The Princess from the Orange
Once upon a time, there lived a prince, a handsome twenty-year-old youth. He decided he wanted to get married. The king began inviting various princesses to the court, each more beautiful than the last. But none of them caught the young man's eye."This one, Father? Can't you see her hair? It's like the whiskers on a corn cob! This one? She's as dark as a polenta pot. And that one has a nose like a potato."
In short, none of them pleased him, and the poor princesses, disappointed and offended, left in tears.
"Still, my son, you must marry someone and have children..."
"Of course, Father. I'm tired of living alone. But I can't just marry anyone, can I?"
"So what should we do now?"
"Give me some money and a good horse. I'll travel the world to find my bride. Maybe I'll find her. And if no one wins my heart, I'll remain a bachelor forever."
With that, he set off on his journey. He traveled far and wide, but all in vain.
One day, as he was riding through a dense forest, he saw an old woman huddled in a blackberry bush—pitiful, withered, dressed in rags, and shivering from the cold. The prince had a kind soul, as kind as our Italian bread. He dismounted and asked the old woman:
"Aren't you cold, grandmother, in such tattered clothes?"
"I'm so cold, so very cold, I can't even describe it!"
"Here, take this." And the prince handed her his magnificent cloak, embroidered with pearls and diamonds. Then he added, "Take this purse of money too."
"Thank you, kind sir. Tell me, where are you headed?" asked the old woman.
The prince explained that he had been searching far and wide for a bride but had found no one. It seemed he would have to return home empty-handed.
"Oh, I know of a beauty. They call her the Princess of the Orange. If only you could see her! Her face is tan and rosy, her eyes dark, and her lips scarlet! A true beauty!"
"Tell me quickly, good woman, where to find this princess! I feel as though I've already fallen in love with her."
"Listen carefully. Ride straight along this road until you reach a dense thicket. There, you'll find a hut. When you enter, you'll know what to do. But first, go to the city and buy various women's clothes. They'll come in handy. Don't forget combs and hairpins. Safe travels, my son!"
The prince galloped to the city, bought the finest clothes without sparing any expense, and raced back to the forest, to the hut.
Knock-knock-knock!
"Come in."
The prince entered the house. The kitchen was black with soot. In one corner stood a rotting cupboard, and in the other, an old woman sat by the hearth, stirring the ashes with a stick.
"What brings you to my home?" she asked.
"I thought I'd stop by and brought you some clothes," replied the young man.
"What a fine lad!" the old woman exclaimed with joy.
The prince draped a beautiful shawl over her shoulders, helped her wash, pinned up her hair, and even put earrings in her ears. Instantly, the old woman transformed. She looked regal, like a queen!
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much! What do you wish in return for all you've done for me?"
"Nothing. Just tell me where to find the beautiful Princess of the Orange."
"Ah, that's what you want..."
The old woman stood up, hobbled to the cupboard, and took out three oranges.
"Listen carefully. Take these oranges and peel them one by one. Your bride will appear. But remember: you must peel them near a stream."
The prince thanked the old woman, took the oranges, and left.
He rode and rode, and soon he couldn't resist the urge to peel one of the oranges. He looked around for a stream but found none. His patience ran out. "It's a shame there's no water nearby," he thought. "I really want to see what the girl looks like." And he began peeling the fruit.
First, one girl's hand appeared, then another. And as the orange peel fell away, a beautiful girl stood before the prince.
"Quick, give me some water to drink!" she pleaded.
The prince was at a loss. He looked around, but there wasn't a drop of water in sight.
"Forgive me, I have no water!"
"Alas, then I must die." And with those words, the girl vanished.
The prince was heartbroken to lose such a beauty, but there was nothing he could do. He rode on, holding the second orange. His cursed curiosity got the better of him again. Unable to resist, he peeled the second orange, and a girl even more beautiful than the first appeared before him.
"Quick, give me some water to drink," she begged.
"I have no water..."
"Alas, then I must die." And with those words, the girl vanished.
"Now I won't touch the orange until I find a stream," the prince vowed.
Finally, he reached a spring. Overjoyed, he dismounted and began carefully peeling the third orange. A third girl appeared—beautiful as the sun, with eyes like the blue sky. She pleaded with the prince:
"Prince, give me some water, quickly!"
The young man rushed to the spring, cupped some fresh water in his hands, and gave it to the girl to drink.
"Thank you," she said and kissed him.
The prince knew: she was his destined bride. Happy and joyful, he placed his bride on his horse and rode off with her. By evening, they reached an inn near Rome and spent the night there. In the morning, the prince said to the Princess of the Orange:
"I want to buy you the most beautiful clothes. Wait for me here."
He kissed her, went out to the courtyard, and asked the innkeeper:
"Take care of my bride. Make sure no harm comes to her before I return. I'll be back soon."
He tossed her a purse of money and hurried to the city.
But the innkeeper was an evil witch. As soon as the prince left, she called her daughter, who was as ugly as a scarecrow, and whispered:
"How can it be that you won't marry such a handsome man? Don't you want to be his wife?"
"Of course, I do."
"Good. Leave it to me."
The witch went up to the Princess of the Orange's room and said:
"The prince asked me to comb your hair."
"Thank you, but I always do my own hair."
"How do you manage with such long braids?"
"I manage," the girl smiled.
"Let me comb it for you."
The girl agreed. The evil witch began combing her hair. And as she combed, she stuck hairpins into the princess's head—enchanted hairpins. Instantly, the girl turned into a swallow. The bird fluttered around the room and flew out the window.
"Come here quickly," the witch called to her daughter. "Sit in the room and wait for the prince."
At noon, the young man returned home. He ran up the stairs, burst into the room, saw the witch's daughter, and was stunned.
"Where is my bride?"
"I am your bride. I've just withered from waiting for you," replied the witch's daughter, sighing and crying.
The prince couldn't believe this was his bride. "It's not about her appearance," he thought. "This ugly girl has an evil heart." But he couldn't break his word and said to the deceiver:
"Well, let's go to the palace. They're waiting for us there."
They rode to Rome. The king and queen, overjoyed that their son had finally decided to marry, didn't notice how evil and ugly their future daughter-in-law was. They scheduled the wedding for that very day and threw a grand celebration. The feast was magnificent. There was ice cream, nuts, and all sorts of sweets. The royal kitchen had plenty of pots and pans!
The cook was busy preparing dishes to serve the royal guests. Suddenly, he heard a tiny voice singing:
Cook, cook by the stove,
Listen to this spell:
Let the roast burn to a crisp,
So the witch won't eat it!
The cook was stunned. He looked around—no one was there, only a swallow sitting on the windowsill. He pulled the roast from the oven—it was completely burnt.
He quickly prepared another dish and set it to roast, but the voice sang again:
Cook, cook by the stove,
Listen to this spell:
Let the roast burn to a crisp,
So the witch won't eat it!
The cook turned to the window, and there was the swallow again, staring at him intently. And once more, the roast turned to ashes.
Frightened, the cook dropped all his pots and pans, ran to the prince, and told him what was happening in the kitchen.
"Are you dreaming?" the prince asked in surprise.
"No, Your Highness, it's the truth!"
"Let's go and see."
The witch's daughter sensed trouble and whispered to the prince:
"Where are you going? Are you abandoning your bride on your wedding day? Stay with me!"
But the prince didn't listen—he went to the kitchen.
For the third time, the cook set a piece of meat to roast. When the dish was almost ready, the voice sang the same song. And once again, the meat burned to a crisp. And on the windowsill sat the swallow...
"I want to catch it," said the prince.
"Don't touch the swallow, it's a witch!" cried the bride, who had rushed to the kitchen after the prince.
The prince approached the window, and the swallow flew into his hands. As he stroked the bird, he felt something hard in its head. He pulled out one hairpin—a girl's hand appeared. He pulled out another—another hand appeared. He pulled out the third hairpin—and there before him stood the Princess of the Orange. She threw herself into the prince's arms and told him everything that had happened.
"You deceiver!" the prince shouted at the witch's daughter.
They seized the witch, tied her up tightly, and threw her into a dungeon. The prince and the princess married and held a wedding feast so grand it defied description.
As for me, I crawled under the table
And found a bone there.
They kicked me in the nose—
Sparks flew before my eyes.
Though I didn't get to eat,
I still told you this tale.
More fairy tales
