This classic fairytale – Princess and the Pea – tells the story of a prince searching for a true princess to marry. Many women claim to be royalty, but only a real princess can pass a very unusual test. On a stormy night, a mysterious young woman arrives at the palace, and the queen devises a clever way to determine if she is who she claims to be. Will she prove to be a true princess?
The Princess and the Pea
Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince who lived in a vast kingdom. He was searching for a princess to marry, as was the law at the time, but he was finding it very tricky indeed.
There were many women in the kingdom who thought marrying a prince sounded rather nice, and so they would come to the palace in their finest clothes and jewels to try their luck.
But it always turned out that they weren’t real princesses, just pretending so they could live in a palace and have servants and maids. Not to mention the appeal of marrying the extremely handsome prince…
This went on for such a long time that the prince had almost given up the idea of ever finding love, let alone getting married. Until one stormy night, everything changed.
The wind was howling, and the rain was dashing down on the palace. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed through the skies.
The prince and his parents, the king and queen, were safe inside, keeping warm by the fire. Above the rumble of thunder and the ferocious wind, they heard a loud bang at the palace door.
They heaved open the door to find a cloaked figure, soaking wet and shivering on the doorstep, their hood pulled low to conceal their face.
“Who are you?” asked the prince.
The figure pulled back the hood to reveal a beautiful woman with flowing black hair and deep brown eyes.
“I am a princess. I was passing by your palace when I got caught in the storm!” she replied. “May I shelter here until it’s safe to continue my journey?”
The prince was utterly taken by her beauty and grace and immediately said, “Of course!”
The king and queen glanced at each other suspiciously. Another woman trying her luck, they thought. We must be careful, we couldn’t bear for him to be tricked.
The queen showed the woman to a guest bedroom and instructed her servants to draw a hot bath and fetch some warm, dry clothes for the so-called princess.
“Just relax, and when you’re ready, you may come to the dining room for a hot meal.”
The woman was very grateful and thanked the queen for her kindness.
While the woman bathed and dressed, the queen instructed her servants again.
“If that is a real princess, she will have lived in luxury her whole life. Every blanket will have been the softest wool, every pillow the plushest feathers, and her bed will have been like sleeping on a cloud.
“You must fetch 20 of the most comfortable mattresses in the palace and stack them one on top of the other, and underneath them all, you will place one hard little pea. Then we shall know if she truly is who she claims to be.”
Sitting around the table that evening while they enjoyed a decadent meal, the prince and princess chatted away as if they had known one another for years. They laughed and joked, and the king and queen exchanged a hopeful look.
If she really was a princess, then their beloved son would not only have a wife and one day a queen, but he could truly be happy and in love.
After the meal, the princess yawned and excused herself to go to bed. She said goodnight to her generous hosts and climbed the stairs up to her room.
When she opened the door, she was shocked to see the bed reaching almost to the ceiling, with a ladder stretching to the top for her to climb.
Exhaustedly, she climbed to the top and flopped down among the blankets and pillows, sure that she would sleep like a baby, especially with the ache of her tired muscles and the delicious meal filling her belly.
Downstairs, the queen told the prince about the test she had set for the princess.
“Mother!” he said. “What a cruel trick! The poor princess must be exhausted, and now she will be tossing and turning all night, unable to get comfortable!”
“We shall see,” the queen said.
The prince lay awake all night thinking about the woman, hoping, hoping, hoping that she would pass the test—this incredible woman who had just appeared in his life like magic and was just utterly perfect for him.
He didn’t want to be lonely anymore. And even more, he wanted to be not-lonely with her.
Finally, morning came, and the woman joined the king, queen, and prince for breakfast.
Over their bacon and eggs, the queen asked casually, “How did you sleep, dear?”
The princess responded politely, “Very well, thank you, your majesty.”
The prince’s face fell in disappointment. The queen met his eye and shook her head sadly.
The prince looked at the beautiful young woman beside him, and he decided there and then that this ridiculous law that says a prince must only marry a princess was old-fashioned and snobby, and he must demand that it be changed immediately!
He took a deep breath and was about to get to his feet to tell the king and queen exactly how he felt about the whole thing when the princess spoke again.
“Well, there was one thing…”
He looked at her with hope blazing in his eyes, and she shifted nervously in her seat.
“I would hate to be rude or ungrateful, but I must make you aware in case other royals use that room when they come to stay… there was a tiny little bump in the bed.”
The prince jumped to his feet in pure joy, and the queen clapped her hands together with glee.
All she had ever wanted was for her son to be happy, and now her dream could come true!
The king leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face.
The princess stared at the three of them, confused.
“So… the uncomfortable bed is a good thing…?”
“Yes! Yes! It’s wonderful!” said the queen.
“It’s the best news I’ve ever heard!” the prince said.
The princess was relieved that they didn’t think she was terribly rude, especially the prince, whom she had come to like very much indeed.
She liked him so much, she didn’t really want to leave.
“Would you like to stay a little longer, princess?” the prince asked.
“I would,” she replied, “only…”
“We’ll fix the bed right away,” the queen assured her, and the princess smiled with relief.
The princess did stay a little longer… and then a lot longer… and then they invited her father and mother, the king and queen of a faraway land, to visit.
And after watching them together, they all agreed that the prince and princess were absolutely perfect for each other, and that they should stop wasting their time and just get married already.
The wedding was the happiest day either of their two kingdoms had ever known, and the prince and princess danced long into the night, even after everyone else had gone home.
They lived long and happy lives together, and they made sure that that silly law was changed so that their sons and daughters could marry whoever they liked.
Whether they were a prince, a princess, a baker, or a bin man, they would marry for love, and that was that.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Also read: Sleeping Beauty
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