The Perfect Bride for the Perfect Prince

Once upon a time, there lived handsome prince who was very picky and choosy. When he was little, he always wanted to be fed by his ma all the time. When he was old enough to hunt, he only used bow and arrows made by a certain specific carpenter who lived far away. He ate apples freshly plucked from the tree before he ate and always preferred the best of everything. 

The King and Queen were worried as he grew up and was old enough to get married. The Prince was their only son and as  they grew old, they wanted him to get married and have children. however, the Prince remained a bachelor and didn't show any interest in any girl at all. 

So the King and the Queen threw a ball where all the beautiful maidens of the kingdom were invited. The Prince met with the maidens and politely spoke to them but he doesn't seem to fall for the even the fairest and the prettiest of them. He didn't look happy as time passed and he just mingled among the crowd. 

"Whats the matter son?", asked the King as his son didn't look happy and looked as if he was about to leave. 

"I'm tired father, I'd like to retire to my chamber now", the Prince replied. 

"You seem to be sad son, isn't there a girl among the crowd you like", asked the Queen. 

"I'm afraid not, I can't seem to find the perfect girl for me among the crowd dear mother, forgive me," said the Prince apologetically. 

The Prince left the ball and the king and queen entertained their guest until everybody left. That night the King and Queen could not sleep. They were awake all night thinking and thinking of what they would do and towards morning, the Queen had a great idea. 

The next morning, over breakfast the queen informed the prince about her plan to get him the perfect bride and to her joy, he agreed and he thought that she was a genius! 

And so the messengers started their journey to deliver the invitation cards to a grand ball that would be held in a months time in their kingdom. A princess from each kingdom was invited and they were suppose to present themselves in the ball and a small performance was also expected from them to show their talents as well. They were also told that the winner of this competition would be the princess to me married to the prince. 

As the day neared of the grand ball, princesses from different kingdoms arrived and were given chambers from the castle. The prince kept to himself and didn't meet any of the princess taking part in the competition. Beautiful princess belonging to different kingdoms roamed around the castle in their fancy gowns. They were rather curious about this prince who wanted the perfect bride. This made all the princess excited about the competition and they all wanted to do their best. 

Finally the day that they have all been waiting for arrived. The Prince emerged from his chamber and entered the grand hall decorated for the ball. The princesses nearly fainted when they saw how handsome he was. The King, Queen and the Prince sat at the front row and the princess introduced themselves one by one. 

Next they were given the opportunity to perform any item that they wanted to show their talents. Some princesses performed a dance, while the others sang beautiful songs. Some of them even narrated a beautiful story where the whole audience was mesmerized. Some of them did magic tricks while others showed their skill of archery. 

After this performance, the best ten princesses were chosen and they were asked a question by the judging panel. the King, Queen and the Prince. Finally the princesses were asked to help themselves to the banquet while the results were finalized. 

They all waited nervously ignoring the rich banquet especially prepared for them. Finally the King addressed the gathering. He thanked all the princess for accepting the invitation and attending the grand ball. He also said that if he had to choose a bride from such a beautiful and talented crowd, he would have gone mad, but his son has made up his mind and he would be making the announcement!. 

As the Prince took his place next to his father in the limelight, for a minute, all the princesses held their breath and waited. They could hardly contain themselves. Everyone wanted to be his wife because he was so handsome and was so perfect in every way. The way he walked, the way he ate, looked and smiles was just perfect. They didn't see any flaw in him. 

"All the princesses here are beautiful, it's a pity I have to choose one", said the Prince with a smile on his face. 

"I'm not just looking for a beautiful bride, but I'm looking for someone smart, talented and a companion who would keep me happy for the rest of my life", he further explained. 

To this, all the princess in the crowd nodded like puppets! 

"So I have chosen the princess from China because I fell in love with her beauty and her beautiful character as well. I'm not denying that she has the most gorgeous complexion or the silkiest hair of all. He graceful dance enthralled me like no other girl could! She kind, compassionate and funny too! I can't find a better life partner than the Princess from China. 

To this, the whole crowd agreed. All the princesses have spent about a week together in the castle because they arrived early to be briefed about the competition and they have spent a considerable amount of time together getting to know each other too. They all knew that the Princess from China was beautiful and she always went out of her way to help others. 

Indeed the perfect Prince has chosen the perfect Princess as his bride! The King and Queen were overjoyed. The whole kingdom celebrated and the perfect couple were married as soon as the King and Queen of China arrived. 

So the very first beauty pageant was held a long time ago by the perfect Prince to find the perfect bride for him. Of course, they lived happily ever after!

~ The End ~