The Twelve Huntsmen

The Twelve Huntsmen

Once there was a young prince who loved a princess. They had known each other for years, spoken often about their future, and agreed that one day they would marry.

One morning a messenger galloped into the palace.

“Your Highness, your father is gravely ill. He asks you to return home at once.”

Before leaving, the prince removed a ring from his finger and gave it to his beloved.

“Keep this. It is the sign of my promise. I will return.”

She put it on.

“I will wait.”

The prince hurried to his father’s kingdom. The old king was very weak. He wanted to know that the country would remain peaceful after his death, so he asked his son to honor an old agreement between two royal families and marry a princess from a neighboring kingdom.

The prince was grieving and confused. Thinking only of his dying father, he agreed without considering the promise he had already made.

Soon the old king died, and the prince became king.

After the mourning period, advisers reminded him of his father’s wish. Messengers were sent to the neighboring kingdom, and preparations for a wedding began.

When his first beloved heard the news, she was deeply hurt. But instead of sitting quietly and waiting for other people to decide her future, she chose to discover the truth herself.

“Father,” she told her own king, “help me find eleven brave young women willing to travel with me.”

“Why?”

“I want to reach the court of the man who gave me his word. Not as a guest. I want to see who he has become and hear the truth from him.”

Her father agreed.

Soon eleven young women joined her. All could ride, travel through forests, use a bow, or care for horses.

Twelve matching hunting outfits were made. The princess hid her hair beneath a hat, the others did the same, and the small company set out.

At the palace, their leader told the guards:

“We are twelve hunters. We heard the king often travels through the forests and may need skilled companions.”

The king came to inspect them. He did not recognize his former beloved.

“Stay,” he said. “I can use people with your skills.”

So the princess and her eleven companions became known at court as the Twelve Huntsmen.

The king owned an unusual lion who understood human speech and liked to pretend he knew every secret in the world.

One evening the lion said:

“Your twelve huntsmen are not what they seem.”

“And what are they?”

“Women!”

“How do you know?”

The lion shook his mane importantly.

“Easy. Scatter peas before the door. I have heard men step so firmly that peas do not move, while women will certainly send them rolling.”

The king laughed.

“That is a strange theory, but we shall see.”

A friendly servant overheard and warned the huntsmen.

“The lion plans to test you.”

The princess smiled.

“Then tomorrow everyone watch the floor and walk carefully. Peas are slippery for anyone.”

The next morning, the twelve crossed the corridor so carefully that almost no pea moved.

The lion refused to give up.

“Someone warned them. Put twelve spinning wheels in the antechamber. Women will stop to admire them, while men will not care.”

The servant warned the huntsmen again.

One young woman laughed.

“My brother spins better than I do.”

“Then we simply keep walking,” said the princess.

The next day all twelve passed the spinning wheels without stopping.

The king shook his head.

“Lion, perhaps we should not guess who people are from the way they walk or the things they supposedly like.”

The lion snorted but suggested no more tests.

Weeks passed. The Twelve Huntsmen accompanied the king through the forests, found paths, cared for horses, and helped whenever the party became lost.

The king trusted their leader most. For some reason, speaking with this young hunter felt strangely familiar.

One day, as they returned from the forest, a messenger galloped toward them.

“Your Majesty! The princess from the neighboring kingdom is already on her way. Her party will arrive tomorrow.”

The leader of the Twelve Huntsmen suddenly turned pale.

Months of hidden grief rose at once: the promise, the ring, the long road, the uncertainty.

She swayed and sank onto the grass.

The king jumped from his horse.

“Are you hurt?”

As he bent to help, he saw a familiar ring on the hunter’s hand.

He froze.

He remembered that ring.

“Is it you?” he whispered.

The princess removed her hat.

“Yes.”

For a long moment neither spoke.

“Why did you not write to me?” asked the king.

“I wanted the truth from you, not from messengers. And I wanted to know whether you remembered your promise when no one reminded you.”

The king lowered his head.

“I remembered. But in the worst moment of my life, I made another promise to my father. Then I let duty make my decisions for me. That was unfair to you and to the princess traveling here.”

He immediately sent a messenger with an honest explanation and a request to stop the wedding preparations.

The neighboring princess was disappointed, but grateful that the truth reached her before she arrived at court.

The king and his first beloved talked for a long time. They did not pretend nothing had happened. She told him about her hurt. He told her about his grief and confusion after his father’s death.

Only when they truly understood one another did they decide to be together again.

In time they married.

The princess’s eleven friends sat in places of honor. The helpful servant was among the guests. The magical lion lay beside the steps, pretending he had predicted everything from the beginning.

“No more tests with peas,” the new queen told him.

The lion blinked solemnly.

“Agreed. From now on, I will judge people only after I actually get to know them.”

It was probably the wisest thing he had ever said.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨