G
MagicaPractica
Alchemist
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2004
- Posts
- 20,069
A little bedtime story for anyone who wants one...
With apologies to Mr. Andersen.
Once upon a time there was a Prince who wanted to fall in love and marry but it would have to be with a real Princess his parents said. They traveled around the whole world looking for her but every time he met a Princess there was always something amiss. There were plenty of Princesses but not one of them was quite to his taste. Something was always the matter. They were too stupid, too bony or too vain. The Queen decided they just weren't real Princesses. So the Prince returned home very sad and sorry.
One evening a storm broke over the kingdom. The lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and the rain came down in bucketfuls. In the midst of this horrible storm, someone knocked on the castle door and the Prince himself went to answer it.
When he opened the door, the Prince's eyes lit on a beautiful though bedraggled and thoroughly soaked maiden. Water ran down her hair and her clothes in streams. It flowed in through the heels of her shoes and out through the toes. Her clothes were so soaked that there was no clue as to how they had once looked but the way they clung to the womanly virtues of her body left the Prince's mouth dry. He looked up into a face filled with intelligence and humor at her own predicament.
"Forgive me my lord, for appearing before you in such a state. I am the lady in waiting for Princess Chandra. There is a tree down in the road at the bottom of the hill and she sent me on to say she is going home and will return again in a fortnight."
"They sent you up the hill in this storm," the Prince cried in outrage. "You could have been hurt or taken ill. Come in, we'll take care of you."
"What have we here?" The Queen had arrived. In an instant, the Prince knew what he must do.
"Mother, this is Princess Chandra. Her carriage arrived at a tree down in the road so she sent it home after a groomsman escorted her to the door."
The maiden started to protest but the Prince caught her hand and squeezed it. She looked up into his eyes and closed her mouth. The Queen swept forward.
"You poor brave dear, come in. We'll get you some dry, warm clothes then we'll sup together in front of a roaring fire and you will spend the night with us."
The maiden was swept away with just a moment for a puzzled glance over her shoulder at the Prince. It wasn't long though before they were all seated near a roaring fire and supping on a rich venison stew. She and the Prince spent the evening by the fire talking, laughing and playing draughts. The Queen was pleased at the comradery she saw between the two but she thought she needed to make sure this was a real Princess.
"We'll find that out quickly enough," thought the old Queen, but she didn't say a word out loud. She hurried to the guest room and took all the bedclothes off the bed; then on the bare bedstead she put a pea. On top of the pea she had twenty mattresses laid; and on top of the twenty mattresses, twenty eiderdown quilts. That was the bed on which the maiden found herself expected to sleep that night and where the Prince found her later.
During the night, the old Queen decided to check on the Princess, so she cracked the door of the bedchamber and listened. All she could hear was moaning and groaning and creaking as the maiden thrashed around on the bed. Satisfied that she wasn't getting a wink of sleep because of the pea, the Queen returned to her own comfortable bed.
In the morning, the Queen asked the yawning maiden how she had slept.
"Oh, terribly. I'm horribly sore. It must have been the walk in the rain."
Now the Queen was sure the maiden was a real Princess, since she must have felt the pea that was lying on the bedstead through twenty mattresses and twenty eiderdown quilts to be so sore and tired. Only a real Princess could be so sensitive!
The Prince was allowed to marry the maiden that week. The pea was exhibited in the royal museum; and you can go there and see it, if it hasn't been stolen.
*Sweet Dreams*
With apologies to Mr. Andersen.
Once upon a time there was a Prince who wanted to fall in love and marry but it would have to be with a real Princess his parents said. They traveled around the whole world looking for her but every time he met a Princess there was always something amiss. There were plenty of Princesses but not one of them was quite to his taste. Something was always the matter. They were too stupid, too bony or too vain. The Queen decided they just weren't real Princesses. So the Prince returned home very sad and sorry.
One evening a storm broke over the kingdom. The lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and the rain came down in bucketfuls. In the midst of this horrible storm, someone knocked on the castle door and the Prince himself went to answer it.
When he opened the door, the Prince's eyes lit on a beautiful though bedraggled and thoroughly soaked maiden. Water ran down her hair and her clothes in streams. It flowed in through the heels of her shoes and out through the toes. Her clothes were so soaked that there was no clue as to how they had once looked but the way they clung to the womanly virtues of her body left the Prince's mouth dry. He looked up into a face filled with intelligence and humor at her own predicament.
"Forgive me my lord, for appearing before you in such a state. I am the lady in waiting for Princess Chandra. There is a tree down in the road at the bottom of the hill and she sent me on to say she is going home and will return again in a fortnight."
"They sent you up the hill in this storm," the Prince cried in outrage. "You could have been hurt or taken ill. Come in, we'll take care of you."
"What have we here?" The Queen had arrived. In an instant, the Prince knew what he must do.
"Mother, this is Princess Chandra. Her carriage arrived at a tree down in the road so she sent it home after a groomsman escorted her to the door."
The maiden started to protest but the Prince caught her hand and squeezed it. She looked up into his eyes and closed her mouth. The Queen swept forward.
"You poor brave dear, come in. We'll get you some dry, warm clothes then we'll sup together in front of a roaring fire and you will spend the night with us."
The maiden was swept away with just a moment for a puzzled glance over her shoulder at the Prince. It wasn't long though before they were all seated near a roaring fire and supping on a rich venison stew. She and the Prince spent the evening by the fire talking, laughing and playing draughts. The Queen was pleased at the comradery she saw between the two but she thought she needed to make sure this was a real Princess.
"We'll find that out quickly enough," thought the old Queen, but she didn't say a word out loud. She hurried to the guest room and took all the bedclothes off the bed; then on the bare bedstead she put a pea. On top of the pea she had twenty mattresses laid; and on top of the twenty mattresses, twenty eiderdown quilts. That was the bed on which the maiden found herself expected to sleep that night and where the Prince found her later.
During the night, the old Queen decided to check on the Princess, so she cracked the door of the bedchamber and listened. All she could hear was moaning and groaning and creaking as the maiden thrashed around on the bed. Satisfied that she wasn't getting a wink of sleep because of the pea, the Queen returned to her own comfortable bed.
In the morning, the Queen asked the yawning maiden how she had slept.
"Oh, terribly. I'm horribly sore. It must have been the walk in the rain."
Now the Queen was sure the maiden was a real Princess, since she must have felt the pea that was lying on the bedstead through twenty mattresses and twenty eiderdown quilts to be so sore and tired. Only a real Princess could be so sensitive!
The Prince was allowed to marry the maiden that week. The pea was exhibited in the royal museum; and you can go there and see it, if it hasn't been stolen.
*Sweet Dreams*
