Lucky Luck

Lucky Luck

Once upon a time there was a king who had an only son. When the lad was

about eighteen years old his father had to go to fight in a war against

a neighbouring country, and the king led his troops in person. He bade

his son act as Regent in his absence, but ordered him on no account to

marry till his return.

Time went by. The prince ruled the country and never even thought of

marrying. But when he reached his twenty-fifth birthday he began to

think that it might be rather nice to have a wife, and he thought so

much that at last he got quite eager about it. He remembered, however,

what his father had said, and waited some time longer, till at last it

was ten years since the king went out to war. Then the prince called

his courtiers about him and set off with a great retinue to seek a

bride. He hardly knew which way to go, so he wandered about for twenty

days, when, suddenly, he found himself in his father’s camp.

The king was delighted to see his son, and had a great many questions

to ask and answer; but when he heard that instead of quietly waiting

for him at home the prince was starting off to seek a wife he was very

angry, and said: “You may go where you please but I will not leave any

of my people with you.”

Only one faithful servant stayed with the prince and refused to part

from him. They journeyed over hill and dale till they came to a place

called Goldtown. The King of Goldtown had a lovely daughter, and the

prince, who soon heard about her beauty, could not rest till he saw

her.

He was very kindly received, for he was extremely good-looking and had

charming manners, so he lost no time in asking for her hand and her

parents gave her to him with joy. The wedding took place at once, and

the feasting and rejoicings went on for a whole month. At the end of

the month they set off for home, but as the journey was a long one they

spent the first evening at an inn. Everyone in the house slept, and

only the faithful servant kept watch. About midnight he heard three

crows, who had flown to the roof, talking together.

“That’s a handsome couple which arrived here tonight. It seems quite a

pity they should lose their lives so soon.”

“Truly,” said the second crow; “for to-morrow, when midday strikes, the

bridge over the Gold Stream will break just as they are driving over

it. But, listen! whoever overhears and tells what we have said will be

turned to stone up to his knees.”

The crows had hardly done speaking when away they flew. And close upon

them followed three pigeons.

“Even if the prince and princess get safe over the bridge they will

perish,” said they; “for the king is going to send a carriage to meet

them which looks as new as paint. But when they are seated in it a

raging wind will rise and whirl the carriage away into the clouds. Then

it will fall suddenly to earth, and they will be killed. But anyone who

hears and betrays what we have said will be turned to stone up to his

waist.”

With that the pigeons flew off and three eagles took their places, and

this is what they said:

“If the young couple does manage to escape the dangers of the bridge

and the carriage, the king means to send them each a splendid gold

embroidered robe. When they put these on they will be burnt up at once.

But whoever hears and repeats this will turn to stone from head to

foot.”

Early next morning the travellers got up and breakfasted. They began to

tell each other their dreams. At last the servant said:

“Gracious prince, I dreamt that if your Royal Highness would grant all

I asked we should get home safe and sound; but if you did not we should

certainly be lost. My dreams never deceive me, so I entreat you to

follow my advice during the rest of the journey.”

“Don’t make such a fuss about a dream,” said the prince; “dreams are

but clouds. Still, to prevent your being anxious I will promise to do

as you wish.”

With that they set out on their journey.

At midday they reached the Gold Stream. When they got to the bridge the

servant said: “Let us leave the carriage here, my prince, and walk a

little way. The town is not far off and we can easily get another

carriage there, for the wheels of this one are bad and will not hold

out much longer.”

The prince looked well at the carriage. He did not think it looked so

unsafe as his servant said; but he had given his word and he held to

it.

They got down and loaded the horses with the luggage. The prince and

his bride walked over the bridge, but the servant said he would ride

the horses through the stream so as to water and bathe them.

They reached the other side without harm, and bought a new carriage in

the town, which was quite near, and set off once more on their travels;

but they had not gone far when they met a messenger from the king who

said to the prince: “His Majesty has sent your Royal Highness this

beautiful carriage so that you may make a fitting entry into your own

country and amongst your own people.”

The prince was so delighted that he could not speak. But the servant

said: “My lord, let me examine this carriage first and then you can get

in if I find it is all right; otherwise we had better stay in our own.”

The prince made no objections, and after looking the carriage well over

the servant said: “It is as bad as it is smart”; and with that he

knocked it all to pieces, and they went on in the one that they had

bought.

At last they reached the frontier; there another messenger was waiting

for them, who said that the king had sent two splendid robes for the

prince and his bride, and begged that they would wear them for their

state entry. But the servant implored the prince to have nothing to do

with them, and never gave him any peace till he had obtained leave to

destroy the robes.

The old king was furious when he found that all his arts had failed;

that his son still lived and that he would have to give up the crown to

him now he was married, for that was the law of the land. He longed to

know how the prince had escaped, and said: “My dear son, I do indeed

rejoice to have you safely back, but I cannot imagine why the beautiful

carriage and the splendid robes I sent did not please you; why you had

them destroyed.”

“Indeed, sire,” said the prince, “I was myself much annoyed at their

destruction; but my servant had begged to direct everything on the

journey and I had promised him that he should do so. He declared that

we could not possibly get home safely unless I did as he told me.”

The old king fell into a tremendous rage. He called his Council

together and condemned the servant to death.

The gallows was put up in the square in front of the palace. The

servant was led out and his sentence read to him.

The rope was being placed round his neck, when he begged to be allowed

a few last words. “On our journey home,” he said, “we spent the first

night at an inn. I did not sleep but kept watch all night.” And then he

went on to tell what the crows had said, and as he spoke he turned to

stone up to his knees. The prince called to him to say no more as he

had proved his innocence. But the servant paid no heed to him, and by

the time his story was done he had turned to stone from head to foot.

Oh! how grieved the prince was to lose his faithful servant! And what

pained him most was the thought that he was lost through his very

faithfulness, and he determined to travel all over the world and never

rest till he found some means of restoring him to life.

Now there lived at Court an old woman who had been the prince’s nurse.

To her he confided all his plans, and left his wife, the princess, in

her care. “You have a long way before you, my son,” said the old woman;

“you must never return till you have met with Lucky Luck. If he cannot

help you no one on earth can.”

So the prince set off to try to find Lucky Luck. He walked and walked

till he got beyond his own country, and he wandered through a wood for

three days but did not meet a living being in it. At the end of the

third day he came to a river near which stood a large mill. Here he

spent the night. When he was leaving next morning the miller asked him:

“My gracious lord, where are you going all alone?”

And the prince told him.

“Then I beg your Highness to ask Lucky Luck this question: Why is it

that though I have an excellent mill, with all its machinery complete,

and get plenty of grain to grind, I am so poor that I hardly know how

to live from one day to another?”

The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way. He wandered about

for three days more, and at the end of the third day saw a little town.

It was quite late when he reached it, but he could discover no light

anywhere, and walked almost right through it without finding a house

where he could turn in. But far away at the end of the town he saw a

light in a window. He went straight to it and in the house were three

girls playing a game together. The prince asked for a night’s lodging

and they took him in, gave him some supper and got a room ready for

him, where he slept.

Next morning when he was leaving they asked where he was going and he

told them his story. “Gracious prince,” said the maidens, “do ask Lucky

Luck how it happens that here we are over thirty years old and no lover

has come to woo us, though we are good, pretty, and very industrious.”

The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.

Then he came to a great forest and wandered about in it from morning to

night and from night to morning before he got near the other end. Here

he found a pretty stream which was different from other streams as,

instead of flowing, it stood still and began to talk: “Sir prince, tell

me what brings you into these wilds? I must have been flowing here a

hundred years and more and no one has ever yet come by.”

“I will tell you,” answered the prince, “if you will divide yourself so

that I may walk through.”

The stream parted at once, and the prince walked through without

wetting his feet; and directly he got to the other side he told his

story as he had promised.

“Oh, do ask Lucky Luck,” cried the brook, “why, though I am such a

clear, bright, rapid stream I never have a fish or any other living

creature in my waters.”

The prince said he would do so, and continued his journey.

When he got quite clear of the forest he walked on through a lovely

valley till he reached a little house thatched with rushes, and he went

in to rest for he was very tired.

Everything in the house was beautifully clean and tidy, and a cheerful

honest-looking old woman was sitting by the fire.

“Good-morning, mother,” said the prince.

“May Luck be with you, my son. What brings you into these parts?”

“I am looking for Lucky Luck,” replied the prince.

“Then you have come to the right place, my son, for I am his mother. He

is not at home just now, he is out digging in the vineyard. Do you go

too. Here are two spades. When you find him begin to dig, but don’t

speak a word to him. It is now eleven o’clock. When he sits down to eat

his dinner sit beside him and eat with him. After dinner he will

question you, and then tell him all your troubles freely. He will

answer whatever you may ask.”

With that she showed him the way, and the prince went and did just as

she had told him. After dinner they lay down to rest.

All of a sudden Lucky Luck began to speak and said: “Tell me, what sort

of man are you, for since you came here you have not spoken a word?”

“I am not dumb,” replied the young man, “but I am that unhappy prince

whose faithful servant has been turned to stone, and I want to know how

to help him.”

“And you do well, for he deserves everything. Go back, and when you get

home your wife will just have had a little boy. Take three drops of

blood from the child’s little finger, rub them on your servant’s wrists

with a blade of grass and he will return to life.”

“I have another thing to ask,” said the prince, when he had thanked

him. “In the forest near here is a fine stream but not a fish or other

living creature in it. Why is this?”

“Because no one has ever been drowned in the stream. But take care, in

crossing, to get as near the other side as you can before you say so,

or you may be the first victim yourself.”

“Another question, please, before I go. On my way here I lodged one

night in the house of three maidens. All were well-mannered,

hard-working, and pretty, and yet none has had a wooer. Why was this?”

“Because they always throw out their sweepings in the face of the sun.”

“And why is it that a miller, who has a large mill with all the best

machinery and gets plenty of corn to grind is so poor that he can

hardly live from day to day?”

“Because the miller keeps everything for himself, and does not give to

those who need it.”

The prince wrote down the answers to his questions, took a friendly

leave of Lucky Luck, and set off for home.

When he reached the stream it asked if he brought it any good news.

“When I get across I will tell you,” said he. So the stream parted; he

walked through and on to the highest part of the bank. He stopped and

shouted out:

“Listen, oh stream! Lucky Luck says you will never have any living

creature in your waters until someone is drowned in you.”

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the stream swelled and

overflowed till it reached the rock up which he had climbed, and dashed

so far up it that the spray flew over him. But he clung on tight, and

after failing to reach him three times the stream returned to its

proper course. Then the prince climbed down, dried himself in the sun,

and set out on his march home.

He spent the night once more at the mill and gave the miller his

answer, and by-and-by he told the three sisters not to throw out all

their sweepings in the face of the sun.

The prince had hardly arrived at home when some thieves tried to ford

the stream with a fine horse they had stolen. When they were half-way

across, the stream rose so suddenly that it swept them all away. From

that time it became the best fishing stream in the country-side.

The miller, too, began to give alms and became a very good man, and in

time grew so rich that he hardly knew how much he had.

And the three sisters, now that they no longer insulted the sun, had

each a wooer within a week.

When the prince got home he found that his wife had just got a fine

little boy. He did not lose a moment in pricking the baby’s finger till

the blood ran, and he brushed it on the wrists of the stone figure,

which shuddered all over and split with a loud noise in seven parts and

there was the faithful servant alive and well.

When the old king saw this he foamed with rage, stared wildly about,

flung himself on the ground and died.

The servant stayed on with his royal master and served him faithfully

all the rest of his life; and, if neither of them is dead, he is

serving him still.

[From Ungarische Mährchen.]