History Main / StandardHeroReward

* In the prologue of ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker 2'', the hero (the viewpoint character) isn't given the kingdom, but he does get a substantial retainer. The princess is given to him by the gods (she's not a princess from the start, but she ''is'' born in Heaven, which has to count for something) and while most people find the option to marry her squicky and pseudo-incestuous, your character can actually be young enough to be only a few years her senior.
** Princess Maker 3 plays it a bit more straight by having her be the daughter of the fairy queen.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', there's a near-example: The MacGuffin owned by Princess Ruto is actually a sign of engagement, and her giving it to him at the end of this part of the game means he's required to marry her at some point. So though it wasn't a reward from the king, he did get a fiancée as a direct result of saving the day in this situation. And yes, she ''does'' remember seven years later.

** Also subverted in the same series - much earlier, when said reward realizes just who the King is.

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* If the hero rescues a lady in the Myth/NartSagas, it's a safe bet she'll be his wife by the end of the story. It's even invoked by the townpeople in one Circassian story: who more worthy to wed the damsel than the man who endured so much hardship to save her?

* Mentioned by All Might in ''FanFic/GreenTeaRescue'' when he muses whether or not Toga gave Midorya a kiss or something after the latter describes his rescue of the former. It leads to an OpenMouthInsertFoot moment for All Might.

* Lampshaded in the best ending of ''Kid Kool'', where the king tells you, "You want a box of jewels and a princess, don't you?" You don't get all of this if you don't beat the game fast enough; if you take too long, you won't even get the king.

* The protagonist of Music/TomSmith's concept album ''The Last Hero On Earth'' is offered the hand of the princess he saves from the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ninja Pirates from Dino Isle]]; the trope is [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by the queen, who says "It's a very fine Old World Tradition to give the Hero a most precious thing!" and "How this circumstance has lead to romance is a wonderfully hoary cliche..." Notably, neither member of the newly betrothed couple is all that thrilled with this decision, and the princess decides to give the hero the reward he really wants instead - a way to get back home.
* In the Czech comedy song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4aqM_wu6Ns Jožin z bažin]]", the village head offers his daughter's hand and half of a collective farm if the protagonist can get rid of the eponymous swamp monster.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'': Liu Kang being TheHero of the franchise and romancing Princess Kitana is one of the most enduring story arcs in the series; but in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11,'' when she finally ascends to the throne, the game refreshingly makes it clear that she is the Kahn of Outworld while Liu is her consort.

This actually has roots in history. In some lands, including prehistoric Greece, inheritance was passed in the female line--that is, the king's heir would be the man who married his daughter. (Why, in ''Literature/TheIliad'', Menelaus was king of Sparta through his marriage to Helen, despite the fact that Helen had living brothers.) When a foreign warlord was invited into the country to help deliver it from barbarians or the like, marriage to the king's daughter was a useful pay-off that also served to strengthen the kingdom. In general, this practice had the practical advantage of letting the king look around for the best or most useful heir, instead of trusting to the luck of the draw.

Compare AwesomeMomentOfCrowning, {{Knighting}}, HundredPercentHeroismRating, SmoochOfVictory, RescueSex, RescueRomance, OfferedTheCrown, HeroismEqualsJobQualification, HappilyEverAfter and SaveThePrincess.

** "Literature/TheTwelveDancingPrincesses" plays this perfectly straight, though most them don't feature ''quite'' so many possible spouses to pick from. And usually the youngest princess is the choice--but not here; the soldier declares that since he's not young himself, he will marry the oldest. Other variants of this tale type soften things by having the youngest princess fall in love with the hero herself and saves him from being tricked into drinking a love potion by her sisters.

** In "Literature/GodfatherDeath", a king announces that whowever will heal his only daughter from her mortal sickness will get her in marriage and inherit the kingdom.

** "Literature/KateCrackernuts" is a [[GenderFlip gender-flipped]] variation of the "Literature/TheTwelveDancingPrincesses", where the main character agrees to watch an ailing prince over night. She discovers that his illness is created by TheFairFolk making him dance all night and she manages to haggle with his parents to increase her reward from a peck of silver to the prince himself. She even manages to score ''another'' prince for her sister out of it.

* Jack in ''Film/JackTheGiantSlayer'' marries Isabelle at the end of the movie, although this is more a case of King Brahmwell recognizing that his daughter has chosen Jack after her arranged fiancée [[EvilChancellor Roderick]] betrayed the kingdom. Played with briefly when Brahmwell gives Jack a purse full of gold coins for saving Isabelle, and implies that he would happily give more;

* In ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|1981}}'', Perseus wins the right to Andromeda's hand ''twice'', first by solving her riddle and freeing Joppa from Caliban's curse (even thought the second part wasn't necessary) and second by saving her from the Kraken later (the part loosely adapted from actual mythology).

* Invoked in Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'' series. The 500 kingdoms quite literally run on fairy tale tropes. In a stroke of [[GenreSavvy genre savviness]], one of the kings hires a sorcerer to "kidnap" his daughter (even though she just plays around when she's "held captive") and offers her hand to the man who rescues her. This is because he knows that the only one who can overcome the sorcerer's trials will be clever, compassionate and heroic, and thus an ideal heir for his throne.

** The princess rushes to him and suggests that they flee incognito before someone forces her to to marry someone else as a standard reward. And everyone thinks this is actually a very neat solution: Simon is the rightful heir from a long dead royal line, his new wife is the closest thing to an heir to the most recent royal line (that trashed the kingdom, so it's a bit suspect on its own), they're both heroes, and the majority of the nobility is dead anyway. In fact, other characters point out that if Simon weren't royalty all along, they'd make it up as a rumor, and the princess's involvement is nice but strictly irrelevant to his ascension to the throne.
* In Patricia [=McKillip's=] ''Literature/TheRiddleMasterTrilogy'' the hero uses his riddling skills to defeat the ghost of a dead king and win his crown, which he proceeds to keep under his bed, not knowing what else to do with it. He doesn't find out about the princess's hand until a visiting harpist tells him. First he is shocked that the king her father would do something that incredibly stupid. Then he's dismayed because even though he's a Prince his very humble and countrified court isn't at all what the princess is used to. On the other hand her brother was his roommate at the Riddle-Masters' college in Caithnard and he's always has a shine for the sister, and she seemed to like him too..

* Toyed with in ''Literature/TheElenium''. After saving the Queen from a deadly curse, Sparhawk ends up marrying said Queen. His accidental marriage proposal in the process of her recovery was simply a means to an end on her part, as she had [[MayDecemberRomance been in love with him ever since she was an 8 year old girl and he was her bodyguard.]]

* A variation of this trope appears in ''Literature/RangersApprentice,'' where in Book 4, Will is offered a prominent position as one of the Royal Scouts, which is basically equivalent to knighthood. This would give him status and, since he'll be based in/around the castle, allow him to marry Princess Cassandra, with whom he's had a fair amount of ShipTease, rather than stay as an apprentice and (since he's an orphan) social lowlife. [[spoiler: He turns it down]].
* Parodied in ''Literature/TrueHistory'': the heroes join the Moon King's army in their war expedition against the Sun people... [[EpicFail and are soundly defeated, taken prisoner and released in exchange for an hefty sum]]. Still, the Moon King rewards the protagonist's efforts by showering him with rewards and by giving him his youngest son as a spouse (Moon People, as explained later, are all male/hermaphrodite, and can reproduce with each other via BizarreAlienReproduction).

* Deconstructed, with everything else, in ''Literature/TheLastWish'' where there's a rumor that the king promised his daughter's hand to whoever could break her curse. When Geralt meets the king he makes it clear that ''under no circumstances'' would he give her away to a stranger, and in any case Geralt's only interested in the money.

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** Inverted in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', where Chapter 2 has you help a princess ''get out'' of this situation. The king has set up a fighting tournament where the victor gets to marry his daughter, apparently hoping to make sure [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority the next king is the biggest badass in the land]]. The princess wants nothing to do with this, so she asks Alena (the main character of the chapter and TomboyPrincess of a neighboring kingdom) to win the tournament, since a woman would be ineligible to marry her.

** Rosella and [[DistressedDude Edgar]] in [[VideoGame/KingsQuestIVThePerilsOfRosella The fourth game]] and [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVIIThePrincelessBride seventh game]] [[ZigZaggingTrope bounce this trope around like a pinball]]. First, Lolotte is all set to execute Rosella, but her [[spoiler: adopted by kidnapping and transmogrified into]] ugly, green, hunchbacked son Edgar [[PleaseSpareHimMyLiege intervenes]] to keep her from doing so, by stating he has a crush on her. After Rosella completes Lolotte's tasks, the wicked fairy pills a nasty subversion where the evil queen will marry Rosella to Edgar, which leads to a NonStandardGameOver unless you stop her. But Edgar turns out to be GoodAllAlong, and smuggles Rosella the key to escape. Rosella ends up killing Lolotte to save Genesta, Genesta changes him [[spoiler: back into his ''true'' form]] as a [[SuddenlySuitableSuitor handsome Fairy prince]], and Edgar [[InvertedTrope inverts it]] by offering ''himself'' as the Standard Hero Reward. Rosella has to turn him down because she needs to save her dad, and Edgar is saddened, but understands, and that's when the fourth game ends. But come the seventh game? Edgar has gotten kidnapped, brainwashed and transformed ''again'' and is working for his wicked aunt, believing he is the King of the Trolls. In his confused and morally compromised state, he inadvertently kidnaps Rosella (with Valanice jumping in behind before the portal shuts), transforms ''her'' into a troll, and tried to pull AndNowYouMustMarryMe. Rosella is less than amused, escapes, finds out what's ''really'' going on, goes back to save ''him,'' and reunites him with his parents. ''Wisely'', Edgar asks not for marriage, but a proper courtship, which she agrees to. Both ''VideoGame/TheSilverLining'' and the Telltale Games sequels state that TheyDo.
** ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVAbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder'' ends with Graham making an ally of Princess Cassima, who was held captive by he same wizard that kidnapped his family, and the ending states that Prince Alexander gets hit with LoveAtFirstSight. The GoldenEnding ending of [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow the sixth game]] does have Alexander receiving the full Standard Hero Reward from Cassima's [[spoiler:resurrected]] parents (though if you fail at that aspect, he still gets to marry his TrueLove [[spoiler: while he and Cassima become King and Queen of the Land of the Green Isles]]).

* In ''VideoGame/OracleOfTao'', appears in a lesser form. The hero does get royalty to marry, only the hero is a commoner girl (and [[CrazyHomelessPeople homeless to boot]] ), and the prince she got to marry she already knew and dated, and it wasn't really a reward in the first place, but two people deciding to marry. And the kingdom? Nope, said prince decides he's not really fit to rule, and doesn't want it, leaving the parents to continue ruling, so they use the royal money to buy a nice shack in the suburbs to raise a family.

* ''VideoGame/LittleKingsStory'' sees King Corobo rewarded with many princesses after completing certain tasks - all of whom ''instantly'' marry him. Near the end of the game [[spoiler: he's served seven divorce papers and has to stick with just one true love. Who is then ''eaten by a giant rat'' while the world ends in something of a GainaxEnding. The events are usually interpreted to be just a dream of the real Corobo and the real world counterparts of the "princesses" are not royalty anyway.]]

* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', Odin first tries to bribe Oswald with a castle, then with a castle and a magic spear... but when Oswald still proves uninterested, Odin resorts to promising Oswald his daughter Gwendolyn. This arrangement ends up working out a lot better for Gwendolyn and Oswald than it does for Odin, as not only was Oswald [[ExactWords only tasked to slay a dragon, not to give up the ring inside its stomach]] that Odin wanted, but Gwendolyn and Oswald, after some troubles, managed to legitimately fall in love with each other.

* Subverted in the DeconstructorFleet fantasy novel ''By the Sword''. In a talk with his advisors, the king says that "the traditional reward is half the kingdom plus the princess's hand in marriage," and he is prepared to offer this. But the advisors point out various political problems involved in dividing up the kingdom in this way, and in cancelling the ArrangedMarriage that the princess had already been set up for. The king ends up offering the reward of being the count of a small fiefdom called Ok, so small that being in charge of that dump is a very BlessedWithSuck reward. When the princess is rescued, she is quite insulted that her father was too cheap to offer the StandardHeroReward.

** Rosella and [[DistressedDude Edgar]] in [[VideoGame/KingsQuestIVThePerilsOfRosella The fourth game]] and [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVIIThePrincelessBride seventh game]] [[ZigZaggingTrope bounce this trope around like a pinball]]. First, Lolotte is all set to execute Rosella, but her [[spoiler: adopted by kidnapping and transmogrified into]] ugly, green, hunchbacked son Edgar [[PleaseSpareHimMyLiege intervenes]] to keep her from doing so, by stating he has a crush on her. After Rosella completes Lolotte's tasks, the wicked fairy pills a nasty subversion where the evil queen will marry Rosella to Edgar, which leads to a NonStandardGameOver unless you stop her. But Edgar turns out to be GoodAllAlong, and smuggles Rosella the key to escape. Rosella ends up killing Lolotte to save Genesta, Genesta changes him [[spoiler: back into his ''true'' form]] as a [[SuddenlySuitableSuitor handsome Fairy prince]], and Edgar [[InvertedTrope inverts it]] by offering ''himself'' as the StandardHeroReward. Rosella has to turn him down because she needs to save her dad, and Edgar is saddened, but understands, and that's when the fourth game ends. But come the seventh game? Edgar has gotten kidnapped, brainwashed and transformed ''again'' and is working for his wicked aunt, believing he is the King of the Trolls. In his confused and morally compromised state, he inadvertently kidnaps Rosella (with Valanice jumping in behind before the portal shuts), transforms ''her'' into a troll, and tried to pull AndNowYouMustMarryMe. Rosella is less than amused, escapes, finds out what's ''really'' going on, goes back to save ''him,'' and reunites him with his parents. ''Wisely'', Edgar asks not for marriage, but a proper courtship, which she agrees to. Both ''VideoGame/TheSilverLining'' and the Telltale Games sequels state that TheyDo.
** ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVAbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder'' ends with Graham making an ally of Princess Cassima, who was held captive by he same wizard that kidnapped his family, and the ending states that Prince Alexander gets hit with LoveAtFirstSight. The GoldenEnding ending of [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow the sixth game]] does have Alexander receiving the full StandardHeroReward from Cassima's [[spoiler:resurrected]] parents (though if you fail at that aspect, he still gets to marry his TrueLove [[spoiler: while he and Cassima become King and Queen of the Land of the Green Isles]]).

* Spoofed in the Literature/{{Discworld}} book ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', where a bunch of heroes won't save Ankh-Morpork because Vetinari doesn't have a kingdom and a princess to offer as a reward.

A very common reward for TheHero saving the day (such as slaying the [[DragonsPreferPrincesses dragon]]/demon/evil wizard/whatever terrorizing the kingdom) is marriage to the [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses princess]] and being granted either half or all of the kingdom.

* The adventure game ''VideoGame/{{Shadowgate}}'' did this, although not every version lets you see the princess at the end. Don't the developers know that EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses?

* This did happen in Medieval Europe. One example is Raymond and Henri, two French cousins who helped in the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. Raymond was rewarded with hand of Urraca, the King of Castelle and Leon's legitimate daughter, while Henri married the King's bastard daughter Teresa (which also made him Count of Portucale). Neither of them became king, although both their eldest sons did: Urraca and Raymond's son was the next King of Castelle and Leon, while Afonso, son of Henri and Teresa, fought his cousin to gain independence of his land and thus became the first King of UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}}.
* Future Norwegian king Harald Harðráði fell in love with Elisaveta (Elisiv), daughter of the Yarosalav the Wise, ruler of the Kievan Rus, during his service in Yarslav's court. As Harald was just a prince in exile with no land of his own, Yaroslav said to him that he will only give his daughter's hand once Harold achive something on his own. The prince listened to this words and first became an achieved general in Byzantian emperor's court, then reclaimed the Norwegian throne his father and elder brother lost, and finally married Elisaveta.

** Inverted in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', where Chapter 2 has you help a princess ''get out'' of this situation. The king has set up a fighting tournament where the victor gets to marry his daughter, apparently hoping to make sure [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority the next king is the biggest badass in the land]]. The princess wants nothing to do with this, so she asks Alena (the main character of the chapter and {{tomboy}} princess of a neighboring kingdom) to win the tournament, since a woman would be ineligible to marry her.
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'', uses this trope, but like all fairy tale tropes, they tend to [[PlayingWithATrope have some fun with it]].

** The [[VideoGame/KingsQuestIIRomancingTheThrone second game]] is about Graham's quest to ''find'' a suitable wife - at last once he rescues her from Hagatha. King Graham met Valanice for the first time when he entered the tower to rescue her. Within ''minutes'' the two were married. At least the FanRemake makes it so Valanice was [[MindlinkMates watching Graham all along from her enchanted coma]] so that she knew what kind of a guy he was.
** Third game? [[AvertedTrope Averts it wonderfully]]. Yes, Alexander-Gwydion manages to defeat the wizard that held him captive, escape from the pirates who got him to Daventry, and rescue the princess by slaying a dragon (all with UtilityMagic), but said princess is his long-lost ''sister.''

** In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVAbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder'' ends with Graham making an ally of Princess Cassima, who was held captive by he same wizard that kidnapped his family, and the ending stating that Prince Alexander gets hit with LoveAtFirstSight. The GoldenEnding ending of [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow the sixth game]] does have Alexander receiving the full StandardHeroReward from Cassima's [[spoiler:resurrected]] parents (though if you fail at that aspect, he still gets to marry his TrueLove [[spoiler: while he and Cassima become King and Queen of the Land of the Green Isles]]).

* Surprisingly averted in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''. Zelda [[spoiler:hated Link at first, and contributed to her feelings of inferiority. While you do save her and possibly end up in a relationship, it formed naturally and through genuine love.]]

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'': Liu Kang being TheHero of the franchise and romancing Princess Kitana is one of the most enduring story arcs in the series, but in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' when she finally ascends to the throne, the game refreshingly makes it clear that she is the Kahn of Outworld while Liu is her consort.

** In another strip, a time-traveller is screwed out of this when he doesn't take into account that the QuestGiver doesn't have a RippleEffectProofMemory. Feeling sorry for him, they offer a downgraded reward of "a handjob and a hot meal".

* Averted by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic in his " Top 11 Dumbasses In Distress" video. Princess Peach's favor doesn't interest him, he wants her to appoint him a position of power instead.

* In the ''{{WesternAnimation/Droopy}}'' short, "One Droopy Knight", a king offers his daughter's hand to whoever slays the dragon terrorizing the land. Droopy almost fails in his task, but the dragon hits his TranquilFury mode.

* This did happen in Medieval Europe. One example is Raymond and Henri, two French cousins who helped in the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. One was rewarded with the King of Castelle and Leon's legitimate daughter Urraca and the other his bastard daughter Teresa (which also made him Count of Portucale). Neither of them became king, although both their eldest sons did: Urraca and Raymond's son was the next King of Castelle and Leon, while Afonso, son of Henri and Teresa, fought his cousin to gain independence of his land and thus became the first King of UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}}.
* Future Norway king Harald Harðráði fell in love with Elisaveta (Elisiv), daughter of the Yarosalav the Wise, ruler of the Kievan Rus, during his service in Yarslav's court. As Harald was just a prince in exile with no land of his own, Yaroslav said to him that he will only give his daughter's hand once Harold achive something on his own. The prince listened to this words and first became an achieved general in Byzantian emperor's court, then conqured back the norwegian throne his father and elder brother lost, and finally married Elisaveta.
* Averted in the UK after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Peter Townsend was a true war hero - a [[AcePilot fighter ace]] and hero of the Battle of Britain. He was madly in love with Princess Margaret, and Margaret also loved him. But Queen Elizabeth (Margaret's mother, not the current Queen) prohibited Townsend from seeing Margaret anymore because he was a divorcee. It broke the hearts of them both. Townsend called Princess Margaret his only true love until his death.

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A very common reward for TheHero saving the day (such as slaying the [[DragonsPreferPrincesses dragon]]/demon/evil wizard/whatever terrorizing the kingdom) is marriage to the [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses princess (of the hero's choice if there are more than one)]] and being granted either half or all of the kingdom (depending on whether the sovereign already has a male heir).

* More or less at the ending of ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'', where John Smith, after [[spoiler:[[TakingTheBullet throwing himself before a bullet meant for Chief Powhatan]]]], is told by Powhatan that he will always be allowed to return and be part of his tribe. Powhatan then watches on as [[TheChiefsDaughter his daughter Pocahontas]] makes out with Smith. It may not have been literal, but it was definitely implied that Powhatan allowed for Smith to ask Pocahontas' hand in marriage, [[spoiler:but as Smith leaves for medical treatment, whether or not he returns is ambiguous.]]
* It took ''two sequels'' and a ''lot'' of heroics before it finally happened, but ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' finally got to marry Jasmine in ''Disney/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves''.

* ''WesternAnimation/HuckleberryHound'' was once ordered by the King to slay a dragon. The Princess was so ugly that marrying her was ''punishment'' for ''failure''. [[spoiler:The dragon took pity on Huck and offered him shelter at the cave. Huck accepted]].

* In the fairy tales of Creatort/AndrewLang:

Compare AwesomeMomentOfCrowning, {{Knighting}}, HundredPercentHeroismRating, SmoochOfVictory, RescueSex, RescueRomance, OfferedTheCrown, HeroismEqualsJobQualification, HappilyEverAfter.

* Averted by TheNostalgiaCritic in his " Top 11 Dumbasses In Distress" video. Princess Peach's favor doesn't interest him, he wants her to appoint him a position of power instead.