Read and enjoy the story below, written by Hans Christian Anderson.

The Princess and The Pea

    Once upon a time, there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; however she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world looking for one, but nowhere could he find what he wanted. There were plenty of princesses, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should have been. Thus, he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.

    One evening, a terrible storm came. There was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly, a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.

     There was a princess standing out in front of the gate, but good gracious! What a sight the rain and the wind had made her look! The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.

     "Well , we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen, but she said nothing. She went into the bedroom, took all of the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea at the bottom. Then, she took 20 mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then added 20 eider-down bed spreads on top of the mattresses.

     On this bed the princess had to lie all night. In the morning, she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly! " she said. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible! "

    They then knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the 20 mattresses and the 20 eider-down bed spreads. Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that. So, the prince took her for his wife for now he knew that he had a real princess. The pea was put in the museum where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it. Now there; that is a true story.

Adapted from: www.eastoftheweb.com

Read the story once again and answer the following questions.

How many people are involved in the story?