Storytelling: Tattercoats

She was beautiful and she didn't even know it.

I still remember the first time I ever saw her. She was dancing down the road with a gooseherd and his geese. It was definitely a sight to see. She had tattered clothes and bare feet. Her sandy blonde hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in ages. Despite her worn down appearance, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her smile shone brighter than a sky full of stars and her eyes were filled with a joy I had never seen before. It took me all of five seconds to fall in love with her.

I knew this was the girl I had to marry. So, I dismounted my horse and slowly made my way up to her. "Excuse me," I said. "Would you happen to know where the king is staying? I have been invited to a party he is hosting and cannot seem to find my way."

"Why yes I do," this stunning girl replied. "In fact we are headed there ourselves! Why don't you join us on the journey!"

I of course was not going to pass up the opportunity to be near her, so I agreed to walk with them. As we were walking, the gooseherd continued to play his pipe. I don't know if it was the music or just simply being in this girl's presence, but I was falling even more in love with her. I couldn't contain myself any longer.

"Will you marry me?" I blurted out. "I know we just met, but you are the most exquisite being I have ever seen and I would be so honored if you would be my wife."

She looked at me like I had lost my mind and then laughed. "That is quite the joke sir. You would be put to shame if you were to wed me and my low status. Save your proposal for one of the lovely ladies you will see tonight at the king's ball."

I will admit the rejection hurt, but I would not take no for an answer. One way or another I was going to convince her that I wanted her to be my wife. The more we walked and the more the gooseherd played his pipe, the more I fell in love with this girl. She may not have been of a high stature, but she had a heart of pure gold and that was even more valuable. She had a natural elegance and grace that made her even more precious than any gemstone a wealthy man could offer. Despite my best efforts to convince her of this, she did not believe that it was true. Her humility and modesty only made me fall for her more.

"Miss I will do anything to convince you that you are the one for me! Please meet me at the ball at midnight tonight. Come as you are and bring your friend and his geese. Come in your torn dress and bare feet and dance with me in front of the king and his court and allow me to present you as my beloved bride."

"I will consider your request kind sir. I have always wanted to attend a ball. This is where we part ways. For now," she said with a wry smirk.

These words were all I needed to give me hope that she would finally say yes. Waiting at the ball was agonizing. Every second I looked at the clock and then the grand doors and back to the clock and so on.

Finally the clock stuck twelve. I have never been so relieved in my life than when I saw that beautiful woman walk through those doors, gooseherd and flock in tow. The people of the court whispered and laughed, but I didn't care. The only thing that mattered to me was that she was there. I quickly stepped down from beside the throne and kissed her hand. I then turned my attention to the king.

"Father," I began, "I have decided that this is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. She is the sweetest and most beautiful girl in all the land and she would make me the happiest man alive."

She was a little surprised that I was actually the prince. However, she was more surprised by what the gooseherd did next, as were we all. As soon as I had finished presenting her to my father, the gooseherd played a few low notes and her raggedy clothes turned into beautiful silk robes with jewels encrusted along the seams. A golden crown appeared upon her sandy blonde hair and the geese transformed into pages that helped hold her long train.

My father rose to greet her and accepted her as his new daughter. The trumpets sounded loudly and the people in the street congratulated me on finding the loveliest girl in all the land. The gooseherd was never heard from again; he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

As for me and the beautiful young woman, we went on to be married and are living happily ever after. To this day she still doesn't know just how truly beautiful she is. For it wasn't her clothes or representation of her wealth that made me fall in love with her, but rather her genuine smile and sparkling eyes and her humble personality. She was beautiful in appearance, but you could tell just by looking at her that there was so much more to her than that. She likes to believe that she is the lucky one of the two of us, but in all reality I am the lucky one to be able to call this one of a kind woman my wife and I will spend the rest of my life showing her just how precious she really is.


Author's Note: My story is based off of the English Fairy Tale Tattercoats from More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. In the original it gives the back story of how Tattercoats was the granddaughter of an old, rich lord. However, his favorite daughter died giving birth to her so he did not want anything to do with her. Tattercoats' nurse was the one who raised her and provided for her as best she could. One day news traveled through the town that the king was having a ball so that his son could choose a wife. Tattercoats wanted to attend the ball desperately and the old nurse tried to convince her grandfather to take her, but he refused. Tattercoats then relays the sad news to her friend the gooseherd who then convinces her to go to the ball with him just as they are. This is where my story picks up. It is very similar to the original in plot. The main difference is the point of view. I thought it would be cute to tell the story from the Prince's perspective to emphasize what made him fall in love with her. I loved that he fell in love with her despite her ragged appearance and I wanted to make that the most prominent part of the story. I also thought it would be cute to tell the story as a memory. It gives it a nostalgic feeling, but also really shows the Prince's love for her.

Bibliography: More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; Mythology and Folklore Untextbook

Image information:
-Image 1: Taken from More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, illustrated by John Dickson Batten
-Image 2: Taken from Fairy Ring by Kate Douglas Wiggen, illustrated by Elizabeth MacKinstry