In a remote, small kingdom, there lived a princess who was not very beautiful.
As in all fairy tales, by the princess’s side, there was a knight who was not very handsome.
Life was plain, but the love between the princess and the knight was happy and fulfilling.
One day, a bard came to this remote little kingdom, bringing beautiful songs and tales of a dragon-slaying hero.
The bard left, but the songs remained.
Listening to people singing the hero’s deeds, the princess said to the knight, “My dear, go slay a dragon.”
The knight replied, “No, my love, I should stay by your side. No glory is worth leaving you to take such a risk.”
Hearing this, the princess cried, very sadly. She felt that she had fallen in love with a man without ambition.
Seeing the princess in tears, the knight sighed deeply, began packing his things, and prepared to set off on the journey to slay the dragon.
The princess broke into a smile and worked all night to embroider a beautiful handkerchief for the knight.
“When you see the handkerchief, you’ll think of me,” the princess said as she handed it to the knight before he left. “I will always wait for your return.”
“I will definitely come back,” the knight said, taking the handkerchief and carefully placing it in his inner pocket. “I promise!”
…
A day passed…
A month passed…
A year passed…
…
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed, and the castle gates were finally pushed open. The princess rushed out and saw the returning knight.
His armor and shield were covered in dents, his sword was chipped but still gleamed, and in his hand was the head of a dragon. The once not-so-handsome knight now looked radiant.
The princess laughed happily and ran toward the knight, but suddenly noticed another princess standing behind him.
The new princess was very beautiful, with eyes like a clear lake, lips like coral, hair like the night sky, and skin like alabaster.
The princess looked at the knight in disbelief. The knight pulled a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
“I defeated the dragon and rescued her. And I have decided, I will become her groom.”
“I said I would return, so I have come back to tell you this and return this handkerchief.”
With a bit of shyness, a bit of happiness, and a bit of pride, the knight turned and left with the new princess.
“Thank you. If you hadn’t pushed me back then, I wouldn’t have the happiness I have today.”
The princess collapsed to the ground, and the knight’s words echoed in the empty hall of the castle…
Short stories shared for free on our ” Sitestorys “. Thank you for reading!
