The Golden Branch

Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, and literary critic. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. Lang gave many of the tales their first appearance in English. 

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books — are a series of twelve collections of fairy tales. Each volume is distinguished by its own color. In all, 437 tales from a broad range of cultures and countries are presented. The Golden Branch is a French literary fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.

The fairy tale is about a cruel king who had a hideous but good-hearted son. The king wanted to arrange an alliance by marrying his son to a princess who was as ugly as he was. The prince, being tired enough of seeing himself, did not want to marry her. The king imprisoned him in a tower until he consented, and sent his ambassadors anyway. The princess did not want to consent, but her father sent her off with the ambassadors...