Story: The Prince, the Princess, and the Corgi

(Pembroke Welsh Corgi via Wikimedia Commons)

A very long time ago, there was a princess named Piper. Princess Piper had just turned 21 years old and needed to find a husband that could help her rule the kingdom when she became of age. She had been looking for her potential husband for almost two years, but she knew she had not found “the one.”

            Once a month, Princess Piper’s mother and father, the queen and father of the kingdom, introduced Piper and her corgi named Chowder to a new guy. One by one, Chowder sniffed the young men and always barked angrily when she did not approve. Princess Piper’s parents were growing extremely impatient.

            “You need to choose a husband. We are running out of time! If you do not pick a husband, we are going to have to choose one for you,” her mother said.

            “It is not my fault! You should be thankful that I have such high standards,” Princess Piper replied. All Princess Piper wanted was a funny, outgoing, generous guy who got along with Chowder. The first three traits were a dime a dozen in the kingdom. However, finding a guy who got along with Chowder was a much harder task. Princess Piper insisted that it was not Chowder’s fault – Chowder simply was able to smell if someone was not a good guy deep down.  

            “Chowder just wants the best for me,” Princess Piper insisted when her father suggested that she meet the rest of the suitors without Chowder by her side. Piper’s mother rolled her eyes in frustration while the father looked defeated.

            One by one, Princess Piper and Chowder rejected practically all of the suitors in the kingdom. Princess Piper was already mentally preparing for her parents to choose her husband when she was getting ready to meet the next suitor. Princess Piper sat down on her throne with Chowder at her side, waiting for the suitor to walk in. There was a subtle knock on the door and the guard quickly opened it to reveal a handsome young man with deep brown hair and emerald green eyes.

            “Hi, sorry I am a little early. My name is William – but my friends call me Will,” he said as he bowed. The guard motioned Will to step closer to the throne so that Chowder could smell him. Slightly confused, he hesitantly stepped up the stairs towards the throne.

            Chowder slowly sniffed the young man, with a curious look in her eye. She paused for a few moments, and then remained silent. Princess Piper peered down at Chowder, waiting for her to bark – but she never did.

            Princess Piper’s parents Will all stayed quiet for a few minutes. A smile grew on Piper’s face, knowing that this was the man she was meant to marry. She looked over at her parents and nodded, silently confirming that Will was “the one.” The king and the queen sighed in relief and ran over to hug Will. Princess Piper and Will set a wedding date and lived happily ever after. 

Bibliography: "The Princess and the Pea" from Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen; link to the reading online 

Author's Note: In the original version of the story, a prince is the main character. The prince is trying to find a princess but none of them are "real" princesses, so he had to test them all. The final princess he tested had to sleep on a ton of mattresses with a pea underneath to see if she felt it and she did, proving she was a real princess. In my version of the story, I wanted to make a princess the main character and add an animal to the storyline as well.