Mythology Wednesday : King March's Ears

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This is actually somewhat of a long tale so I am going to try to consolidate it as best I can. I'll share a link to those who want to read it in it's entirety. There once lived a just and noble King by the name of March. His people were happy with their lot in life and overjoyed by their kind king. However, King March had a terribly secret that bothered him. He had the ears of a horse. Because of this, he kept his hair very long and wore a special crown. The only other living person that knew of his plight was his barber. The barber was sworn to secrecy for fear of death. However, this secret began to wear on him and he became deathly ill. A knowledgeable physician was called to attend to him, and the physician surmised that the man was ill because of a great burden. The barber agreed that he was sworn to secrecy and that it had been wearing on him lately, but if he were to tell anyone, he'd surely die anyway. The physician suggested he tell the earth. The next day the barber set out into the wilderness where naught but forest creatures lived. He knelled down and spoke his secret to the reeds. A few days later he was back to his self again. It so happened that the king declared a great feast and requested a piper to perform for him and his kingdom. The piper was making his way to the castle when he came across reeds and decided to fashion a new pipe for his king's enjoyment. These reeds were the same ones that held the King's secret. When the piper began to play, nothing but "The King Has Horse Ears!" was heard. The dining hall all gasped, and the King sprung from his chair ready to behead the piper. The piper, however, fell to his knees and begged mercy. The king played the pipe for himself and saw that there was no trickery. He also noticed that none of his subjects seemed bothered by this secret. He began to laugh and took off his crown and moved his hair. The hall erupted in cheers and applause. They did not care what their king looked like, it was his heart that mattered most to them. Okay so that was a little longer than I intended it to be... What do you think? This isn't just of Welsh Origin, though that's where I found it. The tale has been told in many different areas, with many different supposed kings. It is sugested that the tale is really about Alexander The Great and his horned cap.