King Tuftbeard
The Proud Princess
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom ruled by a magnificent king. He had a beautiful daughter whom he wished to marry off. However, the princess, though very beautiful, was very proud and had a bad attitude.
The king was confident that once she married, she would lose her bad habits. Nevertheless, the princess was frivolous and behaved badly towards all the princes who came to court her.
— My dear friends, emperors, nobles, and princes. Now, my daughter will receive you.
— This one is short. Too fat, he's round as a barrel. Too tall. What a beanpole! Too short. What a dumpling!
The princess had a joke for every king, prince, duke, viscount, and count. Her father, the noble emperor, was angry but silent, until she insulted a good king with a beard.
— Look at him! His beard is like an old mop. He shall be called Tuftbeard! Ha ha ha!
The King's Decree
— How dare you! How dare you insult all these good nobles! Now, I declare that you shall be married to the first person who enters this door, be he a prince or a beggar.
The Forced Marriage
Soon, within two days, the king's wish was to be fulfilled. A fiddler entered his garden, began to play his flute, and to beg. This caught the emperor's attention.
He ordered the guards to bring the fiddler inside and, according to his command, he sent for the princess who was to marry the fiddler. The fiddler was shocked, but happy. However, the princess cried and protested.
But the emperor did not listen and made sure the wedding was carried out. He even strictly ordered the new couple.
— Now, prepare to leave. You will not remain here. You must travel with your husband.
Life as a Beggar Woman
And so, the fiddler and his new wife left the palace for the unknown world. After a long and difficult journey, they arrived in a beautiful forest after a few days.
— To whom does this beautiful forest belong? — It belongs to the great King Tuftbeard. — Oh, how foolish I am!
They continued their journey and arrived at a large meadow.
— To whom does this beautiful forest belong? — It belongs to the great King Tuftbeard. — Oh, how foolish I am!
Then they arrived in the great city.
— To whom does this beautiful forest belong? — It belongs to the great King Tuftbeard. — Oh, how foolish I am! I shouldn't have refused him!
— Why do you keep saying that? Am I not a good enough husband for you?
The princess fell silent. The fiddler then led her to the edge of the city, to an isolated cottage. The princess was agitated.
— Oh dear! It's so small! Where are your servants? — Servants? My dear, you and I must do everything ourselves. There are no servants.
They found little food in the cottage, which quickly ran out. The princess struggled to cook, as she was not used to it, and the fiddler helped her. The fiddler cut some willow branches from the forest and asked the princess to weave some baskets. She tried, but cut her fingers.
The fiddler muttered angrily.
— You can't cook, you can't weave baskets. What a bargain I got! You're good for nothing. Let me find you something.
So the poor fiddler made some pots and pans and set up a stall on the street for his wife to sell them. Thanks to her beauty, many people started buying her pots, and they bought more and more pots for several days, until one day she opened her stall at the edge of the street. And a drunken soldier, galloping by, smashed all her pots and pans.
The princess was devastated and cried.
— What will become of me? What will my husband say?
She ran home and told her husband.
— How naive you must be to set up a stall where everyone passes by. So you can't even do this work. I visited the palace and asked if they were looking for kitchen help, and they said they would take you. Now, you will work as a kitchen maid.
Thus the princess worked in the kitchen, doing all the menial tasks. She had to clean the floor, the baskets, the ovens, the pots, the pans, and the cutlery. At the end of each day, she could take a little meat home.
This continued for several days, when she learned that the marriage of the king's eldest son had been announced. She saw everyone's excitement. But she remained silent in her sadness.
The Lesson Learned
The wedding day came. Preparations were in full swing, and she went to the window to see the crowd and murmured.
— If only I hadn't had my pride, I could have taken King Tuftbeard as my husband. What have I done!
— Did I hear my name? — Oh, Your Majesty! I apologize. It pains me that you must see me like this. — Oh, don't worry. You are not alone. Come with me.
She was led to the ceremonial hall, where all the nobles, including her father, were present. They all laughed, seeing her state. She felt very pained because of this.
— I am sorry for being so impolite to all of you. I have learned my lesson.
— Don't worry, dear princess. I am the fiddler you married and with whom you have lived all these days. I am the soldier who destroyed all your pots and pans. And I did all this so that you would realize that pride is a bad thing and the weakest quality you can have in your heart.
— You have learned your lesson, and your pride has vanished. Come, my queen. Take my hand and be my wife.
They married at the same time and lived happily ever after.
Moral: Pride is a bad thing and the weakest quality you can have in your heart.
The End.
