Far in the North, the King of the Skies lived and ruled in a traditional way. He believed it was his job to protect and guide everyone in his kingdom. When he had a daughter, he knew it was up to him to make sure she grew into a good and proper girl. Now, the King of the Skies’ daughter grew to be a beautiful young lady. She was so beautiful the Moon herself blushed whenever she saw her.
The King of the Skies had many rules. “A good girl speaks only when spoken to. A good girl obeys her father. A good girl always behaves impeccably.”
By impeccably, the King of the Skies meant she would not run, she would not play, she would not laugh, she would never, ever cry. The King of the Skies thought a girl should be like a doll; beautiful, silent and perfect.
The Princess grew and learned how to control herself. She kept her opinions to herself. She spoke softly. She learned to keep her dreams and desires locked deep inside.
However, one night the Princess heard something drifting across the night sky, to her rooms. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. It tinkled and jingled, it rose and fell, it made her hips want to sway and her toes want to tap. The Princess had heard music for the first time.
The King of the Skies was very clear on music, it was not for Princesses. It was for wild, common people who had no decorum and were not good girls.
But as the Princess listened to the music it hit a chord in her heart and she could not stop herself. She had to listen to more, she had to move with its rhythm. She had to explore that place deep within herself that the music unlocked.
So even though her father had told her, “A princess never dances.”
The Princess found herself stepping out of her window, out of the boundaries that had confined her life, and following the sound of music through the garden and into the woods. She let her hips sway, she let her toes tap and before she could stop herself she was twirling and swirling and swaying to the wonderful way the music played. For the first time in her life the Princess felt like she was truly herself.
That evening, when the Princess returned to her rooms, there was a spectacular emerald dress sitting on her bed. The Princess hid the dress in the back of her cupboard and the next night, when the music drifted in through her open window, she slipped on the dress, crept out into the woods and danced again. The stars in the night sky watched in awe and every one of them fell in love with the wonderful princess, in her emerald dress, lighting up the night with her wild dancing.
It wasn’t long before her father heard what she was up to. “This is no way for a Princess to behave!” he told her. “I forbid you to dance ever again.”
The Princess loved her father. She tried her hardest to obey him, but when she heard the music play she couldn’t help herself. She put on the dress, floated out into the night and let herself get lost in the communion of music and movement. Her heart sang, her body buzzed. She felt alive.
The King of the Skies was furious. “I will put a stop to this,” he said. “No daughter of mine will dance like a common breeze.” The King demanded his daughter come to him. “It is high time you married,” he told her. “You will marry the Rainbow Prince and stop all this dancing nonsense.”
Her whole life, the Princess had never refused her father anything. She had learned to obey and learned to be a good child. But when he told her she couldn’t dance her heart protested and she began to cry. “What if I don’t want to marry the Rainbow Prince?” she asked. “What if I want to dance instead?”
The King scowled, “Then you will leave me little choice. You will no longer be my daughter. You will be banished to the edges of the earth and you will never see me again.”
The Princess had to make a choice; the father and rules she had loved and followed her whole life, or the dancing that made her feel alive. The Princess didn’t know what to do.
So, she asked her mother, the Night Sky.
“I cannot make your choice for you,” her mother said. “Only you know what is right for you.”
The Princess asked her admirers, the Stars, “We cannot tell you what to do,” they said. “But we see in you a light so bright we know you’ll make the right choice.”
The Princess asked her friend, the Moon, “I could not say,” the Moon said. “Do what makes you happy.”
But that was the problem. The Princess had always been happy, doing as she was told, obeying her father and being a good girl. But when she danced, she discovered a new happiness, one she had never known existed.
The Princess took herself to the gardens. She needed to be alone, to look inside herself and find the answer. She knew her heart would tell her what to do, if she could just listen to it for a moment.
The Princess sat in the gardens all night, thinking. And then the music started. The Princess could not stop herself. She had to dance. When she put on her emerald dress and moved to the music, her heart sang with joy.
The Princess knew what she should do. The next day she went to see her father.
“Have you made your choice?” he asked her.
The Princess nodded. “I love you father,” she said. “But I cannot betray my own heart. I choose dancing.”
The King of the Skies was devastated. He could not go back on his word. So, even though it broke his heart, he banished his daughter to the ends of the earth.
The dancing Princess put on her emerald dress and left her father’s house. She went to the very top of the world where she dances as wildly and feely as she wants.
To this day the Northern Skies are lit up by the Dancing Princess, they call her the Aurora Borealis and every star in the sky and every person on earth lucky enough to see her dance, falls in love with her and never, ever forgets how wondrous she is.
The End
The King of the Skies had many rules. “A good girl speaks only when spoken to. A good girl obeys her father. A good girl always behaves impeccably.”
By impeccably, the King of the Skies meant she would not run, she would not play, she would not laugh, she would never, ever cry. The King of the Skies thought a girl should be like a doll; beautiful, silent and perfect.
The Princess grew and learned how to control herself. She kept her opinions to herself. She spoke softly. She learned to keep her dreams and desires locked deep inside.
However, one night the Princess heard something drifting across the night sky, to her rooms. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. It tinkled and jingled, it rose and fell, it made her hips want to sway and her toes want to tap. The Princess had heard music for the first time.
The King of the Skies was very clear on music, it was not for Princesses. It was for wild, common people who had no decorum and were not good girls.
But as the Princess listened to the music it hit a chord in her heart and she could not stop herself. She had to listen to more, she had to move with its rhythm. She had to explore that place deep within herself that the music unlocked.
So even though her father had told her, “A princess never dances.”
The Princess found herself stepping out of her window, out of the boundaries that had confined her life, and following the sound of music through the garden and into the woods. She let her hips sway, she let her toes tap and before she could stop herself she was twirling and swirling and swaying to the wonderful way the music played. For the first time in her life the Princess felt like she was truly herself.
That evening, when the Princess returned to her rooms, there was a spectacular emerald dress sitting on her bed. The Princess hid the dress in the back of her cupboard and the next night, when the music drifted in through her open window, she slipped on the dress, crept out into the woods and danced again. The stars in the night sky watched in awe and every one of them fell in love with the wonderful princess, in her emerald dress, lighting up the night with her wild dancing.
It wasn’t long before her father heard what she was up to. “This is no way for a Princess to behave!” he told her. “I forbid you to dance ever again.”
The Princess loved her father. She tried her hardest to obey him, but when she heard the music play she couldn’t help herself. She put on the dress, floated out into the night and let herself get lost in the communion of music and movement. Her heart sang, her body buzzed. She felt alive.
The King of the Skies was furious. “I will put a stop to this,” he said. “No daughter of mine will dance like a common breeze.” The King demanded his daughter come to him. “It is high time you married,” he told her. “You will marry the Rainbow Prince and stop all this dancing nonsense.”
Her whole life, the Princess had never refused her father anything. She had learned to obey and learned to be a good child. But when he told her she couldn’t dance her heart protested and she began to cry. “What if I don’t want to marry the Rainbow Prince?” she asked. “What if I want to dance instead?”
The King scowled, “Then you will leave me little choice. You will no longer be my daughter. You will be banished to the edges of the earth and you will never see me again.”
The Princess had to make a choice; the father and rules she had loved and followed her whole life, or the dancing that made her feel alive. The Princess didn’t know what to do.
So, she asked her mother, the Night Sky.
“I cannot make your choice for you,” her mother said. “Only you know what is right for you.”
The Princess asked her admirers, the Stars, “We cannot tell you what to do,” they said. “But we see in you a light so bright we know you’ll make the right choice.”
The Princess asked her friend, the Moon, “I could not say,” the Moon said. “Do what makes you happy.”
But that was the problem. The Princess had always been happy, doing as she was told, obeying her father and being a good girl. But when she danced, she discovered a new happiness, one she had never known existed.
The Princess took herself to the gardens. She needed to be alone, to look inside herself and find the answer. She knew her heart would tell her what to do, if she could just listen to it for a moment.
The Princess sat in the gardens all night, thinking. And then the music started. The Princess could not stop herself. She had to dance. When she put on her emerald dress and moved to the music, her heart sang with joy.
The Princess knew what she should do. The next day she went to see her father.
“Have you made your choice?” he asked her.
The Princess nodded. “I love you father,” she said. “But I cannot betray my own heart. I choose dancing.”
The King of the Skies was devastated. He could not go back on his word. So, even though it broke his heart, he banished his daughter to the ends of the earth.
The dancing Princess put on her emerald dress and left her father’s house. She went to the very top of the world where she dances as wildly and feely as she wants.
To this day the Northern Skies are lit up by the Dancing Princess, they call her the Aurora Borealis and every star in the sky and every person on earth lucky enough to see her dance, falls in love with her and never, ever forgets how wondrous she is.
The End
I found this story on a little website that shares fables called enchanted lands. However it says very little about where it came from other than North Pole, I suspect it's Scandinavian - if you recognise the story and you know the origin I would love to know more about it, please contact me.
This story was written for open source education for onebillion.org. If you like it and want to tell it as I have reimagined it, you are free to do so, I would appreciate a mention or link to this site, many thanks.
This story was written for open source education for onebillion.org. If you like it and want to tell it as I have reimagined it, you are free to do so, I would appreciate a mention or link to this site, many thanks.
