The Princess with a Kind Heart

In a kingdom hidden among blue mountains and rolling clouds lived a wise king. His people loved him for his fairness, and the kingdom prospered under his gentle rule. But the king felt a quiet emptiness in his heart, for he had no one to share his life with.

One day, while visiting a village school, the king met a kind and talented art teacher. She had warm eyes and a smile that felt like sunrise. The king fell in love, and in a small, quiet ceremony attended only by family and friends, they married. In time, they were blessed with three daughters: Elsa, Romula, and Mia.

Elsa, the eldest, was known for her beauty and bright laughter. Romula, the middle child, was playful and loved fine things. Mia, the youngest, had a gentle spirit and a love for books and animals, and she helped her father in the garden, caring for every plant and creature she found.

But not all were happy for the king. Mirella, a noblewoman who had long wished to marry him to become queen, was bitter with envy. She sought the help of a sea dragon who possessed a magical shell, and together, they conspired to disrupt the king’s happiness.

One day, while the family picnicked by the sea, dark clouds gathered, and the winds roared. From the skies, a massive blue dragon descended, seizing the queen and the children. The king fought bravely with only a small picnic knife, managing to save his daughters, but the dragon escaped with the queen.

In the struggle, the dragon’s venom touched Elsa and Romula’s eyes, changing how they saw the world. They began to see only faults in others, growing bitter and selfish, laughing at kindness and finding joy in others’ mistakes. Only Mia, untouched by the venom, remained kind and caring, comforting her father and tending to the palace with gentle hands.

One winter morning, while returning from the forest with firewood, Mia saw an old beggar woman trembling in the cold, asking for bread. Mia, though hungry herself, gave the woman her entire breakfast.

“You have a kind heart,” the old woman said softly. “That is the truest magic in this world.”

She whispered a phrase to Mia before disappearing into the snow:
“Stoory-shury-pary-boory.”

Mia smiled, not truly believing in magic, but holding the warmth of the encounter in her heart.

Months later, the king prepared for a journey to India, asking each daughter what gift they wished for. Elsa wanted a golden dress to wear to grand balls, Romula wished for jeweled shoes to flaunt in the marketplace, and Mia simply asked for a kitten to care for.

After many months, the king returned, fulfilling each wish. Elsa and Romula twirled in their new finery, while Mia cradled a small, hungry kitten, feeding it milk and letting it sleep in her bed.

One evening, as Mia cleaned her sisters’ rooms, they mocked her for always working and for her simple dreams. Hurt, Mia whispered the words the old woman had given her:
“Stoory-shury-pary-boory.”

Suddenly, a bright light filled the room, and the kitten transformed into a majestic white horse with golden wings. Elsa and Romula gasped, their envy rising, and they tried to seize the horse for themselves, but it leapt into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

The kingdom soon fell on hard times, with storms closing trade routes and false rumors spreading about the king. Food grew scarce, and the king, refusing to let his people suffer, ventured into the forest to gather wood. There, he was ambushed by two robbers who once were noble knights, cursed by Mirella’s dark magic.

As the king lay tied under the storm, the old beggar woman appeared, freeing him and sharing food with him. She gifted him a basket of kittens, which the king brought home for his daughters.

Elsa and Romula hoped the kittens would transform as Mia’s had, but they remained simple, purring creatures, bringing them no glory. Their anger turned to Mia, demanding her to reveal her “secret.” Mia, in kindness, whispered the words again, but nothing happened.

That night, a terrible storm raged, and the robbers, drenched and shivering, came to the gates. Mia, seeing their sorrow, invited them in to shelter. In that moment of compassion, the storm ceased, and the robbers transformed back into knights, freed from their curse by Mia’s kindness.

Realizing their cruelty, Elsa and Romula wept and embraced Mia, asking for forgiveness. The kingdom’s skies cleared, and the people felt hope return.

Guided by the good witch Dadona, revealed to be the old beggar woman, the family and the knights embarked on a journey to rescue the queen. Riding Pegasus and the knights’ steeds, they crossed forests and oceans until they reached the dragon’s lair on the cliffs of the Blue Rocks.

A fierce battle erupted, but as Mia saw tears in the dragon’s eyes, she pleaded for his life. Her compassion broke Mirella’s spell, and the dragon transformed back into a prince, who had been cursed and forced to hold the queen captive. The prince, grateful, returned the queen to her family and asked for Mia’s hand in marriage, which the king joyfully granted.

They returned home, and a grand wedding filled the kingdom with laughter, light, and music. The kingdom flourished once more, gardens bloomed, and the family found joy in daily walks through the enchanted gardens that Dadona made, where kindness kept their hearts young forever.

And so, it was not magic spells but the kindness in Mia’s heart that brought happiness back to the kingdom, reminding all who heard their tale that a kind heart is the truest magic of all.

Moral:
A kind heart can break any curse and bring hope to the world.