Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, beautiful kingdom. The king was very old, and he wanted to marry his one-eyed daughter to a prince who really deserved her. But he didn't know how to decide who to accept as his daughter's suitor.
The princess was wonderfully beautiful: her bottomless hair almost sparkled in the sun, her legs were gracefully slender, she was tall and all her clothes suited her. No wonder the king was so wary of suitors.
One morning the king woke up with a craving for honey. The servants brought it to him. He tried and tried to decide which to eat, but somehow he didn't really like any of them - even though it was his favourite food. The solution came to him: the prince who brought the best honey could marry his daughter.
It was announced beyond the seven sevens that the king was looking for a husband for his daughter, and that the one who brought the finest honey would win her hand. And the suitors came by hundreds and thousands. The king realized that it was not so easy to do justice. How could he taste so much honey? He could not eat it even if he only swallowed it all, for there were thousands of suitors for his daughter's hand.
The king pondered. He mourned what to do. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But suddenly he sees that some of the bees in the hive are flying out, and he begins to search the bees of the suitors. Sniffing, tasting, sorting them out. The king has come up with a solution: the prince can marry the daughter of the one whose honey is most invaded by bees.
The suitors laid out their honey in a neat row, and the bees flew out of the hive in a neat row and began to study it carefully. However, none of them were to our liking.
One of the servants sat there and watched what was happening. Meanwhile he was eating honey bread, for he was hungry for it. As you know, he had bees, too, so he could enjoy the delicious flavours at any time. Suddenly he noticed that he could not eat in peace, because more and more bees were gathering around him.
The king noticed this, so he told his servants to find out where his bees had gone. They brought the poor servant with the honey bread in his hand and the bees in his hand.
The king told him:
- You servant boy! What have you got in your hand that attracts my bees so much?
- 'My lord my king, my life is death,' replied the lad, 'I am only eating my lunch. I eat bread with honey.
- Where did you get the honey? - asked the king.
- They were collected from my bee.
- "Well, boy, bring me some of that," the king ordered.
And the poor servant brought it with great joy, for he thought there was no greater pride than that the king should taste his honey.
The king licked the honey once, twice, three times, and said in amazement:
- This is the best honey I have ever tasted in my life!
The king wondered what he should do now, for he had not intended his daughter's hand for a servant. But this honey is so delicious! And a promise is a good word, if it is kept. Meanwhile, he glanced at his daughter, and noticed how lovingly she looked at the servant.
So he proclaimed that the servant boy would get half his kingdom, so that he too would deserve the hand of the princess. They had a world-famous three-day wedding. There was everything that could be made from honey: honey-sweetened meats, cakes, drinks, even the cake was made from honey sponge cake.
And the newlyweds lived happily ever after, in love, until they died.