Each of us has our favourite time of year. And in one kingdom there lived a princess who loved all seasons except spring. It all came down to one unpleasant incident that happened to the girl when she was still very small.
The princess was not yet a year old when she learned to walk. It was spring outside, the snow was melting, and the first grass was appearing. But it was very muddy: streams were flowing and there were enormous puddles. And so, when the girl went for a walk with her mother, she slipped and fell right into a big puddle. The children and adults who were playing in the garden started laughing at her. From that moment on, the girl didn't play with other children; she was ashamed of what had happened. And from that time on, she didn't like spring either.
As soon as spring arrived, the girl wouldn't go outside at all. And when she grew up into a beautiful young woman, she turned to her father with a request.
Tell me, Father, you are a king, aren't you?
She asked him one day.
That's right, my daughter, I am a true king!
You have the right to issue decrees that everyone must obey, don't you?
Yes, my decrees are followed without question!
Then ban spring.
What are you saying? Yes, I am a king. But I have no right to interfere with the laws of nature. And why do you dislike spring so much?
The king was surprised.
It's simply the most dreadful time of year.
I don't think so. I like spring very much. Nature comes alive. The trees are all in bloom. It's beautiful…
How can you love spring? It's this very season that brought shame upon your daughter!
The princess cried out and ran away in tears.
The king and queen had tried more than once to find out why the princess disliked spring so much, but they never succeeded. And the queen herself had long forgotten the incident with the puddle, as nearly 16 years had passed. And no one in the kingdom remembered it anymore. But the princess thought differently.
For all these 16 years she hadn't played with other children in the garden, because she was sure they would laugh at her. She preferred to read books, sitting in a remote corner of the garden where no one ever went.
One frosty morning, the girl was sitting on a bench as usual, reading another book. She was very fond of stories about love. And in one day she could read an entire book without even stopping to eat.
Suddenly a young man sat down next to her on the bench. He was very handsome and the girl fell in love with him at first sight.
Hello, my name is Mark. Why are you sitting here alone?
The young man asked.
I prefer to be alone.
Sorry, I didn't know. Then I'd better go.
You can stay.
The princess answered shyly.
Come on, come with me instead. It's so much fun there. And you're sad sitting alone.
I can't. They'll laugh at me.
Why do you think that?
You see, when I was little, I was shamed by this awful spring.
The princess confided in him.
What!? I'm sure no one remembers that anymore.
He grabbed the princess's hand and dragged her over to the others.
The girls and boys welcomed her gladly, and they all played snowball fights and went sledding together. The princess had so much fun. And in fact, she saw that no one was laughing at her. It turned out that all these years she had needlessly avoided her peers. And then the girl thought to herself: "Maybe I was wrong not to love spring?"
A few weeks later, spring began to arrive. The sun shone brighter and warmer with each passing day. Birds sang songs, trees bloomed. And the princess saw that there was nothing bad about spring; she had been wrong not to love it. Spring seemed even more attractive to her because a wonderful feeling called love had been born in her heart.
The princess and Mark spent quite a lot of time together. They fell in love with each other and after some time they got married. And for their wedding, the young couple chose a special time of year—spring. After all, it was in spring that their love was born.
And the princess began to regard this time of year with special affection.
