The Princess with the Forest Cloak
Fairy tales in Romanian.
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a queen so beautiful that none of the three worlds had ever seen such beauty. The queen and the king lived happily, ruling over their kingdom.
But one day, a great misfortune befell them, and the queen fell ill.
— Doctor, there must be something. What can we do? — I've tried every possible remedy, Your Majesty, but there's simply nothing we can do. — Her Majesty the Queen wants to see you, Your Majesty. — My dear. — Leave the doctors alone, my love. — Nothing will happen to you. — What is to happen, must happen. — No! — The time will come when you'll have to marry again. — Never! — It won't be easy for you. So I'll give you time to get used to my absence. Promise me that if you marry again, you will only marry a woman as beautiful as me. Promise me! — No one can be as beautiful as you. — Love makes people beautiful. Take care of our daughter.
A Beautiful Queen and a Solemn Promise
That night, the queen died. The king was deeply saddened, for he truly loved his wife.
The Search for a New Queen
For years, the king didn't even think of marriage, until one day, when his courtiers came to him.
— Your Majesty, the women of our kingdom feel that no one represents them. No one hears them. — Men are not skilled in these matters, so women should handle the concerns of women and children in the kingdom. — And what do you think we should do? — Your Majesty, forgive our boldness, but our kingdom desperately needs a queen. — How dare you? — Your Majesty, only for the sake of the kingdom's problems do we ask you to marry again. — Very well, but my wife had one last wish: that I should only marry a woman as beautiful as her. — Your Majesty, we will send messengers throughout the world to honor the queen's last wish.
Both the courtiers and the nobles of the kingdom sent envoys to all the kingdoms of the world. But no one was as beautiful as the queen, and years passed.
One day, an old friend of the king came to visit.
— Your Majesty! — Ah, Garrison! You can call me Victor. Call the princess! — Indeed, so many years have passed. — So many years without her. Ah, look at her! My daughter! — Oh! She looks exactly like the queen! The same golden hair, the same divine beauty! She looks exactly like the queen!
The words spoken by his friend pierced the king, and he came to a decision. Finally, the promise he had made to his queen on her deathbed could be fulfilled. The king summoned his subjects to court.
— The Queen wanted only a girl as beautiful as her to become the new queen of our kingdom. I am delighted to announce that I have found a maiden as beautiful as her. The only girl as beautiful as her is her daughter, my princess. She will ascend the throne as queen and will marry the prime minister's son, who will become king after I am no more.
The Princess's Impossible Demands
The princess was not happy to hear this. So she decided to avoid marriage by asking for something impossible.
— Father, is what I hear true? — It was your mother's wish, my dear. — But how can I marry someone I don't even know? — It was your mother's wish. — But... — Enough! My decision is made. — Very well. I will marry the prime minister's son, if I receive four things I ask for. — Anything you wish, shall be given to you. — Then, I want three dresses: one golden like the sun, the second silver like the moon, and the third sparkling like the stars. And finally, I want a cloak made of a thousand things from the forest, without harming any flower, bird, or animal.
Wishes Fulfilled
— Very well, my daughter. Your wish shall be fulfilled.
So the king called the best weavers in the kingdom and asked them to weave the dresses. He called the best soldiers in his army and asked them to gather material for the cloak. The princess believed she had asked for something almost impossible and thus would not have to marry the prime minister's son.
But lo and behold, whether by magic or miracle, the weavers managed to make a dress golden like the sun, another silver like the moon, and a third sparkling like the stars. Plus a cloak made of fallen feathers, leaves, and dry twigs, so that no living creature was harmed. They also gave the princess a magic walnut, in which all four garments could be folded and kept.
— My dear daughter, everything you wished for has been created. Now you will marry the prime minister's son. — But father, how can I marry someone I barely know? — You promised! — Father, the reason you haven't found a queen as beautiful as mother is because you loved her, and she was the most beautiful to you. That's what mother meant when she said: "Love makes people beautiful." How can I... — Enough! If you cared about your mother, you would fulfill her wish. You will marry tomorrow!
The Princess's Escape
But the princess could not marry someone she did not know. So she decided to flee the palace.
— I'm sorry, father. One day you will understand.
The princess traveled through the country, through villages and forests. One day, tired, she found a hollow in a tree and fell asleep there.
The Princess Becomes a Kitchen Maid
As she fell asleep quickly, the king of that country was passing by. His soldiers saw the strange being sleeping in the hollow of the tree and told the king.
— Your Majesty, there's a strange creature inside the tree! As big as a human, but wearing a cloak stranger than anyone has ever seen! — Bring her to the palace!
So the soldiers went back to the tree and woke the princess.
— Wake up! Who are you? — I am a being without a home and without a dwelling. — Come, come with us to the palace! You will find work there.
So the princess went to the palace, where she was given a small room under the stairs and worked as a servant, helping in the kitchen for months.
The First Ball and the Golden Ring
One day, the king held a party. After all the preparations were done and the feast began, the princess told the cook:
— Sir, all the work here is done. Can I go and see the ball too? I promise not to enter the banquet. — Very well, but make sure you return in half an hour to clean the ashes from the kitchen. — Thank you, sir! I will.
The princess went to her room, cleaned the soot from her face and hands, took out the golden dress like the sun from the magic walnut, unbraided her golden hair, and went to the ball. As soon as she entered, everyone was fascinated by her captivating beauty, and the king wanted to dance only with her.
After half an hour passed,
— I must leave now, Your Majesty! — But wait!
The princess disappeared into the ball's crowd and hurried back to her room, put on her forest cloak, covered her face and hands with soot again, and returned to work in the kitchen.
— I'm back, sir! Shall I start cleaning the ashes? — No, the ashes can wait. First, make a soup for the king. — Yes, sir!
The princess prepared a soup for the king. She placed her golden ring in the bowl, poured the soup over it in such a way that the ring was not visible, and sent the soup to him. The king had never eaten such delicious soup before. He found the ring and called the cook.
— Did you make the soup tonight, cook? — Your Majesty, but all the cooking in the kitchen is my responsibility. — Yes, but did you make it yourself? This soup certainly doesn't taste like yours. — Is there a problem, Your Majesty? — Yes. This soup is better than any soup I've ever eaten. Clearly, your hand wasn't in this. — The kitchen maid made it for you. — Bring her here!
The princess was summoned to the king.
— Did you make the soup? — Yes, Your Majesty. — Is this yours? — How could a poor girl like me have such a ring, Your Majesty? — You remind me of someone I met today at the ball. Very well, the soup was delicious. Thank you. — My pleasure, Your Majesty.
The Second Ball and the Golden Necklace
A few days later, there was another ball at the palace. Once again, the princess asked the cook for permission to see the ball, but this time she wore her silver dress like the moon, and the king danced with her. But as soon as half an hour passed, she disappeared and became the kitchen maid again.
— I'm back, sir! Shall I start cleaning the ashes? — No, the ashes can wait. First, make a soup for the king. — Yes, sir!
This time, the princess took her golden chain and placed it at the bottom of the bowl. She poured the soup over it so it couldn't be seen and sent the soup to the king.
— Mmm! This soup is the best I've ever eaten. What's this? A necklace? Call the cook and the kitchen maid!
When the cook and the kitchen maid arrived,
— Did you make the soup tonight? — Yes, Your Majesty. — Is this yours? — How could a poor kitchen maid have such a necklace? — You remind me of someone I met today at the ball. Very well, the soup was delicious. Thank you. — It's my pleasure, Your Majesty.
The Third Ball and the Golden Bracelet
The king was thinking about the mysterious kitchen maid and the lady he met at the ball. He had a clear feeling that the two were one and the same person. So, when it was time for the next ball, he decided to find out the truth.
— Sir, all the work here is done. Can I go and see the ball too? I promise not to enter the banquet. — Very well, but make sure you return in half an hour to clean the ashes from the kitchen. — Thank you, sir! I will.
The princess put on her dress sparkling like the stars and went to the ball. The king danced only with her. And as they danced, the king slipped the ring he had found onto her finger. The princess didn't realize it. Half an hour passed.
— I must leave now, Your Majesty! — Tonight, the music will play a little longer than usual. — But I... — Please.
The music continued for a while longer, and the princess barely had time to change back into the kitchen maid. She didn't even notice the ring on her finger. She rushed to the kitchen.
— Where have you been? The king is waiting for his soup! — I'm sorry! I'll make it as fast as I can!
The princess placed a golden bracelet in the bowl, covered it with soup, then sent it to the king. The king called her to him.
— Did you make the soup tonight? — Yes, Your Majesty. — Is this yours? — How could a poor girl like me have such a bracelet, Your Majesty? — But how could a poor kitchen maid like you have such a ring, Your Majesty! — You are the lady I danced with at the ball. Who are you?
The Truth Comes Out
And then the princess told the king everything about her life.
— Why didn't you tell me this the first time we met at the ball? — Because I wanted to see if you were only enchanted by my beauty or if you loved me enough to be patient and learn about me, even when you saw me as the kitchen maid. My mother used to say: Love makes people beautiful. — I love you, and I wouldn't care if you were truly the kitchen maid. Will you be my wife? — Yes, of course!
True Love
Finally, the princess found her true love. She married the king, her father was also invited to the wedding, and the princess and her husband lived happily ever after.
