In a kingdom not too far away, lived a young prince named Leo. He was very much in love with a beautiful princess named Lily. They promised to marry each other, and their hearts were full of joy.

But one day, Prince Leo’s father, the King, became very sick. "My son," he whispered, "I want you to marry another princess, Princess Daisy. Please promise me you will." Prince Leo loved his father very much, so, with a heavy heart, he promised.

When Princess Lily heard this, oh, she was so sad! Her heart felt like it would break. But Lily was not just sad, she was also very clever. "I have an idea!" she told her father, the King. "I and eleven of my best friends will dress up as huntsmen. We will go to Prince Leo’s castle!"

So, Princess Lily and her eleven friends put on green hunting clothes and hats. They looked just like brave huntsmen!

When they arrived, Prince Leo was very impressed. "What fine huntsmen!" he said. He didn't know it was Princess Lily and her friends! He invited them to stay and go hunting with him.

Now, Prince Leo had a very special lion. This lion could talk! One day, the lion whispered to Prince Leo, "Your Highness, I think those new huntsmen are not men at all. I think they are ladies!"

"Really?" said the Prince. "How can we find out?"

"Easy!" said the lion. "Scatter some peas on the floor of the hall. Men will walk right over them with big steps, but ladies will tiptoe carefully so they don’t slip."

But guess what? Princess Lily had sharp ears! She heard the lion’s plan. Quickly, she told her friends, "When you walk into the hall, walk with big, strong steps! Don’t tiptoe!"

And so they did! They stomped right over the peas. The Prince thought, "Hmm, the lion must be wrong."

The next day, the lion whispered again, "Your Highness, I still think they are ladies! Try this: put some pretty spinning wheels in the room before the dining hall. Men won’t even look at them, but ladies will be very interested!"

Again, clever Princess Lily overheard! She rushed to her friends. "When we go to dinner, don’t even glance at the spinning wheels! Act like you’ve never seen one!"

And so they did! They marched right past the spinning wheels without a single peek. The Prince shook his head. "Silly lion," he thought. "These are definitely huntsmen."

Soon, it was time for Prince Leo to marry Princess Daisy. A big feast was prepared. The twelve huntsmen were invited too.

During the feast, Princess Lily felt her heart grow heavy again. She thought of her promise with Prince Leo. Suddenly, she felt a little dizzy. As she swayed, a small, delicate glove slipped from her pocket and landed near Prince Leo’s feet.

Prince Leo picked it up. It was a beautiful glove, a glove he knew very well! It was the glove he had given to Princess Lily!

He looked closely at the huntsman who had dropped it. He looked into her eyes. "Lily?" he whispered.

Princess Lily smiled, tears in her eyes. "Yes, Leo, it's me."

Suddenly, Prince Leo remembered everything! He remembered his love for Lily and the promise they had made. He turned to everyone and said, "This is my true bride!"

Princess Daisy was a kind princess. She understood. She smiled and wished them happiness.

And so, Prince Leo married Princess Lily. The twelve huntsmen cheered, and everyone in the kingdom celebrated. They lived happily, with lots of adventures, and maybe even kept that clever talking lion as a special friend!

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