange the affair, for I have played with fortune now enough.

Behold, how my fortune favours me, when I choose a lover such as this.

Now have I found a match in one whose match no other person is in his own land.

I who have wisdom and approve the wise, in wisdom am inferior to him."

Then, she unveiled the whole mystery of the moves made during the battle of wits:

"When first I set my wits to work, the two pearls I unloosened from my ears.

Under the symbol of those lustrous pearls I said: 'Life’s but two days, these wisely use.'

He, who three others added to the two, said, Though ’twere five, ’twould also quickly pass.

Then I, who added sugar to the five, and ground in one the sugar and the pearls,

Meant that this life, polluted by desire, is like the pearls and sugar ground in one.

By incantation and by alchemy, who can each from the other set apart?

He, who poured milk upon the mixture then, so that one melted and the other stayed,

Meant that the sugar mixed up with the pearls would from them with a drop of milk divide.

I, who drank up the sugar from his cup, was but a suckling when compared with him.

My sending him a ring was meant to show that in his wedding me I acquiesced.

The pearl bestowed by him occultly showed that, like the pearl, his match could not be found.

I from my necklace added then a pearl to point out that I was myself his match.

Examining, he saw not in the world a third one that resembled those two pearls.

Thereafter, he obtained a blue glass-bead; and added it against the evil eye.

I, who disposed the bead upon myself, thus showed myself devoted to his will.

His blue glass bead, as seal upon my heart, is on my treasury the treasure-seal.

For solving thus the five close mysteries I honour and acknowledge him as king.

The wedding feast, held in the same hall where the battle of wits had taken place, knew no equal. Sweets decorated the banquet tables, the scent of aloe filled the air... Two of joyous heart were, that evening, joined together.

When the prince saw his captivating bride, saw that a heavenly fairy was his mate,

Sometimes he kissed her cheek, at times her lips; at times her breasts tasted, sometimes her lips.

Their reign was good and full of culture, and their family large and harmonious:

He lived with her, enjoying his desires. He dressed in red, a symbol of her cheeks.

For he had taken on redness of clothes as omen of success.

Since by that red he had escaped from black death, he ever with red gems adorned himself.

Since then in red his fortune had been cast, the name was given to him of “King in Red”.

And his queen and their children also took part in this story's...

HAPPY EVER AFTER!