Once there was a prince who had a bride that he loved very much. One day, while they were sitting together, news arrived that his father was very sick and dying. The old King wanted to see his son one last time.
The prince said to his bride, "I must leave you now. Take this ring to remember me. When I am King, I will come back for you."
He rode away to his father's castle. The King was very weak. He said, "Dear son, promise me that you will marry the princess I have chosen for you." The prince was so sad that he didn't think clearly. He promised to do what his father asked. Soon after, the King closed his eyes and died.
When the prince became King, he had to keep his promise. He asked the other princess to marry him, and she said yes. His first bride heard about this and became so sad that she almost died. Her father asked, "Why are you so unhappy? I will give you anything you want."
She thought for a moment and said, "Father, I want eleven girls who look exactly like me. They must have the same face, height, and shape."
The father searched the whole kingdom until he found eleven girls who looked just like his daughter. The princess then ordered twelve identical sets of huntsmen’s clothes. The eleven girls put them on, and the princess wore the twelfth set. She said goodbye to her father and they rode to the King’s court.
She asked the King for a job. The King did not recognize his first bride, but he thought the twelve huntsmen were very handsome. He said, "Yes, you can all work for me."
However, the King had a lion. This was a magical animal that knew everyone’s secrets. One evening, the lion said to the King, "You think you have twelve huntsmen, but you are wrong. They are twelve girls."
The King did not believe it. "How can you prove that?" he asked.
The lion replied, "Put some peas on the floor in the hallway. Men walk with a firm, heavy step, so the peas won't move. But girls trip and skip, and the peas will roll everywhere."
The King liked the idea. But one of the King’s servants liked the huntsmen. He went to them and told them about the lion’s plan. The princess told her girls, "Walk strongly and step firmly on the peas."
The next morning, when they walked through the hallway, they stepped so firmly that the peas did not move at all. The King said to the lion, "You lied to me! They walk like men."
But the lion said, "They found out about the test. Try this: put twelve spinning wheels in the room. If they are girls, they will stop to look at them. No man would do that."
The servant warned the girls again. The princess told them, "Do not even look at the spinning wheels." The next day, the twelve huntsmen walked past the wheels without looking once. The King was angry at the lion and refused to believe him anymore.
The twelve huntsmen went hunting with the King every day. One day, while they were out, news came that the King’s new bride was arriving. When the princess heard this, she was so hurt that she fainted and fell to the ground.
The King ran to help his "huntsman" and pulled off the glove. He saw the ring he had given to his first bride. He looked at her face and finally recognized her. He was so moved that he kissed her. When she woke up, he said, "You are mine, and I am yours."
He sent a message to the other princess and asked her to go home. He told her he already had a wife. A wedding was celebrated, and the King lived happily with his first bride. He also made peace with the lion, because the lion had told the truth after all.