Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there was a beautiful princess who was betrothed to a prince from a neighboring kingdom. The princess had a loyal maid who had been with her since childhood. The two of them had grown up together and were the closest of friends. However, the maid was secretly jealous of the princess’s beauty and wealth.
As the princess was preparing to leave for her wedding, the maid suggested that they switch places. The maid would dress as the princess and marry the prince, while the real princess would go in her place and live as a commoner. The princess, being kind-hearted and trusting, agreed to the plan.
So the maid went to the neighboring kingdom, pretending to be the princess, while the real princess traveled to the other kingdom disguised as a goose girl. The princess was given a few of the geese from the king’s flock to care for.
The princess was kind and gentle, and she quickly grew to love her geese. She would often talk to them and sing to them, and they would follow her wherever she went. The other servants thought she was odd, but they didn’t pay much attention to her.
One day, the king’s son was out hunting and he came across the princess talking to her geese. He was intrigued and struck up a conversation with her. She confided in him and told him everything that had happened. The prince promised to help her regain her rightful place as the princess.
The prince went to the imposter princess and demanded that she tell him why the true princess was working as a goose girl. The imposter princess, realizing that she had been caught, confessed everything. The prince then took the real princess back to the palace, where she was reunited with her family.
The maid was punished for her deceitful actions, and the true princess was able to marry her prince and live happily ever after. The geese that had been given to the princess became famous for their loyalty and devotion to her, and they were never far from her side.