Princess Bertha and the Goose
Once upon a time, in a land far away called France, there was a sweet little princess named Bertha. Her father was the King of Burgundy and he was a jolly old soul.
He was kind and good and everyone called him Old King Cole. Princess Bertha loved to sing and dance and she was very gifted with the written word.
She amused and entertained her father with stories and rhymes.
As the days went by in the kingdom of Burgundy, Princess Bertha grew to be a fair and beautiful princess.
Word spread of her splendor and soon all the young men from all the lands wanted to marry Bertha, Princess of Burgundy.
Day after day they came—short ones, tall ones, fat ones, skinny ones—but Princess Bertha turned up her nose to all of them.
Old King Cole, who was a merry old soul, was sad.
“Why, my dear Princess Bertha, do you refuse every Prince in all the lands?” her father asked. No matter how rich or famous they were, Princess Bertha would only say, “I shall not marry unless it be for love.”
Little did her father know her heart belonged to a handsome young lad everyone called Vongoose, which meant “boy goose.”
Vongoose was the keeper of the King’s special flock of geese. The geese laid golden eggs and were a gift from the King of Bowzoo.
Vongoose and Princess Bertha were true sweethearts. Ever since she was a little girl, she would slip out her window and climb down the old crooked tree to meet him.
They would play games and walk hand in hand in the meadow. Vongoose would tease her with his silly songs,
“Goosey, goosey, gander,
Whither dost thou wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady’s chamber.
If I were Prince of Alexander,
I’d marry thee in a grand affair.
We’d have a wedding feast
That none other could compare.”
They would laugh and laugh, but the sad truth was that Vongoose was not the Prince of Alexander. He had no fortune and he was just a lowly goose boy.
The King would never consent to let Vongoose marry his daughter. Therefore, Vongoose and Princess Bertha vowed they would never marry anyone.
Then one day, while Vongoose was tending his geese in the meadow, he saw a strange coach go by. Twelve shiny black horses pulled it and it was headed straight for the castle.
The driver was a tiny old man with a long white beard. Seated inside was a woman with a black lace veil, and a man that Vongoose had never seen.
Vongoose was troubled. There was something very unusual about these strangers. He was afraid Princess Bertha might be in danger. So, he ran through the woods as fast as he could with his flock of geese at his heels. He arrived just in time to see a tall narrow man getting out of the carriage. He was dressed in black leather and across his shoulders was a long satin cape.
When the stranger turned his head toward the castle, Vongoose could clearly see his face. His eyes were icy blue and his beard came to a peak just below his chin.
His long black hair was braided with golden threads and he wore a ring on every finger.
The wind began to blow and gray clouds formed in the sky over the castle. The man looked like a big black crow with his cape flapping in the wind.
He stood motionless as though he was waiting for something. Then the old woman in the carriage pointed her bony finger toward the dark man. “Go,” she said, in a low rickety voice. “Go!”
The dark man clicked his heels together and nodded his head. Then he turned toward the castle.
“Halt, who is there?” asked the guard, holding up his big spear.
“I am the Prince of Shadows,” said the man in a soft low voice.
“Do you wish to see the King?” asked the guard.
“No, my business is with the Princess. I have come to claim her as my bride,” replied the Prince of Shadows.
It appeared at first the guard would resist, but the Prince of Shadows waved his hand over the guard’s eyes, who then let the stranger pass through the gate.
Now Vongoose knew Princess Bertha was in danger. The Prince of Shadows was a wizard!
There was no time to run for help. Vongoose had no choice but to warn Princess Bertha himself. Tiptoeing behind the Prince of Shadows, he followed him into the castle. He hoped not to be discovered, but just as the big brass door closed, he heard feathers ruffling behind him.
Maybelle, one of the prize geese, had followed him into the castle.
He tucked her under his arm and covered her beak with his hand. “Shh,” he said.
Maybelle was a smart goose and she understood.
Vongoose was not allowed in the castle.
He would be in big trouble if he were caught, but he was willing to fight a thousand dragons to save his Princess Bertha.
As he traveled from room to room, his dusty shoes left footprints on the shiny marble floors. On the walls, paintings of Kings and Queens glared down at him as he passed.
Just ahead, he could see the Prince of Shadows go into the very last room.
Vongoose and Maybelle hid behind a big statue outside the door.
This was indeed the finest room of all. The windows were draped with pink silk curtains and there was a large cage with rare exotic birds sitting by the window.
Princess Bertha and her maids were sitting by the fireplace, busying themselves with their needlework.
One maid was playing a harp and another was singing. The maids were startled when The Prince of Shadows entered the room unannounced.
Princess Bertha stood up and asked in a shaky voice, “What is the meaning of this?”
The Prince of Shadows quickly took hold of her hand. She tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. He waved his hand over her eyes and said, “You will be my bride and return with me to Shadowville today.”
The Princess’s eyes glazed over. She turned to her maids and said, “Pack my clothes! I will be leaving immediately and I shall never return.”
Could this be the end? Was Vongoose to lose Princess Bertha forever to the Prince of Shadows? Suddenly, Maybelle jumped out of Vongoose’s arms. He leaped forward to catch her, but it was too late. She was already fluttering and honking her way into Princess Bertha’s room. The disturbance caused the Prince of Shadows to lose his grip on Princess Bertha’s arm.
At once, her eyes regained their sparkle. When she saw Maybelle, it reminded her of her goose boy and she let out a scream that could have awakened the dead.
The King was in the next room getting a massage. He jumped up, threw on his robe, and called for his men. Moments later, they burst into Princess Bertha’s room and arrested The Prince of Shadows.
Maybelle was running around the room honking, the maids were screaming, and the King was shouting, “Throw this wizard into the dungeon!”
With all the commotion, only Princess Bertha noticed Vongoose run into the room, grab Maybelle and escape out the open window.
That evening, Princess Bertha took a walk in the garden, hoping Vongoose would find her.
At last, he appeared and they pledged their love to one another.
On Princess Bertha’s way back to her room, an old woman with a black veil appeared from out of the shadows.
The old woman grabbed her by the arm. “You have chosen the goose boy over my son, The Prince of Shadows. By sunrise, you too will be a silly goose.”
Then she let out an evil laugh and disappeared into the shadows.
The next morning when Princess Bertha woke up, at first she thought it had all been a bad dream.
But, when she got out of bed, she looked down and saw her dainty little feet were webbed, just like a goose’s!
It was a sad day in the castle. Soon the word spread and not a single prince wanted to marry Bertha, the goose-footed girl.
Princess Bertha was sure that even Vongoose did not love her any longer.
Then one day, he met her in the garden. He told her he loved her for her true beauty, which was her good and kind heart.
Little did they know the King had been standing near by and overheard them talking.
Later that day, he called for Vongoose to appear before him. Poor Vongoose was shaking in his boots when he went in to see the King.
The King asked Vongoose, “Is it true you love my daughter?”
Vongoose could only tell the truth, “Yes, I do!”
“And you still love her even now when she has feet like a goose?” asked the King.
“Yes, my King, I love her no less,” Vongoose said, as he knelt down before the King.
The King looked down at Vongoose, “Would you marry her even though she has feet like a goose?”
“I am not worthy of such a girl, my King,” Vongoose replied.
The King rose from his chair. He drew his mighty sword and lifted it high in the air.
Vongoose held his head low. He was sure this was to be his end.
But instead, the King gently lowered the sword and softly rested the blade upon Vongoose’s shoulder.
“Hear ye, Hear ye! I am the King of Burgundy and I knight you, Sir Vongoose,” he announced for all to hear.
Then he told Vongoos to arise and choose a bride from any of the maidens in the kingdom. Of course, he chose Princess Bertha. It was the grandest of weddings. Can you guess who the maid of honor was? Of course, it was Maybelle!
Sir Vongoose and Princess Bertha were blessed with ten and five children, all of whom wobbled along on their darling little webfeet.
Princess Bertha was a very good mother to her flock and every night she sang to them her lovely little rhymes.
On the day it came to pass that Princess Bertha and Sir Vongoose became the King and Queen, they were good and kind to all people, for they knew the true meaning of love.
The End!