Classic fairy tales and bedtime stories
The Princess and the Pea
Once upon a time, in a cozy little kingdom where flowers bloomed even on cloudy days, there lived a prince who wanted to find the perfect princess. Not just any princess—a kind, clever, truly special one. You see, he had met plenty of princesses, but he wasn’t sure if any of them were the real deal. How could you tell? It wasn’t like they wore signs that said, ‘True Princess Here!’
One evening, after the rain had turned the streets into puddle playgrounds, there came a knock at the castle door. The queen, who liked surprises, hurried to open it. Standing outside was a young woman, soaked to the bone, with dripping hair and muddy shoes. She said she was a princess, but oh, she didn’t look very princess-y just then. The queen raised an eyebrow but invited her inside anyway. Never judge someone by their muddy shoes, she thought.
The prince came to meet their soggy guest. She smiled brightly despite the rainwater still dripping from her sleeves, and she told funny stories about losing her shoe in a puddle and accidentally scaring a goose on her way to the castle. The prince thought she seemed wonderful, but the queen had her doubts. ‘We’ll see if she’s truly a princess,’ the queen whispered to herself with a sly grin.
That night, the queen prepared a very peculiar test. She took a single pea—small and green, just like the kind you’d push around on your plate—and placed it beneath a tall stack of mattresses. Not one, not two, but twenty mattresses high! Then she added twenty feather beds, so fluffy they looked like clouds stuck indoors. ‘If she’s a real princess,’ the queen thought, ‘she’ll be sensitive enough to feel that pea!’
The princess looked up at the towering bed and blinked. ‘I suppose I’ll need a ladder?’ she joked. The servants brought one, and up she climbed, giggling as she wobbled her way to the top. ‘Goodnight!’ she called down cheerfully, and soon the room was quiet.
The next morning, everyone gathered in the dining hall. ‘How did you sleep?’ the queen asked, trying to sound casual.
‘Oh, well,’ said the princess, rubbing her neck, ‘I didn’t sleep a wink! Something hard was poking me all night. It felt like a rock under the bed, or maybe a very grumpy walnut.’
The prince and queen exchanged knowing looks. The pea had passed the test! Only a true princess would be sensitive enough to feel it through all those mattresses and feather beds. The queen smiled warmly, pleased that she had been wrong about their guest.
The prince, delighted, asked the princess if she’d like to stay in the kingdom a little longer. She agreed, and before long, they became best friends, sharing jokes, adventures, and plenty of puddle-splashing afternoons. Eventually, they decided they liked each other so much, they might as well live happily ever after.
Oh, and as for the pea? It was put in a special glass case in the castle and labeled ‘The Most Important Pea Ever.’ Visitors from near and far came to see it, though some whispered, ‘It’s just a pea!’ But the queen always smiled and said, ‘Sometimes, the tiniest things show us what’s truly special.’
One evening, after the rain had turned the streets into puddle playgrounds, there came a knock at the castle door. The queen, who liked surprises, hurried to open it. Standing outside was a young woman, soaked to the bone, with dripping hair and muddy shoes. She said she was a princess, but oh, she didn’t look very princess-y just then. The queen raised an eyebrow but invited her inside anyway. Never judge someone by their muddy shoes, she thought.
The prince came to meet their soggy guest. She smiled brightly despite the rainwater still dripping from her sleeves, and she told funny stories about losing her shoe in a puddle and accidentally scaring a goose on her way to the castle. The prince thought she seemed wonderful, but the queen had her doubts. ‘We’ll see if she’s truly a princess,’ the queen whispered to herself with a sly grin.
That night, the queen prepared a very peculiar test. She took a single pea—small and green, just like the kind you’d push around on your plate—and placed it beneath a tall stack of mattresses. Not one, not two, but twenty mattresses high! Then she added twenty feather beds, so fluffy they looked like clouds stuck indoors. ‘If she’s a real princess,’ the queen thought, ‘she’ll be sensitive enough to feel that pea!’
The princess looked up at the towering bed and blinked. ‘I suppose I’ll need a ladder?’ she joked. The servants brought one, and up she climbed, giggling as she wobbled her way to the top. ‘Goodnight!’ she called down cheerfully, and soon the room was quiet.
The next morning, everyone gathered in the dining hall. ‘How did you sleep?’ the queen asked, trying to sound casual.
‘Oh, well,’ said the princess, rubbing her neck, ‘I didn’t sleep a wink! Something hard was poking me all night. It felt like a rock under the bed, or maybe a very grumpy walnut.’
The prince and queen exchanged knowing looks. The pea had passed the test! Only a true princess would be sensitive enough to feel it through all those mattresses and feather beds. The queen smiled warmly, pleased that she had been wrong about their guest.
The prince, delighted, asked the princess if she’d like to stay in the kingdom a little longer. She agreed, and before long, they became best friends, sharing jokes, adventures, and plenty of puddle-splashing afternoons. Eventually, they decided they liked each other so much, they might as well live happily ever after.
Oh, and as for the pea? It was put in a special glass case in the castle and labeled ‘The Most Important Pea Ever.’ Visitors from near and far came to see it, though some whispered, ‘It’s just a pea!’ But the queen always smiled and said, ‘Sometimes, the tiniest things show us what’s truly special.’