grey fairy tale book

Chapter 2 Donkey Skin (2)
Another holiday, when "Donkey Skin" (as they all called her) locked herself in her house in her sun-kissed dress, the King's son rode through the gate of the farm, saying he was tired from hunting. , Ask if you can rest your feet.Soon there were servants laying out milk and refreshments in the garden.The prince felt that he had had enough rest, so he stood up and began to look at the house.Although the house is old, it is still simple and beautiful, so it is famous all over the country.He opened each door one by one, constantly admiring the exquisite structure of these old houses.Suddenly, he found that there was a door that could not be opened, so he bent down and looked in through the keyhole.He was stunned!He saw a beautiful girl in a gorgeous dress.The light reflected by the skirt was so dazzling that he didn't dare to look directly at the dazzling skirt.

At the moment when he was about to turn his face away, the originally dark corridor seemed even darker.He went back to the kitchen to find out who was hiding in the room at the end of the corridor. "It's the girl who washes the dishes," they said. "Everyone likes to tease her and call her 'Donkey Skin'." Although the prince felt a little weird, he knew it was useless to ask further.So he rode back to the palace, thinking all the time of what he had seen through the keyhole.

The whole night, the prince really tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.The next morning the prince developed a high fever.The queen has only this only son, so she is always worried about the prince's illness.In fact, the prince fell ill suddenly, which stumped many famous doctors. They tried various medicines, but none of the prince's illnesses improved a little, and they thought the prince was hopeless.Finally, they told the queen that there must be something unspeakable behind the prince's illness.The queen knelt down on her son's bedside, hoping that he would speak out about his troubles, and said: "If you want to be a king, you will definitely ask your father to give up the throne; if you fall in love with a girl, we will definitely give up the throne." Let you get the girl of your dreams at all costs, even if she is the princess of the enemy country."

"Mother," the prince replied feebly, "how could I be so confused that I wanted to take the crown from my father? As long as he is still alive, I will be his most loyal subject. I have never seen any of the princesses you mentioned. I want it. However, no matter what, I will certainly comply with your wishes."

"My son!" cried the Queen, "we will do anything to save your life—and ourselves, of course. If you die, we shall die."

"Well," said the prince, "only one thing can save me, a cake made by 'donkey's skin' himself."

"Donkey skin?" exclaimed the queen, who thought her son must be mad. "Who is the donkey skin? Or something?"

"Queen," replied one of the squires, who had been to the farm with the prince, "the 'donkey skin' is the most disgusting thing on earth after wolves. She is a girl, wearing a black, slippery Pi, it's the girl who feeds the chickens on your farm."

"Never mind," said the Queen, "the Prince seems to have eaten her cakes. It is true that when one is sick, one's thoughts go wild. Send for her to make a cake at once!"

The attendant immediately sent someone to do as the queen ordered.

There was no doubt that Donkeyskin had never seen the Prince, nor had she noticed him even when he looked in through the keyhole or through the little wayside window.However, whether she had seen the prince or not, the princess immediately obeyed the queen's order.She quickly took off the dirty donkey skin, washed it from head to toe, and put on a tight silver dress.Then, shutting herself in the house, she began to make cakes with the most expensive butter, the best flour, and the freshest eggs from the farm.

While she was stirring in the basin, a ring she was wearing slipped from her finger into the flour.I don't know if "Donkey Skin" didn't notice it, or pretended not to see it, but she continued to kiss each other like that.In no time, the cake is ready to go in the oven.When the cake came out, it was yellow and fragrant.She took off her skirt and put on the dirty donkey's skin again, and then she handed the cake to the messenger, and asked about the prince's situation by the way.However, the envoy turned his head away and didn't even bother to answer.

The messenger rode his horse and returned to the palace like a gust of wind.As soon as he got off his horse, he took the silver plate, and hastened to present the cake to the prince.The sick prince ate in a hurry, and the imperial doctors were really afraid that he would choke.Indeed, he almost choked, for the ring was in the cake he bit into.Still, he spit it out of his mouth, of course, when no one was looking.

As soon as the others left, the prince immediately took out the ring from under the pillow, and kissed, kissed, a thousand times.Then, he began to think about how to meet the owner of the ring—he dared not tell others that he only met the "donkey skin" side through the keyhole, lest they laugh at his "love at first sight".The cake temporarily cured the prince's illness, but this trouble made the prince have a fever again.The doctors dared not say much, but told the queen that the prince was so ill because he had fallen in love with a girl.The queen was very frightened, and immediately went to the king and told the king about the situation.Then they hurried together to the son's bed.

"Son! My darling!" cried the king, "Which girl do you want to marry? We will make her your bride, even if she is the most humble slave. What else in this world we would not do for you What did you do?"

The prince was moved to tears when he heard this.He took out the ring from under the pillow, it was made of the best emeralds!

"Dear father and mother, it can prove that the one I love is not a peasant girl. The hand that wears this ring has never done heavy work. But no matter what she looks like, I must marry her!"

After examining the ring carefully, the king and queen also felt that their son was right, that the owner of the ring could not have been a farmer.So the king sent heralds and trumpeters to all directions, and called every girl to the palace, and whoever could wear the ring would be queen in the future.

First all the princesses, and then the marquis' daughters, one after another, tried one by one.However, no one can put the ring on his own finger.The prince was very happy, and he seemed to be recovering from his illness soon.At last, when the well-born women were in despair, it was the turn of the merchants' daughters, and the housemaids.However, their luck was not much better.

"Call the servants and the shepherdess!" ordered the prince.Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw their big red and thick fingers.

"All the women are here, Your Highness," said the attendant.The prince waved him aside. "Have you sent someone to find the 'donkey skin' for making cakes?" The subordinates all laughed and replied that they dare not bring such a dirty thing into the palace.

"Send for her at once!" ordered the king. "I said I wanted every girl, high or low. I mean it!"

In fact, the princess had already known the imperial decree and announcement, and knew in her heart that the ring must have played a role.She was afraid of any girl with fingers as thin as hers.So she was overjoyed when the messenger came to the door to summon her, for she had been looking forward to this day all along.She had already dressed up well, and put on a moonlight-like dress with emerald emeralds on it.But when they called her out, she put on the donkey's skin hastily, and said she was ready to see the Prince.

Immediately, she was taken to the palace.The prince was waiting for her there, but when he saw the skin of the donkey, his heart went cold.Did I make a mistake?
"Do you—" asked the Prince, looking away, "do you live in the house in the corner of the farm yard?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I am," she replied.

"Stretch out your hand," went on the Prince, thinking that he must do what he says, no matter what the cost.

However, what surprised everyone present was that the person wrapped in the black and dirty donkey skin was able to stretch out such a slender and white hand!The ring and the finger matched so well, and it was put on lightly. Immediately, the donkey skin slipped to the ground, and a girl who looked like a fairy appeared in front of everyone.The prince dragged his weak body, and immediately knelt down in front of her, and the king and queen also knelt down quickly.The king and queen are kneeling to ask the girl to save their only son, and the prince is kneeling to ask the girl he loves which he finally found after all the hard work.At this point the princess didn't know what to say.At this time, the ceiling of the hall suddenly opened, and the fairy godmother came driving a lilac cart.In a few words, the fairy explained the princess's life experience and how she got here.

One of the grandest weddings is about to be held here.The kings of every country were invited, including, of course, the princess' adoptive father and stepmother (who was now married to a widow), who also came to this grand wedding.

What a queer party it was!Each king attended the wedding in his most proud and grandest way.Some kings lead their families, and the team is mighty; some ride various floats, no less than the National Day celebration; some kings ride elephants, some ride tigers, and some even ride eagles of.This is a wedding like never before.When the wedding was over, the king announced that a coronation ceremony would take place.He said that neither the queen nor himself wanted to manage state affairs anymore, and wanted to hand over the country to his son to inherit.

For three whole months, the whole country was immersed in the jubilation of the prince's wedding.Soon, a new king and queen came to the throne, and the whole country was governed in an orderly manner. They were deeply loved by their subjects.When they passed away, every citizen worshiped them as their own parents, and after 100 years, the people still do the same.

(End of this chapter)