Fairy Tales in Romanian
The Four Girls and the King
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, lived a king named Geanus. He was known for achieving many things from a young age. During the day, he would discuss matters with his ministers.
But the young king grew bored. The outdoor life appealed to him greatly. So, in the evenings, he would disguise himself and set off in search of adventures.
The Encounter with the Girls
One day, as he was wandering, he saw four girls sitting and talking.
— Mmm, these sweets taste wonderful! — Nothing is better than this! — Oh, I think there is! I think the taste of meat is better! — No way! I think milk tastes the best! — Milk? What a baby! — Nothing is sweeter than love! — What do you think, Darla? — I believe the taste of wisdom is the sweetest.
Then, the girls' fathers came and took them home.
The King and His Plan
The king waited and watched where the girls lived. Then, he went to their doors and marked them all with chalk. The next day, he summoned his minister.
— Bring me the owners of the marked houses near the kingdom's gardens. I need to speak with them.
The minister went and immediately found the four houses. Then, he brought the owners to the king.
— Welcome! Do you four have daughters? — Oh, yes, Your Majesty! — Then would you bring them here?
The fathers looked at each other, worried.
— Your Majesty, with all due respect, it is not proper to send young, unmarried girls to the palace. — Rest assured, rest assured, we will take good care of your daughters.
The king sent a carriage with its curtains drawn, so no one would see the young women being brought to the palace, and this pleased the fathers even more. The four young women were taken to a room and called in one by one.
The First Girl: The Taste of Meat
— Hello! — Good day, Your Majesty! Why have you called me? — Well, I heard you talking with your friends yesterday. What were you discussing? — Nothing bad about you, my king! — Ha ha ha! I know that, don't be afraid! You said something about meat. — I only said that the taste of meat is the best! — Forgive me, Your Majesty! But this family belongs to one that does not eat meat. They are vegetarians. — What? Then how can you say meat is the best if you haven't even tasted meat? — Well, it's true, my family doesn't eat meat. But I've seen that when meat is bought, all of it is used, and nothing is thrown away. Even the bones are eaten by dogs. What remains is eaten by crows, and then by ants.
King Geanus was impressed by the young woman's answer.
— What you say is true! Meat has a delicious taste! Here is a reward for your answer.
And so, the girl returned happily.
The Second Girl: The Taste of Milk
The second girl was called and entered slowly, shyly.
— Hello, young woman! — Hello, Your Majesty! Why have I been called? — Last night, when you were with your friends, you said that milk was the best. What did you mean by that? — Oh, Sire! People are crazy about products made from milk, like butter and cream. Few can refuse them. Its taste is the best. Although I have never tasted it myself. — What? — Well, I am allergic to milk, so I'm just saying what I've observed.
The king was very surprised.
— I didn't expect that! But yes, milk and things made from it truly have a fantastic taste!
The king was very pleased with her reply and sent her back, giving her a gift.
The Third Girl: The Taste of Love
The third girl was called into the room and entered happily.
— Hello, Your Majesty! — Hello! I've called you here to discuss your conversation with your friends last night. — But, Your Majesty, I didn't say anything bad about you! — Well, I wasn't thinking about that! I meant I heard you talking about the taste of love. — Oh, about that! Well, yes, I said that the taste of love is the sweetest! — But it's funny! How can you say that? — Well, my parents were happy because of their love. Once, I saw a deer rubbing its nose against its fawn. That's why I thought love has a very sweet taste!
— What a beautiful answer! You are right! Love has a very sweet taste!
The king gave her a gift, and she left content.
The Fourth Girl: The Taste of Wisdom
Finally, it was Darla's turn.
— Hello, Your Majesty! Did you call me? — Hello to you too! I called you because I want to know what you discussed with your friends last night. — I wasn't talking about you, rest assured. — I already knew that, but I wanted to know what you meant when you said the taste of wisdom is the best. — Don't you know? The taste of wisdom is excellent, especially when it's tasted around a person who lies. — So, no one would taste this in a conversation with me. I never lie! Ha ha ha! — Seriously? I believe even a person who has never lied can do so one day. — Are you challenging me, your king, that one day I will lie? — Your Majesty, give me 400 gold coins and I will prove to you that in six months you will lie.
The king was very interested. So he waited patiently for six months.
Darla's Challenge
After they finished, the king called Darla to the palace.
— Do you still remember what you promised six months ago? — Of course! Come to my house and I will show you something fantastic!
The king was curious and went to Darla's house with his ministers. With the money, Darla had built a huge and beautiful house.
— Your Majesty, in this room, only a person with a good heart can see a fairy. Won't you go and see?
King Geanus was shocked. He wanted to go, but he hesitated.
— Oh, mmm, it would be best if my ministers went in first. They will surely love to see a fairy.
The ministers agreed, and the first one entered the room.
— Wow! I'm going to see a fairy! Fantastic!
However, as time passed, the minister saw no one and began to worry.
— How can I go out and tell them I didn't see the fairy? They'll think I'm a terrible person!
So, when the minister came out of the room, he lied to everyone.
— Well, did you see the fairy? — Yes, I was thrilled! Mmm! — Well, now it's my turn!
And the second minister entered too.
— Everyone knows I am the best. I will surely see the fairy!
But again, minutes passed, no one appeared, and the minister was sad. When he left the room, the king and the first minister came upon him.
— Well, did you see the fairy too? — Oh, how, what did you see? — Oh, yes, it was an interesting encounter!
Now the king was confident he would see the fairy. He entered the room and waited patiently.
— I am a very good king to my subjects. I will surely see a fairy!
He looked around and waited eagerly to see the magical creature. However, as no fairy appeared, he began to feel uneasy.
— I wonder if much time has passed or if I'm not a good king? No one must find out!
Darla waited eagerly for the king to come out and rejoiced when she saw him exiting.
— Well, did you see the fairy? — Uh, yes, I saw her, it was fantastic to talk to a fairy. — So, you really saw her? — Yes, and I even spoke with her. — Seriously? — Uh, yes, seriously. — Ah, my king, you lied, didn't you? — What? What do you mean? I didn't lie!
And then he remembered Darla's challenge, that one day he would lie.
Conclusion
The king began to laugh and confessed that he hadn't seen the fairy. The two ministers were shocked, but confessed at the same time. The king smiled at Darla.
— You are clever, you tricked me! — The human instinct is to lie when you have problems or when you are in an uncomfortable situation. But that doesn't mean you should lie. — I know, I will never lie again. I would love for you to be my wife and help me rule the kingdom.
She happily accepted his proposal. She too had fallen in love with the joyful King Geanus, and they soon married. Then, the king realized that the taste of wisdom would always overcome any lie. He made a very good decision: never to lie again.
After all, we should never tell lies, whether big or small.
