The invited king, the father of the bride, could not eat. Already when he arrived he could not take his eyes off the bride, and it seemed that the heart wanted to tell him something, but he did not want to believe his eyes. The food didn't go down. He wondered why all the other diners ate with so much appetite of the dishes that for him had no taste. He asked his neighbor who was sitting on his right how lunch looked to him, and he told him that he had never eaten such tasty food. The king tasted it from his neighbor's plate and realized that it was actually very good. He did the same with his neighbour on the left, and after these two tastings his mouth watered. Finally, unable to hold back, he stood up and cried out, "Tell me well, King, have you invited me to your son's wedding to make fun of me?" "Woe to me, Your Majesty! How can you think of such a thing? As everyone can see, I honor you like all other kings and without making a difference.
"But no, Your Majesty! Forgive me, but the food of all the other diners is good to eat, but mine is not! The father-in-law king was very angry and ordered all the cooks to appear before him to account for what they had done, and the guilty would be punished by death. And do you know what happened? The bride had cooked all the dishes for the king, her father, without salt, but only with honey and sugar. Even the salt shaker in front of him, on the table, was full of sugar and it was useless for the poor king to take with a silver knife what he thought was salt and put it on the dishes: instead of becoming good to eat, they became even sweeter. Then the bride stood up and said to the king, her father-in-law, "I cooked the food for the angry king, and that's why I did it: this king is my father. We were three sisters at home and one day our father asked us how we loved him. My older sisters answered that they loved him like honey and sugar. When it was my turn, I answered that I loved him like salt in food. So in fact I thought: that there was no greater and truer love than this. My father, on the other hand, got angry and threw me out of the house. The Lord wanted to give me my life, and with work, honesty and diligence I arrived where you can see me now. On this occasion I wanted to prove to my father that without honey and sugar a man can very well survive, even if in the long run the dessert is nauseous, while without salt in the food, you can not stay. That's why I prepared all his food without salt."
Then the bride's father recognized that he had not been able to understand his daughter's wit and asked her for forgiveness. The girl kissed his hand and asked him for forgiveness for having disturbed him with his way of doing things. Finally everyone started eating again and began to have so much fun that this wedding lunch became famous all over the world. And they all lived happily ever after.
The end!
NEXT TALE
Classical and Popular Italian Fairy Tales - Straparola: L'Augel Belverde (Night IV, Fairytale III)
Part 1
In the royal city of Provino, once lived three sisters, beautiful in appearance and kind in spirit as well as in good manners, but of low lineage, because they were daughters of a baker, master Rigo, who baked bread for others. These girls were called Brunora, Lionella and Chiaretta respectively. One day it happened that all three of them were in a garden they loved so much, while Ancillotto, the king, passed by there by chance, while he was going hunting to pass the time. Brunora, who was the older sister, seeing that beautiful and honorable company, said to the sisters: "If I had the king's master of the house as husband, I like to think that I would be able to satisfy all his heart with a single glass of wine. "And I," said Lionella, "am sure that if my husband were the king's personal waiter, I could spin so much cloth with a single spindle, that I could weave wonderful shirts for all his court. "While I," said Chiaretta, "am sure that if I had the king for a husband, I could give him three children with only one pregnancy, two boys and one girl; and all three would have very long hair bound by fine gold, and would wear a necklace around their necks, and a star on their foreheads. These last words were heard by a courtier, who immediately ran to tell the king, telling him by wire and by sign what he had heard from the three sisters. The king, hearing this speech, sent them to call immediately, questioned them one by one, to have confirmation of what they had said while talking to each other in the garden, they answered all his questions with great reverence, and Ancillotto was very satisfied and pleased. He decided to take Chiaretta as his wife, while he gave Brunora to the court master, and Lionella to the waiter, and, leaving the hunt behind, they all returned to the palace, where the wedding took place.
The continuation should be...