Wonder Tales from Many Lands 3

Wonder Tales from Many Lands 3

At once, from far away in the forest, came a loud sound of neighing,

and of galloping hoofs. The wild horse was coming. On and on it came,

nearer and nearer. Its eyes shone like coals of fire, and the leaves

were withered on either side of it because of its fiery breath.

 

It rushed at the Prince as though it would tear him to pieces; but he

was ready for it, and as soon as it was near enough he threw the bridle

over its head. At once the fire faded from its eyes. Its breath grew

quiet, and it stood there as gentle and harmless as a lamb.

 

“Master,” it said to Dobrotek, “I am yours now. Whatsoever you wish me

to do, I will do, and I will bear you wherever you wish to go.”

 

“First, then,” said the Prince, “I wish you to carry me to the mountain

where I can find the Sword of Sharpness.”

 

“Very well, Master, I will do so. But before we start on such a

dangerous adventure as that you should be properly armed. Do you enter

in at one of my ears and go on until you come out of the other.”

 

At once it seemed to the Prince as though the horse’s ear were a great

cave opening out before him. He entered in and went on and on, though

it was very dark there in the horse’s head. Presently he saw another

opening before him, and that was the horse’s other ear. He came out

through it and found himself in the forest again, but now he was

clothed as a warrior prince should be, in shining armour, and he held a

sword in his hand.

 

“That is right,” said the horse. “Now mount and ride, for we have far

to go.”

 

So the Prince said good-bye to the friendly hare and thanked it again.

He mounted upon the horse’s back and away they went like the wind. Soon

they were out of the forest, and the dark was left behind them. On

they went and on they went, until they came within sight of a smoking

mountain; there the horse stopped.

 

“Master,” said he, “do you see that mountain in front of us and the

smoke that rises over it?”

 

Yes, the Prince saw it.

 

“That smoke is the breath of the dragon that guards the Sword of

Sharpness. Just now he is awake, and if we were to venture within reach

he would soon scorch us to cinders with his breath. There are, as the

hare told you, only a few short minutes at midday when he sleeps, and

when we may approach him safely. To gain the sword I must, in those few

minutes, cross the plain before us and climb the mountain. Only I, who

go like the wind, could do such a thing, and even for me it will be

difficult. We may both lose our lives in the attempt.”

 

“Nevertheless, we must try it,” said the Prince, “for unless I can gain

the sword, and free the Princess from the dwarf, life is worth nothing

to me.”

 

“Very well,” answered the horse. “Then we will attempt it, for you are

my master.”

 

So all the rest of that day the horse and the Prince lay hidden, for

it was already afternoon. Through the night and the next morning they

waited, and the Prince could see the flames and columns of smoke that

the dragon breathed forth. But as the sun rose high in the heavens the

dragon became sleepy, and the flames burned lower and with less smoke.

At last the sun was at its height.

 

“And now, Master, is our time,” cried the horse. With that he galloped

out on to the plain and made for the mountain. On he flew as fast as

the wind, and faster. The Prince could hardly breathe, and he could not

see at all, so fast the horse went. The plain was crossed, the mountain

climbed, but already the dragon was awakening. “Quick, quick! the

sword. There it lies beside him!” cried the horse.

 

The Prince stooped and caught up the Sword of Sharpness, and in that

instant the dragon awoke. It reared its head and seemed about to devour

the Prince, but when it saw what he held in his hand it dropped its

crest and fawned at his feet.

 

“You are my master,” it said, “for you hold the Sword of Sharpness.

But do not kill me. Spare my life, and I will give you advice that may

save your own.”

 

“What is the advice?” asked the Prince.

 

“When you reach the dwarf’s castle (for I know that you are going

there, and why), you may with this sword be able to overcome the dwarf.

But after you have done that, you must cut off his beard and carry it

away with you. It will serve as proof that you and you alone have slain

him. You must also fill a flask with water from the fountain in the

midst of the garden. It is the Water of Life, and you will need it. You

will need the Cap of Invisibility too that the dwarf sometimes wears

upon his head. All three of these things you must have. Do not neglect

what I tell you, for if you do evil will certainly come upon you.”

 

“It is well,” said the Prince. “I will remember what you say, and if no

good comes of it, no harm can either.”

 

So saying, the Prince drew his own sword from its sheath and left it

on the mountain, taking the Sword of Sharpness in its place. Then he

rode down the mountain and away over the plain. Once he looked back,

but he saw neither flame nor smoke behind him. The dragon lay there as

harmless as any worm, for with the Sword of Sharpness all its power was

gone.

 

On and on rode the Prince, so fast that the wind was left behind, and

at last he and his horse came within sight of a castle all of iron.

About it was a wall that was seven times the height of a man, and this

also was of iron.

 

“Look, Prince,” said the horse. “That is the dwarf’s castle that we see

before us.”

 

Then on they went again and never stopped until they reached the castle

gate. Beside the gate hung a great brazen war trumpet. The Prince

lifted it to his lips and blew upon it such a blast that it was like to

split the ears of those who heard it. Again he blew, and once again.

 

“And now, Master, take out the sword from its sheath and make ready,

for the dwarf will soon be here,” said the horse.

 

Meanwhile the Princess Beautiful had been living behind those iron

walls, and she had been not unhappy, though she had often grieved

because Prince Dobrotek was not with her.

 

When the dwarf had caused her to be swept away by the hurricane he had

thrown her into an enchanted sleep, and in this sleep she lay until

she was safely placed in a room that the dwarf had specially prepared

for her. This room was made entirely of mirrors, only divided here and

there by curtains of cloth of gold. These curtains were embroidered

with scenes from the dwarf’s own life and from the life of the

Princess. In the mirrors Beautiful could see her own beauty repeated

endlessly. The furniture of the room was all of gold, curiously

carved, and the cushions were embroidered with gold and precious stones.

 

When the Princess opened her eyes and looked about her she did not know

where she was. She had no remembrance of the storm that had brought her

hither. She remembered only that she had stood beside Prince Dobrotek

in the church, and that a great noise had arisen outside. After that

she had known nothing until she awoke in this chamber.

 

She arose from the couch where she was lying and began to examine the

room. All the light came from a dome overhead. She could find neither

doors nor windows, and she wondered much how she had been brought into

a room like this.

 

While she was looking about her she heard a noise behind her that made

her turn quickly. At one side the mirrors had swung apart like doors,

and through this opening came a procession of enormous black slaves

bearing a golden throne in their midst. Upon this throne sat the Dwarf

with the Golden Beard. The slaves set the throne down in the middle of

the room and at once withdrew, closing the mirrored doors behind them.

 

When the Princess saw the dwarf she was very much alarmed. She at once

suspected that it was he who had brought her here, and that he meant to

keep her a prisoner until she would consent to marry him.

 

The dwarf stepped down from the throne and approached her with a

smiling air, but she shrank away from him into the farthest corner of

the room.

 

The dwarf was magnificently dressed. His beard had been brushed till it

shone like glass, and he had thrown it over one arm as though it were a

mantle. But in his left hand he carried a cap of some coarse grey stuff

that was in strange contrast with the rest of his dress.

 

“Most beautiful Princess,” said he, “you are welcome indeed in my

castle. None could be more so, and I hope to make you so happy that you

will be more than content to spend your life here with me.”

 

“Miserable dwarf!” cried the Princess, “do you really think you will

be able to make me stay here with you? Do you not know that Prince

Dobrotek will come in search of me soon? He will certainly find me!

Then he will punish you as you deserve for your insolence.”

 

The Princess was trembling now, but with rage rather than fear. The

dwarf seemed not at all disturbed by her anger, however.

 

“Beautiful one,” he said, still smiling, “you are even more beautiful

when you are angry than when you are pleased. Let Prince Dobrotek come.

I fear him not at all. But do not let us waste our time in talking of

him. Instead let us talk of ourselves, and of how pleasantly we will

pass our days together.”

 

So saying, the dwarf came close to the Princess and attempted to take

her hand. But instead of permitting this, the Princess gave him such a

blow upon the ear that he fairly staggered under it. His beard slipped

from his arm, and in trying to steady himself he tripped on it and fell

his length upon the floor.

 

The Princess laughed maliciously. At the sound of her laughter the

dwarf became filled with fury. His eyes flashed fire as he scrambled

to his feet. “Miserable girl!” he cried. “Do you dare to laugh? The

time will come when you will feel more like weeping, if not for me then

for yourself. Some day you will be glad enough to receive my caresses.

Now I will leave you, and when I come again it will be in a different

manner.” So saying, he gathered up his beard and rushed through the

mirror door, closing it behind him.

 

His words, and his manner of going, frightened the Princess. She again

began to look about her for some way of escape. Suddenly she saw upon

the floor the grey cap that the dwarf had carried in his hand. He must

have dropped it when he fell, and he had been too angry to notice

that he was leaving it behind. She picked it up and stood turning it

thoughtfully in her hands. Then, without considering why she did so,

she placed it upon her head. She was standing directly in front of a

mirror at the time. To her amazement, the moment she had the cap on

her head every reflection of her vanished from every mirror in the

room. The Princess could hardly believe her eyes. She might have been

thin air for any impression she made upon the glass. She took the

cap from her head, and immediately her reflections appeared again in

the mirrors. She replaced it, and they vanished from sight. Then the

Princess knew that she held the Cap of Invisibility—the cap that causes

anyone who wears it to become invisible.

 

As she stood there with the cap still upon her head, the mirror door

was burst open and the dwarf rushed into the room. His dress was

disordered and his eyes glared wildly.

 

He looked hastily about him, but he could see neither the cap nor the

Princess. At once he knew that she had found the cap and had put it on.

 

“Ah, ha!” he cried to the invisible Princess. “So you have found it!

You have put it on, and hope so to escape me. But I know you are still

here, even though I cannot see you. I will find you, never fear.”

 

Spreading his arms wide, he rushed about the room, hoping to touch the

Princess and seize her, but as he could not see her she was easily

able to escape him. Now and then he stopped and listened, hoping the

Princess would make some sound that would tell him where she was,

but at these times Beautiful too stood still. She did not move, she

scarcely breathed, lest he should hear her.

 

Suddenly the Princess saw something that gave her a hope of escape. The

dwarf had neglected to fasten the swinging mirror behind him when he

entered. She flew to it and pushed it open. Beyond lay a long corridor.

Down this the Princess fled, not knowing where it would lead her.

 

But the dwarf saw the mirror move, and guessed she had passed out

through it. With a cry of rage he sprang after her.

 

At the end of the corridor was a barred door. Beautiful had scarcely

time to unfasten this door and run through before the dwarf reached it.

But once outside the door she found herself in a wide and open garden.

Here she could pause and take breath. The dwarf had no means of knowing

in which direction she had gone. He could not hear her footsteps upon

the soft grass, and the rustling of the wind among the leaves prevented

his hearing the sound of her dress as she moved.

 

For a while the dwarf ran up and down the garden, hoping some accident

might bring him to the Princess. But he grasped nothing except empty

air. Discouraged, he turned back to the castle at last, muttering

threats as he went.

 

After he had gone the Princess began to look about her. She found the

garden very beautiful. There were winding paths and fountains and fruit

trees and pergolas where she could rest when she was weary. She tasted

the fruit and found it delicious. It seemed to her she could live there

for ever very happily, if only her dear Prince Dobrotek were with her.

 

As for the dwarf, in the days that followed the Princess quite lost her

fear of him, though he often came to the garden in search of her. After

a time she even amused herself by teasing him. She would take off her

cap and allow him to see her. Then, as he rushed toward her, she would

put it on again and vanish from his sight. Or she would run just in

front of him, singing as she went, that he might know where she was.

The poor dwarf would chase madly after the sound. Then, when it seemed

that he was just about to catch her, she would suddenly become silent

and step aside on the grass, and laugh to herself to see him run past

her, grasping at the air.

 

But this was a dangerous game for the Princess to play; she was not

always to escape so easily. One day she was running before him, just

out of reach, and calling to him to follow, when a low branch caught

her cap and brushed it from her head. Immediately she became visible.

 

With a cry of triumph the dwarf caught the cap as it fell and thrust it

in his bosom. Then he seized the Princess by the wrist.

 

“I have you now, my pretty bird. No use to struggle. You shall not

escape again.”

 

In despair the Princess tried to tear herself loose from his hold, but

the dwarf’s fingers were like iron.

 

At this moment from outside the gate sounded the loud blast of a war

trumpet. At once the dwarf guessed that it was Prince Dobrotek who blew

it, and that he had come in search of the Princess.

 

Suddenly, and before Beautiful could hinder him, he drew her to him and

breathed upon her eyelids; at the same time he muttered the words of a

magic charm.

 

At once the Princess felt her senses leaving her. In vain she strove to

move or speak. In spite of herself her eyes closed, and she sank softly

to the ground in a deep sleep.

 

As soon as the dwarf saw that his charm had worked he caused a dark

cloud to gather about him, which entirely hid him from view. Rising in

this cloud, he floated high above the iron walls and paused directly

over Prince Dobrotek. He drew his sword and made ready to slay the bold

Prince who had come against him.

 

Dobrotek looked up and wondered to see the dark cloud that had so

suddenly gathered above him.

 

“Beware!” cried the wild horse loudly. “It is the dwarf. He is about to

strike.”

 

Scarcely had he spoken when the darkness drew down about them. Through

this darkness shot a flash as bright as lightning. It was the dwarf’s

sword that had struck at the Prince. But swift as the stroke was, the

horse was no less swift. He sprang aside, and the sword drove so deep

into the earth that the dwarf was not able to draw it out again.

 

“Strike! Strike!” cried the horse to Dobrotek. “It is your chance!”

 

Dobrotek raised the Sword of Sharpness and struck into the cloud, and

his blow was so sharp and true that the dwarf’s head was cut from his

body and fell at the Prince’s feet.

 

Dobrotek alighted, and cutting off the dwarf’s beard, he wound it about

him like a glittering golden belt. Then, leaving the head where it lay,

he opened the gate and went into the garden.

 

He had not far to go in his search for Beautiful, for she was lying

asleep upon the grass close to the gate. Dobrotek was filled with joy

at the sight.

 

“Princess, awake! awake!” he cried. “It is I, Dobrotek. I have come to

rescue you.”

 

The Princess neither stirred nor woke. Her lashes rested on her cheeks,

and she breathed so gently that her breast scarcely moved.

 

“Master,” said the horse, “this is no natural sleep. It is some

enchantment. Take up that cap that lies beside her. Then fill your

flask at the fountain of the Water of Life and let us go. Do not try

to wake her now. When it is time, you can do so by sprinkling upon her

a few drops of the water. But first let us make haste to leave this

place, for it is still full of evil magic.”

 

Dobrotek was not slow to do as the horse bade him. He filled a flask

with the Water of Life and hid the Cap of Invisibility in his bosom.

Then, lifting the Princess in his arms, he mounted the horse and rode

back with her the way they had come.

 

It was not long before they reached the place where the Prince had

saved the hare from the owl in the forest. Here the Prince found his

own horse. It had not wandered away, but had stayed there, browsing on

the grass and leaves and drinking from a stream near by.

 

“And now, Prince,” said the wild steed, “it is time for us to part.

Light down and take the bridle from my head. Put it back again where

you found it, and cover it with the rock; but keep the whistle by you.

If ever you need me, blow upon it, and I will come to your aid.”

 

Dobrotek did as the steed bade him. He lighted down and took the bridle

from its head. He put it in the hole where he had found it and rolled

back the rock upon it. Then the horse bade him farewell, and tore away

through the forest, neighing as it went and breathing flames of fire.

 

After it had gone the Prince felt very weary. He had not yet awakened

the Princess, but had laid her, still asleep, upon the soft moss of the

forest. Now he stretched himself at her feet, and at once fell into a

deep slumber.

 

Now it so chanced that while he was asleep King Sarudine, the King of

the Black Country, came riding through the forest. He too had been a

suitor for the hand of the Princess, but he had been refused. When

he heard that she had been spirited away, and that Prince Dobrotek

had gone to seek for her, he also determined to set out on the same

mission. He hoped that he might be the first to find her and so win her

for his bride. For the King, her father, had sent out a proclamation

that whoever could find the Princess Beautiful and rescue her should

have her for his wife.

 

What was the amazement of Sarudine, as he came through the lonely wood,

suddenly to see the Princess lying there asleep, with Dobrotek at her

feet.

 

At first he drew his sword, thinking to kill the Prince; but after

a moment’s thought he put it back in its sheath. Then bending over

Beautiful he very quietly lifted her in his arms, mounted his horse,

and rode away with her.

 

Dobrotek was so wearied with his adventures that he slept on for some

time, not knowing that the Princess had again been stolen from him.

 

But when at last he woke and found her gone, he was like one mad, so

great was his despair. He rushed about hither and thither through the

forest, calling her name aloud, and seeking her everywhere, but nowhere

could he find her.

 

Suddenly he bethought him of his golden whistle, and putting it to his

lips he blew so loud and shrill that the forest echoed to the sound. At

once the great grey horse came galloping through the forest to him.

 

Dobrotek ran to meet it. “Tell me,” he cried, “you who know all things,

where is Beautiful? She has been stolen from me, and I cannot find her.”

 

“She is no longer here in the forest,” answered the horse. “She has

been carried away by King Sarudine. He has taken her back to her

father’s castle, and now he claims her as his bride, for he says that

he is the one who found and rescued her. But she still sleeps her

enchanted sleep, and none can waken her. You alone can do this, for

you have the Waters of Life. Hasten back to the castle, therefore,

but before you go to waken her, put on the Cap of Invisibility. King

Sarudine fears you, and he has set guards about the castle with orders

to slay you if you attempt to enter. All their watchfulness will be in

vain, however, if you wear the cap upon your head.”