Once there was a princes who didn’t behave like a princess.

很久以前，有一位一点也不像公主的公主。

The King and Queen were shocked by her frightful manners.

就连国王和王后也被她可怕的行为礼仪震惊了。

Her tangled hair and ragged clothes made her nanny cry.

她乱作一团的头发和脏兮兮的衣服让她的保姆难过得掉眼泪。

Her cook, try as he might, could never serve a meal the princess liked.

她的厨师，虽然十分努力，但是从来没有一顿饭能让公主满意。

No one ever saw her smile, except when she played a mean trick on the old knight.

从来没有人看到她微笑过，除了她捉弄守卫她的老骑士的时候。

All the mothers and fathers in the kingdom warned their children not to be like her.

王国里所有的爸爸妈妈都警告自己的孩子不要像公主那样。

One day, a dragon was seen moving into a cave in the mountain.

有一天，有人看到一条龙飞进了山里的山洞里。

The mothers and fathers were frightened and ran to the King and Queen for help.

爸爸妈妈们都吓坏了，跑向国王和王后寻求帮助。

The King and Queen were worried too.

国王和王后也十分忧虑。

They knew that dragons like to kidnap princess.

他们知道龙总是会去绑架公主。

But most upset of all was the old knight,as it was his job to protect the royal child.

但是最烦恼的是老骑士，因为他的本职工作是保护皇室孩子的安全。

This news gave the princess a mean idea.

听到这个消息，公主有了个馊主意。

Wouldn’t it be jolly to watch the old knight fight a dragon?

看老骑士去跟龙打架不是很有趣吗？

She would let the monster capture her.

她打算让那个怪物抓住她。

That night, while everyone was a sleep, the princess tiptoed out and made her way up to the terrible creature’s cave.

那天晚上，趁着大家都进入梦乡。公主悄悄溜了出来，找到了可怕的怪物所在的山洞。

But inside, she found a dragon daintily playing a piano.

但是山洞里面，公主却发现，有一只龙优雅地弹着 钢琴

The dragon was not at all what the princess expected.

这个龙跟公主想得一点也不一样！

The princess thought dragons were fierce.

公主认为，龙都是很凶猛的。

But this dragon wasn’t fierce at all.

但是这条龙一点也不凶猛。

The dragon thought princesses were gentle.

龙认为，公主都是很温柔的。

But this princess wasn’t gentle at all.

但是这个公主一点都不温柔。

The princess knew she could be a better dragon than the dragon.

公主想，我可比这只龙更适合当龙。

The dragon knew it could be a better princess than the princess.

龙想，我可比这个公主更适合当公主。

Suddenly, they both had an idea.

突然，他们都有了个好主意。

They shook hands and agreed to change places that very night.

就在那个晚上，他们握手同意互相交换位置。

And wasn’t nanny surprised the next morning?

第二天早上公主的保姆能不惊奇吗？

The dragon had put on a lovely blue gown.It curtsied sweetly and wanted some powder for its nose.

这条龙穿着漂亮的蓝色礼服，有礼貌地行礼，还想在鼻子上扑一些粉。

The King and Queen were overjoyed at the change.

国王和王后看着这些改变简直太高兴啦。

The cook nearly dropped the Egg Benedict when the Princess ask for more.

当“公主”向厨师要更多的班尼迪克煎蛋时，厨师惊讶地差点把盘子丢了。

From that time on, life was much more pleasant.

从那时起，生活变得愉快多了！

No one really minded the Dragon’s mean pranks.

没有人真的在意“龙”的恶作剧。

No one, that is, except the Knight, who had to rescue the Princess whenever the dragon captured her.

没有人，当然，除了老骑士，因为每次“龙”来抓“公主”的时候，他就得去救“公主”。

The knight always ended up being captured.

老骑士最后总是被”龙“抓住。

Now, all the mothers and fathers in the kingdom told their children to behave like the princess, and, of course, they did their best.

现在，王国里所有的家长都让他们的孩子们像”公主”学习，当然了，所有的孩子们都做得很好。

But when they couldn’t, they know the place to go.

不过，当孩子们忍不住想调皮捣蛋的时候，他们也有个好去处。