1. As the king was dying, he searched the kingdom for his daughter, who had fled the crazy king with her mother when they were young. Many hopefuls turned out, so the king proposed a test for the Queen wannabes. Only one of the hopefuls succeeded, and was crowned Queen. What was the test, and why was this particular girl chosen?

2. A lowly serf had wooed the princess, and they were determined to marry. The king never wanted his daughter to marry such a pathetic man, but didn't want to seem unfair to his subjects either. He told the serf that he would be given a hat with two pieces of paper in it. One would say "Marraige" and the other, "Death". Needless to say, the king wrote "Death" on both pieces of paper in secret. Luckily, the serf caught wind of this treachery, and devised a counter-plan that not only prevented his death, but ensured that he would win his woman. What was his plan?

(one point each)

Hey EekGeek, I think it might be better to split them up into two topics. Might get a bit confusing

Yeah split em.

But while we're here... 1. is the mother dead / gone?

2. He said - "I will do the opposite of what I pull out of the hat", or chose one peice of paper and got the daughter to pull out the other one and show it around, so that the crowd would assume he had the one that said "Marriage" and the king couldn't reveal the truth because then everyone would know that he cheated.

2. Take out one piece of paper then "accidentally" let it blow away in the wind. Then say "Don't worry, we can just look at the other one to figure out what I pulled out of the hat".

Both of you are right with #2, but Bard was first... so +1 Bard.

1. is the mother dead / gone  [yes]

So wait... for #1 we're essentially looking for a low-tech paternity test?

Some kind of specific family resemblance or shared trait?

Asking a question that only a family member would know the answer to?

Something she took with her when she left, like a unique heirloom?

Some kind of specific family resemblance or shared trait? [Close]

Asking a question that only a family member would know the answer to?  [No]

Something she took with her when she left, like a unique heirloom? [No]

My "bold" isn't working...

Did the king simply pick the only girl who didn't show up for the test?

was it a piece of information only his true daughter would know?

was it the way only his true daugther would react to something?

bold does that, frustrating often... :/

Was his daughter black and everyone else in the land was white?

Was the hopeful that was selected to be queen actually his daughter?

Did the king simply pick the only girl who didn't show up for the test?   [No]

was it a piece of information only his true daughter would know? [Yes]

was it the way only his true daugther would react to something? [Yes]

Was the hopeful that was selected to be queen actually his daughter? [Yes]

Was it something to do with her mother?

Related, but not critical.

Was the daughter black and every one else white? No

was it information passed on from mother to daughter?

in a sense, yes.

But the king didn't ask for any information.

was it visual information?

was it her name?

behaviour?

no, no, no.

Was it because she was the only one that couldn't recognize the king from someone posing as the king when everyone else knew?

or vice versa

His daughter bruises easily, so he makes all the girls sleep on a mattress with a pea underneath. Whoever wakes up the next day covered in bruises is his daughter?

both no's. feel free  to ask more general yes/no questions.

Was it the answer to a verbal question?

Essentially, yes.

Essentially?

Okay fine, YES.

"Was it the answer to a verbal question? Okay fine, YES."

"Asking a question that only a family member would know the answer to?  [No]"

Why are your two answers not a contradiction?

1x  - that is not a yes/no question. The questions in question are not necessarily a contradiction as the 2nd one has the word "family member" in it. It may be something only known by the daughter..

It's not a question, i'll say it's a request, or a task, or something like that. but he does ask something OF the hopefuls.

Hence "was it information passed on from mother to daughter? in a sense, yes. But the king didn't ask for any information."

Sorry. I'm new. It's hard to keep track. These are the correct answers to your questions.

"Was it the answer to a verbal question? Okay fine, YES."

"  was it information passed on from mother to daughter? in a sense, yes. But the king didn't ask for any information."

discard "Asking a question that only a family member would know the answer to?  [No]" , it should, in a sense be YES because only the daughter got it correctly.

Did the king ask her to do something?

Did he ask her to display some characteristic inherited from her mother?

Did the king ask her to do something? YES

Did he ask her to display some characteristic inherited from her mother? NO

^ that 2nd answer's going to get me a little hatred.

Rather than a characteristic, would you call it a "Talent"?

If the solution involves the words "ping-pong ball trick", I'm leaving 

(I'm not sure I know why I thought of that when I read "talent", I think the quote marks made the little subconscious voice guy in my head read that as an innuendo...)

Not a talent, no.

And it doesn't.

ewww.

The thing the king asked her to do...
Was it physical?
Does she do it daily?
Did she know she could do it?
Do you know anyone in real life that can do it?
Could the other girls attempt it and fail? Or did they have no chance at even attempting it?

It was physical.
She did not do it daily.
I don't know how to answer this... she knew what was being asked of her, and she knew what she was going to do.
It happens.
They had no chance.

I have to clarify. He did not ask her to do something, he asked something of her.

Did he ask her to take a paternity test

DNA test?

no, remember this is before the time of DNA tests, centrifuges and the like. Let's say early 1900's.

is it similar to a DNA test?

maybe he asked her to show a birth mark or something

similar, yes.

and not a birthmark, no

Secret family tattoo?

nope

The daughter aquired a specific disorder when young. Cause her father was crazy and unpredictable she would get a rash on her belly while seeing him.

The king simply presented himself to all the candidates while asking them to expose their bellies.

hehehe interesting theory but no. you're on the right track with disorder.

Polydactyly (or any other genetic defect type thing) runs in the family, because the royal families are so inbred?

Maybe she had a 'tail' at the base of her spine. It would be easy to hide, so that no one else but her father will know

a genetic defect runs in the family.

he proposed a test to prove that she had it. the test will help with what the defect is.

mental or physical or other?

A genetic defect? I've already covered the main one, she was black.

Is it a skin defect?
A movement defect?
A visible defect?
A defect that has made her cry?
A defect of the mind?

lol being black is a defect now? nice

She has a peanut allergy and the king proposed a peanut swallowing competition?

physical defect.

not skin, movement, visible, crier, or of the mind.

not peanuts.

She is a man... or a combined man/woman...?

nope.

Does the king ask her to perform some action that you could do, but due to her defect it's different when she does it?
Does it involve removing any of her clothes?
Did he cut her and see if her blood clotted? Didn't some royal family have the non-clotting disease?

No.
No.
Yes! The daughter had a blood clotting disorder, like haemophilia (although that's very rare in females) or Von Willebrand's, and so when the king asked for all the girl's blood, and she refused, he knew it was her.

+1 pt_22

Gotta post it at the bottom of the Scoreboard topic to be sure that I'll see it

But since I've seen it here, I'll put it up.

yeeea!! woop! nice riddle EekGeek.  

With all due respect, EekGeek, there would be other girls who would refuse on the same basis. Not to mention the ralated ones.

You could slightly improve the riddle by framing it in the context of the British royal family, but still one of the scenarios simillar to what I proposed wold ba WAY better.

unfortunately this is one of those riddles where you have to think of the scenario the riddler's imagining, even if there is a lot of other possibilities.

I don't think there would be too many other females with haemophilia, considering it's a real longshot being that it's an X-linked syndrome so is almost ALWAYS in males. As for the ones who also refused it, he could just ask why, and even if for some reason one of the others knew that the princess had haemophilia, he could always just cut them and wait for it to stop.

i scrolled up and laughed.........

A belly rash?! better?..... haha. Cute.

<he could always just cut them and wait for it to stop.>

Indeed he could.

But I guess  his daughter bleeding to death would be somewhat counterproductive.

Yes. I thought of that too when the person suggested.

Counterproductive. hehehehe.