Princess Rosalind loved to dance and wished to be a real ballerina, but her parents didn’t pay much attention to her wish to dance.
One day, a ballet troupe came to perform in the palace. Rosalind was fascinated with the dancers, especially the lead dancer, Ella who wore a jewelled mask and danced like a fairy! Everyone clapped and cheered.
As the performance ended, Rosalind slipped behind the stage to meet Ella. Ella was just removing her mask and Rosalind was surprised to see that they were somewhat similar to look at with long golden hair.
“I wish I too was noticed for dancing, like you!” confessed Rosalind.
“And I wish I was a princess like you!” said Ella, “Nothing to do except eat delicious food and lie on silken cushions! Wow!”
They decided to change places the next night before the performance. So, Rosalind wore Ella’s costume and her mask and Ella wore her beautiful pink gown and her jewels.
That night, Rosalind danced and was thrilled when people clapped. Then she went with the troupe to rest.
Ella went with the King and the Queen for dinner. They were so busy talking and eating that they failed to realize that it was not Rosalind with them! Only when she ate a chicken leg with her hands, they noticed her bad table manners and sent her off to bed. The Queen locked her in. Ella looked around to see if there was any way to escape from the room. Seeing a window that was easy to climb out of, she clambered out.
Ella came back to her room. She hid behind the curtain when she saw that her mother was scolding Rosalind for the mistakes she had made while dancing! She wanted her to practise more.
When Ella’s mother left the room, Rosalind sat down feeling dejected. Ella patted her back and smiled at Rosalind. Rosalind said, “I don’t think I’ll ever be a great dancer, Ella. It requires so much training!” Ella laughed, “I agree. But being a princess is far more difficult! You simply cannot relax! I don’t think I’ll ever learn to behave like a Princess!” They said goodbye.
But the King and the Queen discussed Rosalind’s love of dancing and felt they had not taken her interest seriously. So, they decided that they should watch Rosalind dance sometimes. Ella’s mother too realized that she had been a hard taskmaster and should give Ella a little time to play and relax.
