Week 13 Story: The Princess and the Robe

Week 13 Story:

The Princess and the Robe

Author's Note: I decided to write my story over The Princess and the Pea, which is about a princess who slept on multiple mattresses and sheets and still could not stop feeling the pea underneath it all. It is something so small and hard to notice but significantly disrupts her comfort. I decided to write a story similar about a princess who is wearing many undergarments and coats but cannot stop feeling a loose thread on the inner-lining of her robe. I'm sure everyone has had a moment of wearing an item of clothing that has a tag that will itch or poke out annoyingly. So I hope this is relatable enough, while also staying similar to a fairytale aspect!

Once upon a time, there was a young prince who ventured far and wide in search of a princess to marry. For his princess needed to be kind of heart, fair of face, and beautiful of dress. Many women would approach him in attempts to pique his interest, but all had false intentions of wanting to marry into royalty instead of sharing royalty. These efforts disheartened the prince, leaving him to feel hopeless in his journey for love and completion.

One evening, there was a cyclone of wind building up near the prince's kingdom. Following the cyclone was rain falling in a sideways fashion, lightening skipping around the grassy and cobble terrain, and thunder booming above every roof and tower. No one dared to go outdoors until the devilish weather had ceased. Abruptly, the storm was broken for a moment by a knocking at the city gate. A member of the palace guard ran to open it, only to discover a princess standing alone.


How did a princess end up in this state? Alone, in a storm, seeking shelter in a kingdom, not of her own. The weather got the best of her, and left her in a horrendous state! Dripping from all limbs and
having her hair stuck to her face and neck, she continued to state that she was a royal and needed immediate care and shelter.

“I'm not so sure about her being a princess. Her presence here doesn't make any sense,” thought the old queen when the guard brought her in. But she did not say a peep and went into a guest bedroom to lay out warm clothes for their guest. When laying out all the garments, she decided to take the last overcoat and tear out one of the inner seems of thick cord. With that, she exited the room and allowed the princess to dress into about 8 layers of clothing for warmth and rest.

These were the garments that the princess had slept in all night. She had kept them on the following morning and was then asked how she had felt.

“Oh, I feel so horrible!” said she. “Stolen was my ability to close my eyes through the night. I tossed and turned and tried every position to make myself comfortable, only to be left unsatisfied. I even moved to the floor, thinking it was my bedding, only to continue to feel discomfort in the same way. Even now I cannot shake this pinching feeling. It’s awful!”

The old queen could now tell that she was a royalty because only a royal would know if beautiful silk clothing was not up to its standard. Even through all the layers she had to wear, she could feel the free cord that had been cut and left to dangle within.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

They allowed the prince to meet with her and take her as his wife because there was no doubt that she was a real princess.

Image: The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (Wikipedia)
Bibliography:  The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by H. P. Paull (Un-Textbook)