Once upon a time there was a young girl named Turtle who lived on the bank of a wide, dangerous river. One day a handsome prince built a castle on the opposite side of the river, where he published a notice asking girls of age to come to the castle to meet him, for it was time for the prince to marry and become king. Everyone rushed to prepare their daughters to see the prince, for they knew whomever he chose to marry would undoubtedly live in luxury and splendor for the rest of their days. Turtle's mother was among the excited parents, and she too hurried to doll-up her daughter, painting her with make up and designing her a heavy gown of gold and satin. Not wanting the dress to be ruined during the trip to the castle, her mother stored the weighty costume into a worn rucksack for Turtle to carry on her back, and gave her daughter strict instructions to go to the docks of the lagoon deep in the heart of the forest but not to talk to or accept a ride from anyone other than Captain Rolsho, the old sailor whom Turtle's mother had arranged to row Turtle to the other side of the river. Turtle agreed to obey and began to walk to the lagoon after lunch.

Due to the weight she had to bear, Turtle arrived at the lagoon two hours later than planned, and was disheartened to see there was no one around. She walked around the piers, knocked on the doors of a line of buildings, and wandered the borders of the clearing but there was no one to be seen. Turtle didn't want to return home without crossing the river for fear of disappointing her mother, but she could not swim, and even so, swimming would ruin the dress and the currents were sure to drag her away. Turtle sat on the dock and began to cry, smearing the makeup her mother had carefully painted on earlier that day. Suddenly amidst her tears, a scratching voice reached her ears.
"Why do you cry, little Turtle?"
Turtle jumped as she heard the voice, and turned to face a tall figure in a hooded raincoat standing in a rowboat. In her sorrow she had not heard the person approach and even as their boat came to a standstill in the quiet water of the lagoon, Turtle backed up up a bit.
"I... Well... Captain Rolsho was supposed to take me across the river, but I came here too late and he isn't..."
"And why do you wish to cross the river, sweet little Turtle?"
"To meet the prince in the castle over... He is looking for a bride so he may become a king, and he invited all the girls of the kingdom to come. Whoever marries him will live in riches forever."