It all happened a long time ago. There was an old king who was loved by his people for his kindness and highly regarded by his neighbors for his generosity and wisdom. You could say he was a happy man; at least he knew how to love the sun and the beauty of each day. He would rejoice for hours watching children at play in his courtyard. The one deep sadness inside his soul was that he had not been given the gift of having children of his own.
The king was now nearing the end of his life, spending many of his days pondering his past. His eyes would always darken as soon as he thought of the future of his kingdom. Who should he call his heir? Or should he just give the kingdom to one of the neighboring kings? No! He did not want to see all his plans and the work of his life go to the greed of someone else.
One night as he was sitting by the open window gazing at the bright stars, preoccupied by his dilemma, a thought came to him. What makes a ruler? He was the king of his land, because his father was a king, as his fathers’ father was and so many fathers before him. This did not make any sense to the old king. No! He was not going to give his land to another king he didn't trust just because he was of noble blood. He was going to do something unheard of in his time; he would name a king or queen of his choice. He would not set a wild and dangerous task to discover the bravest and the strongest; he had different ideas. His mind was set. He went to his stable, took some old dirty clothes a farmer had left there, put them on and walked off into the night without telling anyone. He knew he would find the right person on his travels. So off he went with no money or destination.
Many people were kind to this old man offering him hospitality. He was often told the sad tale of their missing king, which at each telling became more sad and colorful than the last. But even though he met so many nice people, he knew he had not yet met the right one. On he went through deep woods and valleys, from one end of his kingdom to the next.
One day as he was nearing exhaustion, he saw a little old hut in the middle of the forest. Surprised to see anyone living in these woods he stepped closer to the house. A soft clear voice singing happily sounded through the window. His heart filled with joy; he cautiously took a peek in and saw to his surprise a beautiful woman singing to a little doe. He opened the door and asked permission to come in. He soon discovered that she lived alone with all sorts of animals of the forest. She took in the sick ones and fed the weak ones. She gave shelter to the young baby deer, foxes, mice and birds. She loved them all the same and gave them all the love she had. The old king was astonished and amazed and asked her if he could stay the night. He ended up staying and helping her for a few weeks. She told him many secrets about the animals, the wilderness and about people. He was intrigued that she didn't seem to own anything except some simple old pieces of clothing and a little hat.
One day he asked her why she had so few belongings. She went into her room and returned after a few minutes with the most beautiful gown he had ever seen. It was made of flowing fabric, with a long beautiful train and yards and yards of shimmering lace. It had the shine of starlight all around it. The beauty of the gown was overwhelming. He stared, speechless, and she began laughing at him, and told him how she had run away from the city where she had been the daughter of a rich and greedy merchant. She had always dreamed of being a princess; so she traveled far and wide and finally found her own kingdom within the forest. She then told him how she would sit in the moonlight sewing a gown that she would wear if she were a princess. At the end of her tale the king was silent; tears fell from his old gentle eyes. For the first time he felt like he had met a truly royal person.
He now knew that she was the one he was looking for. He also knew that she would not give up her life and happiness to come to his castle and live within stone walls, to meet with boring ministers and business people and settle arguments between crooks and liars. Next morning he bid her farewell and left for the three week journey back to his castle. He had all the time he needed to think and make up his mind.
His people, overjoyed by his return, prepared a great big celebration in his honor. That night the king looked older and wearier than ever, but his eyes shone with happiness and joy. When all his followers were gathered he stood up and made a speech: “The day I die”, he began, “there will be neither King nor Queen to sit in my throne. But there is a new queen, the one in the Star Jeweled Gown who lives deep in the woods, she is fair, happy and wise, she will be given power over my kingdom and all decisions will be made by her”. Many people were alarmed by his announcement. No queen or ruler in the castle? How will she take care of us? The king smiled and told them, “It is up to you. I am confident the new queen will come and stay with you and be the kindest and best queen you’ve ever known, but you must change the castle and your habits so that the new queen can feel happy and at home”. That same evening the old King resigned from his throne and went back off into the woods.
According to the old folks, it was very hard for the people to convince their new queen to come to the castle. Try what they might the Queen of the Star Jeweled Gown would not make her appearance at the castle until they had opened the doors to anyone in need of shelter. Once this had been done she came to the castle and became the best queen ever heard of. Even to this day the people of that kingdom talk about her with respect and admiration. Some even say that she is still out there in the stars, watching over us and guiding us in times of need.
