Donkeyskin

Once upon a time, there was a powerful king who owned a most unusual donkey. Each day, this donkey filled the royal coffers with shining gold, so the kingdom never lacked for anything. The king and his queen were happy and wise, and their people loved them.

Before the queen grew ill, she spoke gently to the king. "If I must leave you," she said, "promise you will only marry someone as good and as truly noble of heart as I have tried to be." The king promised with tears, and soon after, the beloved queen passed away. The whole land mourned.

In his sorrow, the king searched far and wide for a bride who matched the queen’s goodness and grace. He visited princesses from many lands. Though many were kind or clever or fair, none seemed to meet the promise he had made. At last, in his grief and confusion, he noticed that his own daughter, the princess, was as gentle, wise, and lovely as her mother had been. Forgetting what was right in his sadness, he announced that he would marry her.

The princess was frightened and heartbroken. She knew this was wrong. She ran to her godmother, who was a wise fairy who had watched over her since her birth. "Help me," the princess begged. "My father has lost his way. I cannot do what he asks."

The fairy godmother took the princess’s hands. "Be calm, my child. We will set this right. Ask for three dresses no one should be able to make: one the color of the sky when it is perfectly blue, one the color of the moon when it rises silver and misty, and one the color of the sun at noon. Ask also for a cloak no one would ever give: the skin of the royal donkey. If he grants all of this, we will escape."

The princess did as she was told, hoping it would end the matter. But the king, who had more power than sense just then, summoned the finest tailors and jewelers in the land. Before long he brought her a dress as blue and deep as the summer sky, a dress pale and shining like the moon, and a dress blazing with gold and light, stitched with tiny sunbursts. Then, sorrowfully, he ordered the donkey’s skin brought to the princess.

The princess wept for the donkey, who had fed the kingdom with its gifts. The fairy godmother came at once. "There is no more time to waste," she said. She packed the three dresses, the princess’s jewels, and a few simple things into a small chest. Then she wrapped the princess in the donkeyskin, hiding her hair, her face, even her shoes. "Go to the edge of the wood and keep walking until you find work in a far place. Be patient and kind. I will watch over you."

So the princess set out alone, dusty and brave. People who saw her in the donkeyskin turned away, for they thought she was only a ragged scullion. At last she found a place to sleep near a farmyard that stood not far from another king’s palace. The kitchen mistress took one look at her rough cloak and said, "You can sweep the yard and scrub the pots. We will call you Donkeyskin."

Donkeyskin worked hard from dawn to dark. She fetched water, chopped wood, and cleaned the pans until they shone. No one guessed she was a princess. In a tiny shed she kept her little chest with its secret dresses. On Sundays, when the others went to rest, she washed her face and hands, brushed her hair, and tried on one of her gowns. For a moment she would remember the warm halls of her old home and her mother’s tender voice. Then she would fold the dress and hide it again.

One day, the young prince of that land went walking near the farmyard. Passing Donkeyskin’s shed, he saw through a crack the shimmer of gold and the glow of a beautiful face. Astonished, he stepped closer, but the door closed gently. He could not forget what he had seen. The thought of that mysterious maiden filled his heart, and soon the prince grew pale and quiet.

His mother, the queen, begged him to eat and to smile. "Tell me what will cheer you, my son," she said.

"Only a cake," he answered, surprising everyone, "but baked by the girl they call Donkeyskin in the yard." The kitchen mistress was shocked, but she sent for Donkeyskin.

In her shed, Donkeyskin took the fine flour she kept hidden and some fresh eggs and sugar. She mixed the batter with careful hands. As she stirred, her little ring, the one she had worn since she was a child, slipped from her finger into the bowl. She did not notice. She baked the cake until it was sweet and golden, then carried it to the palace.

The prince took a slice, and there inside he found the tiny ring. His heart quickened. "Proclaim this," he told the court. "I will marry the one whose finger fits this ring, and whose heart is as true as her hand is slender."

All the ladies of the court came, high and low, dresses rustling, eyes sparkling. The ring was too small for some, too fine for others. At last someone laughed, "Should we try Donkeyskin?" The queen nodded. "Bring her."

Donkeyskin stepped forward in her rough cloak. The ring slid over her finger as if it had been waiting there all along. A breath went through the hall. "Allow me a moment," she said softly.

She slipped away and returned wearing the dress the color of the sky. Her hair shone like a dark river. Everyone gasped at her beauty and grace. Then she appeared in the moon-colored gown, and then in the sun-bright one, so radiant that the whole court felt warm. At last she told her story, simply and bravely, and the prince took her hand.

The queen, wise and kind, sent word to invite all neighboring rulers to the wedding feast. Among the guests came a king who had traveled far, looking troubled and humbled. He was the princess’s father. Time and sorrow had cleared his mind. He begged his daughter to forgive the foolish promise and the wrong he had nearly done in his grief. The fairy godmother, who stood nearby, nodded gently. "Let this be the end of it," she said. "May wisdom and kindness rule from now on."

The princess forgave her father, and he blessed her marriage to the prince. A splendid wedding filled the palace with music and laughter. The people cheered not only for beauty, but for good hearts and good sense. The princess, no longer Donkeyskin, became a beloved queen. As for her father, he returned to his kingdom wiser than before and never again forgot what was right.

And if ever someone turned up their nose at a ragged cloak after that, they remembered how a princess once hid inside one, waiting patiently for her happy, honest life to begin.