Ragged-Hood
Fairy Tales in Romanian. Princess Ragged-Hood.
The Queen and the Strange Woman
Once upon a time, there lived a king and a queen who had no children. The queen was very sad and longed deeply for a child.
One day, as she sat in the palace gardens, a strange woman came to her.
— Greetings, Your Majesty, Queen! — Who are you, madam? — I know what your heart longs for. Only I can help you. — Oh? Really? — Take this. Mix it with two buckets of water and stir them well. Afterwards, wash yourself with that water and pour it under the bed. The next morning, you will find two flowers under the bed. One is blue and one is purple. You must eat the blue one, but the purple one, I warn you, you must leave where it is.
The Magic Flowers and Their Consequences
And the queen did as she was told. She asked for two buckets of water and washed herself with that water, then poured the water under the bed.
The next morning, just as the old woman had said, two flowers appeared under the bed. The queen took the blue flower and ate it. It was the best thing she had ever tasted.
She wanted to know what the other flower tasted like too. She forgot what the old woman had told her and ate the purple flower as well.
The Birth of the Princesses
Soon, the queen gave birth to two babies. One was beautiful as an angel, and the other... The wet nurse was shocked when she saw the child.
— What? How can this be? — What's happening?
One of the two little girls was born with horns and a tail. The wet nurse showed her to the queen.
— Is my child healthy? — She's healthy, but... — She is my child, and even if she is different, I will give her the same love and care as the other child. I will name her Princess Hondale, and the other will be Princess Agnes.
Princess Ragged-Hood and the Prophecy
And so it was. The queen and the king raised both their children with love and care. The two sisters were close, practically inseparable, even as they grew up.
However, the princess with horns insisted on wearing a ragged hood and carrying a wooden spoon with her at all times. So people began to call her Princess Ragged-Hood, and she was asked for the thousandth time:
— Why do you wear that hood and why do you keep that wooden spoon with you? — Because one day, true love will transform the hood into a crown and the spoon will become a magic wand.
The Threat of the Trolls and the Princess's Courage
One day, a message arrived at the palace.
— Oh, no! — What's happening, Father? — A tribe of trolls has moved into our kingdom, and as trolls do everywhere, on Christmas Eve, they will create chaos throughout the palace. — That's just one night. Let them have their fun, then leave. — Yes, my dear, but they usually take the magical things from the palace, and in our palace, those are our daughters. We can't hide anywhere, they can dig everywhere. — Oh! Don't worry, Father. I have more magic than all those trolls have ever seen in their lives. Let them come. I will make sure that my sister won't be harmed, and neither will I.
Christmas Eve and the Spell
And Christmas Eve arrived. The palace was well guarded, but the trolls entered the room where the princesses were. Both fought and defeated the trolls. Princess Ragged-Hood fought with her wooden spoon.
Soon, the trolls left. One of the trolls cast a spell on the princess and turned her into a cow.
— Agnes!
Everyone in the palace was saddened when they saw what the trolls had done. But Princess Ragged-Hood would not give up.
— My poor daughter! What could we do?
The Journey to the Magic Water
— I know where the trolls live, in the castle beyond the three seas. And in the middle of the three seas, the water is magic. With that water, I will be able to defeat the trolls and turn Agnes back into a human. — Magic water in the middle of the three seas? I've never heard of such a thing! — For that, someone with horns and a tail is needed. Father, build me a sturdy ship if you can. Only Agnes and I will go with it. Soon, everything will be well again.
The Magic Water and the Defeat of the Trolls
And so, the two princesses began their journey across the three seas. In the middle of each sea, Ragged-Hood took water, put it in her cauldron, and stirred it with her wooden spoon while Agnes watched.
When she added the water from the third sea, the water turned dark purple. Ragged-Hood put it into a pot and carried it to the base of the trolls' castle. The trolls saw her and attacked her.
She dipped her spoon into the bottle and sprinkled them with the purple water. They began to flee in all directions, until she reached the troll who had cast the spell on Princess Agnes.
Breaking the Spell and the Warning
— Please, don't attack me with that water, please! — Then turn my sister back into a human. Break the spell right now! Now!
Princess Ragged-Hood took the troll to the ship and made him break the spell. Princess Agnes became herself again. But before they left, the troll warned them:
— If you want to remain yourselves forever, you must find true love before you return to your parents. If you enter the palace without having found true love, you will become a cow again. I'm sorry, but that's how this spell works.
The Search for True Love
— Oh, what shall we do now? Where will we find true love and how will we know it's true? — Don't worry, sister. I know exactly what we must do. True love is demonstrated through sacrifice.
Princess Ragged-Hood knew exactly what she was going to do. We don't know how, perhaps because of her horns, but she traveled to a distant land where a king lived with two sons. When the king's army saw a beautiful and strong ship approaching, they immediately informed the king.
The Meeting with the Princes
— Your Highness, the ship is huge, but it has no soldiers. We only saw a lady with horns and a tail. — What? How can this be? — Father, allow me to see what it is. — No, brother. A woman like that could be enchanted or even a witch. I won't let my younger brother be in danger. I'll go, Father, you see. — As if I'd let you go alone! We'll go together to see what it is.
The Princes' Courtship and Love
So the two princes went to the ship. When they reached the deck and asked what was happening, the two princesses told them about the trolls and said that they needed to travel a bit more before returning home. However, they told them nothing about true love or how to find true love.
Being princesses, and thus royal guests, for the next three months, the princes took them all over the country. They talked and had picnics together, and in the blink of an eye, Agnes and the elder prince fell in love.
The Marriage Proposal
One day, when the princesses had to leave the country, the elder prince could no longer resist and said to Agnes:
— Goodbye! — Don't leave! Please, don't leave! — We cannot stay here forever. This is not our kingdom. — But I cannot let you leave until I tell you what is on my heart. You may punish me if you do not like
