Folk Tales No. 25

Princess and Pea ..

Comforts in life is a way of life, and to some its an extra feeling, but to some its the norm of their life. So we looked at it from one who sees it as an extra to one who felt it was their’s.

So our story began.

There was a young lady who was living with her mother in the old cottage by the countryside, and life here was simple. The young lady name is Pea, and she tends to her garden of vegetables for her nourishment. Her mum tends to the livestock as they provide the eggs and on occassion trhe meat on the table. In their cottage, the furnishings are bare but comfortable, and so was their view of their life.

Now one day, a Prince came riding by countryside, and his horse threw him off the saddle. When the bruised Prince got up from his fall, his horse has fled to the other end of the path and has no intention to return for its master. So the Prince walked his aching limbs, and tried to reach back his home. But he saw on the nearby trees, a small cottage, and like any injured person, he seeked shelther.

‘Please allow me your home to heal my injuries, for my horse has left me here. I am no evil man, but the Prince of the Court, and I seek only shelther’, the young Prince asked of the occupants of the house. He had to as both of them has their pitchforks ready to skewer him if they are unsure of his intentions.

But the kindness of the ladies was more to see an injured Prince being pushed away from their door, so they invited him in. The older lady tend to his wounds as it was not appropriate for the young one to do so. But he healed on the tender care of the younger one, who fed him his pea soup and pea pies. It can’t be helped as that was what they grew in their garden. So one day, when he was well enough to walk, he asked of the younger lady of her name.

‘Its Pea and just like the food we take since young, and Mum named me after it.’ Pea is a beautiful lady whose organic diet helped a lot, and radiant was her looks. And the sunlight helps a lot, it brought out the better qualities in her looks, and the Prince was binded to the roots of this beauty.

When he was fully recovered, the Prince said his goodbye to the kind family and left for home walking on his legs.

It was the next day, he came back with a convoy of wagons, bearing not only food, but wood to make a new extentsion to the cottage. He also the older lady for the hand of Pea as his wife. The older lady was lost for words initially but later she said; ‘If you want to marry Pea, you must get your parent’s consent.’

‘I have no parents as trhey had left for the better world. But I have a older sister, which is the Princess of the Court. I will get Pea to see her and seek her blessing.’

So both the Prince and Pea when back to the Court to seek the Princess blessing. Meanwhile the older lady instructed the builders on her new extension. No point in wasting on good woods.

Now the Princess of Court was not very responsive to the new sister in law, as she felt the Prince should marry his own ranks. But she cannot get any of her friends to come a courting with the Prince as the comfort of the home is not as comforting as before. Her current treasury does not reflect the taste of the elites as its almost empty. You see the Court has seen some bad seasons, and things were not as comfortable as before. So she had to made to do with what she had.

On the first night of the visit, Pea was shown to her room; it was larger than her cottage and farm. And in the middle of the room, was the biggest bed she has ever seen, and the highest too. The mattresses were ten stacks high to the top, and to get into bed, you needed a ladder.

‘I hoped you like the bed; its the best we can assemble in such short notice. The mattress are all filled with the finest feathers which we can pluck.’ said the Princess. Its a norm for the elites to sleep on the most comfortable bed. And as such she treated her potential sister in law to the finest she can afford now.

Pea did as she was told, but she could not sleep comfortably. So she got up and took down the soft feather mattress until there was only one; it happened to be a mattress filled with peas. Then she slept well as this was like home as there was also peas in her mattress like at home. Before dawn, she moved the other mattress back before the Princess came in.

‘Did you sleep well?’ asked the Princess.

‘Yes, I did. And I saw the peas too. They are of no trouble there.’

‘I am glad. I was worried that you will feel uncomfortable with the mattress, as they are peas in the mattress and many of us complained of it. But as you can accept it, so I will bless your marriage to my brother.’

So they got married, and they live at the extension at the cottage as it was not utilised by anyone. They shared their life on the bed filled peas’ mattress. Prince initially had some backaches but soon he got over it.

As for the Princess, she married another Prince with better means, so she could sleep back on ‘comfortable’ mattresses. She also got rid of the old ‘pea’ filled mattresses so her guests will not complained of bad sleep at her Court, except one particular mattress. She kept that for her sister in law.

( Comfort is in the mind. Its the enjoyment of them in their natural state that defines the comfort level. )