Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a real princess. He looked everywhere but never found one. Always something was wrong. One evening a great storm came. Thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. Someone knocked at the gate. The old king opened the door. A young woman stood there. Water dripped from her hair and clothes. She said, "I am a real princess." The old queen wanted to test her. She placed a small pea on the bed. Then she put twenty mattresses on top. The princess slept there. In the morning the queen asked, "How did you sleep?" "Very badly," said the princess. "Something hard was under me." She was a real princess after all.