the prince and the farm girl
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a handsome prince. He lived a happy and contented life in the court of his father, the king, and his prospects for a bright future ahead were excellent. His affairs were rolling along nicely, the whole royal family enjoyed immense popularity among the people, and they had long since been at peace with all the neighbouring kingdoms.
Of course, as he would one day be king, the prince could have had any girl he wished, and indeed, there were many beautiful princesses living in the surrounding palaces. Yet the prince was not interested in any one of them. For the maid that he had fallen for was a farm girl, who was employed by his father to look after the farm animals in the court.
Naturally, it was quite unconscionable for a prince such as he to consider even any association with a lowly farm girl such as her. It simply would not do for a maid of such modest background to be permitted to sit on a queen’s throne. Yet the prince simply could not stop thinking about her. There must have been something about her that only he could see. Not even he himself could find the words to express why he loved her so much. Of all the thousands of girls in the kingdom, he had to choose this particular one. So one day, when he could stand it no longer, he went to visit her to confess his love for her and to ask her if she would one day like to become his wife. Naturally, this would also mean that she would be queen of all the kingdom.
The farm girl was indeed different to other girls. She was not interested in a life of pomp or in beautiful dresses or in the splendour of the queen’s office. She was not shy and preferred people who spoke their minds. She answered, “that is all very well, but how can I know that you really love me?” The prince was completely taken aback for he certainly did not expect her to give him an answer like this. So he replied, “I will prove it to you. Tell me whatever it is that you want me to do”! “This is what I want you to do,” said the farm girl. “You have to live for one hundred days here in this pigsty and do my work for me. Once you have shown me that you can do that, I will be your wife.”
Surely there was nothing greater in the world that the farm girl could have asked of him. What a disgrace it would be for a prince to be seen to be doing such lowly and grimy labour. But the love that the prince felt surpassed any feeling of humiliation, and so the very next day, he arrived for work and set about mucking out the pigsty. Meanwhile the girl sat herself upon a stool and watched him as he worked. Before long, the events in the pigsty were the talk of the town. The court officials began gossiping about the prince and soon everyone in the land was saying that the prince had lost his mind for the love of a farm girl. Of course, it did not take long for the news to reach the ministers, and finally, the king.
One day, when the prince had been living in the pigsty and feeding the pigs for one week, his father summoned him. “My son – what is it this that I have heard? Don’t you realise that you can have any girl you want? Why on earth, of all the girls in the world, have you chosen this foul maid? Not only are you bringing our whole kingdom into disgrace, but, you must realise that you are ruining your own life.” But the king was unable to sway the prince. “My father – when you love somebody, how can any price be too high, any way too long or any disgrace too severe?” When he heard these words, his father could think of nothing more to say.
The weeks went past. Every morning, the prince came to the pigsty and commenced his work. Night after night he slept in the hay. And the farm girl watched him attentively.
One day, when more than half of the agreed number of days had passed, the queen summoned her son to her. The prince expected that she too would remind him once again of his sense of honour and that he should not forget the things that behoved a prince. But his mother had something completely different to tell him. “My son, when you have laboured for one hundred days and made a fool of yourself for one hundred days, then she will know that you love her. And she will become your wife, for this is what you have agreed. But how will you know that she loves you? Love is not something to be earned. Love is a gift.”
The words of his mother were like a dagger to the heart. The following night he was unable to sleep. He paced the sty back and forth, wondering what he should do. When the morning came, he came to a decision. It made him sad, but he knew it was the right decision.
That morning, the prince went to work as usual and tended the animals. And again, his beloved farm girl watched him as he worked. The day went by as had all the days before, and as would all the days hence – until it was the ninety-ninth day. On the evening after the ninety-ninth day, he returned to his room in the palace and slept in his own bed.
On the hundredth day, he did not return to the pigsty. He put on mourning clothes and refused to eat even a morsel. For he had not fulfilled the task given to him by the farm girl.
The reader may now choose his preferred ending. Both story endings are true.
First ending
The prince wished so deeply that the farm girl would feel the same about him as he did about her. “Oh if she would only come up to the gate and ask for me!” He spent the whole day expectantly watching the small path that led up to the royal apartments, and every time he heard footsteps, his heartbeat rose for a moment. And every time the footsteps faded away again, his heart became a little bit smaller.
The prince would never see the farm girl again.
Second ending
The farm girl was horrified not to see the prince on the hundredth day. She was quite convinced that he would complete his final day in the pigsty without complaint, as he had done on all of the other ninety-nine days, and that she would soon be his wife. This was the day that she had been longing for all this time.
In her desperation, she ran to the gate leading to the royal family’s apartments and shouted his name. Again and again. After she had screamed his name as loud as she could for several hours, the prince was finally informed. The prince hurried straight to the gate, kissed her, and asked her once again if she would be his wife.
