The Princess and the Pea

The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time there lived a very unhappy queen. She was unhappy because her son was not married. Since he was a prince, he could only marry a princess. It was so hard to find the perfect princess for her son. Young women from all over the world came to the castle to see if they could marry the prince. The queen wanted to confirm that they were really princesses, so she tested each one. “What is your name, my dear?” asked the queen.

“I am Princess Valeria of Sweden, Your Highness,” answered the princess. “Let me see your hands, Valeria,” said the queen. “I . . . I beg your pardon?” Valeria said nervously. “Your hands,” the queen repeated. “Just as I thought! You are not really a princess! No true princess could have such rough hands!” The queen dismissed poor Valeria in a huff.

Sometimes the queen inspected the princesses’ teeth . Sometimes she checked their hair. The queen even examined their feet! Finding the perfect princess was very demanding work. One stormy evening there was an unexpected visitor at the castle . The prince was the first person to get up. Outside in the pouring rain stood a beautiful but very wet young lady. The prince had never seen such a lovely woman before in his life.

“What are you doing in the rain?” the prince asked. “Well, can I come in or not?” the lady said irritably. The lady told the prince what had happened. She had been taking a walk when it began to rain very hard. She had been walking all night trying to find a dry place. “May I please stay here tonight?” she asked the prince . The prince wished she could stay forever.

While the prince and the young lady were talking, the queen silently entered the room . “What is going on here? Who are you?” demanded the queen. “Forgive me, Your Highness. I am Princess Winnifred,” said the lady. “Princess?” asked the queen. “But my friends call me Winn.” The prince explained to his mother what had happened.