In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a prince whose name was Alexey. He was incredibly handsome: slender, handsome, rich, in a word, a dream groom. And one day the father said to the prince: “Son, it’s time for you to get married... You’re already 18 years old, and you’re still without a bride...” Then the prince thought, why not? He called a wonderful ball. He called all the princesses who lived in his state to see him.
Now I’ll find myself a bride...” thought the prince. But Alexey wanted not just a bride, not just a wife, but a girl who would not admire him like others, but would behave with him like an ordinary person.
The day of the ball has arrived. Everyone was there, princesses and beauties of different ages, and even Goldilocks decided to attend this ball. The prince decided to ask her to dance, but she was too sweet to be his wife.
He danced with one, danced with another, but no one took a closer look at him. The prince was very upset and decided that this was fate.
One day he went for a walk in the forest. And he sees a girl standing of extraordinary beauty, singing in a very gentle voice. Yes, she is so beautiful that Alexei immediately fell in love with her. She was poorly dressed, and the prince thought that she would definitely want to marry him. He approached her, but as soon as the girl saw the prince, she turned away and went her own way. Alexey followed her and decided to find out what to call her. But unfortunately he never found out, because she refused to even talk to him. Then our prince decided to take a different path. He called the entire kingdom and ordered to find her and bring her. The servants did so. They found a poor girl and brought her to the kingdom. But the girl was never able to speak to the prince. It turned out that the evil witch put a curse on her so that she could not speak, but only sing. The prince was so in love that he ordered the old woman to be killed.
She was killed the next day. The curse was lifted, and the girl began to speak. But she did not thank the prince, but simply left silently. Arriving home, the girl cried bitterly. I cried all night until the good sorceress appeared and said: Yanina, why are you crying? To which Yanina replied: “We can’t be together, I’m too poor to marry a prince.” How will I look our people, our village in the eyes?” Don’t be upset - she said
The sorceress waved her magic wand, and her poor house turned into a palace. Yanina couldn’t believe her eyes that this was possible! My daughter, I am your guardian angel, and I will always protect and help you. Take this box, in this box there are jewelry that the prince will not be able to take his eyes off of... Put them on.. And she disappeared. The next day, the prince came to Yanina and was amazed that the girl had become even more gorgeous overnight, and the jewelry she was wearing shone better than any diamonds. Alexey and Yanina had a magnificent wedding and everyone was happy. End
A love story about a princess
In one small kingdom there lived a princess. She was quiet and inconspicuous, obedient and dreamy... Like all her princess friends, she dreamed of a prince. And so, when she turned 17, she met a handsome prince. He was good to everyone: handsome, smart, wise, experienced. And therefore the princess was not afraid of his main drawback - he was in fact not a prince, but a king.
But in some incomprehensible way, the picture of the future with him did not deteriorate (although, apparently, it did not exist at all, there was happiness “here and now”), the princess flew on wings and glowed with happiness. She was so carefree and naive in her happiness that she had no doubt that it was HIM, THE SAME. And every day was filled with expectations of meetings and the meetings themselves. And then the fairy tale ended, the sad prince-king was forced to leave in order to forever leave a bright and pure ray of memory of himself in the princess’s heart. The princess was sad for a very long time, several years. And then I got confused. There were doubts whether it was the same prince, her own, who mistakenly ended up in a fairy tale with another princess? And if not him, then where is HE?
And here comes thunder and lightning again, meeting again! From the first minutes everything was clear without words, eyes - that’s how lovers talk! A stormy and soul-destroying passion took all the strength from the princess, she fell into the clutches of a strong 2-headed dragon named Fear and Expectation, and tried to escape from him to distant lands, because the prince did not save her.
Then, having defeated the dragon, the princess returned to her kingdom and again lived a measured life. And when she met the next prince, she didn’t even pay attention. And he didn’t look like a prince either... For some reason, higher powers didn’t tell her anything important about him, although everyone around them kept saying: it’s him, look! And the princess snorted and laughed: “What are you talking about! He’s not even handsome! Princes aren’t like that!” And the prince came quietly, smiled timidly, gave sweet and sometimes ridiculous gifts, fed all the courtiers with sweets, and was not offended by the arrogant princess for her antics. And the princess was sure that he would come, but she was also irritated by his such gentleness. And then she got completely bored, and she left for another kingdom.
But oddly enough, it was there that she often remembered the awkward prince. On their short visits home, they began to see each other, then he visited her... The princess noticed that she too became awkward, did not always know what to say, and a strange turmoil arose in her soul. And then one day, under the starry sky, the prince decided to do something that he had wanted to do for a long time, but the princess cleverly avoided. Stopping her attempts to turn everything into laughter, he kissed her. And the princess found out what it was like when the earth disappears from under your feet, when the stars spin in the sky, and fireworks flash in your eyes! It turns out that this really exists, and not just in the fairy tales of old storytellers or in a saucer with a golden apple. Then the prince took the princess to a fairy-tale city, where they walked and behaved like funny lovers, which they really were.
And when warm spring came, the prince took the princess home from a distant kingdom, and they decided to build their own kingdom. In this interesting and exciting matter, they encountered various obstacles, because in the princess’s dreams, the celebration of the creation of the kingdom looked different from what the prince’s family saw, but he could not allow the princess to cry, and therefore he steadfastly fought with his relatives. When the holiday was over, they lived happily, always walked hand in hand, kissed when meeting and parting. The prince gave his wife the opportunity to arrange the castle the way she wanted, and the princess tried to greet her husband with a delicious dinner and the cheerful chatter of her missed lover. There were also attempts to make friends with the Gloomy Queen and the Selfish King, but unfortunately she never succeeded. Perhaps they harbored a grudge against her that she did not want to live in their kingdom according to their rules, or maybe they were not satisfied with the princess’s views on traditions...
The princess could not suppress her desire for freedom, although the prince took a similar noble step: for some time they lived in the kingdom of the Dissatisfied Queen at the time of her life drama at the request of the princess. I would like to say a few words about this queen. Once upon a time, she, being a princess, was unable to wait patiently for the prince, gave in to public opinion and the pressure of the prince she met and left with him far, far away. There she lived with him and his family, was disrespected, enslaved and unhappy, and after 5 years she snatched the family into her own separate small castle, but happiness did not come to them anyway. So they lived together, but alone and in separate lives, very rarely intersecting. Therefore, our princess is very afraid that she is repeating many of the mistakes of the Disgruntled Queen...
The prince and the princess lived in love for a year, this year peace and confidence reigned in the princess’s soul that she was loved, and although she did not hear words confirming this, she saw the prince’s eyes. And then his eyes stopped talking, he stopped giving kisses... In the kingdom of our princess, a little infant was born, a wonderful, beautiful baby, sunshine and happiness. But still, the harmony of the first year was no longer there. The princess felt unhappy, and not only from lack of attention, she also saw his unhappiness... Perhaps they are just very different? The princess did not know how to get through to the prince, because he did not need her manifestation of care, feelings, he perceived all kind words as false. Attempts to talk ended in quarrels, insults and tears; the prince and princess became isolated. At some point in the zenith of their relationship (it seems that it was a period of travel and walks), they planned to have a baby, but the waiting period was difficult for the princess.
A little infanta was born, and the princess finally realized that only her children needed her love. She cannot give the prince what he wants: to be like everyone else. But he doesn’t give her the feeling of a queen, the most beautiful and necessary woman in his life. She misses kind words, compliments, unexpected surprises and walks. And although they recently got their own kingdom, where they get a great feeling of happiness, this happiness is simply human, and not female or male. For a long time now, the princess has had two states: either bad or tolerable. And she increasingly began to doubt whether this prince was hers? And if not hers, should I look for my own, or is it too late? And if it’s HIM - how to see these secret signs, how to remind him of this?
Princess
It all started when a terrible Monster appeared in the Deep Forest, not far from the royal castle. It blazed with fire, frightening peaceful travelers, and demanded that in exchange for a quiet life in the kingdom, the local Princess should be delivered to him.
And our Princess was a beauty like few others, such a prominent girl, and therefore there were immediately many admirers who dressed in battle armor and rode off into the Deep Forest to rescue their beloved. Until the morning, the clanging of armor and the ringing of swords did not cease in that forest, interrupted, from time to time, by wild dying screams. Apparently there was a notable slaughter, but none of the suitors came back. The next day, admirers from neighboring kingdoms arrived, but they all died in that damned forest. The third day did not bring joy either, and when in the evening only a few horses, distraught with horror, returned to the stables, our King came to his daughter and said so, wiping his tears.
My daughter, there was no one among your suitors who could defeat the monster, and now, according to our laws, we must either give you to him or allow him to rule the kingdom with impunity. Forgive me, old one, but I think you have to choose for yourself.
At these words, the princess also burst into tears, but there was nothing to do, and, having tied the most necessary things into a bundle, she went to the Deep Forest in the morning. The princess walked along a broken road, and secretly dreamed of the day when some brave knight would gallop into this terrible forest and, having killed this nasty Monster, would free her from captivity. She sank deeper and deeper into this saving dream, trying not to notice the numerous remains of those who had already tried to kill the Beast.
Suddenly, somewhere very close, in a neighboring clearing, a wild roar was heard and the Princess realized with horror that she had reached the goal of her journey. And then, having gathered all her strength, all her will, so as not to lose the honor of the Princess even in front of this Monster, she, taking a deep breath, as if jumping into icy water, went out into the clearing. She came out and... was dumbfounded with surprise.
No, the Monster was even uglier than she could imagine, but it didn’t blaze with fire, destroy everything around, and didn’t even spray poisonous saliva, running around the clearing waiting for the Princess. Instead, the Princess saw the Beast clumsily, but very carefully and diligently, trying to put a bandage on the leg of the last of her suitors who had galloped off into the Deep Forest. The knight lay on his back and watched this in fear, trying to quietly reach the large two-handed sword lying next to him. When the bandage was finished, the Monster grunted with satisfaction and stretched so that all its numerous cartilages crackled. But at that moment it noticed the Princess watching this scene in amazement and disappeared, somehow turning its head away like a child. But having overcome its embarrassment, it left the wounded man and briskly hobbled towards the Princess.
At that moment, the knight finally reached for the sword and, having contrived, threw it at the Beast. Although it was not very convenient to throw a heavy two-handed sword while lying down, he succeeded and the sword, although shallow, pierced the spiked back of the Beast. It lunged, roaring in pain, and its huge tail slammed down onto a nearby tree. The tree crunched painfully and fell straight on the knight, crushing him with its massive trunk. The knight screamed and fell silent.
The princess watched in fear and bewilderment as the Monster with a sword in his back, forgetting about her, rushed to the fallen tree and, lifting it, pulled out the knight. He was already dead and the Monster, carefully placing him on the grass, doomedly sank down next to him. The Princess was brought out of her state of shock by huge tears flowing down the Beast’s cheeks. She cautiously approached him and was surprised to hear a muffled, incoherent muttering.
Why is he... Why? I didn’t touch him... I wanted the best... And he... - And so genuine was the grief of this strange Monster, so unlike all this that she knew about monsters before, that the Princess was confused and even started to console the crying Monster. But from her very first tender words it shuddered and sobbed even more bitterly. It was as if it had been silent for too long and now it had broken through.
Why are they all like this?! I didn’t touch anyone first, I just wanted to talk... You’re so kind, they told me... I just wanted to talk, but these... Assholes! In good faith, he asked not to interfere, but no, everyone tries to poke him with a spear, and they even aim at his eyes. And wherever you go, these idiots are everywhere... He asked, begged, all to no avail. And this one? Why did he hit me from behind? I didn’t want to kill anyone at all, I just wanted to talk to you, just talk...
For the first time in her life, the shocked Princess was faced with such sincere and painful experiences; it was so different from the usual complaints and sighs that she had heard enough of in the castle. And this pain and resentment of the Beast captured and overwhelmed her and, at some point, she looked at all this through his eyes. The princess was discouraged and amazed by what she saw, she suddenly felt all the immense loneliness and longing of the Beast for the smallest crumb of warmth, longing tearing his soul every second. In her heart, known for its kindness and no longer seeing the ugliness of this monster, pity was born, the same pity with which, sometimes, Love begins. And, no longer at all afraid of the Beast’s menacing appearance, the Princess tenderly stroked his head and carefully removed a large knight’s sword from the bleeding wound.
I heard that since then several brave warriors have tried to free the Princess from captivity in the Deep Forest, but each time they all returned back with nothing. And not at all because the Monster was invincible, but simply that there were no more battles in that forest. The monster with a mysterious smile greeted the next liberator and, in response to the challenge, invited him to talk to the Princess himself. I don’t know exactly what she told them there, but they returned from that forest looking very thoughtful. And along the way, they often looked back with surprise and respect at the terrible Monster who followed them with a long, attentive gaze.
A Tale of Love
A long time ago, in one state there lived a king and a queen. The king really wanted many children to be born to him and the queen. But only one girl was born with green-brown eyes and beautiful red hair.
During the times of fairy tales, kings invited wizards and sorcerers from all over the kingdom to feasts. So the king invited all the wizards and sorcerers from all over the kingdom to a feast in honor of the little Princess so that they could wish his daughter happiness. And as happens in fairy tales, they forgot to invite one sorceress to the ball. The sorceress was of a very respectable age, lived very far away, and no one assumed that she was still alive. But the sorceress is just a sorceress: she still found out about the birth of the Princess, harbored a grudge against the king and queen, and secretly came to the ball.
At the ball, guests gave gifts, wished the royal family happiness, wealth and prosperity, and the king and queen accepted gifts and wishes for the little Princess. Of course, wizards gave magical wishes.
And so, when all the magical wishes were said to the Princess, the old woman approached the King. And this was the same sorceress who they forgot to invite. And she was very angry with the King and Queen. Out of anger, the Sorceress did not wish happiness to the Princess, but cast a spell: “I wish you to meet your Prince and love him with all your soul! But if the Prince you love does not respond to your feelings, your eyes and hair will become green, like leaves in the trees, and your body will become transparent. And you will disappear and dissolve in the air. No one will be able to see you, and without seeing you, they will not be able to love you. And only Love can help you find yourself again." The evil witch said the words and disappeared.
Many years later. The princess grew up and became very beautiful. The girls were jealous of her beauty, and young suitors were afraid to approach her. The king died, then the queen. Winter and summer, summer and winter passed. The young guys stopped paying attention to the Princess. Everyone knew that she was waiting for the Prince.
And then one day the good Fairy appeared to her in a dream! The fairy said: “You will meet your Beloved in the big City!” In the morning she packed her things, which were few, and left for the City. The Princess wandered for a long time through the streets of the huge City sparkling with bright festive lights. And suddenly the Princess saw an old woman who was barely dragging a heavy bag of groceries. “Grandma, let me help you,” the Princess told her. She took the heavy bag and helped the Old Lady walk home. And the Old Woman lived alone, she had no relatives. And the Old Lady invited the Princess to live with her, and in return asked the Princess to help her with the housework.
The princess got a job. She did not complain about the low salary, and did not pay attention to the envious barbs of her colleagues. She always sang when she worked. If she sang songs at home, passersby would stop and listen to her songs. She had a beautiful ringing voice, as if crystal bells were ringing!
The princess became prettier, and women were jealous of her beauty. But one day a woman came (and it was the same evil sorceress) and invited the Princess to a party.
The princess entered the hall, the lights sparkled, music played, there were sweets and delicious dishes on the table, beautifully dressed women danced in the center of the hall. The princess entered and stopped. And at that time a handsome man approached her and invited her to dance. And barely understanding what was happening to her, she was already dancing with the Prince, who was holding her tightly in his arms. The dance ended, but the Prince continued to hold the Princess in his arms, and then kissed her tightly in front of everyone. The princess broke away from his embrace and hurried to leave the party. The princess felt that Love had already entered her heart!
The Prince really liked the Princess! And he decided to take her home. But there were a lot of women at the party. And when they saw that the Prince was about to leave, they surrounded him and dragged him away from the Princess. The princess, holding back her tears, opened the door and, without looking back, stepped into the darkness. Swallowing back tears, she went outside. Huge flakes of snow swirled in the air and covered everything around with a blanket of snow! New Year's Eve was approaching.
The Prince remembered the Princess a month later. He came to her work with scarlet roses and brought her to his palace. They were together for only five days. On the sixth day, the Prince went to work and said that he would return in the evening. But on the way home, the Prince saw a girl lying in the snow, wanted to help her, picked her up, picked her up and immediately forgot about the Princess. All his thoughts were now occupied only with this Girl. And he married her.
And the Princess was waiting. I waited a day, a week, months. And every day her eyes and hair turned green from melancholy. Spring has come. Her body became transparent, and her hair turned green and resembled tree leaves. The Princess went to the Prince to see him for the last time.
When the Princess saw her Prince, he was playing happily with his wife. The princess came close and called him. She began to beg him to look at her. The Princess hoped that the Prince would remember her. But the Prince could no longer see her. After all, the Princess became invisible. Only her voice sounded. He looked through the Princess and tried to remember where he heard that voice. But he couldn't. At this time it began to rain, the sun came out, bright rays sparkled and the Princess disappeared completely. And at that moment the Prince remembered everything: New Year’s Eve and the Princess. Love came to life in him. The Prince began to call his Princess, but the leaves rustled in the air, and through the sound of the rain and the rustling of tree leaves, the Prince heard the Princess whisper “I love you, I love...”
The prince sat near the trees for a long time until night fell. The rain stopped, the sky became clear, the moon came out. And suddenly, right in front of the Prince, in the moonlight, the Princess appeared. She was beautiful in a moonsilver dress. The prince rushed to her, began to ask for forgiveness, and begged her to return. But when he touched her, he felt that she was melting. The sun rose, and the Prince saw that in the place where the Princess stood, only drops of dew were trembling on the leaves and grass. The sun rose higher and higher, and the dew evaporated.
Since then, the Prince has been wandering around the world, still hoping to see his Princess. And like the tears of a Princess, drops of dew on the grass in the morning in summer, rain in autumn and spring, and snowflakes in winter remind the Prince of lost Love. And in the spring, when the leaves bloom, you can hear their rustling: “I love...”
Pages of love folklore
Once upon a time there lived a princess in a small but beautiful kingdom, on the shore of a large lake, near high mountain peaks. There was plenty of everything in the kingdom: flowers, trees with delicious fruits, animals, and birds. This kingdom was also famous for the best grooms among neighboring kingdoms. The guys were all good, from the shepherd to the son of a nobleman - handsome in face, strong in body, smart, charming, cheerful. Every year a grooms' ball was held in the largest castle in the kingdom. Guys and girls came there to show themselves and see others. And after the ball there were several months of celebration and fun - because the weddings were celebrated by happy lovers.
But the most important and main person at the ball was the princess. She was the most beautiful girl in the kingdom and, of course, deserved, as she believed, the most handsome prince. But the trouble was that all the men were handsome, she liked them all, and it was very difficult to make a choice. Of course, the heart will always tell you, but for some reason it was stubbornly silent and did not give any signals. The princess was already thinking that maybe she was completely heartless? In fact, she was wrong, there was a lot of kindness, affection and tenderness in her. The princess's position was indeed difficult. She constantly basked in the attention and care of the opposite sex, she was given fresh flowers and delicious sweets. The princess smiled, thanked and looked for HIM with her eyes. But everyone, although they were beautiful in face, were like each other like two peas in a pod. The princess has already left the ball several times without her prince...
And then one day, after one such ball, she had a dream... The princess saw herself in a sunlit forest clearing, the murmur of a transparent stream could be heard in her ears; in the grass grew many amazing, unusually beautiful flowers, the likes of which she had never seen in her life. In the center of the clearing grew a huge old oak tree with a spreading green crown. The princess found herself under him. Next to her, she saw a woman with unusually kind eyes and in a light dress, smoothly fluttering in the breeze.
- Who are you? - the girl asked.
“Fairy,” answered the fairy. - I'm here because you're in trouble.
“Yes,” the girl answered with sadness in her voice. She already understood what trouble the fairy was talking about.
- I want to tell you that you will soon be very happy. Soon you will see your prince. You will find it yourself.
- Herself? — the girl was surprised. - Do princesses themselves look for princes? He must come to my palace, on a white horse and with gifts!
- My darling! Your prince is bewitched by an evil wizard and cannot find you on his own, although he really wants to. Now he is indifferent to all girls, he cannot find his one and only. The spell will only subside if you confess your feelings to him.
- How?! Princesses don't confess their love! On the contrary, they should hear confessions from noble knights!
- If you want to find him, remember that you are not only a princess, but also a girl in love.
Then the princess was awakened by the morning trills of birds at the window. They were somehow especially loud in the room. At first the princess could not understand why her heart was beating so hard, but after a couple of seconds she remembered her dream.
She doubted: “Is this true or not?” Deep in thought, she glanced at the window - there, in the rays of the sun, lay a flower from a magical meadow. "Is it true!" — the princess was at a loss. “What now? Go? But princesses do not look for princes themselves! However..." - her heart was suddenly filled with longing for happiness... She stomped her foot imperiously, "Am I a princess or not?! Everything is in my power!” And she, without saying a word to anyone, changed her chic dress for an ordinary one, threw a light cloak over her shoulders, grabbed food and drink, and ran out of the palace onto the road.
She felt simply great, she wanted to sing and dance, laugh loudly with joy - after all, she was following her happiness! Everything inside her glowed pink. And she walked straight along the road, without turning anywhere.
She walked past the field, past the forest, past swamps and lakes and reached the village. A young girl was sitting in one of the courtyards; she was weaving a wreath of herbs and flowers, and humming some song to herself. The princess was thirsty and turned to the girl: “Dear girl! Do you have any water to quench my thirst? The girl smiled in response, nodded, and a minute later brought out a glass of water.
-Where are you going? Travelers rarely pass through our village.
“I am following my happiness,” answered the princess.
- Then good luck to you! Which road will you take next? — the girl asked and pointed towards the forest.
There the road forked: one led straight into the forest, and the other along the outskirts. The princess was confused... she didn’t know where to go, how to choose the right path. Apparently, bewilderment was written on her face, and the girl said:
- You ask your heart. It knows everything.
The princess looked at the road along the forest - and inside she felt as if there was a gray dense fog enveloping everything around her; She looked at the forest road - and a pink light glowed inside.
- I'm walking along a forest road!
- That's great! - exclaimed the delighted girl. “Further along this road there is a meadow where a shepherd grazes his flock. This shepherd is my favorite, but we see him so rarely that he almost never hears kind words from me. If you see him, tell him that I love him and am really looking forward to him coming, without his cheerful eyes and ringing voice I am very sad...
- Marvelous! - said the princess. - Why should he say this, because he probably already knows all this. But you helped me, I will tell him everything.
- Thank you. I want him to know about my love and his heart will become warmer...
The princess said goodbye to the girl and moved on. She walked through the forest for a day and finally saw the meadow where the shepherd was grazing his flock.
She greeted him and conveyed all the words of the girl from the village. The shepherd's face lit up:
“So she remembers me, she still loves me.” Oh, kind girl, thank you, I'm so happy! I really missed these words!
The princess liked these words of the shepherd. She moved further along the road, through the forest, and out into the field. There was a lonely wooden hut on the edge. The princess was already quite hungry and knocked on the door. Her grandmother opened it for her. Her face was deeply wrinkled, her gray hair was covered with an embroidered colorful scarf, and her blue eyes looked welcomingly at the girl. She said hello and asked for food, and the grandmother motioned for her to come in, seated the table and brought food. Then suddenly she asked:
-Are you lost? What are you doing here?
“I’m looking for my prince,” answered the girl.
- What is he like?
The girl thought:
“He’s handsome, smart and funny,” she answered.
“Are there not many such princes?” How do you recognize yours? How will you find him?
The princess was at a loss and did not know what to answer. It suddenly seemed to her that she had come such a long way in vain and that she would not succeed; it was all in vain. She almost cried out of grief. Grandmother noticed this and consoled her:
- If you are brave enough, I will help you. You will eat a piece of this pie, and in your dreams you will see your prince, and you will understand how to recognize him. This dream will be prophetic. But if you are not ready to see the truth, whatever it may be, go back.
The princess did not want to return; Is this why she walked for so long to retreat now? She ate a piece of pie and decided to move on. Grandmother said goodbye to her warmly.
Soon it began to get dark. The girl walked and thought; she was a little scared, she even had a thought - what if he was ugly... But be that as it may, there will be happiness ahead, no matter in what guise. And everything else doesn't matter.
When the first star lit up, sleep began to overwhelm the princess, she lay down on the soft grass and closed her eyes.
It was the same clearing with unusual flowers and a hundred-year-old oak tree. The princess looked around, searching with her eyes for her prince. But under the oak tree stood the same old woman who had given her the magic pie; only now she looked younger and looked like a wise sorceress. She smiled at the embarrassed and surprised girl. Approaching her, she began to say:
- Are you surprised? Now I will tell you about him. Appearances can often be deceiving. So listen to me: this man is not a prince by blood, not of noble birth, but a worthy, valiant man. He has blue eyes and beautiful hands, he has a velvety voice. He has a cheerful disposition; when he is sad, he tells the funniest stories to cheer himself up; when he gets angry, he makes the funniest faces; he never convinces that he is right; he speaks tongue twisters the fastest and comes up with the most original compliments, he knows how to walk on his hands...
The grandmother still told a lot, and the longer she talked, the more the girl felt as if she was falling somewhere down, into infinity, deeper and deeper... Suddenly she woke up and immediately realized how she recognized her prince. She liked a lot of what she heard...
With even greater joy in her heart, she walked forward. That wonderful feeling for a person still unknown to her was already spreading inside, which she wanted to express, to say everything that was in her heart; I wanted to become happy myself and make him happy.
The road went through the forest and suddenly she saw the very clearing that she had dreamed of.
Three young men were sitting on the grass and talking about something. The girl approached them and spoke, and they were amazed by her beauty and charm and invited her to have lunch with them. Everyone was beautiful, charming and sweet, smiling at her, having an intelligent conversation, interspersing it with funny jokes. She liked them all, but her feelings told her that there was one special one among them. She needed to check and make sure. She asked the guys to show her their dexterity. One of them took a stone from the ground and accurately hit the top of a tree, the other made a wheel on the ground, and the third, with radiant eyes, deftly walked in front of her in his arms... What the princess felt is difficult to put into words... She approached him and said: “I was looking for you, I love you. You are my Destiny". The young man sighed, and the dark spell came out of him and dissolved into thin air. He hugged the girl and kissed her.
In a distant kingdom there lived a prince-knight. He lived in a large stone castle. But he lived there all alone, so he decided to find a princess who could live in the big castle with him. For a long time he searched for the princess, visited all corners of the kingdom, peered at every girl passing by. But no matter how far he went, he could not find one that he liked.
Suddenly, one day, next to the prince-knight’s castle, another one was built, as large and beautiful as the prince’s castle. And a beautiful princess settled in this castle.
As soon as the prince-knight saw her, he immediately realized that this was the one he had been looking for for so long. The prince-knight fell madly in love and decided that at any cost he would win her hand and heart. Every evening the prince cleaned his knightly armor to a shine, put it on and came to the windows of the princess’s castle, where every night he sang songs to her with a guitar and gave the beautiful princess beautiful red roses. His songs were never repeated - each time the prince-knight composed a new one.
In the forest that grew next to the prince's castle, there lived an evil old and ugly witch who could not stand it when anyone had fun or was happy, laughed or fell in love. Seeing the prince-knight next to his forest, when he was composing another song for the princess, she became very angry.
- Hey! Prince Knight! Why so cheerful? – she asked him.
“Witch,” the prince bowed to her, “I’m so cheerful because I’m happy.”
The prince was always afraid of the evil witch, but today he was especially cheerful, and his fear went away.
- And what makes you so happy? – the sorceress did not let up.
- And I’m happy because I fell in love! – the prince exclaimed joyfully to the whole forest. “And you will fall in love,” the prince advised the witch, “you will be just as happy and cheerful.”
The evil witch could not stand this. She became more angry than ever and bewitched the falling prince-knight. She said to the prince knight:
- Your beautiful princess will not love you, no matter how many songs you sing to her, and no matter how many roses you give her. From now on, you will no longer be able to take off your knight's armor. And every day they will grow and get heavier, in the end your face will not be visible. And this will happen until you find someone who loves you as much as you do. And only then will the heavy armor fall off you. But this will never happen! Who will love the iron monster? Ha ha ha!
Having said this, the evil witch disappeared into the dark forest, but her terrible laughter continued to reach the prince for a long time. Suddenly the prince-knight felt how heavy his iron armor was, but before he had not felt it at all. He again began to compose a song for the princess and soon forgot about the old witch and her words.
The prince continued to come to the princess's windows every night, but she did not reciprocate the prince's feelings.
One evening, when the prince was cleaning his armor as always, he saw that his face was no longer visible, and he remembered the curse of the evil witch. But despite this, he did not stop singing more and more songs for the princess every night, hoping that she would finally love him as much as he loved her.
So days after days passed, and the knight's armor grew more and more, and now the prince-knight could hardly move. But this did not stop him either - he was sure that very soon the witch’s curse would subside, and he and the princess would settle in his castle.
Every evening on the way to the castle he met a simple girl who lived in a village beyond the forest. Every day she came to the castle to pick medicinal herbs that grew only near the princess’s castle. They became friends with the prince. Sometimes they talked, and sometimes she just stood and looked with sympathy at the poor prince, who could barely move in his heavy armor.
One evening the knight looked in the mirror and saw that the armor began to disappear from his face. The prince was very happy, because this meant that the princess’s heart melted and she fell in love with him. He immediately went to the princess's castle and told her that he knew how much she loved him. But in response, the princess said that she no longer wanted to listen to his boring songs under her window, and that his armor was terrible.
The unfortunate prince wandered home in despair. He was so upset and upset that he did not notice a girl he knew from the village who was coming nearby.
Arriving at the castle, the prince decided that since his beloved princess did not want to see him, then his fate was to live alone in his large stone castle. But he could not understand why the armor began to disappear from his face. Just as he thought about this, a gray-haired woman in white robes appeared in front of him out of nowhere.
- Who are you? – the prince was surprised. - And where are you from here?
- I am a good sorceress. I know what happened to you and I will help you.
- Is it true? You are a good sorceress and will you make the princess love me? – the prince was delighted.
- No. I won't do this. But I will give you one good piece of advice.
- But how will your advice help me?
- Wait, you haven’t heard him yet. It is true that the curse of the evil and envious witch disappears, but you are looking in the wrong place. – the sorceress said mysteriously.
- But where should I look? Because I love the princess! – the prince-knight was surprised.
- But she doesn’t love you, she doesn’t like your songs, she doesn’t like looking at you clad in armor. Look around.
The good witch has disappeared.
- Look around... What does this mean? - the prince thought.
The prince impatiently left the castle and began to look around. But I didn’t see anything special there, just a girl from the village stood near the castle.
“The sorceress deceived me,” tears appeared in the prince’s eyes.
And suddenly he immediately felt how his knightly armor became lighter. The village girl approached the prince to console him. The prince’s armor became even lighter, he almost didn’t feel it anymore.
“So this is what the good sorceress wanted to say,” the prince began to guess.
The prince approached the girl, and she kissed his cheek, still covered with iron armor. And at that very moment the prince’s armor fell to the ground. The witchcraft of the evil witch has dissipated.
“And I liked your armor,” said the girl, “and your songs too, I came here every evening to listen to them.”
From that very day, the prince-knight and a simple girl began to live together in the castle. The prince completely forgot about the princess and fell in love with a simple village girl as much as he did not even love the princess. Almost as much as a simple village girl loved him.
Well, as it should be...
In the Far Far Away Kingdom there lived a Prince. And of course, he was handsome, rich, successful, but lonely. No, there were always a lot of people around him and even one best friend - the young Duke. But the Prince still felt his loneliness. And everything was because the Prince’s heart was chained in stone - granite. Once upon a time, the then young Prince showed indifference to the grief of an old woman who turned to him for help. The old woman turned out to be a witch and cursed the Prince, chaining his heart in stone.
Since then, the Prince has shown only indifference to everything that surrounds him. Nothing aroused his pity, compassion, joy, love... Only indifference, hatred and anger became his eternal companions.
All the princesses and simple girls were in love with the Prince, but, of course, he could not reciprocate anyone. The prince wandered around his castle day and night like a shadow. The flowering fields and meadows of his kingdom were disgusting to him.
And then one morning the Maid appeared in the Prince’s chambers. She was still a very young girl. Her parents were also servants, and therefore her daughter was destined for the role of a slave from birth.
“Good morning, Your Highness!” whispered the Maid, bowing her head in front of the Prince.
“Get out…” the Prince answered lazily. The maid left without raising her head.
The prince climbed out of bed, stretched, and his valet helped him get dressed. When he went out to breakfast, the same Maid handed him the device. Throughout breakfast, the Prince and the Maid were alone in the dining room, but they never said a word.
After breakfast, the Prince went horseback riding with his friend the Duke. They rode along a forest path and talked.
“My friend, I think it’s time for you to get married!” said the Duke.
“Why?” answered the Prince, indifferently as always.
- So that they love you, look after you, value you, and so that you, too, finally fall in love and be happy.
- What kind of love? What are you talking about, Duke?! - the Prince was indignant, - you know, I cannot love.
Suddenly, a girl jumped out onto the road right in front of the Prince’s horse. The horse reared up, and the Prince barely managed to hold it. The girl, frightened, covered her face with her hands.
-Where are you going?!!! - shouted the angry Prince - he scared the horse, fool!
- Don't yell at her. She's still just a child! – calming the angry Prince, said the Duke. He got out of the saddle and approached the girl, who was still standing, covering her face with her hands.
- Who are you, dear child? – the Duke asked, removing the girl’s hands from her face.
- ABOUT! So this is my servant! – the Prince shouted, “what are you doing here?” Don't you have enough work in the castle?! And in general, you almost killed me, I could have flogged you for that.
- Why be so angry, Prince! – the Duke said peacefully. “Go, child.” The prince forgives you. – said the Duke, looking at the frightened Maid. And she rushed away back into the forest.
That day the Maid no longer came into view of the Prince.
As time went. The prince continued to show indifference to everything that was happening around him and his possessions in particular. One day the Prince was called to his place by the King.
“My boy,” said the King, “I am very old and I want to hand over to you the reins of government in my state.” For this you must get married.
“Father, I am very glad that you want to transfer royal power to me,” the Prince said indifferently, “but marriage!” Only if it is necessary for the state.
The prince tried for a long time to find a bride, but not a single girl in the Kingdom aroused any emotions in him. One day the Prince sat thoughtfully in the throne room with his friend the Duke.
- Marry the merchant's daughter. She is rich and sensible, cold to everything just like you. – the Duke finally broke the silence.
“I’ll marry the first girl who walks through this door,” the Prince declared categorically, “I’m pretty tired of all this!”
Before the Prince had time to finish speaking, the door quietly opened and the Maid entered the hall.
“Your Majesty, ...!” she barely had time to say when the Duke said with irony and mockery:
- Long live the wife of the future King! Congratulations my friend! Great choice.
The Prince looked at the Maid with his characteristic indifference. And rising from his chair, he slowly approached the frightened girl.
- You will become my wife. – he said firmly. And she couldn’t refuse.
The wedding of the Prince and the Handmaid was not very luxurious. The prince did not love his wife, but she probably loved him. Otherwise, what happened next would not have taken place in this story.
Things in the Kingdom after the coronation of the Prince went from bad to worse. The ruler didn’t care that his people were suffering from hunger and disease. But the people did not tolerate such an attitude towards themselves for long and rebelled.
And then, under the cover of darkness, the rebels broke into the palace. They killed the guards and courtiers and finally ended up in the Prince's chambers. The prince stood silently at the window and looked into the distance. His wife, the Servant, sat in a chair and cried quietly. The rebels were slightly taken aback when they saw such a picture.
- Surrender, Prince! Or we will kill you and your wife! - one of them shouted.
“So what are you waiting for, we are not offering resistance,” the Prince answered indifferently. He turned to face the invaders. His arrogant, calm gray eyes were still indifferent to what was happening. He didn't need his life or his wife's life. However, for him she was just a Servant.
One of the rebels raised his gun and pointed it at the Prince's chest. The sound of a shot sounded. The prince didn't even close his eyes. He still looked at the shooter indifferently. The maid suddenly rushed to the Prince and covered him with her body. For a second, everything suddenly became quiet, both in the room and on the street.
The silence was interrupted by the Prince’s heart, which, after so many years of stone captivity, suddenly beat with renewed vigor and broke the stone bonds. He picked up his wife's limp body, and a sharp pain pierced his chest. My heart hurt. It hurt because the Prince could now lose the girl who loves him and who he needs like air. The man who shot the Prince lowered his weapon. Everyone just stood and watched as the Prince bent over his dead wife and cried.
Yes, he could cry. His tears dripped onto the dead girl's face. He quietly repeated: “I love you! Just don’t die...”
But as you know, love works miracles and raises people from the dead. God took pity on the unfortunate Prince and resurrected his beloved. She opened her green eyes and whispered:
- I love you too, my Prince!
The uprising was soon suppressed. The Prince and his Princess (aka Maid) began to rule in the Far Away Kingdom. Where now, from now on, Love reigns, which destroys even granite.
P/S. After 9 months they had an heir, and then another, and another.