Princess Pastorella
Once upon a time, in a kingdom by the great salty sea, lived a king named Renard Roser, with the temper of a furious lion. King Renard was proud of his daughter, Princess Cristabel, who, like all those born into the royal family, bore a violet birthmark in the shape of a blooming rose.
— My beautiful daughter, soon you will marry a prince. You will become queen and make me happy.
But what King Renard didn't know was that Princess Cristabel was in love with Sir Clarence, and because they feared the king, they secretly married.
Unfortunately, the king found out the news.
— Treason! My own daughter! Guards! — No!
They were imprisoned. And after a few months, Cristabel gave birth to a baby girl. Just like everyone in the royal family, the baby also had the violet rose on her hand.
— Oh, my dear child, we love you very much, but it's too dangerous to keep you here, because your grandfather won't accept you.
So, Princess Cristabel and Sir Clarence decided to send her to a safe place.
— Alice, you must help us! Take her far from here, to a safer place. Here, I offer you my earrings as a token of gratitude.
Alice trembled at the thought of having to do this, but the princess's earrings were worth more than everything she owned. She accepted. Alice walked terrified into the night, into the forest, imagining she was being followed by hundreds of furious guards.
Finally, she reached the edge of a village.
— I can't go any further. This is where we must part. Please forgive me!
And with a heavy heart, Alice wrapped the child in a blanket and placed her under a tree. Then, crying, she turned and left.
The little girl's luck was that that evening, the village leader, Malibeus, was returning home from the forest when he saw the baby.
— Goodness, a child in this forest?
Malibeus looked around, but there was no one to care for the child. After some time, he decided to take the child with him.
— Alice, did you find her a good home? — Well, I, I was resting and, and holding her close. But when I woke up, she wasn't there anymore. — What? — Oh, no!
Years passed, and the little girl, now named Pastorella, grew up to be an amazing woman. Malibeus and his wife loved her as their own child.
— Ha! I won! — Hm! Ha!
All the shepherds and shepherdesses admired Pastorella for her courage and modesty. But while her life was full of joy, fear reigned in King Renard's kingdom because of a terrifying beast that appeared in their realm once every month, terrorizing the people and taking their sheep and chickens.
— Make an announcement throughout the land! Whoever finds and defeats the beast will be richly rewarded!
Many tried, but none were a match for the beast.
Until one day, a knight named Calidor rode past the village.
— King Renard's kingdom is far. Perhaps I should rest here for a while.
He went to some shepherds, who welcomed him gladly.
— Our food is very simple, sir.
But Calidor's humble and friendly nature put the shepherds at ease. He looked into the meadow among wild flowers and velvety green plants and saw Pastorella dancing with the shepherdesses.
— She, who is she? — She, well, she is the chief's daughter, Pastorella.
Calidor watched her intently as she twirled in the sunlight. Soon it grew dark, and the stars began to shine.
— No, I should leave. — Who is this? — He is a traveling knight. His name is Calidor. — I see. Young knight, where are you headed? To King Renard. The forests are not exactly safe. Stay with me, and tomorrow you can set off for the kingdom. — You are very kind, sir.
So, the next morning, Calidor thanked Malibeus and was ready to continue his journey to the kingdom, even though he was looking for Pastorella with his eyes. Suddenly, he heard Coridon shouting.
— Oh no!
When he turned, Coridon was running towards them. When he didn't see his daughter with him, Malibeus felt a cold shiver down his spine.
— Coridon! What is it? Where is Pastorella? — A giant tiger attacked us in the forest. Pastorella is still there. — My daughter! Don't worry, I'll bring her back.
Calidor immediately set off for the forest. When he arrived, he saw the tiger cornering Pastorella and approaching her.
— Ah! Ah! Ah! Take that! — Grrr! Grrr!
At the sight of the fire, the tiger fled towards the thick trees and disappeared into the forest. Pastorella, who was amazed by Calidor's courage, cunningly pretended to have fallen unconscious.
— Ah! Ah! Help! — Pastorella!
Calidor picked her up in his arms and hurried back to the village.
— You'll be alright.
As soon as they arrived in the village, Pastorella quickly jumped out of Calidor's arms.
— Ah! Thank you! I was too tired to walk, you see? — You were pretending? — Ha ha! You should have seen your face! But thank you for saving my life! — Pastorella, my daughter!
Pastorella told Malibeus everything, how Calidor had saved her life.
— I cannot thank you enough. Please accept my invitation to stay in our village for a few days. Let us show you our gratitude.
The knight readily accepted their offer to stay, being completely enchanted by Pastorella. Before long, they fell in love with each other.
— Why are you going to King Renard's kingdom? — To catch the beast, to defeat it, and to free the citizens from its terror.
Pastorella admired Calidor for his courage and thanked the universe for bringing them together. But the day came when Calidor had to leave to hunt the beast. As they stood by a clear spring, he was sad because he had to leave.
— I will return as soon as I defeat the beast. I promise you.
Suddenly, they heard a rustling coming from the bushes. It was a group of bandits planning to attack the village.
— The day has come! — They are just shepherds. We can plunder the village in an hour. He he! — Let's go warn everyone!
When night fell, the bandits appeared, unaware that the villagers were ready for them.
— No! Oh no! What? Brrr! What? What's happening? — No, don't turn back! Take that! Ah!
The bandits began to retreat back into the forest.
— Ah! Hm! — Ha! So, now I've saved you! Whoa! What's this?
Calidor watched in amazement as a
