Princess Maleen had a sparkle in her eye, especially when she thought of a certain prince. She loved him very much, and he loved her too! But Maleen's father, the King, had other plans. "Nope!" he said. "You can't marry him!" He was a bit of a grumpy king, you see.

So, he built a tall, dark tower with no doors and only one tiny window, and locked Maleen and her loyal maid inside. "For seven long years!" he declared. "Maybe then you'll change your mind!"
They had food and water, but after seven years, it all ran out.
"What shall we do?" cried the maid.
Maleen, ever so clever, said, "We’ll use this bread knife to chip away at the stone!"
Chip, chip, chip they went, and finally, a stone came loose! Then another! Soon, they squeezed out.

But oh dear! The world outside was a mess. Her father's kingdom was gone, all ruined and quiet. They walked and walked, hungry and tired, until they reached another kingdom.
At the royal kitchen, they begged for work. "We can scrub pots!" said Maleen. "And sweep floors!" added her maid.
The cook, a busy fellow, said, "Alright, but stay out of sight!"
Guess whose castle it was? The very prince Maleen loved!

Now, this prince was about to get married. But not to Maleen. His father had chosen a new bride for him. This new bride was, well, not very kind, and she wasn't very pretty either. In fact, she was quite ashamed of how she looked.
When it was time to go to the church, the new bride said to Maleen, "You're pretty. You go in my place. Wear my fancy dress!"
Maleen didn't want to, but the bride insisted.

As Maleen walked to the church, dressed as the bride, she felt sad.
She passed a little green nettle plant and whispered:
"Nettle small and bright,
What do you do here, all alone in the light?"

She stepped on the church steps and whispered:
"Church step, old and worn,
Have you seen my true love this morn?"

She touched the church door and whispered:
"Church door, strong and wide,
Is my true love waiting inside?"

The prince, walking beside her, heard her soft voice. "That doesn't sound like my new bride," he thought. "And she looks different too... much prettier!"

At the wedding feast, the prince was still puzzled. The false bride (the real Maleen) was asked to tell a story. So Maleen told a story about a princess locked in a tower, who escaped, and whose true love was about to marry someone else. As she told it, the prince gave her a beautiful golden necklace.

Later, the real new bride (the unkind one) came to the feast. She tried to put on the golden necklace, but it was too small! It wouldn't fit her neck.
The prince looked at her. "What did you say to the nettle plant on the way to church?" he asked.
"Nettle plant?" she scoffed. "I crush nettles, I don't talk to them!"
"And the church step?"
"I stepped on it, of course!"
"And the church door?"
"I walked through it!"

The prince frowned. He called for the scullery maid, Maleen.
"What did *you* say to the nettle, the step, and the door?" he asked.
Maleen repeated her little whispers. Then, she showed him the golden necklace he had given her. It fit her perfectly.
"It is you!" cried the prince. "My true Maleen!"

And so, the prince married his clever and patient Princess Maleen. The unkind bride? Well, let's just say she wasn't invited to the wedding party. And they all lived happily, especially Maleen, who never had to chip her way out of a tower again.

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