I

All was joy and excitement that day in the Kingdom. No one escaped that feeling of jubilation and deep emotion that made every single heart of the inhabitants of what had been known until now as the Kingdom of the Sad Princess beat with a discordant thump.

"What's happening?" asked a newcomer, feasting his eyes on the comings and goings of the most beautiful maidens he had ever seen, all exulting with joy, laughing without stopping, their little feet quickening their pace whenever the stranger's gaze fell upon them.

"What's happening, what's happening?" he repeated, this time grabbing the arm of an old man who was also running, in his own way, trying to shake off the bothersome inquisitor.

"Come to the Palace and you'll see with your own eyes!" he replied.

II

The King, a venerable old man, had lost his wife twenty years earlier when she died in childbirth giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. Deeply in love with the Queen, the monarch had since dedicated his life to the care of his kingdom and his beloved daughter. However, for many years he had faced a problem for which he could find no solution: the Princess languished with sadness. Her father tried every means at his disposal to make his precious child happy; however, the Princess never laughed, never smiled, and this saddened her adoring father terribly. He had used every possible strategy, even the most improbable, to make the little princess smile at least once.

"If only my sweet child would smile once, just once, to sweeten my last days…!" the monarch sighed.

His sad green eyes gazed at the world with indifference and disinterest. Without energy and demotivated, she spent her days locked in her room. Lying in bed, she cried and sighed endlessly. She didn't want to see anyone, not even her best friends.

The King was desperate, afraid of losing his daughter if the situation didn't improve.

One day, feeling more dejected than usual, he sat by the open window overlooking the garden, his head in his hands, sad and resigned to his bad luck, his heart breaking with the sorrow of his beloved daughter... an angelic sound reached his ears: a nightingale was singing its love to the whole world! He opened his eyes, raised his head, and looked through the window at that wonderful little creature producing a magical sound that was like a caress to his weary heart.

Then he suddenly understood. A light of hope was breaking through the darkness. Now he knew how to bring laughter back to his little girl's face: He would throw a party! A splendid party was planned where everyone could try to bring Ella back to life, using every means possible without restriction. Everything was permitted to achieve the goal, which was none other than "To make the Princess laugh!"

The necessary orders were issued swiftly. The idea was met with jubilation by the courtiers. The date for the event was immediately set, and the entire court set to work on the preparations so that, once everything was organized, no one slept a wink at night, everyone pondering strategy after strategy to make the Princess laugh. At night, one could "hear" the minds of every inhabitant of the kingdom working and thinking.

III

The long-awaited day finally arrived. The crowd thronged outside the Palace, which was teeming with courtiers dressed in their finest attire for the occasion.

The King sat on his throne. The Princess was beside him, her eyes red as if she had been crying all night. Yet, she was beautiful. The turquoise silk dress accentuated her lovely, sad, sky-blue eyes. Curls of blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. The red lips that once spoke, sang, caressed, kissed... now remained motionless, expressionless. Her fragile, feminine figure, and swan-like neck... a goddess!

The festivities began. The participants, some of whom were princes and high-born knights from distant lands, began to parade, heralded by the blare of trumpets. They used every trick in the book to elicit laughter from the Princess, or at least a faint smile.

One sang...
Another danced...
Another told funny stories...
Another performed incredible acrobatic leaps...
Another performed magic tricks that captivated everyone present...
...

It was all in vain. The Princess watched what was happening with her beautiful eyes, which reflected a fixed, empty, absent, expressionless, lifeless gaze.

As time passed and the participants took their turns, some of whom were exceptional in their performances, the King began to lose hope. The party was drawing to a close. The elderly monarch, now completely dejected, gave the order to the last participant to proceed.

IV

The last participant, who was none other than the young foreigner patiently waiting to see the sorrowful Princess, advanced with a firm and determined stride through the crowd. The faces of the subjects, which had previously reflected joy, hope, and jubilation, now showed disappointment and sadness.

"This is the last one, this is the last one!" they whispered to one another.

The young man, dressed in simple clothes, seemed to have come from distant lands and to have made a long journey. Nothing about him suggested a noble birth. So simple was his attire that some of those who stepped aside to let him pass whispered among themselves:

"Look... What a sight! He should at least have taken some care with his clothing if he intends to please our Princess!"

Nevertheless, he advanced with a confident, firm step.

At last, he arrived before the Princess.

The King said, "Proceed..."

The young man spoke: "Your Majesty, may I approach the Princess?"

"You may..." said the King, who had already lost all hope and only wished for the ceremony to end so his daughter could retire to her chambers.

The young man approached the Princess:

"Madam," he said, "would you please remove your shoes?"

At this impertinence, the Princess looked at him in surprise. The King rose from his throne, ready to give the necessary orders to have the audacious foreigner removed from his presence. However, he looked into the young man's eyes and saw in them an immense gentleness that begged him to let him continue. He did so, sat down again, and allowed the strange gentleman to proceed.

The Princess complied with the request and removed her shoes. Then the young man took a blue feather from his trouser pocket, a feather that magically expanded until it reached considerable size, and slowly, very slowly, he brought it close to the sole of the young woman's foot, saying, "Tickle tickle tickle!" The Princess let out a scream that made the royal guards draw their weapons in alarm. There was a general commotion in the great hall. No one knew what was happening. Then came an expectant, deathly silence, followed by more little screams, but this time more frequent, higher-pitched, and finally a great burst of laughter.

"What's happening? What's happening?" everyone wondered.

And then they all understood. The Princess was laughing! And what laughter! A contagious laugh that made everyone, in turn, begin to laugh and laugh and laugh, until no one, not a single one, could contain their laughter.

The King, once he had calmed down a little, wanted to know who this handsome foreigner was who had performed the miracle.

"Your Majesty," he said, "I come from a distant land where I practiced medicine. My specialty is healing through tickling."

"So... wasn't what you just did magic?" asked the monarch.

"No, Your Majesty, it's science!"

"I want to keep the promise I made to give my daughter's hand in marriage to whoever could make her laugh. Now, I see that you are a cultured and thoughtful young man. If you and my daughter agree, I grant you her hand this very moment," said the King.

The two young people looked at each other, and there was no doubt: their eyes spoke for them; no words were needed. The beautiful Princess had found love in that gallant, handsome young man, who had given her back the life she thought she had lost forever.

The wedding preparations began.

V

The preparations were made swiftly, as the Prince and Princess could not wait another day to be married. The wedding ceremony took place the following week.

The Smiling Princess, her husband the doctor, and her father the King became the epitome of a happy family. From then on, the kingdom was known throughout the world as "El reino de las cosquillas" or "Ticklekingdom," as the Prince called it, who spoke many languages, including a very strange one called English.

From then on, the Prince was not only the Princess's husband, but also "the Royal Doctor," who cured patients with doses of tickles administered, as prescribed, morning, noon, and night.

The Palace clock struck the hour at which, each morning, as a preventative measure, every subject was to tickle their spouse, thus ensuring the health of the Kingdom. For those who lived alone and had no one to wake them with their tickle, there was a group of doctors, or "Tickle Doctors," as they were called in the Prince's professional jargon, who arrived each morning with an astonishing collection of feathers, in the most vibrant colors and marvelous textures, visiting the lonely souls in need, house by house.

The Prince and Princess were happy, the Monarch was the happiest man on earth, and the subjects were the most cheerful and healthy to be found in any kingdom.

Dr. Tickle, once scorned for his shabby attire, became the most beloved Prince on earth: he received the affection, respect, and gratitude of all.

And that's the end of the story.