Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but she had to be a real princess. He travelled around the world looking for her, and although he found a lot of princesses, he was never sure that they were real ones, because there was always something he didn´t like.

Finally the prince went back home very disappointed. One evening there was a terrible storm; it was raining cats and dogs, and the lightenings and thunders didn´t stop. Suddenly someone knocked at the door, and the old king opened. A princess was standing at the door, but oh, my god! How wet she was, the water dropped from her dress and her hair, her shoes were full of water, and she nevertheless said she was a real princess. We will know it soon. The old queen thought. The queen went to the guest room without saying anything to anybody.

She took the bedclothes off and she put one pea under the mattress, then she put twenty more mattresses and then made the bed. The princess slept in this bed that night.

Next morning she was asked how she had slept. The princess answered she had slept very badly. She said there was something hard in the bed, and she had her body hurt because of that.

The queen and the king understood she was a real princess because she had felt the pea through twenty mattresses. Only a real princess could have such a delicate skin.

The prince married her, because now he was sure she was a real princess. The pea was sent to the museum so that everybody can see it.

THE END