Catherine and Her Fate
Introduction and Princess Catherine
Romanian fairy tales. Catherine and Her Fate.
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away from where we are now, there lived a princess named...
— Princess Catherine! I know nothing about her, except that she reads all day and she's... — A princess with glasses! Ha ha ha! — She's not my princess! No! — No, no, no, no! — Boring! — People say you're boring. — It doesn't bother me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to get this hard-boiled egg into a bottle. — Another scientific experiment! We need to go out! Have fun! Party! Meet new people! — Ah! I did it! — Are you even listening to me? — You can't wait to find out how I did it, can you? — No. — First, you put a burning piece of paper into the bottle. — I'm not interested. — The burning paper in the bottle makes the air expand and the pressure increase. When the fire runs out of oxygen, the temperature drops and the air contracts, pulling the egg through the bottle's mouth. Ah! — Are you done? — For now, yes.
The King's Death and the Invasion
— Princess! The King! — Father! Father! — No!
After the king died, Princess Catherine, the sole heir to the throne, was to become the queen of Norwa. However, her subjects were not very convinced. You see, Princess Catherine had never involved herself in matters of governance and was always with her head in books.
— Yes, finally! You'll become queen! — I don't know, Cactus. I don't think I'm ready. — Princess! The kingdom! Forgive him, Cot! — What?
— Minister, what's happening? — Panto, the wicked king of Yala, attacked us while we were mourning our king. We can't stand against his army. You must hide, princess! — But our kingdom! — It's too late! We'll have to surrender! But you must flee! He won't let you live! — But... — Return to us when you're ready! Now go!
The Encounter with Fate
Now we are far from the kingdom. We are safe. Stay here. I will go beg around the area and find some food.
After Cactus left, Catherine sat by the lake and began to cry in floods of tears. Suddenly, she heard a whistling sound near her.
— Huh? — Catherine! — What? What? Who are you? — I am your fate. — What exactly? And why can't I see you? Where are you hiding? — Ah! What are you? — I am the path you choose. The decisions you make. The paths you don't take. I am what you make me. I am your fate. — No, it can't be! It can't be real! I'm dreaming! Surely! Ow! No! It's not a dream! — No, Catherine. I am as real as you are. — What? What? What exactly do you want? — It doesn't matter what I want, but what you want. Tell me, Catherine, do you want me, your fate, to be a happy present or a happy future? — No, it doesn't make sense. But let's say if I want a happy present, then I will suffer for the rest of my life. No. The probability of enjoying life later is greater than enjoying it now, because we live in the present for a better future. That's how we are made genetically.
Therefore, as any normal person would choose in this strange, seemingly unreal situation, I too choose problems now so that I can have a better future. Yes.
— No, I have no idea what you said. — I choose a happy future. — Goodness, alright. That's what you'll get.
And so, the wave crashed back into the lake, hitting its surface, then in an instant, everything became calm and silent.
— What happened?
The Trials of Fate
After resting by the lake overnight, Catherine and Cactus set off for the kingdom of Downland. When they arrived in a small town in the kingdom and were passing by a market, Catherine saw an old woman struggling to carry a heavy bag, swaying on the road.
— Madam, may I help you? — And why would you do that? — I'm new in town and looking for a job. I can help you carry your bag, and in return, if you could recommend me to a house, a bakery, or anywhere I could work, that would be wonderful. — Looking for work? As it happens, I want to hire someone to help me with chores. Ten silver coins. That's what I can pay you, and you can stay with me. — That would be perfect! Thank you!
And so, Catherine began to work for the lady and worked very well. One day, when the woman went to the market, Catherine got to work and sat by the window.
— Ah! So here you were, Catherine. — Huh? You? — Did you really think I'd leave you alone? You chose a happy future, remember? Ha ha ha!
Then, flying towards the closet where the old woman kept her best linens and clothes, it destroyed them and scattered them on the floor.
— No! The lady won't forgive me! — Yes, she might even hand you over to the soldiers and have you arrested. — What? What do I do now? — Run! Or stay and face the consequences! Ha ha ha!
Catherine thought for a moment, then suddenly, she ran to the door, opened it, and left.
— Quick, Cactus! — What? — Ha ha ha!
After a few days, Catherine found a job at the bakery, but, as before, fate came again and destroyed everything.
— Ha ha ha! Run! — Ha! Come on, Cactus, quick! — What? Again?
And so it went for 11 months. And every time Catherine found a new place, her fate came and forced her to leave.
A New Fate
Finally, after having to flee from her last home, Catherine, now disappointed and dejected, sat by the edge of a quiet lake and remembered her life before.
— I can't understand why you keep running. The Catherine I know is a boring bookworm and many other things, but she's not the type to give up. — You're right, Cactus! I'm not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I will forge my own fate. — Yes, whatever that means.
Catherine went to the capital of Downland, hoping to meet the king and ask for his help.
— King Bernard is very preoccupied. He doesn't want to see anyone unless they know the answer to the farmer's riddle. — The farmer's riddle? — It's a riddle. The young king says that whoever can solve it will receive a pile of gold coins. You see, his fate told him that if he solved it, he would meet the woman of his dreams. — Will you tell me the riddle too? — Alright. When a farmer returns to his boat to cross the river, after buying a fox, a chicken, and a sack of corn from the market, he realizes he has a problem. The farmer can only take one passenger in his small boat, otherwise, he risks drowning. He cannot leave the fox alone with the chicken, because the fox would eat the chicken. He cannot leave the chicken alone with the corn, because the chicken would eat the corn. How will the farmer manage to get all three across the river? — I can solve it! Listen! If you take me to the king, I will solve the riddle, and then, after I receive the gold, I will give it all to you.
Catherine was led into the courtroom, where King Bernard was waiting for the answer.
— Do you think you can solve the farmer's riddle? — Yes! It's actually quite simple. — Listen! — First, the farmer must take the chicken across the river, leaving the fox with the corn on the initial bank. Then, the farmer returns and takes the fox. After taking the fox across the river, instead of leaving the fox with the chicken, he takes the chicken back to the bank he started from. Then he swaps the chicken for the corn, which he takes across the river and leaves with the fox on the opposite bank. Finally, he goes back for the chicken, bringing all three across the river, without anyone eating anything. — Huh? Amazing! She solved it! She solved it! How? How did you manage? — Well, when I was at the palace, I read many riddles. — At the palace?
Catherine told the king about her stories and her trouble.
— You are Princess Catherine of Norwa? — Yes, Your Highness. Please, help me reclaim my kingdom, and I will be eternally grateful. Your army can defeat Panto in a blink of an eye. — Call me Bernard, please, and yes, I will help you.
The next morning, while the kingdom of Norwa was still asleep, King Bernard, together with Princess Catherine, attacked Norwa and conquered the palace. King Panto was captured in his bed and put in prison. And all the old courtiers, soldiers, and ministers were released.
Queen Catherine and Her Fate
— You didn't come for us, princess! Or rather, queen! — I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I was fighting my fate.
The entire kingdom rejoiced when they heard that Princess Catherine had returned, and she was crowned queen.
— The Queen of Norwa! The Queen of Norwa! The Queen of Norwa! The Queen of Norwa! — Queen Catherine! She's very smart! I want to be like her! — A princess with glasses? I say yes! Ha ha ha! Yes! Yes! — Queen Catherine! Queen Catherine!
Catherine became a generous queen and was loved by the entire kingdom of Norwa. The following spring, Catherine and Bernard married, and there was a great celebration throughout the kingdom.
— Not even cute! What's your name? Can we be... No! — No! — What a strange name! That's right! — Hey! No! Where are you going? Ha ha ha!
As for Catherine's fate, well, it never appeared again, for she took her life into her own hands and proved that we forge our own destiny.
