She was indeed a wicked princess. She possessed beauty enough-nobody
could be more elegant or prettier than she was; but what of that? for she was
a wicked witch; and in consequence of her conduct many noble young
princes had lost their lives. Any one was at liberty to make her an offer;
were he a prince or a beggar, it mattered not to her. She would ask him to
guess three things which she had just thought of, and if he succeed, he was
to marry her, and be king over all the land when her father died; but if he
could not guess these three things, then she ordered him to be hanged or to
have his head cut off. The old king, her father, was very much grieved at her
conduct, but he could not prevent her from being so wicked, because he
once said he would have nothing more to do with her lovers; she might do
as she pleased. Each prince who came and tried the three guesses, so that he
might marry the princess, had been unable to find them out, and had been
hanged or beheaded. They had all been warned in time, and might have left
her alone, if they would. The old king became at last so distressed at all
these dreadful circumstances, that for a whole day every year he and his
soldiers knelt and prayed that the princess might become good; but she
continued as wicked as ever. The old women who drank brandy would color
it quite black before they drank it, to show how they mourned; and what
more could they do?
“What a horrible princess!” said Jean; “she ought to be well flogged. If I
were the old king, I would have her punished in some way.”
Just then they heard the people outside shouting, “Hurrah!” and, looking
out, they saw the princess passing by; and she was really so beautiful that
everybody forgot her wickedness, and shouted “Hurrah!” Twelve lovely
maidens in white silk dresses, holding golden tulips in their hands, rode by
her side on coal-black horses. The princess herself had a snow-white steed,
decked with diamonds and rubies. Her dress was of cloth of gold, and the
whip she held in her hand looked like a sunbeam. The golden crown on her
head glittered like the stars of heaven, and her mantle was formed of
thousands of butterflies’ wings sewn together. Yet she herself was more
beautiful than all.
