Riquet with the Tuft also known as Ricky with the Tuft is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault, featuring themes of beauty, intelligence, and perception. Here’s the story:
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, a queen gave birth to a son named Riquet. He was born with an unfortunate tuft of hair and was not handsome, but he possessed great intelligence and a gift from a fairy that allowed him to bestow intelligence upon the person he loved most.
In the same kingdom, another queen gave birth to two daughters. The elder was born beautiful but with little intelligence, while the younger was both intelligent and beautiful. The elder princess’s lack of intelligence caused her and her mother much distress.
One day, while the elder princess was walking in the forest, she met Riquet with the Tuft, who fell in love with her at first sight. Aware of her sorrow, Riquet offered her a gift: he could bestow upon her the gift of intelligence, provided that she would agree to marry him exactly one year and one day from that day. The princess, desperate to become intelligent, accepted his offer.
Instantly, the princess became as intelligent as she was beautiful and was able to converse brilliantly. However, as the year passed, she began to view Riquet with displeasure, dreading the day she had to marry him.
As the appointed day approached, the princess’s younger sister devised a plan to break the engagement. She suggested that the elder princess ask Riquet to make himself handsome. Believing that this was impossible, the elder princess did as suggested, thinking it would give her a reason to refuse the marriage.
To her surprise, Riquet told her that it was in her own power to make him handsome. He explained that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and if she truly loved him, she would find him handsome.
Realizing the depth of his wisdom and the sincerity of his love, the elder princess’s perceptions changed. She saw Riquet not as he appeared, but as the wise and kind prince he truly was. They were married, and Riquet became in her eyes the handsomest prince in the world.
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Moral Of The Story
The tale of Riquet with the Tuft teaches that true beauty lies not in outward appearances, but in wisdom, kindness, and the eyes of the beholder.