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Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom, there lived a young and beautiful princess named Danica. She is the only child of King Anton and Queen Selena. The people in the kingdom loved the king and the queen so much, but had reservations for the princess. All of them knew that the princess is anything but kind, and they all fear the day when it’s her turn to rule the kingdom.
Princess Danica is mean, especially to their servants. She would always yell at everyone in the castle, including her mother and her father. She wants everyone to obey her at all times and follow her wishes. Everyone in the castle dislikes her attitude but out of respect to the king and queen, they had to tolerate her lack of consideration.
One Sunday morning, the kitchen crew is very busy preparing for a big feast. They were expecting important visitors from the far-east, and they want to make a good impression. The menu includes venison, turkey, pigeon pies, beef and potatoes. They are all excitedly buzzing around and working hard to create magnificent dishes. When the time has come for the feast, they were all satisfied and proud of what they had accomplished.
The royal family sat in the grand table with their guests, waiting for the food to be served. One by one, the kitchen crew laid the dishes on the table with huge smiles on their faces. The king and queen greeted each crew with delight and compliments for a job well done, but the princess was not happy.
“Where’s the duck?,” she yelled, silencing everyone. “Did I stutter? I said where is the duck? I clearly told you last night that I want you to prepare some ducks!”
The head cook bowed before the princess, muttering an apology. “My Princess, forgive me. The ducks are hard to come by these days. I am very sorry. But the turkey—”
“Enough! You are useless! Get out!” The poor cook immediately left the Great Hall without a word, afraid that the princess might get angrier if he didn’t. The king apologized to Queen Sheba, their royal guest, and her company, for the incident. Queen Sheba smiled knowingly and they started their meal.
Everyone tried to forget the incident and just enjoy the evening, while Princess Danica stubbornly played with food, occasionally pitching nasty comments about the dishes. By the time the feast has ended, everyone was ready to go to bed.
Little did they know that Queen Sheba has the blood of a powerful witch, and she didn’t like how the princess acted that night. Once everyone was fast asleep, she sneaked into the princess’s room.
“Good evening, Princess,” she greeted the baffled young girl. “Surprised? Not as much as I was with the way you acted earlier, I guess. That was very unbecoming of a lady, I must say.”
Princess Danica tried to speak, but she felt her mouth tightened. Queen Sheba laughed. “You don’t need to speak. I won’t take so much of your time. I just want to let you know that I am very disappointed with you. And I think it’s time for you to learn your lesson. Until you’re kind enough to gain a true friend, you will be under my punishment.”
The queen gave the princess a kiss on the forehead, turning her into a loud, ugly duck!
The next morning, everyone in the castle panicked because they couldn’t find the princess. The guards were sent to look for her around the kingdom, while King Anton consoled his wife. Days went by but they still couldn’t find her. Everyone was convinced that the princess ran away from the castle. They quietly rejoiced, but they were all worried at the same time. The king and queen kept their hopes up and never stopped looking for their child. Day and night, the queen wept for her lost daughter.
To encourage Queen Selena to eat, the kitchen crew decided to prepare a small banquet.
“Okay, Tim, go and find some Brussels sprouts for the soup,” the cook starts to instruct his crew. “Anna, go get some flour from the market, oh, and don’t forget to tell Mr. Porter to deliver the beans today. I need them for the beef.”
“Father, you forgot to say ‘please’.” The cook’s daughter, Layla, showed up in the kitchen. He laughed at her remark and felt proud.
“Oh, yes. Please,” he chuckled, “What brings you here, young lady?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to watch you cook,” the little girl replied.
“Are you sure? You might get bored, though.”
“Nah, I’ll just sit here. It’s fine.” She sat on the counter and looked around. Someday, she wants to be just like her father. She knew that this is where she belongs.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the crew. They started to work and Layla watched them eagerly.
“No!” she cried suddenly upon seeing one of the crew chasing a tiny duck.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” the cook rushed to his daughter’s side.
“He was going to kill that poor duck, Father,” she replied in between sobs.
He sighed. “You want to keep it?”
Layla’s face lit up upon hearing this. “Yes, Father! Please!”
“Okay, but you have to go home. We can’t cook anything if you’re going to keep them all.”
"Thank you, Father! Thank you!"
The little girl jumped around, holding up her new friend. She went home merrily with the ugly duck. “What should I name you? Hmmm…” She studied the duck, and noticed that it was crying.
“Why? Did I hurt you? What’s wrong?” Layla asked, worried. The duck seemed to understand what she was saying, and started to cry harder. “Maybe you miss your mother and father. My mother died when I was a baby, and I miss her too. Don’t worry, my friend, you will never be alone again.” she kissed the duck in the forehead, and was surprised to see her new friend suddenly transforming into a little girl.
For a moment, everything seemed unreal. Princess Danica cried as she looked at her hands, her feet, and touched her face. It’s real! The curse is broken! She rushed towards the cook’s daughter, whom she yelled at not so long ago, and apologized for everything.
Layla forgave her and took her back to the castle, where they were greeted by the king and queen. The banquet was served to celebrate her homecoming and a feast was held the following day. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced and the princess promised them that from then on, she will be respectful and kind to others. With the help of her new best friend, she knew that it will be easy.
The End.
