The Princess In The Mask

There was once a girl called Ragina who, because her mother had died when she was very young and her father, after remarrying had died as well, lived with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters and Ragina’s stepmother always made Ragina wear a mask because, she told the girl,

“You are far too ugly. You are so ugly that you would scare away people and so you must always wear that mask and never take it off”.

But then, one day, it was announced that the Prince Regent was having a gala ball to which all the eligible young ladies of his land would be invited so that he could dance with each of them and choose one to marry.

And, getting all dressed up in their best ballgowns, Ragina’s stepmother and stepsisters told Ragina that they were going to the ball and that she must stay in the house while they were gone.

“You cannot come Ragina”, they all said to her, “Because you are too ugly. So ugly that the Prince would probably be made ill by the sight of you”.

Ragina wept when she heard this and tears poured from the eyeholes of her mask but this only made her cruel stepmother and stepsisters laugh.

Then, however, while they were out at the Princes ball there was a knock at the door of the house and, answering it, Ragina saw an old beggar man who asked her if she could spare some food and water.

Ragina was such a kind hearted girl and so lonely that she longed for the company of a friend and so she let the old man come in and gave him food and water and said that he could stay and warm himself by the fire until her step mother and step sisters got home.

“They are not very kind”, she told the man, “And they would be angry if they found you here”.

But then, when the old man had eaten the food and drank the water that Ragina had given him, he asked her,

“My dear. Why do you wear that mask over your face?”.

Ragina sobbed and told the old man, sadly, “It is because I am so ugly. My step mother told me I must always wear it”.

But then the old man said, “Please Ragina, show me your face. I am an old man and I do not mind how ugly you are. You are kind and generous and I would like to see you smile”.

Ragina was afraid to take off the mask but the old man insisted that he would be happy to see her face no matter how ugly she was.

And so, for the first time since she was a very small child, Ragina took off the mask.

To the man’s astonishment, however, he saw that Ragina was not ugly at all but astoundingly pretty.

“Oh Ragina”, he said to her, “Your stepmother has told you a terrible lie. You are not ugly at all. You are beautiful”.

Ragina thought the old man must be making fun of her because she wouldn’t believe she was beautiful and then, when the old man told Ragina that he wasn’t really a beggar at all but her Fairy Godfather, she felt certain that he was playing a cruel joke and thought him ungrateful for her kindness and was going to throw him out when the old man apologized and asked Ragina if she would like to play a game of Blind Man’s Buff.

Ragina had not played any game in years, not since her mother had played games with her as a toddler and so, excited to have some kind of fun, she agreed and then, putting a blindfold round her eyes, the old man span Ragina round three times but, on the third spin, Ragina heard a strange noise as if the room were full of laughing, happy men and women and, taking her blindfold off to look, she saw that she was at the Prince’s ball.

Frightened to be seen without her mask, she tried to cover her face but then noticed that she was wearing white, satin, elbow-length gloves and, looking down at her dress, she saw that she had a beautiful ball gown on and there was a necklace of sparkling diamonds round her neck.

Then, suddenly, someone grabbed hold of her by one of her gloved hands and, looking round, she saw that it was the young, handsome Prince Regent and he was smiling.

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman than you”, he said, “What is your name?”.

“R-R-Ragina”, stammered Ragina shyly.

“Then”, he said, “Would you honour me with a dance Ragina?”.

And, suddenly, Ragina was whirling round and round the ballroom to the beautiful music of a chamber orchestra and she had never been so happy, not since she was a little child spinning and dancing for her parents.

Then, all of a sudden, the Prince announced to all the guests at his ball, “I have found my wife. Her name is Ragina”.

And Ragina had a glittering crown placed upon her head to signify that she was the Queen of the ball and all the other guests, even those who were jealous, admired how pretty she was.

But then, seeing her and recognizing her, her evil stepmother and step sisters tore the crown off of her head, telling the prince, “This is no lady; this is just our servant; our scullery maid masquerading as a lady”.

But then, Ragina’s Fairy God Father appeared holding a mirror and, bowing to the prince, said,

“Your majesty, there is a simple way to discover who is telling the truth. This mirror is a magic mirror that shows the true nature of whoever looks into it. The good hearted look beautiful and the evil hearted look ugly”.

Then Ragina’s Fairy God Father held the mirror up and, when Ragina looked into it she and all saw an angel looking back with pure white wings and a halo of gold but when her step mother and her two daughters looked into it they saw three hideous gorgons with hissing snakes for hair; infact, they were so ugly that the mirror shattered.

Convinced of Ragina’s innocence, the Prince ordered that the step-mother and her daughters be thrown into the deepest, darkest dungeon in the land.

But Ragina, because she was so kind, forgave her stepmother and her two stepsisters and gave them a job planting flowers in the Royal garden instead. Then together with the prince, Ragina lived happily ever after.