The Queen Bee

Once upon a time, there lived a king who had three sons. The two elder princes were clever and worldly, priding themselves on their knowledge and sophistication. The youngest, however, was simple-hearted and gentle, and his brothers often mocked him, calling him Simpleton because of his quiet nature and kindness to all creatures.

One day, the three brothers set out together to seek their fortunes in the wide world. As they journeyed through a dense forest, they came upon an anthill bustling with thousands of busy ants.

“Let us destroy this anthill,” said the eldest brother with a cruel laugh. “It will be amusing to watch the ants run about in confusion.”

“Yes,” agreed the second brother, already picking up a stick. “We could scatter them and see how they scramble to rebuild.”

But the youngest prince stepped forward, spreading his arms protectively over the anthill. “Leave the little creatures in peace,” he said gently. “They have done no harm to us, and they work so diligently to provide for their families.”

His brothers scoffed at his tender heart, but they moved on without disturbing the ants.

Further along their path, they came to a crystal-clear lake where ducks swam peacefully among the lily pads. The elder brothers immediately began plotting mischief.

“Let us catch some of these ducks,” suggested the first. “We could roast them for our supper.”

“Excellent idea,” said the second, already removing his boots to wade into the water. “They look fat and delicious.”

Again, the youngest prince intervened. “Please, brothers, leave these innocent creatures be. They swim so beautifully and harm no one. Surely we can find other food without taking their lives.”

Though they grumbled about their brother’s soft heart, the elder princes agreed to leave the ducks in peace.

As evening approached, the brothers discovered a tall tree with a bees’ nest in its highest branches. Golden honey dripped slowly from the comb, filling the air with its sweet fragrance.

“Let us smoke out these bees and take their honey,” declared the eldest brother, gathering dry wood for a fire.

“Yes, we deserve this treasure after our long journey,” added the second, striking flint to kindle the flames.

Once more, the youngest prince stepped forward to protect the creatures. “Dear brothers, please spare these industrious bees. They have worked all summer to create this honey for their queen and their young. Let us not destroy their home for our momentary pleasure.”

Exasperated but too tired to argue, the elder brothers abandoned their plan and the three continued on their way.

As darkness fell, they came upon a magnificent castle made of white stone that gleamed like silver in the moonlight. The palace appeared deserted, with no guards at the gates and no lights in the windows. Curious, the brothers explored the empty halls until they discovered a small room where an ancient gray-bearded man sat alone at a table.

The old man looked up as they entered. “Welcome, travelers,” he said in a voice like rustling leaves. “I am the keeper of this enchanted castle. If you seek shelter, you may stay, but know that this place holds a mystery that has puzzled many before you.”

“What manner of mystery?” asked the eldest brother, always eager for adventure.

The old man’s eyes twinkled mysteriously. “This castle and all who dwell within it are under a powerful spell. Only one who can complete three impossible tasks can break the enchantment and win the hand of the youngest princess, who lies sleeping with her sisters in the tower above.”

The elder brothers exchanged excited glances, each certain he could succeed where others had failed. “Tell us these tasks,” demanded the second brother.

“First,” said the old man, “you must gather one thousand pearls that lie scattered in the moss of the forest floor. They must all be found before sunset, or you will be turned to stone like the many knights who came before you.”

The eldest brother set out immediately at dawn, confident in his abilities. But the pearls were tiny and well-hidden among the moss, and by evening he had found only a few hundred. As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, he was transformed into a statue of gray stone.

The second brother, believing himself cleverer than his sibling, tried the next day. Despite his best efforts and careful planning, he too failed to complete the task before sunset and suffered the same fate.

When the youngest prince’s turn came, he ventured into the forest with a heavy heart, knowing the task seemed impossible. But as he knelt to search among the moss, he heard a familiar sound—the rustling of thousands of tiny feet.

To his amazement, the ants he had protected came streaming through the forest, their queen at their head. “You showed us kindness when your brothers would have destroyed our home,” she said in a voice like whispered leaves. “Now we shall help you in your time of need.”

The industrious ants spread throughout the forest, and with their keen eyes and countless numbers, they quickly gathered every pearl. By midday, one thousand perfect pearls lay gleaming in a pile before the astonished prince.

The old man nodded approvingly when the prince returned. “You have completed the first task,” he said. “Now for the second: In the depths of the castle’s lake lies the key to the princesses’ chamber. You must retrieve it before the moon sets, or join your brothers in stone.”

The youngest prince made his way to the dark lake behind the castle, wondering how he could possibly find a single key in such deep, murky waters. But as he stood on the shore in despair, the water began to ripple, and up from the depths swam the very ducks he had saved from his brothers’ cruelty.

“Kind prince,” said the largest duck, shaking droplets from her emerald-green head, “you protected us when others would have made us their meal. Now we shall dive to the bottom of this lake and bring you what you seek.”

The ducks disappeared beneath the surface, and after what seemed like hours but was only minutes, they returned with a golden key clutched in the largest duck’s beak.

The old man smiled when the prince returned with the key. “Two tasks completed,” he acknowledged. “But the final challenge is the most difficult of all. In the tower, three princesses lie sleeping under the spell. They are identical in every way, but only one is the youngest and true princess who can break the enchantment. You must choose correctly, and you have only one chance. Choose wrongly, and you too will become stone.”

The prince climbed the winding tower stairs, his heart pounding. In a beautiful chamber at the top, he found three princesses lying on beds of silk and gold. They were indeed identical in appearance—the same golden hair, the same peaceful expressions, the same royal bearing.

As the prince stood in confusion, wondering how to tell them apart, he heard a gentle humming sound. Through the window flew the queen bee whose hive he had protected, accompanied by her loyal workers.

“Noble prince,” buzzed the queen bee, hovering near his ear, “you saved our home from fire and smoke when your brothers would have destroyed us. We remember that before falling under this spell, the youngest princess ate honey from our hive for breakfast, while her sisters ate only sugar and jam.”

The wise queen bee flew to each sleeping princess and alighted briefly on their lips. When she reached the third princess, she remained there, indicating that this was the one who had tasted honey.

With confidence born of the creatures’ loyalty, the prince gently kissed the third princess. Immediately, she opened her eyes, and as she sat up, the spell that had bound the castle began to break. Color returned to the walls, sounds echoed through the halls, and all the enchanted inhabitants awakened from their long sleep.

The two elder brothers, freed from their stone curse, stood blinking in amazement. But they had learned their lesson about cruelty and showed proper gratitude to the creatures who had saved their youngest brother.

The youngest princess, whose name was Rosamund, was indeed the most beautiful and kind-hearted maiden the prince had ever met. When she learned how he had won her freedom through kindness to small creatures, her admiration for him grew even greater.

“You have shown that true nobility lies not in cleverness or strength,” she said, “but in compassion for all living things, no matter how small.”

Their wedding was celebrated throughout the kingdom, with the ants creating intricate patterns in the garden, the ducks swimming in formation on the palace lake, and the bees providing the sweetest honey for the wedding feast.

The prince inherited his father’s kingdom and ruled with the same kindness he had always shown. Queen Rosamund proved to be a wise and gentle ruler as well, and together they established laws protecting all creatures within their realm.

As for the elder brothers, they too married the other princesses and learned to govern with justice and mercy. But they never forgot the lesson of the queen bee: that those who show compassion to the smallest and seemingly weakest creatures often find that kindness returned tenfold in times of greatest need.

And in the palace garden, visitors could always see a special corner where ants built their hills undisturbed, where a pond provided sanctuary for ducks and water birds, and where beehives produced the finest honey in all the land—a reminder that even the smallest act of kindness can lead to the greatest rewards.