The Princesses and the
Pink Pearl

Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Lockexsa. It was a typical kingdom with a king, queen, a court with noblemen and, of course, the King's subjects. One of these was a young peasant girl named Bedorah. She was very pretty with long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and the most infectious smile. Everyone in the local village loved her and she, them. There wasn't anyone to which she wouldn't say, "Hello". Her heart was very large and full of love.

One day she was playing down by the shore and she met a new friend. His name was Chardir. He came from another kingdom not far away and was visiting because his kingdom was trading silks and linens for flour and grains. Bedorah didn't know Chardir was actually a prince and was under the watchful eye of the King's most trusted noblemen.

Bedorah and Chardir became fast friends and enjoyed playing together along the shore. He would help her build sand castles and she would help him find shells on the beach. They would laugh and run, trying to dodge the waves that were rushing up on the sand. They agreed to meet on the shore every month when the ships came to trade. That was always the day of the first full moon of each month.

Time passed and each month they would meet and have fun. One time when they met on the beach, Chardir suggested they pretend they were attending a beautiful formal ball. Bedorah was shy and apprehensive about attempting such a grand fantasy.
"How can I attend a ball?" Bedorah said. "I can pretend to wear a lovely gown, but I can't pretend to dance like a true lady."
Chardir laughed and said, "Don't worry. I will teach you."
Remember, Bedorah, after all these months still didn't know Chardir was a prince.

He coached her while humming his favorite waltzes. She would trip over his feet and fall onto the sand, laughing. Chardir would laugh too and help Bedorah back to her feet so they could try again. Time and time again, she would fall or, even more embarrassing, step on his shoes with her bare feet. Of course, Chardir didn’t mind. He was having too much fun. After many months of practicing, Bedorah became quite good and looked forward to listening to Chardir hum the waltzes he had learned in his own kingdom.

One day, on the day of the first full moon of the month, Bedorah went to the beach to meet up with Chardir, but he wasn't there. He always got there before she did, but she waited patiently. Hours passed, and Chardir never appeared. Sad and disappointed, she returned to her village. She never gave up hope. Each day of the first full moon, she went to the beach, and each time she was saddened.

One time, after waiting for hours, she left the beach, but instead of walking the long way around the woods, she decided to take a shortcut through the woods because it was going to be dark soon.

Bedorah had heard many stories about a wicked witch that lived in the woods, but no one had actually seen her. The stories were often told by boys who thought they could scare Bedorah because they knew she was brave.

Bedorah had walked deep into the woods as the sun was slowly setting beyond the trees. The shadows of the trees seemed to be playing tricks on Bedorah. She thought she was seeing figures hiding behind the trees. First to the right. Then to the left. She even stopped and turned to look and listen behind her. Nothing. Just silence. When she turned back around, she was face to face with the witch she had heard about.

The witch screamed, "What are you doing in MY woods?! You don’t belong here!"
Bedorah stood there in silence, staring straight into the face of her challenger.
"I’ve seen you down by the shore making a fool of yourself with that boy. He probably thinks you’re pretty, the way he carries on while you two were dancing. Well, I’ll fix that! You must be punished for trespassing into MY woods. I will make you the ugliest girl in the village, and no one will want to play with you or be your friend."

The witch cast her spell, and within seconds, Bedorah’s beautiful face was transformed into something hideous. Bedorah could feel the pain as the transformation was taking place. As quickly as the witch appeared, she vanished, leaving Bedorah crying from the pain she was enduring and the agony that was sure to come.

When she reached her home, even her own parents didn’t recognize her. Only the sweet sound of her lilting voice was the key to proving it was truly their daughter. Bedorah did lose all of her friends, just as the witch predicted. She couldn’t do anything fun anymore. All she could do was work in the King’s castle. Since she was the newest subject to work in the king’s kitchen, she got the worst job of all. She was delegated to opening oysters. It was filthy, smelly work, but she never complained.

Week after week she worked, and the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years, yet she never complained about her plight. That was a testament to her character. She never wanted to be felt sorry for or pitied.

One day when she arrived at the castle, her usual quota of oysters was piled high before her on the table. All day she opened oysters. The day was finally coming to an end, and she was counting down the last of the oyster shells. Only six, and she would be done for the day.

Bedorah picked up an oyster and opened it. Inside, she found the most beautiful white pearl. Everyone was excited, for surely the King would be pleased. The pearl was taken from her, and she was told to get back to work. Dutifully, Bedorah went back to her table, and upon opening the next oyster, she found another white pearl! It was larger and more beautiful than the first. But she didn't stop. She opened the next, and the next, and the next, and in each oyster, she found a pearl that was larger, whiter, and more brilliant than the one before.

She had one oyster left. Could it be possible that the miracle of the five white pearls would be extended to six? Bedorah slowly opened the last oyster, but there was no white pearl. Instead, there was a black pearl! The rarest of the rare! It was worth more than all the other pearls combined. The legend of the black pearl was known far and wide to have magical powers, but no one had actually seen any magic.

All the pearls were brought to the King, and he was very pleased. He would award a pearl to each of his five daughters, but once the daughters found out there was a black pearl, each of them thought they deserved the black pearl.

"I deserve it because I have the prettiest eyes," said the first daughter.
"I deserve it because I have the prettiest skin," said the second daughter.
"But I deserve it because I have the rosiest cheeks," said another.
"But I have the most luscious lips," said the fourth daughter.
The fifth daughter said, "But I have the cutest nose."

The king became furious that his daughters were squabbling over the magical pearl.
"Enough!!" he said. "There is only one way to resolve this fairly. All six pearls will be placed in a bag, and each will draw from the bag."

"But what should happen if none of us draws the black pearl?" the daughters complained.

The king was always fair and very wise. After deep thought, he announced that the person who found the pearls should also have the opportunity to draw from the bag. Not only that, but she would be allowed to attend the Grand Ball and have a chance to meet the prince from the nearby kingdom. It was often discussed between the two kings that there should be an alliance between them to strengthen their trade and also provide for their mutual protection. What better way to secure that alliance than through a marriage with one of the king's daughters?

The daughters were excited about this prospect because they had heard the young prince was very handsome and extremely chivalrous.

One of the daughters said, "I'm sure the prince will choose me because my seamstress will make my gown from the finest silks," said the first daughter.
"Mine will be the most beautiful because my gown will be made from the finest linens," said the second daughter.
The third daughter said, "I will be the most beautiful because my gown will be made of the finest lace."
"My seamstress will make my gown the most beautiful because she can stitch the most beautiful designs into any fabric," said the fourth daughter.
The fifth daughter said, "My gown will be made of the most luxurious colors, so my seamstress will make me the most beautiful at the ball."

Again, the King was furious at their vanity. He would have to think of something to stop this nonsense.

Even though each daughter could choose her own fabrics and colors, the King stipulated that each daughter would wear the pearl they had pulled from the bag on their right wrist. This way, it would be noticed by the Prince.

The King called for Bedorah and told her the good news about his decision regarding the pearls. When he looked upon her, he took pity on her. How could he make her desirable enough to attend the King’s Grand Ball? No one could look at this poor girl and not be repulsed. The King told Bedorah that she would be attending the ball. "But Your Majesty, I am hideous to look upon and I don’t have a gown to wear." The King consoled her and said, "I will have the queen’s seamstress make you a gown that will rival all the others."

Weeks pass and all the seamstresses worked tirelessly to provide each daughter with the most stunning gown. It was quite the competition with each seamstress doing her best according to each Princess’s instructions.

Then came the night of the Ball and the selection of the pearls from the bag. Before the festivities, all the daughters were summoned to the presence of the King’s chambers. For the first time, the daughters got to show off their gowns to each other and the King. The King’s daughters were giddy with excitement until they saw what each of the sisters had done with the silks, the linens, the lace and the colors. Even though they outwardly commented on how lovely the other sister’s gowns were, they secretly thought their gown in particular was the best looking.

Then without fanfare, Bedorah was escorted into the King’s chambers. Her gown was exquisite! The Queen’s seamstress had combined just the perfect amount of linen, silk, lace and colors. The beautiful gown made her look as if she could have been a daughter of the King. Her inner beauty had his thoughtfulness, his caring and his wisdom while she had the grace, charm, elegance and loving heart of the Queen.

Upon seeing Bedorah for the first time, the King’s daughters whispered that the Prince would never choose someone so ugly. The King overheard the whispers and became angry at their haughty attitude and decided to put a stop to it. The King commanded that each daughter would wear a veil to cover their face and that Bedorah would wear one also.

Now was the time for the drawing of the pearls.

The first daughter put her hand in the bag and pulled out a white pearl. Disappointed, she put the pearl on her wrist and lowered the veil over her face. The next daughter put her hand in the bag and also pulled out a white pearl. She placed the pearl on her wrist and lowered her veil. The third daughter did the same as the first two and she too, pulled out a white pearl. The fourth daughter had the same luck as the previous three and drew out a white pearl. Now the fifth daughter was feeling pretty confident that she would draw the black pearl. After all, there were only two pearls left in the bag. She was thinking how jealous the other sisters would be when she pulled out what she felt for sure would be the black pearl. To her dismay, she drew out the last white pearl.

As Bedorah pulled out the black pearl from the bag, she gazed at it with wonderment. Now that she had time to look at it more closely, she had never seen anything so beautiful. It generated a warmth when she held it in her hand.

Bedorah was not aware of what had transpired between the King and his daughters. She did not know of their pettiness and their jealousies and how it came down to the decision of drawing the pearls from the bag. All she knew was that she was to follow the directions of the King so she slipped the pearl over her wrist and pulled the veil over her face.

They were all escorted into the ballroom at the commencement of the music and seated with three of the daughters on the right side of the King and the other two daughters and Bedorah seated to the left side of the queen. The King then gestured for everyone to get up and dance. There were Counts and Countesses, Ambassadors and their wives, dignitaries and the like and important people who counsel the King from time to time on important matters of State.

The festivities had been going on for a little while when the trumpets announced the arrival of the Prince and his entourage. As he entered the great hall, he was announced by the King's Lord Stewart. "Your Majesty, may I present the Prince of Westcodor." As he walked through the center of the ballroom towards the King and Queen you could hear the murmurs from the attendees. "He is so handsome", the ladies whispered. They were close enough to see his piercing brown eyes and brown wavy hair and manly chiseled look. The Prince even caught the men by surprise. "He is quite a dashing figure", the men could be heard saying. "He does have a commanding presence befitting one of royalty." As he came closer, the daughters could see he was as handsome as the rumors inferred.

The Prince was not at a loss either. He had heard that each of the King's daughters were stunningly beautiful. But that's not all the Prince was looking for. He wanted someone to share the love he had for the people of his kingdom. Someone he could talk to, have fun with, take a walk through his gardens and have understanding and compassion for people less fortunate than he.

Seeing that each of the Princesses was wearing a veil, it would actually be less distracting for him. All he had to do was dance and talk with each of the Princesses. How clever and wise it was for the King to put emphasis on the inner beauty and not the outward appearance.

"Your Majesty, I am Prince Chardir." Bedorah was astonished! Could this be the same boy with whom she had played on the shore? "No. It couldn't be possible", she said to herself. "He was just a peasant boy visiting and learning the trade business from his father on the ship." Still, she wondered.

The music began and Prince Chardir took the hand of the Princess to the far right of the King. He led her to the dance floor and began to dance. They talked as they waltzed to the beautiful music. After the music ended, he escorted the Princess back to her seat and then took the outstretched hand of the second Princess and led her to the floor. They danced and chatted like old friends.

Each dance allowed Prince Chardir to talk to each Princess. He learned their likes and dislikes and got a good insight into their personalities. With each Princess it seemed there was an underlying current that they weren't really being themselves. The Prince was gifted to have this unique ability. It came in handy when dealing with Heads of State of other kingdoms.

One by one, the Prince danced with each of the Princesses. He finally got to Bedorah sitting to the far left of the Queen. She accepted the outstretched hand of the Prince and then he guided her to the center of the floor. The music started and as if by coincidence, it was one of her favorite waltzes that the Prince would hum on the beach so many years ago. They danced beautifully together like it was only yesterday when they were waltzing on the beach.

They began to talk but Bedorah never revealed her name. The Prince enjoyed the conversation but there was something familiar in her voice. It was as if he had heard it somewhere before. There was a special lilt in her voice and the way she would laugh made it taunt his memory.

Their dance was over and Prince Chardir escorted Bedorah back to her seat. He started all over again dancing with the first Princess and having a conversation. As each dance progressed with each Princess, the Prince became more disillusioned with their topics and interests of discussion. They all became uninteresting. All of them except Bedorah. Something about her was enchanting. It seemed that she reminded him of his carefree younger days.

Through the night he was dancing more and more with Bedorah. The Prince enjoyed the resonance of her soothing voice and her laughter filled his heart with happiness. He finally noticed the black pearl on her wrist. She said she had heard that it had magical powers and could do miracles but had never seen one. Prince Chardir said he too had heard stories of the miracles it could perform. Their dance was over so they walked out onto the balcony where they could talk away from the others.

Then from underneath the veil, Prince Chardir could hear Bedorah crying. "Why are you crying?", the Prince said as he took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and gave it to Bedorah. "Oh Chardir! It is I, Bedorah." "Let me see you!", the Prince said excitedly. "No!", she said, sobbing into the handkerchief. "A witch cast an evil spell on me and made me hideous to look upon. That's why I'm wearing this veil."

Prince Chardir held Bedorah close to comfort her in her misery. In a calm and soothing voice he reassured her. "As I have said before, I have heard of the magical powers of the black pearl even in my own Kingdom and one according to legend could be helpful. If each of us hold the black pearl and we have true love for each other, then all curses will be lifted and if the pearl turns pink, then you will have true love to last forever."

Bedorah was hesitant because she would never want Chardir to see how ugly she was but she knew how deeply she loved the Prince but did he really love her. There was only one way to find out.

Chardir removed the pearl from Bedorah's wrist and placed it in the right palm of Bedorah. Chardir clasped his right hand over hers and held it tightly.

Suddenly, a breeze started swirling around them. Sparkles of colored dust and lights then appeared around their shoes and up to their knees and then to their shoulders and finally around their heads. Just as quickly as it came, the breeze died down.

Prince Chardir started to lift the veil from Bedorah but she grabbed his hands. "But what if it didn't work?", she said. The Prince replied, "If it didn't work, then you don't truly love me because I have loved you from the day I first met you on the beach of Oläxseck."

Bedorah reluctantly let go of Chardir's hands and he slowly lifted the veil. It revealed a woman who was more beautiful than the girl he met on the beach. Then they kissed for the very first time. The black pearl they were holding turned from black to pink right before their eyes.

They returned to the King and Queen to show them the miracle of the pearl and announced their engagement. The King and Queen were overjoyed and proclaimed, "From this day forward let it be known far and wide that their union be blessed and that they should live happily ever after."