The king and the queen had no children. They longed for a little daughter. However, they did not want to sit and mope all the time. So, they began to do good things for the people in their kingdom. They built roads and lakes, gardens and rest-houses. They gave food and clothes to the poor. […]
The miller wished his beautiful daughter to marry the king. So, he said that she could spin golden thread out of straw! The king locked his daughter in a large room full of straw with a spinning wheel and told her that she must spin gold by morning. The girl sat and wept! Just then,
The king and the queen were always busy. They had to attend the court and conventions, travel far and near and look after many people. So, Princess Laura often had to stay alone in the huge palace. After she had finished her studies for the day, she would wander in the gardens and the rooms,
The wicked queen, who was actually a witch, had a magic mirror which said that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But later, it said that her stepdaughter, Snow White, was more beautiful than the queen. She sent her stepdaughter into the forest with a huntsman telling him to kill her, but
Once a traveller told the King of China that he had heard a nightingale sing wonderfully in the forest. A kitchen maid knew where to find the bird. The king sent his soldiers with her and they caught the nightingale and brought it to him. He put it in a golden cage and enjoyed its
Princess Lily had to go across the river. There was a boat but there was no boatman in sight. “Come and sit, Princess,” said a voice, “I’ll ferry you across.” And when she sat in the boat, the invisible boatman was rowing it! After that day, the princess began to come to that boat very
Princess Melinda was lost! There was uproar in the palace and the kingdom. The soldiers and the ordinary people were all looking for her. Princess Melinda was just three years old and had gone out with her Nanny to walk in the meadow. Nanny had come back without her and had fainted on the doorstep!
Henry was the most ill-mannered prince anyone ever saw! He threw tantrums, broke things, screamed at people, spilt food and milk and was rude. The queen said, “He’s so high-spirited.” But the king was very upset. “He’s not high-spirited!” said the king, “He is a badly behaved fellow and I would not allow someone like
The king and the queen wanted a real princess to marry their son. One stormy night, someone knocked at the palace door and they found a wet girl standing outside. She said that she was a princess who had lost her way. The queen decided to test her to see if she was a real
There was great excitement in the garden, for a party was going to be held and it was announced that the Prince of Butterflies, who had fabulous gold and black wings, would select his bride. All the dragonflies, the ladybirds and other little creatures came for the party! The ladybirds’ coats shone red and the
Princess Millicent always longed for a pony but the queen was terrified of horses and thought it dangerous to ride! One day, the princess heard that a new foal had been born. She quietly went round to the stables and found a beautiful chestnut foal standing near its mother. She had been wondering how to
Princess Millicent always longed for a pony but the queen was terrified of horses and thought it dangerous to ride! One day, the princess heard that a new foal had been born. She quietly went round to the stables and found a beautiful chestnut foal standing near its mother. She had been wondering how to
All the fairies who were invited blessed the new-born princess, but the wicked fairy cursed that the princess would die on her sixteenth birthday, pricked by a spindle! One good fairy, however, said that the princess would fall asleep for a hundred years and wake up when a prince kissed her. The king ordered that
The royal painter had been called to paint a picture of Prince Lionel. No one knew that the painter had a set of magic brushes. Any portrait painted using them would talk! When the picture was complete, it was hung up in the king’s picture gallery. Visitors to the palace were always shown the palace
Prince Percival was disliked by everyone because he was very cruel and wicked. He got people punished and beaten for petty faults and killed animals. One day in the forest, he saw a beautiful doe and began to chase her. The doe ran swiftly and entered a hut. Prince Percival knocked at the door. It