A Gift for the Princess

When the comely and gentle Princess Katherine Rose came of age, unmarried young men of noble birth from kingdoms near and far travelled to her father's palace in hopes of winning her hand in marriage. Unlike most monarchs of his day, King Rufus, Katherine Rose's doting father, had no intention of having his only child enter into a loveless, politically motivated union. With his motherless daughter's happiness foremost on his mind, the kind-hearted king left the choice of husband up to the princess herself.

Although there was no shortage of suitable suitors, Princess Katherine Rose was not impressed by the either the dashing knights or the wealthy princes who sought her hand. The former's talk of crusading, jousting and gaming bored her, and the latter's discussion of politics, royal intrigue and war frightened her.

Whenever possible, she fled to the sanctuary of the royal library.

"I've read every book in here," she mumbled as she scanned the titles on the wooden shelves, lovingly running her hand over the spines of the cherished volumes.

"If only I could select one of you to be my husband," the young woman said, laughing at the ridiculous idea. "I have yet to meet any man—except, of course, for my beloved father—who is even half as interesting as one of these books."

Later that night, the princess had a brilliant idea. She would not hearken to the call of foolish and often fickle romance; she would instead choose a husband who shared her love of books and the pursuit of knowledge.

The following morning when Katherine Rose appeared in the throne room, she made an official announcement before the king and members of the court.

"I will marry the man who, in one year's time, can offer me a collection of books unrivaled by my father's royal library."

The assembled noblemen protested. Even King Rufus was concerned about his daughter's unusual decision.

"How can you possibly marry a man on the basis of his book collection?" the king inquired. "If you are in need of more reading material, you have only to ask and I will see that you receive it."

"It is not the books themselves I care about, father, but the man who collects them. A man with an impressive personal library is bound to be noble and wise."

The king was not so certain, however.

* * *

Prince Harold the Fair, well known for his bravery as well as his handsome features, was the eldest son of one of the wealthiest and most powerful rulers in all of Europe. As the heir apparent, Harold could have his pick of any royal maid as bride, but he had his heart set on winning the hand of Princess Katherine Rose since it was well known that no other woman could match her beauty.

Determined to claim his prize by whatever means necessary, Prince Harold visited every monastery in his father's realm and commissioned the monks to create a wide variety of books. These scribes spent long hours painstakingly copying volumes of text onto the finest parchment available with quills and inks made from hand-ground pigments. When the words were completed, other monks, skilled in art, embellished the pages with illustrations and gilded designs in the margins. These manuscripts were then bound in the finest leather and their covers decorated with jewels and ivory.

Dozens of dedicated monks labored feverishly for more than eleven months. Then all the finished books were collected by Harold's soldiers and transported to King Rufus's palace under guard to ensure their safe delivery.

Exactly one year to the day from Katherine Rose's astonishing proclamation, nearly twenty hopeful bridegrooms gathered in King Rufus's throne room. One by one, they presented their books—or, in some cases, an inventory of the books—to the lovely princess.

None, she determined with disappointment, was as grand as the collection assembled by Prince Harold the Fair.

"These are indeed the richest books I have ever seen," Katherine Rose admitted. "The jewels in their covers alone are worth a small fortune, and the illustrations are without equal.

Never known to be a modest man, Prince Harold beamed with pride and self-satisfaction, even though he had no part in the creation of the books other than to pay for them with the money his father collected in taxes.

But before the princess officially announced her choice, Sir Tristan, a poor, shabbily dressed knight, but seven years older than the princess, entered the throne room and presented himself to Katherine Rose.

"Your majesty," he humbly exclaimed, bowing deeply. "I apologize for my lateness."

"What is it you want, good knight?"

"I have here my books that I would like to present to you."

The handful of well-worn volumes he had were as tattered as his attire.

"I regret that they are not nearly as grand as those presented by your suitors," Sir Tristan continued, seeing the tomes Prince Harold had given to the princess. "There are no richly gilded pages and no jeweled covers, but the writings contained in these books are themselves a work of art. I have traveled many miles in the service of your father and have gone from one kingdom to another to maintain the peace of his realm. Oft times my only companions, my dearest friends, were these books."

"Why do you present them to the princess?" Harold taunted cruelly, clearly disdainful of the impoverished knight. "Surely you do not hope to win her hand in matrimony with those pathetic old relics of yours?"

"No, great prince," the knight replied sadly. "I have not come with marriage in mind. After all, I am but a simple knight and could never compete with such wealthy and powerful men as you and these other suitors. No, I came here only to give the books to the princess as a token of my devotion to her and her father."

Sir Tristan then turned toward Princess Katherine Rose.

"I know these books are not worth much, your highness, but they are what I treasure most in life. I hope they bring you some of the happiness they brought me."

The princess was deeply touched—not by the volumes themselves but by the unselfish gesture of the knight.

"If you give your books to me, what will you read on your journeys?"

"I confess that I read them so often that I have committed them to memory."

The princess then addressed Prince Harold.

"Tell me, your royal highness," she inquired, "of all the books you have given me, which is your favorite?"

"I do not prefer one over any other. They are all equally beautiful," the prince replied.

"You misunderstand me. I want to know which one you most enjoyed reading."

Harold laughed heartily.

"Me read? I have no time to bury my nose in books, my princess. I leave that up to women, monks and"—he turned toward the knight and arrogantly added—"poor young lads who cannot afford more manly entertainment."

"It is as I thought," Katherine Rose said. "These books were meant to impress me with your wealth, not your wisdom."

The princess then turned to the wise and handsome but penniless young knight and extended her hand to him.

"I have made my choice. You, Sir Tristan, have won my heart as well as my hand."

Prince Harold was astonished. How could the princess choose an impoverished knight over the son of a wealthy and powerful king?

She must be mad! he thought, believing no woman in her right mind would turn down the chance to be his wife. Yes! That's it! The poor girl has taken leave of her senses. Her brain is no doubt addled by reading all those books!

"I offer my sincere apologies to you, Harold—and to all of my other suitors—for the trouble you have gone to on my behalf."

The prince, however, was now glad to be rid of her. He did not want to marry a lunatic—no matter how beautiful she was.

"It was no trouble at all, your highness," he replied.

No longer an eager suitor for the princess' hand, he was anxious to take his leave and return to his homeland. Once there, Prince Harold would decide on another, more suitable noblewoman to become his bride.

"Keep the books," he added as he took his leave of the king and his daughter. "I give them to you as a wedding present in the hope that our two kingdoms will enjoy a lasting peaceful relationship in the years to come."

* * *

Before another year came to an end, Princess Katherine Rose married the young knight, and she eventually became queen after King Rufus died. She and her husband, King Tristan, ruled her father's kingdom with compassion, kindness and wisdom for nearly half a century.