There once was a prince who wished to marry a true princess. He traveled far and wide, meeting many young ladies. Some were kind, some were clever, some wore splendid dressesâbut he was never quite sure they were real princesses. So he came home a little sad.
One stormy evening rain poured and wind rattled the castle windows. Through the thunder came a knock at the gate.
Outside stood a young woman, soaked from head to toe. Water dripped from her hair, and her shoes squelched. Yet she stood politely and said, âPlease, may I come in? I am a princess, and I have lost my way.â
The queen looked carefully. She was not sure. âWe shall see,â she thought.
She went to the guest bedroom and took all the mattresses and quilts from the cupboard. At the very bottom of the bed she placed a single tiny green pea. Then she piled twenty soft mattresses on top, and twenty feather quilts above those.
âSleep well, my dear,â she told the girl.
In the morning the queen asked, âHow did you sleep?â
The princess sighed. âOh, terribly! I barely closed my eyes. Something hard was under the bed, and now I am quite black and blue. I do not know what it was.â
The queen smiled. Only a real princess could feel a pea through so many mattresses!
The prince was overjoyed. Here at last was someone delicate, honest, and truly of royal heart. They were married with music and cake, and the little pea was placed in the royal museumâwhere, if you visit quietly, you may still hear people whisper, âCan you believe she felt that?â
And on rainy nights the princess slept on an ordinary soft bed, for she had already proved she was a princessâand now she was also loved.
The end.
Based on the public domain tale by Hans Christian Andersen, gently adapted for bedtime.
