One wonderful day in an enchanted kingdom far away, a baby was born. She was not just any baby; she was the long awaited daughter of the King and Queen. The royal couple had tried for many years to have a baby with no success, until finally one day their wish had been granted by a powerful Sorceress who had taken pity on them. As you can imagine the King and the Queen were overjoyed and they celebrated with the entire kingdom their good fortune. People came from miles around to pay their respects and to offer gifts to the princess, as was their custom. She was truly a beautiful baby. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were a soft rosy pink. She had a head full of soft downy curls that framed her chubby little face. She cooed and giggled peacefully in her crib as her admirers looked on. Everyone said how perfect she was and how she was going to grow up to be a stunning beauty.
As the years went by the princess did grow, and as everyone said she was extremely beautiful. Her looks were unparalleled. Admirers still came from all around to catch a glimpse of this enchanting child. They showered her with gifts to show their admiration. She was waited on hand and foot, and she was never told “No.” All of her demands were met quickly and perfectly each and every time. She grew so accustomed to this treatment that she came to expect it. She grew bossy and cross. She enjoyed ordering people around and watching them scurry to obey her.
Her parents were worried about her behavior, but they too did not want to upset their darling little daughter. They thought and thought about what could be done to teach her how to love and respect others. The finally decided that perhaps she was lonely. She did not have any brothers or sisters and all of the castle staff who attended her were older. They decided to bring in some children from the kingdom to play with her. The first day they brought in a little girl, but the child ran out crying within ten minutes because the princess had pulled her hair. The next day they brought in a little boy, but he too ran out crying because the princess had thrown her shoe at him when he did not play her game the way she had wanted him to. This went on for days and days. Each time a child brought they would leave in tears because the princess had been so mean to them. The King and Queen felt helpless. They could not understand how their beautiful little darling princess could have turned into such a monster.
Finally they turned to the sorceress for help. They asked her to make the princesses beauty match her disposition. The sorceress promised that it would be as they requested. The next morning as the sun was rising over the hills a shrill scream pierced the silent castle walls. The King and the Queen jumped up and ran to their daughters chambers only to find her crumpled in front of her mirror sobbing. Once they got closer they could see the reason behind her terror. Her face had been transformed to a hideous, grotesque, distortion of her former self. Her body was hunched and withered. Her beauty was gone.
They covered their daughter in robes and took her to the Sorceress. “What is the meaning of this?” they demanded. But the Sorceress only laughed and said that their request had been granted and that her outside now matched her inside. “Fix it at once,” they ordered. “Ahhh,” she said, “It is not I who has the power to fix her. It is only when she learns what true beauty is that her looks will return. Only she can transform herself.”
With that the King and the Queen and the Princess were forced to return to the castle. They Kept the Princess in hiding for many years, afraid to let her be seen by others. She spent her days confined to either her chamber or to a small private garden within the castle walls. She took no visitors and she saw no one for many years, until one day on her sixteenth birthday, she could take it no longer. She covered herself with a robe, and pulled the hood over her head so that no part of her could be seen, and then she snuck away in the night.
She ran all of that night until she could go no further, and so she stopped at a village inn. When she entered she demanded that they give her a room. “I am the princess,” she said. “You must give me your nicest room.” But when the inn keeper saw her, he refused. “You are not the princess, you are an ugly hag. Our princess is a great beauty. You must leave at once before I have you arrested.” She was forced to flee, and she spent that night under a bridge for shelter with the town beggars. She was miserable and hungry, but everywhere she went people shunned her. No one would give her even so much as a piece of bread. She was truly on her own. She began to feel sad and she missed the comforts of the castle, but she knew that she could never go back; she must find a way to survive on her own.
She soon discovered that she had a talent for locating flowers and making elegant arrangements, but when she went to the market to sell them no one would come close enough to buy one. She could hear the adults talking and see them pointing at her and laughing. Children would run screaming if she so much as looked at them, and she eventually had to leave. One day she came across a woman crying so pitifully that she could not help but feel moved. The woman must have a sorrow as deep as her own to cry as uncontrollably as she was. The Princess without thinking walked directly up to the woman and placed her hand on the woman’s shoulders to comfort her. The woman did not look up, but her crying eased a little. The Princess then laid a single flower next to the woman and turned to leave. As she walked away she could not help but feel a smile creep on to her lips.
She continued on her way and before long she came across a small boy begging for food in the street. Her heart ached for him for she knew what hunger felt like and it did not seem fair to her that this child, so young and innocent should have to feel such emptiness. As she walked by him she laid down the remainder of her flowers and said, “Take these to the market and sell them, then you can buy some food for your aching belly.” The boy scooped up the flowers and as he ran off toward the market he called out to her. “Bless you!” he said. With those words fresh in her ears she stood up taller than she had before, and with a straight back she continued on her way.
When she got back to the bridge where she had been staying she saw amongst the other beggars a young man whom she had never seen before. He was tall and handsome, but there was sadness in his eyes and loneliness that seemed to engulf him. Perhaps he was as lonely as her. She watched him for a while and finally decided to take the chance and go up to him. To her surprise he did not turn away from her. He did not laugh or cower in fear. Instead he looked at her and he held out his hand for her to come closer. She sat with him and she listened to him as he told her of his life. She cried with him in the sad parts and she laughed with him in the funny parts. They sat and talked all night, and in the morning he thanked her for listening and for being a true friend. To that she laughed said, “No it is I who must thank you. You have looked beyond my grotesqueness and allowed me to sit with you. It is you who has been a true friend.” The young man just smiled and he took her hand and he led her to a pond where he told her to look upon her reflection, and when she did it was not a distorted ugly face that looked back at her. It was instead the lovely face of a fair young woman that she saw. She turned to him and she threw her arms around his neck and she cried tears of joy. She had found not only herself but also someone to truly love, who could truly love her back.
As the years went by the princess did grow, and as everyone said she was extremely beautiful. Her looks were unparalleled. Admirers still came from all around to catch a glimpse of this enchanting child. They showered her with gifts to show their admiration. She was waited on hand and foot, and she was never told “No.” All of her demands were met quickly and perfectly each and every time. She grew so accustomed to this treatment that she came to expect it. She grew bossy and cross. She enjoyed ordering people around and watching them scurry to obey her.
Her parents were worried about her behavior, but they too did not want to upset their darling little daughter. They thought and thought about what could be done to teach her how to love and respect others. The finally decided that perhaps she was lonely. She did not have any brothers or sisters and all of the castle staff who attended her were older. They decided to bring in some children from the kingdom to play with her. The first day they brought in a little girl, but the child ran out crying within ten minutes because the princess had pulled her hair. The next day they brought in a little boy, but he too ran out crying because the princess had thrown her shoe at him when he did not play her game the way she had wanted him to. This went on for days and days. Each time a child brought they would leave in tears because the princess had been so mean to them. The King and Queen felt helpless. They could not understand how their beautiful little darling princess could have turned into such a monster.
Finally they turned to the sorceress for help. They asked her to make the princesses beauty match her disposition. The sorceress promised that it would be as they requested. The next morning as the sun was rising over the hills a shrill scream pierced the silent castle walls. The King and the Queen jumped up and ran to their daughters chambers only to find her crumpled in front of her mirror sobbing. Once they got closer they could see the reason behind her terror. Her face had been transformed to a hideous, grotesque, distortion of her former self. Her body was hunched and withered. Her beauty was gone.
They covered their daughter in robes and took her to the Sorceress. “What is the meaning of this?” they demanded. But the Sorceress only laughed and said that their request had been granted and that her outside now matched her inside. “Fix it at once,” they ordered. “Ahhh,” she said, “It is not I who has the power to fix her. It is only when she learns what true beauty is that her looks will return. Only she can transform herself.”
With that the King and the Queen and the Princess were forced to return to the castle. They Kept the Princess in hiding for many years, afraid to let her be seen by others. She spent her days confined to either her chamber or to a small private garden within the castle walls. She took no visitors and she saw no one for many years, until one day on her sixteenth birthday, she could take it no longer. She covered herself with a robe, and pulled the hood over her head so that no part of her could be seen, and then she snuck away in the night.
She ran all of that night until she could go no further, and so she stopped at a village inn. When she entered she demanded that they give her a room. “I am the princess,” she said. “You must give me your nicest room.” But when the inn keeper saw her, he refused. “You are not the princess, you are an ugly hag. Our princess is a great beauty. You must leave at once before I have you arrested.” She was forced to flee, and she spent that night under a bridge for shelter with the town beggars. She was miserable and hungry, but everywhere she went people shunned her. No one would give her even so much as a piece of bread. She was truly on her own. She began to feel sad and she missed the comforts of the castle, but she knew that she could never go back; she must find a way to survive on her own.
She soon discovered that she had a talent for locating flowers and making elegant arrangements, but when she went to the market to sell them no one would come close enough to buy one. She could hear the adults talking and see them pointing at her and laughing. Children would run screaming if she so much as looked at them, and she eventually had to leave. One day she came across a woman crying so pitifully that she could not help but feel moved. The woman must have a sorrow as deep as her own to cry as uncontrollably as she was. The Princess without thinking walked directly up to the woman and placed her hand on the woman’s shoulders to comfort her. The woman did not look up, but her crying eased a little. The Princess then laid a single flower next to the woman and turned to leave. As she walked away she could not help but feel a smile creep on to her lips.
She continued on her way and before long she came across a small boy begging for food in the street. Her heart ached for him for she knew what hunger felt like and it did not seem fair to her that this child, so young and innocent should have to feel such emptiness. As she walked by him she laid down the remainder of her flowers and said, “Take these to the market and sell them, then you can buy some food for your aching belly.” The boy scooped up the flowers and as he ran off toward the market he called out to her. “Bless you!” he said. With those words fresh in her ears she stood up taller than she had before, and with a straight back she continued on her way.
When she got back to the bridge where she had been staying she saw amongst the other beggars a young man whom she had never seen before. He was tall and handsome, but there was sadness in his eyes and loneliness that seemed to engulf him. Perhaps he was as lonely as her. She watched him for a while and finally decided to take the chance and go up to him. To her surprise he did not turn away from her. He did not laugh or cower in fear. Instead he looked at her and he held out his hand for her to come closer. She sat with him and she listened to him as he told her of his life. She cried with him in the sad parts and she laughed with him in the funny parts. They sat and talked all night, and in the morning he thanked her for listening and for being a true friend. To that she laughed said, “No it is I who must thank you. You have looked beyond my grotesqueness and allowed me to sit with you. It is you who has been a true friend.” The young man just smiled and he took her hand and he led her to a pond where he told her to look upon her reflection, and when she did it was not a distorted ugly face that looked back at her. It was instead the lovely face of a fair young woman that she saw. She turned to him and she threw her arms around his neck and she cried tears of joy. She had found not only herself but also someone to truly love, who could truly love her back.
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