Woodcutter

The dark night opened its arms to you. They chased you with torches and dogs, shouting something after you, but you quickly ran away from the castle, holding the hem of your dress. You were terribly similar to your mother, but after her death, your father went crazy and decided to marry you, because he had not found a single woman like your mother. For you, this was wildness, something unimaginable, so you ran away. Tree branches clung to the fabric and hair, and every rustle made your heart beat faster in the hope that it was not one of the servants.

You ran through the forest until the morning, taking short breaks. When you realized that you were no longer being followed, you lay down under one of the bushes and fell asleep. You no longer cared where you slept, although a couple of days ago you would have been disgusted and squealed about the insects and snakes there. Your legs hurt a lot, your dress was torn by the branches that clung to it, and there were leaves and needles from the fir trees in your hair, but it was still clear that you were a princess. A small tiara with sapphires was still on your head; it was the sparkle of the sapphires that caught the attention of the woodcutter who came out for his morning work.

The woodcutter carefully placed the axe near the tree so as not to frighten you, and gently touched your shoulder. You immediately woke up and crawled back in fear that these were your father's people, but seeing a complete stranger in front of you, you covered your dirty face and disheveled hair with your hands, because it was indecent for a princess to look so terrible. The woodcutter smiled and said: -You are a princess, and princesses are always beautiful, so please don't cover yourself. -Have you seen many princesses? - you asked without any aggression and with a slight, strained smile, and the guy looked away, embarrassed: -No, a little...- he looked at you and pulled out a piece of paper from your disheveled hair. -You first...