"Tonight is the night," she told herself. It was the night that she decided she was going to run away from the kingdom. So after everyone in the palace had fallen asleep, the princess climbed out her window. It was painful to leave her mother, father, and little brother but she knew that if she ever wanted to find happiness, she had to leave.
It was a bitter cold night. She bundled up under her warm coat but her coat got caught on something. She tried to pull it away but it ripped completely off of her. This did not surprise her though. She was used to having bad luck but she wasn't sure of how she was ever going to keep herself warm. Suddenly, a handsome stranger walked up to her.
"Do you need a place to stay?" the handsome man asked.
With tears streaming down her face, she could only nod in reply. She followed this stranger to his house where she went inside to keep warm. They sat on the couch and talked all night long. He ignored all the bad things that were happening, like when she broke the cup that he gave her. She knew that she had found the man of her dreams. Shortly after this night, the two got married.
They tried to live happily, but her bad luck just kept getting in the way. Finally her husband decided that he was going to find a way to make things better. They said their goodbyes and he went on his way to find fortune, so they could share it together. It was the only way to get rid of her bad luck.
"Promise you will wait for me," her husband begged of her, "No matter how long it takes."
"Of course I will," she replied, "I will wait forever."
Years went by but the princess knew that she had to stay faithful. She waited and waited for her husband to return, but he never did. After many years had gone by, a man showed up at her door. She knew something was wrong. She could feel it. The man told her that her husband had offered his life so that she may live a happy one. Her husband was dead and he took her bad luck with him.
The princess kept her promise though. She never remarried but she went on to have good fortune and lived the happy life that her husband wanted her to live. She remained faithful the rest of her life.
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| Twin Dragons. Luck. Wikimedia Commons |
Author's note: I based this story on the The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck.
In the original story, a princess who was a child of ill luck. The princess decided that when it was her time to marry, she chose a beggar. Her father could not understand why she would chose the beggar but she chose him because he was a favorite of fortune and she believed that she could share in his good luck. She marries the beggar and moves into a hut with him. One day, he decides that he is going out to find his fortune and then he will return to her. 18 years later, he finally returns but she does not recognize him. He uses this to test her loyalty. He tries to convince her to leave her husband and when she refuses and says that she will wait on her husband until she dies, he confesses that he is her husband and they return as emperor and empress. She was still a child of bad luck and because of this, she dies shortly after.
I changed my story so that the princess and the beggar fall in love first. I thought that this would make for a better story since he is choosing to be with her even with her bad luck. I also changed the ending so that he loved her so much that he gave his life so she could get rid of her bad luck. He was willing to die for her so that she could live a happy life.
Bibliography: This story is part of the Chinese Fairy Tales unit.
Story source: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
I really enjoyed this story. I think the changes you made from the original were good choices. It seems like the original doesn't have to much of a happy ending with her still dying due to her bad fortune. I like happy endings myself so the fact that, although her husband gives his life for her, it is still happy in the sense that she no longer lived a life of bad luck. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet story. I like stories that feature atypical princesses who aren't the picture-perfect example of poise and grace. As a tip, I couldn't really tell that the man who offered her shelter was a beggar - he seemed just like a regular average joe. I like how you changed the ending to keep with the sad undertone... fairytales aren't always happily ever after. Overall this story was easy and enjoyable to read. I liked it a lot!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet story. I like stories that feature atypical princesses who aren't the picture-perfect example of poise and grace. As a tip, I couldn't really tell that the man who offered her shelter was a beggar - he seemed just like a regular average joe. I like how you changed the ending to keep with the sad undertone... fairytales aren't always happily ever after. Overall this story was easy and enjoyable to read. I liked it a lot!
ReplyDeleteI love your storytelling post! I thought it was really good and creative. Your author’s note is very effective and it makes it clear what changes you made to the original story. The rearrangement of elements of the original story to form your own storytelling post was very well done. The original concepts were still preserved but you succeeded in making it your own. Good post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very touching story. When I was first reading this I thought it was going to be a funny story. I definitely relate to constantly having bad luck haha. I was so surprised with the turn around though. I had no idea it was coming, and I really liked how you ended it. I was definitely a fan of the surprise ending.
ReplyDelete