There was once a prince who only wanted to marry a princess. It wasn’t just any princess but someone who was a real princess. He travelled all over the world in search of such a lady but he always found a reason to reject the princesses he met.
Then one day, on a rainy night, a princess knocked at his door seeking shelter. She was dripping wet and although she claimed to be a princess, the prince’s family was yet to ascertain that.
The queen-mother offered to make her bed and stealthily placed 3 peas on the bedstead before placing twenty mattresses on top of it.
The next morning, when the princess woke up, the queen-mother asked her if she slept well to which the princess replied that she did not sleep well at all! She told her that there was something under the mattress that troubled her all night.
To this, the queen exclaimed that this princess was indeed a real princess. And thus, the price made her his wife and they lived happily ever after.
My version of the story
Once upon a time, there was an intelligent and highly skilled prince. When it was time for him to marry, he decided that he would only marry a princess. However, he didn’t just want to marry any princess. He wanted to marry a real princess. This life mission of his spread is fame far and wide. From the mountains to the coasts to the valleys, he travelled all over the world and met the most interesting, funny and intelligent women. But he always found a reason to reject these women.
Dejected, he returned home without a woman by his side. Days went by and he spent his time thinking about the real princess of his dreams.
Until one stormy night, a princess knocked at his door asking for shelter from the rain. Her clothes were dripping wet and her teeth would not stop chattering. Although she claimed to be a princess, to the prince’s family, she seemed far from it.
The queen-mother was especially suspicious of her. So, she offered to make her bed and stealthily placed 3 peas on the bedstead before placing twenty mattresses followed by another twenty feather beds on top of them.
The next morning, when the princess woke up, the queen-mother asked her if she slept well to which the princess replied that she did not sleep well at all! She told her that there was something under the mattress that troubled her all night.
To this, the queen exclaimed that this princess was indeed a real princess for only a princess could have such a delicate sense of feeling and thus, be troubled by the slightest discomfort. The prince, at once decided to make her his wife.
At this, the princess was nothing short of appalled. She said to him, “I came here looking for shelter and despite not having got any real rest, I’d like to thank you for that. But dear prince, if I were to marry someone, I would at least try to get to know them first. From all that I’ve heard of you, you seem to be a shallow man. I do not wish to spend my life with someone like you.”
Saying so, the princess walked out the door. She mounted her horse and galloped away while the queen-mother stood aghast, unable to process what had just happened.