Princess Reem and the Reed Hat

Once upon a time, there was a wealthy king named King Henry who lived in a beautiful palace with his queen and their three daughters: Reina, Rola, and Reem. Reem, the youngest and most beautiful of the sisters, was the king's favorite. Each daughter was engaged to princes from neighboring kingdoms.

One day, King Henry fell ill and decided to gather his three daughters and their fiancés. He called them all to the palace and said, "I have invited you all because I am not well, and I have decided that one of you will take my place."

Reina interrupted, "I will take your place, Father."

The king replied calmly, "Please, do not interrupt. I was thinking of dividing my kingdom into three parts, which you three will each inherit. Your love and kindness will determine the size of what you receive from the kingdom."

Reina spoke eagerly, "Father, I would sacrifice my life for you. I will always welcome you and give you everything you need. No one in the world will love you more than I do. My love for you is like a daughter's love for her father. Just as food loses its flavor without salt, my life would have no meaning without you."

The king had expected his favorite daughter Reem to say much more, but he was disappointed and angry. He said sharply, "Is that all you have, Reem? You will not receive any part of my kingdom. I will divide it into two parts only: one for Reina and one for Rola."

After saying this, Reem's fiancé stood up and left the room, never to return. He couldn't imagine marrying a woman who had nothing. Reem began to cry and looked at her sisters, but instead of feeling sorry for her, Reina and Rola started laughing.

The father shouted, "I do not want to see you here any longer! Pack your things and leave the palace, never to return."

Wearing a colorful dress, Reem packed her wedding dress and a party dress and left the palace in tears. Days passed since she left the palace; her feet ached, and she was very tired. One day, she went to a lake. Looking around, she saw reeds lying on the ground and, looking into the water, saw the reflection of her beautiful face. She thought, "I will make a dress from these reeds to cover my beautiful dress and a hat to protect my blonde hair."

Thus, the princess came to be known as "The Reed Hat." One day, she reached the place where the prince who had abandoned her lived. She learned that he had become king because his father was on his deathbed while they were engaged. Knowing that he had failed to find a suitable princess, she decided to go to his palace to seek work as the palace cook.

She said to the cook, "This place is full of visitors and parties. Can I work for you?"

The cook replied, "Actually, this place is not as busy as you think. I will hire you, but if anything happens to the food, I will fire you."

The princess worked as best as she could, doing whatever tasks were required without complaint. All she received in return was some food to eat. She saw the king from time to time, which made her smile. Meanwhile, things were not going well with her father, whose wealth had decreased after dividing his kingdom between Reina and Rola. As promised, King Henry went to Reina's kingdom with a hundred men.

Reina said, "Father, I welcome you to my kingdom at any time, but the hundred men will be useless here. Why not choose fifty of them and let the others go?"

Her father was very angry upon hearing this and said, "Why are you speaking to me this way? After taking half of my kingdom, don’t you now want to live with a hundred men? I will go to your sister's kingdom and live with them there."

Rola listened to her father as he explained what had happened in Reina's kingdom.

Rola said, "Father, I agree with my sister. You do not need a hundred men. Tell them to go find work elsewhere. I can only welcome you to my kingdom, but not with your men."

The king shouted, "What? I will return to your sister's kingdom with fifty of my men as she wanted. You do not appreciate what I have done for you."

While the king was struggling with his daughters, Reem worked diligently in the palace of her former fiancé, who had now become king. She saw King Jade from time to time, and each time she saw him, she remembered the happy days they had shared before he abandoned her. She wore the reed dress and hat, and no one recognized her.

One day, Reem decided to reveal her identity and confront King Jade. As she approached the palace, she heard music and laughter. There was a grand party at the palace. Reem entered with determined steps and decided to face her fate.

When she entered the grand hall, she recognized King Jade among the crowd. She approached him and said, "King Jade, do you remember me?"

The king looked at her in surprise and said, "The Reed Hat! How did you get here?"

Reem removed her hat and said, "I am Reem, the princess you were once engaged to. You left me when I lost everything, but I never lost my dignity."

King Jade was silent for a moment and then said, "Reem, I was wrong to you. I did not know you would remain strong after all that happened. I apologize and hope you will forgive me."

Reem replied, "I forgave you a long time ago, but I have learned that true strength is not in wealth or power but in love and self-belief."

King Jade was moved by Reem's words and decided to give her a second chance. He asked her to return to the palace as a true queen.

As Reem returned to the palace, King Henry learned a valuable lesson. He decided to gather his three daughters and ask them to work together to rebuild the kingdom. The daughters agreed to work together, and they all lived in happiness and harmony.

Everyone learned that love and cooperation are the keys to true happiness.