La suma

THE KING AND HIS DAUGHTERS THE KING AND HIS DAUGHTERS

ot too long ago, in a faraway land, there was a king who had two daughters. They lived together in a castle on a hill. A village surrounded the castle. It was a perfect and happy place to live in, as everyone loved their king. But he was getting too old to carry such a heavy crown. So, the king decided to abdicate the responsibility ofruling the country in favour of one of his daughters, but he couldn’t decide which would be the best queen. As one would expect, he loved them both very much and as a loving father, he was blind to their faults. He thought his daughters were women of highest virtue. The choice was really hard. The eldest princess was very sweet. Her hair and her eyes were the colour of honey. She was friendly andnice. Her name was Violet because she loved violets. Her sister Blanca, was the most beautiful woman in the land. Her hair was long and turned golden into the light of the sun, her green eyes lit her pale face and her cheeks were rosy. Her delicate features were almost perfect. But she was quite different from Violet. Blanca was not so generous and kind as her sister. She was a spoilt and willfulyoung woman. Her main concern was her beauty. It was a hard decision for the king. He knew Violet’s kind spirit but the people in general took

to Blanca. So, he asked the wise man for advice. The wise man consulted his oracle and told the king to give the princesses three tests, “The first one to find out who the most caring person is; the second one to find out who the most generous person is andthe last one to find out who the most loving person is.” The king accepted the wise man’s suggestion and arranged everything keeping the tests secret. When Violet and Blanca came back from their daily walk in the forest, Violet went up to her room. When she opened the door, she had a big surprise. “Oh, how nice, dad! This is great!” she said. The king had filled her room with pets of all kinds:rabbits, birds, puppies and a lot of colourful flowers. “This is the best present ever! I love you, Daddy!” she said kissing the king. Then, she went back into her room to play with her new pets. Meanwhile, Blanca was opening the door of her room. “Aaargh! What’s this! Get these animals off my room!” she yelled out. The king entered Blanca’s bedroom to try to calm her down. “I thought you would likemy presents” said the king. “How could you think that!? I left one of my best dresses on the bed and now it’s all wrinkled! On top of that, I cannot find my perfume bottles. Father, what is this?” “Nothing, child,” said the king.. “Don’t worry. I’ll have everything taken away immediately.” Next morning, the king started the second test. He called his two daughters to the drawing room and said,“My daughters, this morning a little girl came to the palace, but I don’t know what to do. Please listen to her and make a decision for me, will you?” When the door opened, a dirty-faced girl in a tattered dress walked in. She cried, “My parents have died and I’m all alone. I have nobody to take care of me!” Blanca stared at the child with horrified eyes. She was so dirty! She looked at her father andsaid, “I’ll give her something to eat, some new clothes and some money
1

Actividades complementarias.
Cuentos 3. Cuento: El rey y sus hijas

Descarga actividades en

www.ediba.com

THE KING AND HIS DAUGHTERS

and I’ll send her out.” “But, haven’t you heard that she has no family? The street is no place for a small child. Father, could she come to live with us? I’ll give her mydresses, she can sleep in my room and I’ll take care of her as if she were my little sister.” The little girl gave Violet a big, big hug. She was so happy that she couldn’t hold her tears back. “Of course, my dear, she can stay with us,” said the king. There was still the last test. After two days, a handsome prince arrived at the palace. Both princesses felt attracted to him. The prince had heard...