The Loathsome Prince lived alone in his castle. It was his obligation to marry and produce an heir to keep the dynasty continuous but no woman would consent to marry him. The Loathsome Prince wasn't just ugly, he was repellant as well. There was something about his eyes that brought to mind a dead codfish that had lain too long on the fishmonger's slab. His breath was incurably bad and he sweated more than most people and even though he showered every day he still smelled sweaty a few hours later.
Not only that but the Loathsome Prince was poor. The last Prime Minister had stolen the Treasury blind. The Prince's father had embarked on questionable wars with the sole intent of enriching his friends in the arms and supply business. The Loathsome Prince had been deprived of his stipend to pay off what remained of the army. Mostly senior officers as all the eighteen year olds in the nation had marched off to questionable wars and never returned.
One day a beautiful woman came to visit him. ``I would love to marry you,'' she whispered shyly. The Prince was no fool. He reached over and ripped off the mask that covered the woman's face and revealed an ugly old hag with a single yellow tooth hanging from her upper gum.
``What trick is this?'' the Prince asked.
``I have a proposition,'' the old woman said, ``the dynasty you represent is evil and corrupt. You yourself are a pathetically inbred remnant of humanity. Not worth the powder to blow you to hell, really. What we were wondering is if you'd like to become the King of an anarcho-monarchy we thought we might set up. We'd have to kill off your dad of course...''
The Prince considered for a minute. ``You're right,'' he said, ``we are a worthless lot. What does King pay?''
``About the same as now,'' said the woman,''but you don't get any power. Don't go thinking you could get your power back. The power will be with the people.''
``That's a very neat trick you played to get in here,'' the Prince said , ``where did you get that cool mask?''
The old woman liked a complement as well as anyone. She told the Prince where she had got the mask, then she said she would expect an answer from him in the morning.
That night the Prince sent out his Worthy Old Retainer to buy a mask of a handsome young man. Next day he walked in the city square and a beautiful girl smiled at him. Quickly he married her and started a family that very afternoon.
The people of his country knew he wore a mask at all times, but they didn't seem to mind. They enjoyed seeing his picture in the paper, often slipping an Altoid into his mouth. The anarcho-monarchists were routed from their hiding places and driven out of the country by angry mobs.
And the people seemed quite ready once more to send their eighteen year olds off to fight questionable wars.