The Truth Test
By
Valerie L. Egar
When it came time
for Princess Regina to marry, she discussed the matter with the King and Queen.
Together they decided her husband didn’t need to be a prince or handsome as a
movie star. He didn’t need to have enough gold to buy the princess diamonds.
Someday, the man who married the princess would be King, and in a leader,
truthfulness was more important than lineage, looks and wealth. The man who
married the princess needed to be truthful.
A
notice was sent throughout the kingdom for all eligible males to apply. By the
end of the week, hundreds of young men crowded the castle gates. The royal
scribes interviewed them and most were quickly eliminated. One said he had no
allergies, but his eyes puffed shut when he pet the royal cat. Another bragged
he was an ace with the cross-bow, but every arrow missed the target. Still another
swore he loved licorice, the princess’ favorite candy, but gagged when he ate a
piece.
When
the scribes finished, only three candidates remained.
The
first, Edgar Evans the Fourth, spent the day with the royal family. They sailed
on the lake and picnicked on the beach. That night, Princess Regina and he
danced until midnight. At bedtime, Edgar was shown to his bedroom.
Poor Edgar! The royal chambermaids sprinkled the bed with
itching powder, as the King directed. All night, he itched and scratched,
tossed and turned. He didn’t sleep a wink.
At
breakfast, the Queen asked how he’d slept. Edgar didn’t want to be impolite.
Though his eyes were red and he was yawning, he said, “Very well, Your
Majesty.”
“A
lie!” shouted the King. Out the door went tired Edgar Evans the Fourth.
Rufus
Alfred was next. He entertained the princess with stories about his world
travels. He laughed a little too loud at the King’s jokes, but the King knew
his jokes were funny and overlooked it. When it came time to dance, Rufus
gracefully whirled Princess Regina around the ballroom.
When
it was time for bed, Rufus Alfred was shown to a bedroom, specially prepared
for him. The mattress, filled with nails
and bolts, was lumpy and hard.
Rufus
Alfred slept not a wink. He thought the floor might be more comfortable than
the bed, but he didn’t want to ruin his new silk pajamas, so he tossed and
turned on the lumpy mattress all night.
At
breakfast, the Queen asked Rufus how he slept.
“Awful!”
he said. “The mattress was so hard, I slept on the floor.”
“A
lie!” shouted the King when the royal chambermaid reported there was no
evidence Rufus spent the night on the floor.
The
castle door slammed behind poor Rufus Alfred.
Bixbe Denderderby
presented a bouquet of yellow roses to Princess Regina and smiled politely when the Queen showed him the
family photo albums. When the princess and he played tennis, he didn’t let her
win, because pretending he didn’t play very well would have been a lie. He
could hardly dance, but didn’t mind the princess showing him how.
When
it came time for bed, Bixbe was shown to the haunted bedroom. The bed was large
and soft, and Bixbe was soon fast asleep. “Ooooo!” A terrible howl came from
the closet. “Woooooooo.” Another came from under the bed. Bixbe sat up.
“Ghosts,” he commanded, “Stop the racket!
I’m trying to get some sleep!”
The
howling and moaning continued. Bixbe
shrugged. “All right, party on,” he said, stuffed cotton in his ears and went back
to sleep.
In
the morning, the King and Queen inquired about how he’d slept.
“Quite
well,” he said, “once I put cotton in my ears. The room is haunted and the
ghosts were rather noisy.”
At
that point, they knew Bixbe was not only truthful, but brave and resourceful,
too. They decided he would make a fine husband for the princess and someday, an
excellent king.
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Copyright 2016 by Valerie L. Egar. May not be copied or reproduced without permission from the author.
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