GFTC - The Coat of Many Colors

Once upon a time, there was a king who had gone quite mad. Come back! The king had worked himself into an insane frenzy over the scandalous idea that he was to marry. You will never escape from me, Alaya! You promised me that you would be my bride! Don't escape, Alaya! I'll find you! You will be my queen! Years ago, he had been married to the beautiful queen Aurora, whose blonde hair shone like a thousand suns. But the queen had become ill, and on her deathbed, she made the king promise not to marry anyone who did not have her beautiful golden hair. As the years went by, the subjects grew restless without a queen, but they could never find a woman to fulfill the promise. Then one night, the king shocked the people with the announcement that his own daughter, the princess Aliyah, was the only woman beautiful enough to be queen. That is against the laws of heaven and earth, the subjects cried. And when the princess heard it, she came up with a plan to stop this horrible marriage. The king must bring her a dress made of spun gold, another made of silver moonbeams, and a third dress made out of stardust, as well as a cloak of a thousand furs, surely an impossible feat. But when the king managed to fulfill this request, the poor princess had no choice but to flee for her life. And so, in the dark of night, she left the mad king behind in his burning castle. With her dresses and cloak, she ran till she could run no more. Freezing it alone, she put on her cloak of a thousand furs. Disguised in the cloak, she did not know it, but she had come all the way to a distant kingdom very unlike her own. Oh, my God! What's that? Hey, it's a hermit! Let's get him! It's a prince! Let's get out of here! Your Highness, it's a girl! Please, do not be frightened. You are safe in my kingdom. You look as if you've come a long way. You must be hungry. Bring her to the palace so we can give her some food. Sire, you can't mean that. You heard me. Next thing you know, he'll be asking me to build that thing a nest. All right, pick yourself up again, you. Let's get a move on. Simon, carry the young lady's bag for her, please. But... Well, let's have your bag, then. What kind of a creature is this? You'll never escape me. We are to be married. And so the princess, haunted by the image of her father, found herself in a strange kingdom in a most extraordinary disguise. Well, what have we here, the prince's latest pauper? Listen, I have plenty for you to do in the pantry, so get yourself up off the floor and get down there right away. And make it quick. You haven't got all day. Good morning. And how are you this fine day? Oh, I'm sorry. Let me get that for you. Oh, no. Huh? Wait, don't go. Um, I wonder if I did something to offend her. Little Princess Aaliyah settled into her new life as a lowly scullery maid. Even though she was far from home and the royal life she was used to, she didn't mind, because she had a friend. Then it came to pass that a magnificent ball was to be held for the prince. People came from far and wide, and the whole palace made ready for it. All of the servants in the castle worked with a frenzy to please their beloved prince. Even Aaliyah did her part by keeping the pantry floor swept. She was accustomed to attending royal balls as a lowly scullery maid, but she didn't want to be a part of it. She wanted to be a part of it. She did her part by keeping the pantry floor swept. She was accustomed to attending royal balls as a guest and not as a servant. She longed to join in the celebration. The music reminded her of what it had been like before the madness had taken her father. How she had loved to dance with him. You dance wonderfully, father. I think we can take a break. You can mop up later. Or are you going dancing with the prince? The royal ball was magnificent, complete with princes and princesses and delightful music. Aaliyah could no longer stand being apart from the elegant life she had learned to love. She went to her tiny room and pulled her bag out from under her cot. She took out the dress made of spun gold. It shimmered and glistened magically. She forgot her troubles for a moment and basked in the warm glow of the dress. Dreaming of her meeting with the prince by the well, she decided to go to the ball. For the first time since her father had gone mad, she felt happy and looked forward to meeting the kind prince on equal terms. Highness, surely you realize that tonight's ball is being held in your honor. There must be someone you want to dance with. Huh? Oh! A brilliant glow from the ballroom door stopped all activity in the room. The guests were awestruck by the bright and glowing gown of Princess Aaliyah. Enjoying the attention, Aaliyah began to make her way toward the prince. The admiring crowd parted for her, leaving Aaliyah face to face with Prince Alexander. Would you do me the honor of this dance? Oh! I have never danced with a princess quite like you before. Oh, there must be some mistake. I am not a princess. What's that? You say you are not a princess? I beg your pardon, but the ring... Well, then you must be an angel in disguise, because I have never seen anyone so... full of grace. This really must stop. It isn't right. I'm sorry. Oh, wait! Come back! Excuse me. Excuse me! Why? Oh, nothing. Oh, well. Good night, then. Aaliyah was glad she had remained anonymous, for she was still terribly troubled by her past. But she was also disappointed that the prince had not recognized her, for she was beginning to fall in love with him. And so, for the prince and princess, the lonely days came and went. Will I ever see her face again? I haven't seen you in a while. Have they been keeping you busy? Yes, your highness. Why do you always wear such an unusual coat? If you like, I can have cook get something more suitable for you. Please, don't bother. Do you have a family? No, I have no one. My mother died a long time ago. I see. My mother and father are also gone. I'm sorry to hear that. I've grown used to it by now. And besides all that, I seem to have many more friends now. They must like you an awful lot. Where is that no good funny coat? Wait a minute. You forgot your bucket. Thank you. Hey, chef! The prince has called for a ball tonight and he wants full regalia. There's no way I can do that. You had better. It's the prince's command. Ball tonight. Hey, funny coat. What have you got to be so happy about anyway? Did you get yourself invited to the ball tonight? We don't have time for your impossible daydreaming. Now go get the firewood. Yes, sir. And later that night, the princess crept up to her tiny room and put on the dress made out of silver moonbeams. Thank heavens you've returned. May I have the honor? I didn't know if I would ever see your face again. What made you leave so suddenly? Was it something I said? Oh, no. It isn't that. Could I ask you something? Would it matter to you if I weren't a princess? Of course it wouldn't. I don't care where you come from or whether you're a princess or not. Do you believe me? You are the most wonderful person I've ever met. Thank you, but you don't know me. Yes, I do. I love you. I want to marry you. You're going to marry me? I'm sorry. Wait. Please don't leave me again. I... Your turn. What's the matter? You thought I would never be able to make the dresses you requested? Well, my dear, it was no problem for me. Come here now and be my bride. Your Majesty, you must stop this right now. You know it's against the laws of heaven and of earth for a father to marry his own daughter. Get away. Your Majesty, please. It's not fitting of royalty. Have you forgotten your mother's last wish? It's time. I promised your mother on her deathbed to only marry someone as blonde and beautiful as she was, and I intend to keep my promise. You can fulfill the promise because you have the same blonde hair. You must get ready for the wedding. Please, Your Majesty, stop this. You're much too ill. I'm not too ill. It's my wedding day. She promised to be my bride. You must take your medicine. Who wants to become me? Alaya, you must. I have checked every coachman from every kingdom, but no one has any knowledge of her, Your Majesty. But she was here, and she could not have just appeared out of thin air. My heart does not lie to me. Yes, it's true, sire. We did all see her, but I can't imagine how she walked from here without a carriage in all of this snow. I don't know. Who was that princess anyway? Even though she was haunted by nightmares of the Mad King, Princess Alaya remained a dutiful servant at the palace of the kind Prince Alexander. Well, I see that you have become a real favorite with the birds. Oh. I'm very sorry. I really didn't mean to interfere. You're not interfering. They really are very fond of you. You think they are? Yes, I do. And any friend of the birds is a friend of mine. Tell me what troubles you, so that I may repay your kindness. I don't really want to burden you with my problems. They tell me that a suitable bride has been picked out for me. A bride, sir? The elder statesman says it is for my country's future that I must marry. And I have to let them know at the ball tonight what my decision is. But so soon? I don't have much choice in the matter. But I... What? Hey, funny cock! Huh? You know, these cinders aren't going to walk out of the stove by themselves. I guess you better get back to the kitchen before he gets angry. Uh, I... Yes. And so, with a heavy heart, the princess went up to her tiny room and put on her dress as brilliant as stardust. As she approached the ballroom, her love for the prince drew her on. This can't be. I can't believe he's going to marry her. No! Where in the world have you been? I need the soup, funny coat, and I need it now. Right away, sir. I'll be right back. And remember, not a single hair in it. You got that? Or it's off with your head. Yes, sir. The princess did as she was told, taking great care with the soup. And although she didn't know how, deep in her heart, she knew she must find a way to see the prince again. It was then she remembered how he had noticed her ring. This could be it. And so she dropped her ring in the soup to be served to the prince. Hey, chef! The prince wants to see the person who made that soup right away! But why? What in the world could have happened? I told her to be careful about getting hairs in the soup. It's not hair, you big imbecile! Hey, funny coat, you're really in for it now. Oh! Are you really and truly the person who made the soup for us this evening? Yes, Majesty. I made the soup. I'll take the punishment. That won't be necessary. Why didn't you tell me about yourself sooner? I believe this is yours. I told you it made no difference to me where you came from or if you were a princess. I never would have accepted the other princess anyway. I always believed I would see you again sometime. Oh, my prince! My princess. Now you don't need to hide yourself with this coat anymore. Ooh! Oh, Your Highness, please don't do that. Making the soup isn't your job. Perhaps not, but I prefer making the soup for my own recipe. Well, if you put it that way. Where do you want these buckets of water? Oh, Your Majesty, please be careful. Let me get that for you. Oops! Ow! Ha ha ha ha!