What could a humble peasant offer a lofty, but dour, crown prince?

Many years ago, in a kingdom far away, there lived a young prince. This prince was very handsome, and everybody in the kingdom loved him. The prince, being a good man, responded in kind and treated everybody fairly. But, much to his father’s confusion and his mother’s disappointment, there was one thing the prince would never do -- smile.

Finally, unable to tolerate his son’s dour expression any longer, the king sent out a decree. He dispatched messengers to every corner of his country, and runners to all the neighboring kingdoms. The first person to make his hard-faced child smile would earn the right to marry him.

Unfortunately for the king, things did not go as planned.