The Prinzessin has scoured many universes for only the best tales. I hope these are to your liking, fellow wanderers.
Once upon a time, in a distant world, there lived a girl with hair as golden as spun silk. Her father was the king of a powerful nation, and she lived in complete comfort. Until one fateful day when her mother fell ill. As she lay dying, she told her husband, “Promise me this, you shall not marry anyone who is less beautiful than me.”
Over the years following her mother’s demise, her father looked desperately for another wife. He wished for someone who could match his wife’s beauty, however, even when he searched the entirety of his kingdom he could not find a woman fit for a wife. Everyday the girl sat at her wheel and spun silk of many colours into a beautiful dresses that caught the light with every turn. After many years of searching, and the girl had come of age, the king looked at her one day and realised that she resembled his deceased wife in every way.
The kings men were horrified to hear that he had fallen in love with his own daughter, and they desperately tried to convince him to make another decision. The daughter was even more horrified when she heard her father's decision. Hoping to dissuade him from his intentions, she said to him, "Before I fulfill your wish, I will have three dresses: one as golden as the sun, one as silver as the moon, and one that glistens like the stars. Furthermore, I ask for a cloak put together from a thousand kinds of pelts and fur. Every animal in your kingdom must contribute to it." She thought, "That will be impossible for him to achieve, and I shall be free from this fate.”
But the king did not give in, and had the most skilled craftsmen in his kingdom to weave the three dresses, one as golden as the sun, one as silver as the moon, and one that glistened like the stars. And sent his huntsmen to capture all the animals in his entire kingdom and take a piece of skin from each one. From these a cloak of a thousand kinds of fur was made.
When the daughter heard that her father had managed to complete the tasks she had set him, she realised that there was no changing her fathers mind, and made the decision to run. One night, as the moon shone out in a bright crescent, the girl picked three things from her valuables, a ring, a diamond necklace and a tiny golden spinning wheel. She then folded the three dresses into the size of a thimble. She stowed all her belongings in her pockets and donned the cloak of a thousand furs. Then she set off towards a neighbouring kingdom.
The next day, when the sun rose up from its deep slumber, the girl was still asleep, hidden in the nook of a tree. It came to pass that the prince who owned the woods was hunting in them. When his dogs approached the tree they ran around it barking.
The prince said to the huntsmen. "See what kind of wild animal is hiding there." The huntsman approached the tree and cried “It is like nothing we have seen, it has a pelt of a thousand furs.
As the thing awoke, the prince realised this was no animal. A girl dressed in a cloak of furs stepped neatly out of the tree. “By the gods! It’s a girl!” Some cried out, however, the prince remained calm. “Girl, tell me, what are you doing in this forest?” She cried out, “My mother and father have forsaken me! I have no home and no shelter!” The prince replied, “Come with us, you are fit to work, and so be it.” And so the girl joined them in the journey back to the town.
When they arrived at the castle, the girl was shown to the king, who was curious as to who she was, “Girl of a thousand furs. Why are you in my castle, what good do you bring?”
“I am good for nothing, yet my heart is true.”
“Who are you?” The king tried.
“I am but a child, forsaken by my own mother and father.”
And the king could shed no light on the mystery of the girl in a cloak of a thousand furs. “Send her to a cubbyhole, if what she says is true, then she is in need of shelter.” And the guards marched the girl to a small room beside the kitchen. They told her, “Be glad you were found by the prince, Thousandfurs.”
One day, the king ordered that a brilliant ball must be held, and that when a ball is held, a feast should be held as well. The girl wished to take part, and so she waited until the halls were quiet. Then she scrubbed the dirt from her face and hands and put on the dress that was as golden as the sun.
When she got to the ballroom, people gracefully stepped out of her way. It reminded her of when she was truly a princess. When the prince laid his eyes upon her his heart was already hopelessly in love. When they danced they seemed so perfect that many couples stopped dancing to admire the display. When the dance had stopped the girl disappeared, much to the dismay of the prince. When she went back downstairs she took off her dress and once again became Thousandfurs.
She watched as the food was brought back and forth, and heard that there was no one in the kitchen. She was terribly hungry and entered the kitchen in order to have some food. She saw the plate of food that was being prepared for the prince, she hastily took out the golden ring from her pocket and hid it amongst the food. She scurried back to her room just in time.
Out in the ballroom, the feast was being held. As the prince was about to eat, he saw a glint of gold in his food. He held it up to the light and realised it was a ring. The prince was perplexed by this, but soon forgot as the feast went on.
The next week another ball was scheduled, and the girl donned her dress that was as silver as the moon and stepped into the ballroom. The prince was glad that she had returned and they danced together once more. When the dance had ended, the girl disappeared again. She ran downstairs and put on the cloak and rubbed ashes onto her face and hands. When she heard no voices she ran into the kitchen and saw the prince’s meal. She took the golden necklace from her pocket and placed it in the bowl. Then the girl ran back to her room and busied herself with folding up her dress.
The prince again found an object in his food, this time it was a golden necklace. He again stayed silent and simply tucked the necklace into his pocket. His thoughts were preoccupied with the girl who kept coming to the ball.
For the third time the king held a ball. And once again the girl made her way to the ballroom. This time she had put on the dress that glistened like the stars. As they danced the prince managed to slip the ring onto her finger. When she saw that the feast was to begin, she tore herself away from him and pelted down the steps. She didn’t take her dress off, instead she flung her cloak on top of it. She covered herself in ashes, in her haste she didn’t notice the ring on her finger.
She quickly went to the kitchen and put the little golden spinning wheel among the prince’s food. She hurried out of the kitchen, and right into the cooks. They immediately took her to the king and explained that they had caught her placing the little golden spinning wheel in the prince’s food. As the king was about to fly into a rage the prince stood up.
“Are you the one who placed the ring and the necklace in my food?” He asked.
“Yes.” She replied, looking at the floor.
The prince saw the ring on her finger.
“Are you the girl who is coming to the ball to dance?”
The girl opened her cloak and revealed the dress that shone like the stars. “Yes, I have been coming to dance with you.”
“Then I have only one question for you, will you be my wife?”
The girl thought for a moment, and looked up with a smile on her lips. She said,
“No thank you, I only wanted to repay you for your kindness.” And then the girl disappeared in a flash of fur, leaving only a golden ring sparkling on the stone of the ballroom.
Over the years, rumours spread of a wild beast with a pelt of a thousand furs. When the prince heard of this, he only smiled and said “Well, I hope she’s alright.”