Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales - Illustrated Edition of World Children's Literature Classics

Author: Hans Christian Andersen (Denmark)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The Princess on the Pea once had a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but she had to be a true princess. So he traveled the world to find such a princess. However, no matter where he went, he always encountered some trouble. There were plenty of princesses, but he couldn’t determine if they were true princesses: they always had something slightly off. As a result, he had to return home, feeling quite upset because he so desperately wanted a true princess. One night, a fierce storm suddenly broke out, followed by lightning and thunder, and torrential rain poured down, making it a bit frightening. Suddenly, someone knocked on the city gate. The queen went to open it. A princess stood outside. But goodness, after being exposed to the wind and rain, how ugly she looked! Water dripped from her hair and clothes, flowing into the tips of her shoes and leaking out from the heels. Yet she said she was a true princess. "Well, we’ll see about that right away," the queen thought to herself, but she said nothing aloud. She went into the bedroom, took down all the bedding from the bed, placed a single pea on the bed frame, and then brought twenty bedsheets. She laid them on the pea, followed by twenty featherbeds. That night, the princess slept on top of all these sheets and featherbeds. The next morning, when asked how she slept, the princess said, "Oh, it was terrible! I didn’t close my eyes all night! I wonder what was in my bed? I was lying on something hard, and it left bruises all over me! It was truly awful." This showed that she was a true princess, as she could still feel a single pea through twenty bedsheets and twenty featherbeds. Only a true princess could have such a sensitive touch! So the prince chose her as his wife, knowing that he had indeed found a true princess. And the pea was also put in a museum; if no one had stolen it, people could still see it there today. Please note, this is a true story.