Not being able to imagine what could be the cause of so much obstinacy the King began to fear , lest , in spite of all his precautions , she might have heard of the charms of the Prince his son , whose goodness , youth and beauty , made him adored at Court . This idea made him horribly uneasy , and he resolved to remove the cause of his fears by sending the Prince on his travels escorted by a magnificent retinue . The Prince , after visiting several Courts , arrived at the one where the lost Princess was still deeply mourned . The King and Queen received him most graciously , and some festivities were revived to do him honour . One day when the Prince was visiting the Queen in her own apartments he was much struck by a most beautiful portrait . He eagerly inquired whose it was , and the Queen , with many tears , told him it was all that was left her of her beloved daughter , who had suddenly been carried off , she knew neither where nor how . The Prince was deeply moved , and vowed that he would search the world for the Princess , and take no rest till he had found and restored her to her mother 's arms . The Queen assured him of her eternal gratitude , and promised , should he succeed , to give him her daughter in marriage , together with all the estates she herself owned . The Prince , far more attracted by the thoughts of possessing the Princess than her promised dower , set forth in his quest after taking leave of the King and Queen , the latter giving him a miniature of her daughter which she was in the habit of wearing . His first act was to seek the Fairy under whose protection he had been placed , and he implored her to give him all the assistance of her art and counsel in this important matter . After listening attentively to the whole adventure , the Fairy asked for time to consult her books . After due consideration she informed the Prince that the object of his search was not far distant , but that it was too difficult for him to attempt to enter the enchanted palace where she was , as the King his father had surrounded it with a thick cloud , and that the only expedient she could think of would be to gain possession of the Princess 's parrot . This , she added , did not appear impossible , as it often flew about to some distance in the neighbourhood . Having told the Prince all this , the Fairy went out in hopes of seeing the parrot , and soon returned with the bird in her hand . She promptly shut it up in a cage , and , touching the Prince with her wand , transformed him into an exactly similar parrot ; after which , she instructed him how to reach the Princess . The Prince reached the palace in safety , but was so dazzled at first by the Princess 's beauty , which far surpassed his expectations , that he was quite dumb for a time . The Princess was surprised and anxious , and fearing the parrot , who was her greatest comfort , had fallen ill , she took him in her hand and caressed him . This soon reassured the Prince , and encouraged him to play his part well , and he began to say a thousand agreeable things which charmed the Princess . Presently the King appeared , and the parrot noticed with joy how much he was disliked . As soon as the King left , the Princess retired to her dressing-room , the parrot flew after her and overheard her lamentations at the continued persecutions of the King , who had pressed her to consent to their marriage .
The parrot said so many clever and tender things XXXXX comfort her that she began to doubt whether this could indeed be her own parrot .
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