Week 9 Story: Camille's Letter

Dear Aiko and Priyanka,
        So as you know, my parents have wanted me to get married for a while. And I was hesitant at first, but I think it's time for me to start my own family! Of course, my parents were ecstatic. Dad arranged a big competition with men from all over the Philippines! They didn't know that it was for me to actually pick someone to marry though..I wish you girls were here for that; that would've been so fun! We could've watched all these guys compete ;)
        But anyways, I was really excited! At first, it was overwhelming. There were so many men! I didn't know how I would be able to pick one! For the first challenge, I decided to have a quiz bowl! C'mon, I need to know that the man I marry is smart, right? So, that began, and wow, some guys didn't know anything. It was a little embarrassing! But, I wasn't too worried, there were still plenty of guys that gave some really good well-educated answers. After about half the men had been eliminated, I decided to stop this challenge and move to the next. Although from here, I must say, I already had my eye on a certain individual! His clothes weren't that elegant, and he didn't seem to be from a rich family, but his words were spoken gracefully and his demeanor was confident, but not haughty.
        The next challenge was a simple running race. When the race began, I immediately spotted some pushing and tripping. It was ridiculous! I had referees immediately remove those people from the premises. Throughout the race, men had gotten pretty desperate to win, and whenever there was foul play, that individual was eliminated. Towards the end of the race, there were only about 10 men left. Suddenly one man fell down, and the others just kept running, even faster like this had motivated them. All except for one: Cochinango. He turned around to help the man that fell. Together, they limped towards the end.

        Girls, I think I fell in love that very moment. He was the one for me! You see, this challenge wasn't to test agility and fitness, it was to measure cooperation. I didn't want someone that hurts people to get to the top. The man I marry is going to one day be the king of the Philippines! He had to be a peacemaker. And Cochinango was that man. So right now, me and Cochin are just getting to know each other, and it's going really well! :) There might be a wedding invite coming in the mail pretty soon! ;)

Love you girls, 

Camille <3

~Princess Camille of the Philippines~

P.S. The guy that actually finished the race first was pretty upset when he didn't get anything LOL

Source: Pexels

Author's Note: 

      This letter is based on the story of Cochinango. Originally, the story was told from Cochinango's point of view. He was a poor boy who was destined to "dine with the king, kiss the princess, marry her, and finally would himself be king." So the story is about how he managed to do these things (with the help of some magic). In the story, the king had set up a competition, and the winner would get to marry the princess as if she was a prize. I didn't think this was ideal for the princess. She should be able to choose her companion for life, so I changed the story so that the princess could actually choose who she marries. 

       Also, the princess hated the fact that Cochinango had won the competition due to his poor background. I definitely wanted to change her superficial attitude! In my version, the princess didn't care about looks or money; she cared about the individual, his attitude. I think this is a pretty important lesson! Actions speak louder than words! In the original story, the individual who answered the most questions correctly won, but I added another challenge to further prove this point. Let me know what you think in the comments! This story is also a part of my Storybook, so the letter thing will make more sense if you check it out here: Storybook.

Bibliography
Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler; link to the reading online.