Beyond nine mountains and nine rivers, there was a winter kingdom. The king and queen who lived there were wise and just. They had a son – a very wise prince. He was all grown up and it was time for him to get married. But the prince didn’t really want to. He didn’t know any princesses that he liked.
His parents decided to organize a ball and invite all the princesses and young women of noble descent so that the prince could choose among them. And since this was a winter kingdom, the ball took place outside on ice. On a large, frozen area. And to make it even more interesting, it was a hat ball. Everyone who came to the ball had to wear some kind of hat. And it should catch the prince’s attention, of course.
The day of the ball arrived. Princesses and noble ladies were arriving from all around the world. All of them were sporting extraordinary hats on their heads. One looked like a pineapple, another like a tower, and yet another like a teddy bear. The ball resembled a fashion show. The prince didn’t know where to look first, which princess to dance with first. He did ask several of them for a dance, whirling around and chatting with them. But then he sat down next to his parents on their thrones for a while, not sure what to do next.
“Well, prince? Which one do you like?” the king and queen asked, curious and impatient. The prince shook his head miserably: “I don’t know. They all have pretty hats, they are pretty themselves, but…” “But what?” his parents insisted.
“None of them is smart and not smug at the same time. Just clever and nice,” the prince continued. But then he noticed one hat that was different from the others. It was modest, embroidered by hand. It didn’t stand out at all. The prince wanted to meet the young woman with the embroidered hat. And so he asked her for a dance.
As they danced together, the young woman kept her face covered under the hat the entire time. The prince could only see her beautiful smile. As they talked, he discovered that she was very clever. She wasn’t boastful and she didn’t try to ingratiate herself to him; she simply answered his questions in a respectful and kind manner. Besides, she was a very graceful dancer.
When the song ended, the girl was ready to leave, but the prince held her back and asked: “I have two last questions. Why did you choose such a modest and unpretentious hat? And where are you from?”
The young woman pulled the hat away from her face, gave him an enchanting smile, and said: “Because what’s under your hat is more important that the hat itself. And I come from a modest kingdom, but at the same time the richest one.” And then she left.
The prince made his decision then. He knew that he wanted this princess for his wife. He looked for her throughout the whole winter land. He traveled this way and that way until he finally found a kingdom that appeared humble and poor. And there, he asked after the princess. And he found her. She was happy that the prince had searched for her and wanted to marry her.
And the prince? He was glad that he’d found a princess who was hiding a lot under her hat. And despite being poor, she was very rich. She might not have a lot of money, but she was very warm and loving. And that was more important.
