One dark and stormy night, rain fell on a big castle. Inside, Prince Mark sat by the fire with his mother, the Queen. BOOM! A loud knock came at the door. "Who could that be on such a wet night?" asked the Queen. The Butler opened the big door. There stood a young woman in a wet blue dress. "Please," she said, shaking from the cold. "I am a princess from a far land. I lost my way in the storm. May I stay here tonight?" The Prince looked curious. The Queen raised an eyebrow. You see, the Prince had been looking for a real princess to marry. The Queen wanted to be sure this girl was truly a princess. But how should they find out?
The Queen whispered to her Housekeeper. They had a special test in mind. "Of course you may stay," said the Queen with a smile. "We will give you a warm bed." The Housekeeper led the staff to work fast. They went to a big guest room. First, they put one tiny pea on the bed frame. Then they put twenty soft mattresses on top of the pea. Then they put twenty fluffy feather beds on top of those! The bed was now so tall, they needed a little ladder to climb up. "Your room is ready," said the Butler, leading the young woman up. The Prince watched as the girl in the wet blue dress looked at the very tall bed.
The young woman looked at the tall bed and smiled. "How kind of you to give me such a lovely place to sleep!" She grabbed the little ladder and started to climb. Up, up, up she went! Her wet blue dress dripped on each step. When she got to the top, she sank into the soft feather beds. "Good night!" she called down to everyone. The Prince and Queen left the room. The Butler closed the door. "Now we wait until morning," whispered the Queen to her son. "A real princess would feel that tiny pea under all those mattresses." All night long, the storm went tap-tap-tap on the windows. The wind went whoosh through the trees. Inside the guest room, the young woman tossed and turned. Something wasn't right. Something small and hard pressed against her back. She tried lying on her left side. Then her right side. Then her back. Then her front. No matter how she lay, she could feel something poking through all those soft beds! Morning came at last. The sun peeked through the windows.
The young woman climbed down the tall ladder. Her blue dress was now dry, but she looked very tired. She walked slowly to the breakfast room, where the Queen, Prince, and castle staff waited. "Good morning," she said with a yawn. "Thank you for the bed, but I must tell you something." The Queen leaned forward in her chair. The Prince watched closely. "I could not sleep at all last night," said the young woman. "There was something hard in my bed. Like a small rock or seed. I felt it through all the soft beds!" The Queen's eyes lit up. The Prince smiled wide. The Butler and Housekeeper looked at each other with knowing looks. "Only a real princess could feel a tiny pea under twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds!" said the Queen with joy. The Prince jumped up from his chair. "You are a true princess!" he said. The young woman looked confused. "A pea? Under all those beds?" The Queen explained their special test. The young woman's eyes grew wide.
The princess's cheeks turned pink. "Oh dear," she said softly. "I didn't mean to complain about your lovely bed. I feel so silly now." The Prince walked over to her with a kind smile. "Please don't feel silly," he said. "You showed us something very special about yourself." The Housekeeper brought warm tea and fresh bread for breakfast. "A true princess has a gentle heart," she said, setting down the tray. "And being honest about your feelings is important," added the Queen. "Even when you think others might not understand." The princess sipped her tea, feeling better. The warm sunlight filled the breakfast room, making everything glow. "Would you like to see our castle gardens?" asked the Prince. "The rain has made all the flowers fresh and bright."
"I would love to see the gardens," said the princess. "But first, may I help clean up from breakfast?" The Butler and Housekeeper looked surprised. No guest had ever asked to help before! "That's very kind," said the Housekeeper with a warm smile. "But you don't need to..." "Please," said the princess. "Where I come from, everyone helps each other. Even princesses wash dishes!" The Prince watched as the princess rolled up her blue dress sleeves. She carried plates to the kitchen with the Housekeeper. "Look at that," whispered the Queen to her son. "She has a true princess heart - kind and helpful to all." In the kitchen, the princess dried dishes while the Housekeeper washed them. They talked and laughed together. The Butler brought more dishes, smiling at how the princess made such a simple task feel fun. When they finished, the princess's blue dress was a bit wet again from the water splashes. But her smile was bright. "Now," she said, turning to the Prince. "I would love to see those gardens you mentioned!"
The Prince led the princess through tall glass doors into the castle gardens. The morning sun made tiny raindrops sparkle on every leaf and flower. "The roses are my favorite," said the Prince, walking down a stone path. "They smell even sweeter after the rain." The princess gasped when she saw the rose garden. Red, pink, and white roses climbed up wooden posts. Yellow roses made a sunny arch over their heads. "It's beautiful!" she said, touching a pink rose petal softly. "We have roses at home, but none as lovely as these." A small bird hopped close to them, shaking water from its wings. The princess knelt down and held very still. The bird came closer. "Look," she whispered to the Prince. "He's not afraid at all." The Prince watched as more garden birds came near. They seemed to know the princess was gentle and kind. Just then, they heard music coming from inside the castle. The Butler was playing the piano, and the sweet notes floated through the open windows.
The Prince turned to the princess, his heart full of joy. "Would you stay here with us?" he asked softly. "Not just for today, but forever?" The princess's eyes sparkled like morning dew. "Yes," she whispered. "I would love that very much." The Queen watched from the castle window, smiling as her son and the princess walked among the roses. The little birds sang happy songs, and the sun made everything glow with golden light. Soon, the castle rang with wedding bells. The Butler and Housekeeper decorated every room with fresh flowers. And that tiny pea? The Queen put it in a special glass case, where it sits to this day. The Prince and Princess lived happily in the castle, ruling their kingdom with kindness and grace. They never forgot that true worth shows itself in the gentlest of ways - just like a tiny pea under twenty mattresses. And every rainy night, they made sure to welcome any traveler who knocked at their door, because you never know when someone special might come calling. The End
