Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivian Vande Velde Page A

"she certainly is very intelligent and eloquent."
    Prince Royal went to bed, planning that in the morning he would ask Princess Courtney to marry him, since she was obviously the most perfect princess in the world. But no sooner had he set his head to his pillow than he heard a loud scream from the princess's bedroom.
    The prince, the queen, and all the servants ran to the princess's door. "Courtney, angel," Prince Royal called, "what's the matter?"
    Princess Courtney threw open the door and stood leaning weakly against the door frame, one hand pressed to her back.
    "What happened?" Prince Royal asked, putting his arm around her because she was obviously shaken.
    Princess Courtney pointed to the bed. "That, that...
thing!
"
    "The bed, my dear?" asked the queen, as though perhaps Princess Courtney had forgotten the word.
    "That torture device," Princess Courtney said. "What's the mattress stuffed with?"
    The queen went to the bed and pressed against the mattress. "Why, it's stuffed with the down of baby swans, the way all our mattresses are. Do you have allergies?"
    "Of course not," the princess snapped. "But your baby swans feel as if they must have rocks and shards of glass instead of down. Don't you feel the lumps and bumps and sharp things?"
    The queen felt and felt but could find nothing.
    Prince Royal hugged Princess Courtney and said, "The most perfect princesses are very delicate."
    "Yes," the queen said. "Well, someone go fetch another mattress."
    Another mattress was brought and was set upon the first.
    "I'm sure that will be much better," Princess Courtney said.
    Prince Royal kissed her hand good night and everybody trooped out of the room.
    But Prince Royal had no sooner closed the door to his room than he heard a horrible shriek from Princess Courtney's room.
    Everybody met once again in front of her door, calling out, "What is it? What's happened?"
    Princess Courtney flung open the door, moaning and holding on to her back with both hands this time. "Oh, the anguish, the torment!" she murmured.
    Again the queen felt the bed; again she found nothing wrong. "Bring up two more mattresses," she ordered. "And a step stool so the princess can get up." She patted the princess's shoulder. "There, there," she said. "Four mattresses will make it better."
    Princess Courtney smiled graciously.
    But once the two additional mattresses were brought and set in place—and once the queen, the prince, and all the servants had stepped out into the hall—the night was once again pierced by Princess Courtney's frantic cries for help.
    She came to the door, staggering, her hair wild, her clothes disheveled.
    Prince Royal patted her hand while the servants went to fetch the five additional mattresses and the stepladder the queen had ordered. "That makes nine mattresses in all," Prince Royal told the princess. "Surely that will be enough."
    "If not," Princess Courtney said, "I will try to bear my pain bravely."
    As Prince Royal and the queen left the room, Prince Royal whispered to his mother, "She's brave, too. Isn't she the most perfect princess you've ever seen?"
    "Well," the queen said, "she certainly is very delicate, even for a princess."
    This time Prince Royal not only made it back into his room but even into his bed. He lay his head on his pillow and thought of his brave princess. He yawned. He closed his eyes. He became aware of a sound, not a scream or a shriek or a cry, but a soft whimpering.
    Prince Royal got up and knocked on Princess Courtney's door. "Courtney, angel, is everything all right?" He could hear her sobbing.
    "Oh, the pain, the pain."
    "Courtney, angel, open the door and we'll get you more mattresses."
    "I can't," the princess cried. "I've been crippled by the pain."
    So Prince Royal had to call for the kingdom's battering ram and twelve strong men-at-arms, who knocked down the door. Prince Royal climbed up the stepladder and lifted the princess off the nine mattresses.
    "I tried so hard to be brave," she