Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom, there lived an old king who wanted nothing more than to see his only daughter marry a prince who truly deserved her. But he didn’t know how to decide whom he should accept as her suitor.
The princess was breathtakingly beautiful: her hair reached her ankles and sparkled in the sunlight, her legs were gracefully slim, she was tall, and every dress looked perfect on her. No wonder the king was protective of her.
One morning, the king woke up craving honey. The servants quickly brought him some. As he tasted each one, none seemed to please him – even though honey was his favorite food. Then he had an idea: the prince who brings the most delicious honey to the king would win the hand of the princess.
They announced the news far and wide, that the king was seeking a husband for his daughter, and whoever presented the most delicious honey would win her hand. Suitors came by the hundreds and thousands. The king realized that it wouldn’t be easy to taste all the honey. Even if he tasted just a little of each, it would still be too much, as thousands of suitors came to ask for his daughter’s hand.
The king pondered and worried about what to do. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea after all. Suddenly, he noticed some bees leaving their hive, searching among the suitors’ honey. He realized the solution: the prince whose honey attracted the most bees would win his daughter’s hand.
The suitors lined up their honey, and the bees flew out of their hive to thoroughly examine them. However, none seemed to win their approval.
Meanwhile, a servant boy was sitting there, watching the scene and eating honeyed bread, as he also had a craving for honey. He had his own bees, so he could enjoy the delicious taste anytime. He soon noticed that he couldn’t eat in peace, as more and more bees gathered around him.
The king also noticed this and asked his servants to investigate where his bees were going. They brought the poor servant boy before the king, holding the honeyed bread in his hand, surrounded by numerous bees.
The king asked him, “Servant boy! What do you have in your hand that attracts my bees so much?”
“Your Majesty, I’m just eating my lunch,” the boy replied. “I’m eating honeyed bread.”
“Where did you get the honey?” asked the king.
“My bees collected it,” said the boy.
“Well, boy, bring me some of it,” the king ordered.
The servant boy happily brought some honey, thinking that there was no greater honor than having the king taste his honey.
The king tasted the honey once, twice, three times, and exclaimed in amazement:
“I’ve never eaten honey as delicious as this in my entire life!”
The king thought about what to do next, as he hadn’t intended for a servant boy to marry his daughter. But this honey was so delicious! A promise is a beautiful word if it’s kept. Meanwhile, he looked at his daughter and noticed the loving way she looked at the servant boy.
He announced that the servant boy would receive half of his kingdom, making him worthy of the princess’s hand. They held a grand, three-day wedding celebration. There was everything made from honey: honey-sweetened meats, pastries, drinks, and even the cake was made from honey sponge.
The newlyweds lived happily and lovingly until the end of their days.
English 
Deutsch