The Red Fairy Book - Andrew Lang (best novels for beginners TXT) 📗

from the moment you were sure I loved

you?’

 

As she spoke she suddenly saw a little door open, and the

sunshine blazed into the dismal well. Graciosa did not hesitate an

instant, but passed through into a charming garden. Flowers and

fruit grew on every side, fountains plashed, and birds sang in the

branches overhead, and when she reached a great avenue of trees

and looked up to see where it would lead her, she found herself

close to the palace of crystal. Yes! there was no mistaking it,

and the Queen and Percinet were coming to meet her.

 

`Ah, Princess!’ said the Queen, `don’t keep this poor Percinet

in suspense any longer. You little guess the anxiety he has

suffered while you were in the power of that miserable Queen.’

 

The Princess kissed her gratefully, and promised to do as she

wished in everything, and holding out her hand to Percinet, with a

smile, she said:

 

`Do you remember telling me that I should not see your palace

again until I had been buried? I wonder if you guessed then

that, when that happened, I should tell you that I love you with all

my heart, and will marry you whenever you like?’

 

Prince Percinet joyfully took the hand that was given him, and,

for fear the Princess should change her mind, the wedding was

held at once with the greatest splendour, and Graciosa and Percinet

lived happily ever after.[11]

 

[11] Gracieuse et Percinet. Mdme. d’Aulnoy.

THE THREE PRINCESSES OF WHITELAND

THERE was once upon a time a fisherman, who lived hard by a

palace and fished for the King’s table. One day he was out

fishing, but caught nothing at all. Let him do what he might with

rod and line, there was never even so much as a sprat on his hook;

but when the day was well nigh over, a head rose up out of the

water, and said: `If you will give me what your wife shows you

when you go home, you shall catch fish enough.’

 

So the man said `Yes’ in a moment, and then he caught fish in

plenty; but when he got home at night, and his wife showed him a

baby which had just been born, and fell a-weeping and wailing

when he told her of the promise which he had given, he was very

unhappy.

 

All this was soon told to the King up at the palace, and when he

heard what sorrow the woman was in, and the reason of it, he said

that he himself would take the child and see if he could not save it.

The baby was a boy, and the King took him at once and brought

him up as his own son until the lad grew up. Then one day he

begged to have leave to go out with his father to fish; he had a

strong desire to do this, he said. The King was very unwilling to

permit it, but at last the lad got leave. He stayed with his father,

and all went prosperously and well with them the whole day, until

they came back to land in the evening. Then the lad found that

he had lost his pocket-handkerchief, and would go out in the boat

after it; but no sooner had he got into the boat than it began to

move off with him so quickly that the water foamed all round about,

and all that the lad did to keep the boat back with the oars was done

to no purpose, for it went on and on the whole night through, and

at last he came to a white strand that lay far, far away. There he

landed, and when he had walked on for some distance he met an

old man with a long white beard.

 

`What is the name of this country?’ said the youth.

 

`Whiteland,’ answered the man, and then he begged the youth

to tell him whence he came and what he was going to do, and the

youth did so.

 

`Well, then,’ said the man, `if you walk on farther along the

seashore here, you will come to three princesses who are standing in

the earth so that their heads alone are out of it. Then the first of

them will call you—she is the eldest—and will beg you very prettily

to come to her and help her, and the second will do the same, but you

must not go near either of them. Hurry past, as if you neither

saw nor heard them; but you shall go to the third and do what

she bids you; it will bring you good fortune.’

 

When the youth came to the first princess, she called to him

and begged him to come to her very prettily, but he walked on as

if he did not even see her, and he passed by the second in the same

way, but he went up to the third.

 

`If thou wilt do what I tell thee, thou shalt choose among us

three,’ said the Princess.

 

So the lad said that he was most willing, and she told him that

three Trolls had planted them all three there in the earth, but that

formerly they had dwelt in the castle which he could see at some

distance in the wood.

 

`Now,’ she said, `thou shalt go into the castle, and let the Trolls

beat thee one night for each of us, and if thou canst but endure

that, thou wilt set us free.’

 

`Yes,’ answered the lad, `I will certainly try to do so.’

 

`When thou goest in,’ continued the Princess, `two lions will

stand by the doorway, but if thou only goest straight between them

they will do thee no harm; go straight forward into a small dark

chamber; there thou shalt lie down. Then the Troll will come and

beat thee, but thou shalt take the flask which is hanging on the

wall, and anoint thyself wheresoever he has wounded thee, after

which thou shalt be as well as before. Then lay hold of the sword

which is hanging by the side of the flask, and smite the Troll dead.’

 

So he did what the Princess had told him. He walked straight

in between the lions just as if he did not see them, and then into the

small chamber, and lay down on the bed.

 

The first night a Troll came with three heads and three rods,

and beat the lad most unmercifully; but he held out until the Troll

was done with him, and then he took the flask and rubbed himself.

Having done this, he grasped the sword and smote the Troll

dead.

 

In the morning when he went to the seashore the Princesses

were out of the earth as far as their waists.

 

The next night everything happened in the same way, but the

Troll who came then had six heads and six rods, and he beat him

much more severely than the first had done but when the lad

went out of doors next morning, the Princesses were out of the

earth as far as their knees.

 

On the third night a Troll came who had nine heads and nine

rods, and he struck the lad and flogged him so long, that at last he

swooned away; so the Troll took him up and flung him against the

wall, and this made the flask of ointment fall down, and it splashed

all over him, and he became as strong as ever again.

 

Then, without loss of time, he grasped the sword and struck the

Troll dead, and in the morning when he went out of the castle the

Princesses were standing there entirely out of the earth. So he

took the youngest for his Queen, and lived with her very happily

for a long time.

 

At last, however, he took a fancy to go home for a short time to

see his parents. His Queen did not like this, but when his longing

grew so great that he told her he must and would go, she said to

him:

 

`One thing shalt thou promise me, and that is, to do what thy

father bids thee, but not what thy mother bids thee,’ and this he

promised.

 

So she gave him a ring, which enabled him who wore it to obtain

two wishes.

 

He wished himself at home, and instantly found himself there;

but his parents were so amazed at the splendour of his apparel

that their wonder never ceased.

 

When he had been at home for some days his mother wanted

him to go up to the palace, to show the King what a great man he

had become.

 

The father said, `No; he must not do that, for if he does we shall

have no more delight in him this time; `but he spoke in vain, for

the mother begged and prayed until at last he went.

 

When he arrived there he was more splendid, both in raiment

and in all else, than the other King, who did not like it, and said:

 

`Well, you can see what kind of Queen mine is, but I can’t see

yours. I do not believe you have such a pretty Queen as I have.’

 

`Would to heaven she were standing here, and then you would

be able to see!’ said the young King, and in an instant she was

standing there.

 

But she was very sorrowful, and said to him, `Why didst thou

not remember my words, and listen only to what thy father said?

Now must I go home again at once, and thou hast wasted both thy

wishes.’

 

Then she tied a ring in his hair, which had her name upon it, and

wished herself at home again.

 

And now the young King was deeply afflicted, and day out and

day in went about thinking of naught else but how to get back

again to his Queen. `I will try to see if there is any place where

I can learn how to find Whiteland,’ he thought, and journeyed forth

out into the world.

 

When he had gone some distance he came to a mountain,

where he met a man who was Lord over all the beasts in the forest

—for they all came to him when he blew a horn which he had.

So the King asked where Whiteland was.

 

`I do not know that,’ he answered, `but I will ask my beasts.’

Then he blew his horn and inquired whether any of them knew

where Whiteland lay, but there was not one who knew that.

 

So the man gave him a pair of snow shoes. `When you have

these on,’ he said, `you will come to my brother, who lives hundreds

of miles from here; he is Lord over all the birds in the air—ask him.

When you have got there, just turn the shoes so that the toes

point this way, and then they will come home again of their own

accord.’

 

When the King arrived there he turned the shoes as the Lord

of the beasts had bidden him, and they went back.

 

And now he once more asked after Whiteland, and the man

summoned all the birds together, and inquired if any of them knew

where Whiteland lay. No, none knew this. Long after the others

there came an old eagle. He had been absent ten whole years, but

he too knew no more than the rest.

 

`Well, well,’ said the man, `then you shall have the loan of a

pair of snow shoes of mine. If you wear them you will get to my

brother, who lives hundreds of miles