Once upon a time there lived a King who was immensely rich. He had broad
lands, and sacks overflowing with gold and silver; but he did not care
a bit for all his riches, because the Queen, his wife, was dead. He shut
himself up in a little room and knocked his head against the walls
for grief, until his courtiers were really afraid that he would hurt
himself. So they hung feather-beds between the tapestry and the
walls, and then he could go on knocking his head as long as it was any
consolation to him without coming to much harm. All his subjects came
to see him, and said whatever they thought would comfort him: some were
grave, even gloomy with him; and some agreeable, even gay; but not one
could make the least impression upon him. Indeed, he hardly seemed to
hear what they said. At last came a lady who was wrapped in a black
mantle, and seemed to be in the deepest grief. She wept and sobbed until
even the King’s attention was attracted; and when she said that, far
from coming to try and diminish his grief, she, who had just lost a good
husband, was come to add her tears to his, since she knew what he
must be feeling, the King redoubled his lamentations. Then he told the
sorrowful lady long stories about the good qualities of his departed
Queen, and she in her turn recounted all the virtues of her departed
husband; and this passed the time so agreeably that the King quite
forgot to thump his head against the feather-beds, and the lady did not
need to wipe the tears from her great blue eyes as often as before. By
degrees they came to talking about other things in which the King took
an interest, and in a wonderfully short time the whole kingdom was
astonished by the news that the King was married again to the sorrowful
lady.
Now the King had one daughter, who was just fifteen years old. Her name
was Fiordelisa, and she was the prettiest and most charming Princess
imaginable, always gay and merry. The new Queen, who also had a
daughter, very soon sent for her to come to the Palace. Turritella,
for that was her name, had been brought up by her godmother, the Fairy
Mazilla, but in spite of all the care bestowed upon her, she was neither
beautiful nor gracious. Indeed, when the Queen saw how ill-tempered
and ugly she appeared beside Fiordelisa she was in despair, and did
everything in her power to turn the King against his own daughter, in
the hope that he might take a fancy to Turritella. One day the King said
that it was time Fiordelisa and Turritella were married, so he would
give one of them to the first suitable Prince who visited his Court. The
Queen answered:
‘My daughter certainly ought to be the first to be married; she is older
than yours, and a thousand times more charming!’
The King, who hated disputes, said, ‘Very well, it’s no affair of mine,
settle it your own way.’
Very soon after came the news that King Charming, who was the most
handsome and magnificent Prince in all the country round, was on his
way to visit the King. As soon as the Queen heard this, she set all
her jewellers, tailors, weavers, and embroiderers to work upon splendid
dresses and ornaments for Turritella, but she told the King that
Fiordelisa had no need of anything new, and the night before the King
was to arrive, she bribed her waiting woman to steal away all the
Princess’s own dresses and jewels, so that when the day came, and
Fiordelisa wished to adorn herself as became her high rank, not even a
ribbon could she find.
However, as she easily guessed who had played her such a trick, she made
no complaint, but sent to the merchants for some rich stuffs. But they
said that the Queen had expressly forbidden them to supply her with any,
and they dared not disobey. So the Princess had nothing left to put
on but the little white frock she had been wearing the day before; and
dressed in that, she went down when the time of the King’s arrival came,
and sat in a corner hoping to escape notice. The Queen received her
guest with great ceremony, and presented him to her daughter, who was
gorgeously attired, but so much splendour only made her ugliness more
noticeable, and the King, after one glance at her, looked the other way.
The Queen, however, only thought that he was bashful, and took pains to
keep Turritella in full view. King Charming then asked it there was not
another Princess, called Fiordelisa.
‘Yes,’ said Turritella, pointing with her finger, ‘there she is, trying
to keep out of sight because she is not smart.’
At this Fiordelisa blushed, and looked so shy and so lovely, that the
King was fairly astonished. He rose, and bowing low before her, said--
‘Madam, your incomparable beauty needs no adornment.’
‘Sire,’ answered the Princess, ‘I assure you that I am not in the habit
of wearing dresses as crumpled and untidy as this one, so I should have
been better pleased if you had not seen me at all.’
‘Impossible!’ cried King Charming. ‘Wherever such a marvellously
beautiful Princess appears I can look at nothing else.’