The Princess in the Chest

        

       The Princess in the Chest was part of the Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. It is originally a Danish tale and is one of my favorite fairy tales even if it is a little on the macabre side.

                In it the princess is begat by magic and must be not seen by her parents until she is fourteen. On the eve of her fourteenth birthday, the king breaks this sacred oath and is told that he has two options. The princess would die regardless of what he does, but he can either give her a burial of state and suffer plague and pestilence throughout the land or put her in a wooden chest inside the church with a guard every night. Of course, although it pains him, the king chooses the second option.

                This goes on for about a year, until a soldier named Christian shows up. That first night a little fairy man shows up and tells him how he can survive the ghost of the princess. Each night the fairy man shows up and tells Christian another place to stand. Finally on the third night, he tells Christian to climb into the chest and then the princess will be unable to climb in when morning comes. The spell is broken and Christian and the Princess are married and everyone lives happily ever after.

                I don't know why this is one of my favorite stories, but I always found it interesting how the spell is broken and peace once again returns to the land. The story can be found on the internet.