This story is taken from Thai Children's Favorite Stories - Fables, Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales by Marian D. Toth

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One day long ago a favorite wife of King Sanuraj gave birth to a beautiful daughter. When the royal astrologer was consulted regarding the baby’s future, he said, “This child is as beautiful as the morning. She smiles as sweetly as a child of the gods but … but …”

“Chai, chai, yes, yes, go on,” said the king impatiently.

“But … she will have a very strange habit. She will never be just like other children. However,” he added very quickly, “do not despair. The child’s unusual habit will save her life one day.”

The king replied, “She is a jewel of perfection. We shall guard her well. Perhaps we can prevent this prophecy from coming true.”

From that day onward the royal princess was observed carefully. It appeared she was a normal child with no bad habits. She did not suck her thumb. She did not bite her fingernails. She never pointed her toes at the kwan, the spirit that lives in everyone’s head. She never forgot to bow properly with hands clasped together. In fact, the child was perfect in every way until she began to speak, and then an unusual thing happened. Each time the little girl uttered a word, a golden flower fell from her lips. When she sang and danced, the petals fluttered around her and it looked as if she were in a lovely shower of blossom. When she sang herself to sleep, her mat was covered with golden petals. As she played with her cat and called him to her side, rose petals floated in the air. Because of this most unusual characteristic, the king named his daughter Princess Golden Flower.

In spite of her unusual habit it appeared as if the princess would lead a life of happiness. She was the king’s favorite daughter, and often she went with her father when he attended festivals. It was easy to recognize her because a little cloud of golden petals always floated about her.

On Kathin Day, the festival that marks the ending of the rains and the first plowing of the rice fields, Princess Golden Flower presented the monks with golden yellow robes. During the Songkran festival, which marks the beginning of the new year, she splashed water on the hands of her parents as a mark of admiration and respect. At the Loy Krathong festival she joined her friends on the banks of the river and made a boat of banana leaves. She said a prayer to the Mother Goddess of the Sea. Then she placed some coins, incense and a lighted candle in the little boat. According to ancient beliefs the little boat carried all her troubles out to sea.

For a long time it seemed as if the astrologer’s predictions would not come true. Princess Golden Flower’s life had not been in danger. But one day a most frightening thing happened when she was bathing in the river with her attendants. It was almost time to leave when she saw an ugly black vulture devouring the dead body of a dog. She screamed and her attendants screamed too.

The princess was almost faint from the sight and smell of the vulture, but she regained her composure and said calmly, “Come, come, let us leave quickly. The vulture’s stench is making me ill. I hope I never see or smell another vulture as long as I live.”

Princess Golden Flower returned to the palace, not realizing she had offended the ugly vulture. The bird she had seen was no ordinary vulture: he was the King of the Vultures, a powerful creature who possessed the magic to turn himself into any shape or form.

As the princess and her attendants ran to the palace he hovered above them and cast his black shadow upon them.

“You’ll be sorry for insulting me,” he said.

The very next day the vulture turned himself into a handsome prince and settled himself in a hut with an old man and his wife. He gave them a chest full of jewels and said, “The treasures in this box are yours, but first you must tell the king I wish to marry Princess Golden Flower.”

The old people did as they were told. The king was shocked to hear their strange request. He said, “Guards, find the daring young man who wishes to marry my daughter. Put him in a bag, fill it up with stones, tie it, and throw it in the river.”

However, as soon as he said that, he changed his mind and decided to be more lenient. “Tell your young man to build me two bridges, one of pure gold and one of pure silver,” he said to the old couple. “The bridges must lead from your hut to the gates of the palace. If they are not completed in twenty-four hours, the young man will be put to death, but if the bridges are completed on time, Golden Flower will be his bride.” The following morning everyone in the entire kingdom was startled to see two bridges leading from a simple hut to the gates of the king’s palace. One bridge was made of pure gold and the other was made of pure silver. There was nothing the king could do. A king must keep his word. The very next day, just as the king had promised, the Vulture King married the princess and took her away on a huge black ship.

“Where are we going?” Golden Flower asked.

The Vulture King, still in the form of a handsome prince, did not answer. Princess Golden Flower trembled as she looked upon the strange, silent crew and smelled the unmistakable odor of vultures. She did not know that every crew member was a vulture in disguise, waiting to destroy her upon a signal from the Vulture King. When the disguised Vulture King called the crew members into the captain’s quarters, Golden Flower seized the opportunity to say a prayer to the Mother Goddess of the Sea. “Please, Mother Goddess, hear my plea. Send someone to rescue me.” The princess quickly took a golden flower from her lips and hid it in a silver locket. Then she tied the silver locket to a coconut shell and cast it into the ocean while saying, “May one who is noble chance to see, and have the courage to rescue me.” Then Golden Flower heard a splashing sound against the side of the ship. It was the Sea Goddess saying, “Princess Golden Flower, look into the sky. Vultures swarm and vultures fly. Your prince, their king, leads the way. Hide yourself from light of day.”

The princess dashed into the hold of the ship and swiftly crawled under a barrel. She huddled there without making a single noise while the vultures swarmed over the decks looking for her. But they could not find her.

Later Princess Golden Flower came out from under the barrel. The seas were calm beneath a clear blue sky. In the distance she saw a graceful white ship. It seemed to be following a frothy white wave that pointed toward her vessel. The princess shouted out happily and hundreds of little golden flowers tumbled into the waves. They floated all around the ship, making a bright ring of gold.

On the approaching ship stood King Pichai, the noble ruler of a mighty kingdom. He held Princess Golden Flower’s silver locket in his hand and noticed the flower in the locket matched the flowers in the sea.

“Hurry men, hurry!” he called to his crew. “The princess is in danger.” As he spoke, the sky darkened with the returning cloud of vultures. Luckily, King Pichai was an excellent sailor, and in a few moments he was able to bring his ship close to Golden Flower’s ship. He reached the princess’s side just as the Vulture King landed on the deck, transformed into a handsome prince holding a sword. At that very instant the noble Pichai plunged his own sword into the Vulture King’s heart, killing him instantly.

King Pichai and Princess Golden Flower fell in love at first sight. The Mother Goddess of the Sea returned them safely to King Sanuraj’s kingdom where they were happily married.

That year, at the Loy Krathong festival, King Pichai and his bride made a boat from banana leaves. They loaded it with coins, incense, a lighted candle and flowers from Princess Golden Flower’s lovely lips. The little boat carried all their worries out to sea.

It is said King Pichai and his beautiful princess lived long and happy lives in a palace scented with the delicate fragrance of golden flowers.