The Three Princes and Their Beasts

prince!

‘Jump on the back of the brown horse,’ said the old woman, and she

turned round and went into the house.

The moment Petru was seated on the horse he felt his arm three times as

strong as before, and even his heart felt braver.

‘Sit firmly in the saddle, my lord, for we have a long way to go and no

time to waste,’ said the brown horse, and Petru soon saw that they were

riding as no man and horse had ever ridden before.

On the bridge stood a dragon, but not the same one as he had tried to

fight with, for this dragon had twelve heads, each more hideous and

shooting forth more terrible flames than the other. But, horrible though

he was, he had met his match. Petru showed no fear, but rolled up his

sleeves, that his arms might be free.

‘Get out of the way!’ he said when he had done, but the dragon’s heads

only breathed forth more flames and smoke. Petru wasted no more words,

but drew his sword and prepared to throw himself on the bridge.

‘Stop a moment; be careful, my lord,’ put in the horse, ‘and be sure you

do what I tell you. Dig your spurs in my body up to the rowel, draw

your sword, and keep yourself ready, for we shall have to leap over both

bridge and dragon. When you see that we are right above the dragon cut

off his biggest head, wipe the blood off the sword, and put it back

clean in the sheath before we touch earth again.’

So Petru dug in his spurs, drew his sword, cut of the head, wiped the

blood, and put the sword back in the sheath before the horse’s hoofs

touched the ground again.

And in this fashion they passed the bridge.

‘But we have got to go further still,’ said Petru, after he had taken a

farewell glance at his native land.

‘Yes, forwards,’ answered the horse; ‘but you must tell me, my lord, at

what speed you wish to go. Like the wind? Like thought? Like desire? or

like a curse?’

Petru looked about him, up at the heavens and down again to the earth.

A desert lay spread out before him, whose aspect made his hair stand on

end.

‘We will ride at different speeds,’ said he, ‘not so fast as to grow

tired nor so slow as to waste time.’

And so they rode, one day like the wind, the next like thought, the

third and fourth like desire and like a curse, till they reached the

borders of the desert.

‘Now walk, so that I may look about, and see what I have never seen

before,’ said Petru, rubbing his eyes like one who wakes from sleep, or

like him who beholds something so strange that it seems as if... Before

Petru lay a wood made of copper, with copper trees and copper leaves,

with bushes and flowers of copper also.

Petru stood and stared as a man does when he sees something that he has

never seen, and of which he has never heard.

Then he rode right into the wood. On each side of the way the rows of

flowers began to praise Petru, and to try and persuade him to pick some

of them and make himself a wreath.

‘Take me, for I am lovely, and can give strength to whoever plucks me,’

said one.

‘No, take me, for whoever wears me in his hat will be loved by the most

beautiful woman in the world,’ pleaded the second; and then one

after another bestirred itself, each more charming than the last, all

promising, in soft sweet voices, wonderful things to Petru, if only he

would pick them.

Petru was not deaf to their persuasion, and was just stooping to pick

one when the horse sprang to one side.

‘Why don’t you stay still?’ asked Petru roughly.

‘Do not pick the flowers; it will bring you bad luck; answered the

horse.

‘Why should it do that?’

‘These flowers are under a curse. Whoever plucks them must fight the

Welwa(1) of the woods.’

(1) A goblin.

‘What kind of a goblin is the Welwa?’

‘Oh, do leave me in peace! But listen. Look at the flowers as much as

you like, but pick none,’ and the horse walked on slowly.

Petru knew by experience that he would do well to attend to the horse’s

advice, so he made a great effort and tore his mind away from the

flowers.

But in vain! If a man is fated to be unlucky, unlucky he will be,

whatever he may do!

The flowers went on beseeching him, and his heart grew ever weaker and

weaker.

‘What must come will come,’ said Petru at length; ‘at any rate I shall

see the Welwa of the woods, what she is like, and which way I had best

fight her. If she is ordained to be the cause of my death, well, then

it will be so; but if not I shall conquer her though she were twelve

hundred Welwas,’ and once more he stooped down to gather the flowers.

‘You have done very wrong,’ said the horse sadly. ‘But it can’t be

helped now. Get yourself ready for battle, for here is the Welwa!’

Hardly had he done speaking, scarcely had Petru twisted his wreath, when

a soft breeze arose on all sides at once. Out of the breeze came a storm

wind, and the storm wind swelled and swelled till everything around

was blotted out in darkness, and darkness covered them as with a thick

cloak, while the earth swayed and shook under their feet.

‘Are you afraid?’ asked the horse, shaking his mane.

‘Not yet,’ replied Petru stoutly, though cold shivers were running down

his back. ‘What must come will come, whatever it is.’

‘Don’t be afraid,’ said the horse. ‘I will help you. Take the bridle

from my neck, and try to catch the Welwa with it.’

The words were hardly spoken, and Petru had no time even to unbuckle

the bridle, when the Welwa herself stood before him; and Petru could not

bear to look at her, so horrible was she.

She had not exactly a head, yet neither was she without one. She did not

fly through the air, but neither did she walk upon the earth. She had

a mane like a horse, horns like a deer, a face like a bear, eyes like a

polecat; while her body had something of each. And that was the Welwa.

Petru planted himself firmly in his stirrups, and began to lay about him

with his sword, but could feel nothing.

A day and a night went by, and the fight was still undecided, but at

last the Welwa began to pant for breath.

‘Let us wait a little and rest,’ gasped she.

Petru stopped and lowered his sword.

‘You must not stop an instant,’ said the horse, and Petru gathered up

all his strength, and laid about him harder than ever.

The Welwa gave a neigh like a horse and a howl like a wolf, and threw

herself afresh on Petru. For another day and night the battle raged more

furiously than before. And Petru grew so exhausted he could scarcely

move his arm.

‘Let us wait a little and rest,’ cried the Welwa for the second time,

‘for I see you are as weary as I am.’

‘You must not stop an instant,’ said the horse.

And Petru went on fighting, though he barely had strength to move his

arm. But the Welwa had ceased to throw herself upon him, and began to

deliver her blows cautiously, as if she had no longer power to strike.

And on the third day they were still fighting, but as the morning sky

began to redden Petru somehow managed--how I cannot tell--to throw the

bridle over the head of the tired Welwa. In a moment, from the Welwa

sprang a horse--the most beautiful horse in the world.

‘Sweet be your life, for you have delivered me from my enchantment,’

said he, and began to rub his nose against his brother’s. And he told

Petru all his story, and how he had been bewitched for many years.

So Petru tied the Welwa to his own horse and rode on. Where did he

ride? That I cannot tell you, but he rode on fast till he got out of the

copper wood.

‘Stay still, and let me look about, and see what I never have seen

before,’ said Petru again to his horse. For in front of him stretched a

forest that was far more wonderful, as it was made of glistening trees

and shining flowers. It was the silver wood.

As before, the flowers began to beg the young man to gather them.

‘Do not pluck them,’ warned the Welwa, trotting beside him, ‘for my

brother is seven times stronger than I’; but though Petru knew by

experience what this meant, it was no use, and after a moment’s

hesitation he began to gather the flowers, and to twist himself a

wreath.

Then the storm wind howled louder, the earth trembled more violently,

and the night grew darker, than the first time, and the Welwa of the

silver wood came rushing on with seven times the speed of the other.

For three days and three nights they fought, but at last Petru cast the

bridle over the head of the second Welwa.

‘Sweet be your life, for you have delivered me from enchantment,’ said

the second Welwa, and they all journeyed on as before.

But soon they came to a gold wood more lovely far than the other

two, and again Petru’s companions pleaded with him to ride through it

quickly, and to leave the flowers alone. But Petru turned a deaf ear

to all they said, and before he had woven his golden crown he felt that

something terrible, that he could not see, was coming near him right out

of the earth. He drew his sword and made himself ready for the fight. ‘I

will die!’ cried he, ‘or he shall have my bridle over his head.’

He had hardly said the words when a thick fog wrapped itself around

him, and so thick was it that he could not see his own hand, or hear

the sound of his voice. For a day and a night he fought with his sword,

without ever once seeing his enemy, then suddenly the fog began to

lighten. By dawn of the second day it had vanished altogether, and the

sun shone brightly in the heavens. It seemed to Petru that he had been

born again.

And the Welwa? She had vanished.

‘You had better take breath now you can, for the fight will have to

begin all over again,’ said the horse.

‘What was it?’ asked Petru.

‘It was the Welwa,’ replied the horse, ‘changed into a fog ‘Listen! She

is coming!’

And Petru had hardly drawn a long breath when he felt something

approaching from the side, though what he could not tell. A river, yet

not a river, for it seemed not to flow over the earth, but to go where

it liked, and to leave no trace of its passage.

‘Woe be to me!’ cried Petru, frightened at last.

‘Beware, and never stand still,’ called the brown horse, and more he

could not say, for the water was choking him.

The battle began anew. For a day and a night Petru fought on, without

knowing at whom or what he struck. At dawn on the second, he felt that

both his feet were lame.

‘Now I am done for,’ thought he, and his blows fell thicker and harder

in his desperation. And the sun came out and the water disappeared,

without his knowing how or when.

‘Take breath,’ said the horse, ‘for you have no time to lose. The Welwa

will return in a moment.’

Petru made no reply, only wondered how, exhausted as he was, he should

ever be able to carry on the fight. But he settled himself in his

saddle, grasped his sword, and waited.

And then something came to him--WHAT I cannot tell you. Perhaps, in his

dreams, a man may see a creature which has what it has not got, and has

not got what it has. At least, that was what the Welwa seemed like to

Petru. She flew with her feet, and walked with her wings; her head was

in her back, and her tail was on top of her body; her eyes were in her

neck, and her neck in her forehead, and how to describe her further I do

not know.

Petru felt for a moment as if he was wrapped in a garment of fear; then

he shook himself and took heart, and fought as he had never yet fought

before.

As the day wore on, his strength began to fail, and when darkness fell

he could hardly keep his eyes open. By midnight he knew he was no longer

on his horse, but standing on the ground, though he could not have

told how he got there. When the grey light of morning came, he was past

standing on his feet, but fought now upon his knees.

‘Make one more struggle; it is nearly over now,’ said the horse, seeing

that Petru’s strength was waning fast.

Petru wiped the sweat from his brow with his gauntlet, and with a

desperate effort rose to his feet.

‘Strike the Welwa on the mouth with the bridle,’ said the horse, and

Petru did it.

The Welwa uttered a neigh so loud that Petru thought he would be deaf

for life, and then, though she too was nearly spent, flung herself upon

her enemy; but Petru was on the watch and threw the bridle over her

head, as she rushed on, so that when the day broke there were three

horses trotting beside him.

‘May your wife be the most beautiful of women,’ said the Welwa, ‘for

you have delivered me from my enchantment.’ So the four horses galloped

fast, and by nightfall they were at the borders of the golden forest.

Then Petru began to think of the crowns that he wore, and what they had

cost him.

‘After all, what do I want with so many? I will keep the best,’ he said

to himself; and taking off first the copper crown and then the silver,

he threw them away.

‘Stay!’ cried the horse, ‘do not throw them away! Perhaps we shall find

them of use. Get down and pick them up.’ So Petru got down and picked

them up, and they all went on.

In the evening, when the sun is getting low, and all the midges are

beginning to bite, Peter saw a wide heath stretching before him.

At the same instant the horse stood still of itself.

‘What is the matter?’ asked Petru.

‘I am afraid that something evil will happen to us,’ answered the horse.

‘But why should it?’

‘We are going to enter the kingdom of the goddess Mittwoch,(2) and the

further we ride into it the colder we shall get. But all along the road

there are huge fires, and I dread lest you should stop and warm yourself

at them.’

(2) In German ‘Mittwoch,’ the feminine form of Mercury.

‘And why should I not warm myself?’

‘Something fearful will happen to you if you do,’ replied the horse

sadly.

‘Well, forward!’ cried Petru lightly, ‘and if I have to bear cold, I

must bear it!’

With every step they went into the kingdom of Mittwoch, the air grew

colder and more icy, till even the marrow in their bones was frozen. But

Petru was no coward; the fight he had gone through had strengthened his

powers of endurance, and he stood the test bravely.

Along the road on each side were great fires, with men standing by them,

who spoke pleasantly to Petru as he went by, and invited him to join

them. The breath froze in his mouth, but he took no notice, only bade

his horse ride on the faster.

How long Petru may have waged battle silently with the cold one cannot

tell, for everybody knows that the kingdom of Mittwoch is not to be

crossed in a day, but he struggled on, though the frozen rocks burst

around, and though his teeth chattered, and even his eyelids were

frozen.

At length they reached the dwelling of Mittwoch herself, and, jumping

from his horse, Petru threw the reins over his horse’s neck and entered

the hut.

‘Good-day, little mother!’ said he.

‘Very well, thank you, my frozen friend!’

Petru laughed, and waited for her to speak.

‘You have borne yourself bravely,’ went on the goddess, tapping him on

the shoulder. ‘Now you shall have your reward,’ and she opened an iron

chest, out of which she took a little box.

‘Look!’ said she; ‘this little box has been lying here for ages, waiting

for the man who could win his way through the Ice Kingdom. Take it, and

treasure it, for some day it may help you.

If you open it, it will tell you anything you want, and give you news of

your fatherland.’

Petru thanked her gratefully for her gift, mounted his horse, and rode

away.

When he was some distance from the hut, he opened the casket.

‘What are your commands?’ asked a voice inside.

‘Give me news of my father,’ he replied, rather nervously.

‘He is sitting in council with his nobles,’ answered the casket.

‘Is he well?’

‘Not particularly, for he is furiously angry.’

‘What has angered him?’

‘Your brothers Costan and Florea,’ replied the casket. ‘It seems to me

they are trying to rule him and the kingdom as well, and the old man

says they are not fit to do it.’

‘Push on, good horse, for we have no time to lose!’ cried Petru; then he

shut up the box, and put it in his pocket.

They rushed on as fast as ghosts, as whirlwinds, as vampires when they

hunt at midnight, and how long they rode no man can tell, for the way is

far.

‘Stop! I have some advice to give you,’ said the horse at last.

‘What is it?’ asked Petru.

‘You have known what it is to suffer cold; you will have to endure heat,

such as you have never dreamed of. Be as brave now as you were then. Let

no one tempt you to try to cool yourself, or evil will befall you.’

‘Forwards!’ answered Petru. ‘Do not worry yourself. If I have escaped

without being frozen, there is no chance of my melting.’

‘Why not? This is a heat that will melt the marrow in your bones--a heat

that is only to be felt in the kingdom of the Goddess of Thunder.’(3)

(3) In the German ‘Donnerstag’--the day of the Thunder God, i.e.

Jupiter.

And it WAS hot. The very iron of the horse’s shoes began to melt, but

Petru gave no heed. The sweat ran down his face, but he dried it with

his gauntlet. What heat could be he never knew before, and on the way,

not a stone’s throw from the road, lay the most delicious valleys, full

of shady trees and bubbling streams. When Petru looked at them his heart

burned within him, and his mouth grew parched. And standing among the

flowers were lovely maidens who called to him in soft voices, till he

had to shut his eyes against their spells.

‘Come, my hero, come and rest; the heat will kill you,’ said they.

Petru shook his head and said nothing, for he had lost the power of

speech.

Long he rode in this awful state, how long none can tell. Suddenly the

heat seemed to become less, and, in the distance, he saw a little hut

on a hill. This was the dwelling of the Goddess of Thunder, and when he

drew rein at her door the goddess herself came out to meet him.

She welcomed him, and kindly invited him in, and bade him tell her all

his adventures. So Petru told her all that had happened to him, and why

he was there, and then took farewell of her, as he had no time to lose.

‘For,’ he said, ‘who knows how far the Fairy of the Dawn may yet be?’

‘Stay for one moment, for I have a word of advice to give you. You are

about to enter the kingdom of Venus;(4) go and tell her, as a message

from me, that I hope she will not tempt you to delay. On your way back,

come to me again, and I will give you something that may be of use to

you.’

(4) ‘Vineri’ is Friday, and also ‘Venus.’

So Petru mounted his horse, and had hardly ridden three steps when he

found himself in a new country. Here it was neither hot nor cold, but

the air was warm and soft like spring, though the way ran through a

heath covered with sand and thistles.

‘What can that be?’ asked Petru, when he saw a long, long way off, at

the very end of the heath, something resembling a house.

‘That is the house of the goddess Venus,’ replied the horse, ‘and if we

ride hard we may reach it before dark’; and he darted off like an

arrow, so that as twilight fell they found themselves nearing the house.

Petru’s heart leaped at the sight, for all the way along he had been

followed by a crowd of shadowy figures who danced about him from right

to left, and from back to front, and Petru, though a brave man, felt now

and then a thrill of fear.

‘They won’t hurt you,’ said the horse; ‘they are just the daughters of

the whirlwind amusing themselves while they are waiting for the ogre of

the moon.’

Then he stopped in front of the house, and Petru jumped off and went to

the door.

‘Do not be in such a hurry,’ cried the horse. ‘There are several things

I must tell you first. You cannot enter the house of the goddess Venus

like that. She is always watched and guarded by the whirlwind.’

‘What am I to do then?’

‘Take the copper wreath, and go with it to that little hill over

there. When you reach it, say to yourself, “Were there ever such lovely

maidens! such angels! such fairy souls!” Then hold the wreath high in

the air and cry, “Oh! if I knew whether any one would accept this wreath

from me... if I knew! if I knew!” and throw the wreath from you!’

‘And why should I do all this?’ said Petru.

‘Ask no questions, but go and do it,’ replied the horse. And Petru did.

Scarcely had he flung away the copper wreath than the whirlwind flung

himself upon it, and tore it in pieces.

Then Petru turned once more to the horse.

‘Stop!’ cried the horse again. ‘I have other things to tell you.

Take the silver wreath and knock at the windows of the goddess Venus.

When she says, “Who is there?” answer that you have come on foot and

lost your way on the heath. She will then tell you to go your way back

again; but take care not to stir from the spot. Instead, be sure you say

to her, “No, indeed I shall do nothing of the sort, as from my childhood

I have heard stories of the beauty of the goddess Venus, and it was not

for nothing that I had shoes made of leather with soles of steel, and

have travelled for nine years and nine months, and have won in battle

the silver wreath, which I hope you may allow me to give you, and have

done and suffered everything to be where I now am.” This is what you

must say. What happens after is your affair.’

Petru asked no more, but went towards the house.

By this time it was pitch dark, and there was only the ray of light

that streamed through the windows to guide him, and at the sound of his

footsteps two dogs began to bark loudly.

‘Which of those dogs is barking? Is he tired of life?’ asked the goddess

Venus.

‘It is I, O goddess!’ replied Petru, rather timidly. ‘I have lost my way

on the heath, and do not know where I am to sleep this night.’

‘Where did you leave your horse?’ asked the goddess sharply.

Petru did not answer. He was not sure if he was to lie, or whether he

had better tell the truth.

‘Go away, my son, there is no place for you here,’ replied she, drawing

back from the window.

Then Petru repeated hastily what the horse had told him to say, and no

sooner had he done so than the goddess opened the window, and in gentle

tones she asked him:

‘Let me see this wreath, my son,’ and Petru held it out to her.

‘Come into the house,’ went on the goddess; ‘do not fear the dogs, they

always know my will.’ And so they did, for as the young man passed they

wagged their tails to him.

‘Good evening,’ said Petru as he entered the house, and, seating himself

near the fire, listened comfortably to whatever the goddess might choose

to talk about, which was for the most part the wickedness of men,

with whom she was evidently very angry. But Petru agreed with her in

everything, as he had been taught was only polite.

But was anybody ever so old as she! I do not know why Petru devoured her

so with his eyes, unless it was to count the wrinkles on her face; but

if so he would have had to live seven lives, and each life seven times

the length of an ordinary one, before he could have reckoned them up.

But Venus was joyful in her heart when she saw Petru’s eyes fixed upon

her.

‘Nothing was that is, and the world was not a world when I was born,’

said she. ‘When I grew up and the world came into being, everyone

thought I was the most beautiful girl that ever was seen, though many

hated me for it. But every hundred years there came a wrinkle on my

face. And now I am old.’ Then she went on to tell Petru that she was the

daughter of an emperor, and their nearest neighbour was the Fairy of the

Dawn, with whom she had a violent quarrel, and with that she broke out

into loud abuse of her.

Petru did not know what to do. He listened in silence for the most

part, but now and then he would say, ‘Yes, yes, you must have been badly

treated,’ just for politeness’ sake; what more could he do?

‘I will give you a task to perform, for you are brave, and will carry it

through,’ continued Venus, when she had talked a long time, and both

of them were getting sleepy. ‘Close to the Fairy’s house is a well, and

whoever drinks from it will blossom again like a rose. Bring me a flagon

of it, and I will do anything to prove my gratitude. It is not easy! no

one knows that better than I do! The kingdom is guarded on every side by

wild beasts and horrible dragons; but I will tell you more about that,

and I also have something to give you.’ Then she rose and lifted the lid

of an iron-bound chest, and took out of it a very tiny flute.

‘Do you see this?’ she asked. ‘An old man gave it to me when I was

young: whoever listens to this flute goes to sleep, and nothing can wake

him. Take it and play on it as long as you remain in the kingdom of the

Fairy of the Dawn, and you will be safe.

At this, Petru told her that he had another task to fulfil at the well

of the Fairy of the Dawn, and Venus was still better pleased when she

heard his tale.

So Petru bade her good-night, put the flute in its case, and laid

himself down in the lowest chamber to sleep.

Before the dawn he was awake again, and his first care was to give to

each of his horses as much corn as he could eat, and then to lead them

to the well to water. Then he dressed himself and made ready to start.

‘Stop,’ cried Venus from her window, ‘I have still a piece of advice

to give you. Leave one of your horses here, and only take three. Ride

slowly till you get to the fairy’s kingdom, then dismount and go on

foot. When you return, see that all your three horses remain on the

road, while you walk. But above all beware never to look the Fairy

of the Dawn in the face, for she has eyes that will bewitch you, and

glances that will befool you.

She is hideous, more hideous than anything you can imagine, with owl’s

eyes, foxy face, and cat’s claws. Do you hear? do you hear? Be sure you

never look at her.’

Petru thanked her, and managed to get off at last.

Far, far away, where the heavens touch the earth, where the stars kiss

the flowers, a soft red light was seen, such as the sky sometimes has in

spring, only lovelier, more wonderful.

That light was behind the palace of the Fairy of the Dawn, and it took

Petru two days and nights through flowery meadows to reach it. And

besides, it was neither hot nor cold, bright nor dark, but something of

them all, and Petru did not find the way a step too long.

After some time Petru saw something white rise up out of the red of the

sky, and when he drew nearer he saw it was a castle, and so splendid

that his eyes were dazzled when they looked at it. He did not know there

was such a beautiful castle in the world.

But no time was to be lost, so he shook himself, jumped down from his

horse, and, leaving him on the dewy grass, began to play on his flute as

he walked along.

He had hardly gone many steps when he stumbled over a huge giant, who

had been lulled to sleep by the music. This was one of the guards of the

castle! As he lay there on his back, he seemed so big that in spite of

Petru’s haste he stopped to measure him.

The further went Petru, the more strange and terrible were the sights he

saw--lions, tigers, dragons with seven heads, all stretched out in the

sun fast asleep. It is needless to say what the dragons were like, for

nowadays everyone knows, and dragons are not things to joke about. Petru

ran through them like the wind. Was it haste or fear that spurred him

on?

At last he came to a river, but let nobody think for a moment that this

river was like other rivers? Instead of water, there flowed milk,

and the bottom was of precious stones and pearls, instead of sand

and pebbles. And it ran neither fast nor slow, but both fast and slow

together. And the river flowed round the castle, and on its banks slept

lions with iron teeth and claws; and beyond were gardens such as only

the Fairy of the Dawn can have, and on the flowers slept a fairy! All

this saw Petru from the other side.

But how was he to get over? To be sure there was a bridge, but, even if

it had not been guarded by sleeping lions, it was plainly not meant for

man to walk on. Who could tell what it was made of? It looked like soft

little woolly clouds!

So he stood thinking what was to be done, for get across he must.

After a while, he determined to take the risk, and strode back to the

sleeping giant. ‘Wake up, my brave man!’ he cried, giving him a shake.

The giant woke and stretched out his hand to pick up Petru, just as we

should catch a fly. But Petru played on his flute, and the giant fell

back again. Petru tried this three times, and when he was satisfied that

the giant was really in his power he took out a handkerchief, bound the

two little fingers of the giant together, drew his sword, and cried for

the fourth time, ‘Wake up, my brave man.’

When the giant saw the trick which had been played on him he said to

Petru. ‘Do you call this a fair fight? Fight according to rules, if you

really are a hero!’

‘I will by-and-by, but first I want to ask you a question! Will you

swear that you will carry me over the river if I fight honourably with

you?’ And the giant swore.

When his hands were freed, the giant flung himself upon Petru, hoping to

crush him by his weight. But he had met his match. It was not yesterday,

nor the day before, that Petru had fought his first battle, and he bore

himself bravely.

For three days and three nights the battle raged, and sometimes one had

the upper hand, and sometimes the other, till at length they both lay

struggling on the ground, but Petru was on top, with the point of his

sword at the giant’s throat.

‘Let me go! let me go!’ shrieked he. ‘I own that I am beaten!’

‘Will you take me over the river?’ asked Petru.

‘I will,’ gasped the giant.

‘What shall I do to you if you break your word?’

‘Kill me, any way you like! But let me live now.’

‘Very well,’ said Petru, and he bound the giant’s left hand to his right

foot, tied one handkerchief round his mouth to prevent him crying out,

and another round his eyes, and led him to the river.

Once they had reached the bank he stretched one leg over to the other

side, and, catching up Petru in the palm of his hand, set him down on

the further shore.

‘That is all right,’ said Petru. Then he played a few notes on his

flute, and the giant went to sleep again. Even the fairies who had been

bathing a little lower down heard the music and fell asleep among the

flowers on the bank. Petru saw them as he passed, and thought, ‘If they

are so beautiful, why should the Fairy of the Dawn be so ugly?’ But he

dared not linger, and pushed on.

And now he was in the wonderful gardens, which seemed more wonderful

still than they had done from afar. But Petru could see no faded

flowers, nor any birds, as he hastened through them to the castle. No

one was there to bar his way, for all were asleep. Even the leaves had

ceased to move.

He passed through the courtyard, and entered the castle itself.

What he beheld there need not be told, for all the world knows that the

palace of the Fairy of the Dawn is no ordinary place. Gold and precious

stones were as common as wood with us, and the stables where the horses

of the sun were kept were more splendid than the palace of the greatest

emperor in the world.

Petru went up the stairs and walked quickly through eight-and-forty

rooms, hung with silken stuffs, and all empty. In the forty-ninth he

found the Fairy of the Dawn herself.

In the middle of this room, which was as large as a church, Petru saw

the celebrated well that he had come so far to seek. It was a well

just like other wells, and it seemed strange that the Fairy of the Dawn

should have it in her own chamber; yet anyone could tell it had been

there for hundreds of years. And by the well slept the Fairy of the

Dawn--the Fairy of the Dawn--herself!

And as Petru looked at her the magic flute dropped by his side, and he

held his breath.

Near the well was a table, on which stood bread made with does’ milk,

and a flagon of wine. It was the bread of strength and the wine of

youth, and Petru longed for them. He looked once at the bread and once

at the wine, and then at the Fairy of the Dawn, still sleeping on her

silken cushions.

As he looked a mist came over his senses. The fairy opened her eyes

slowly and looked at Petru, who lost his head still further; but he just

managed to remember his flute, and a few notes of it sent the Fairy

to sleep again, and he kissed her thrice. Then he stooped and laid his

golden wreath upon her forehead, ate a piece of the bread and drank a

cupful of the wine of youth, and this he did three times over. Then he

filled a flask with water from the well, and vanished swiftly.

As he passed through the garden it seemed quite different from what

it was before. The flowers were lovelier, the streams ran quicker, the

sunbeams shone brighter, and the fairies seemed gayer. And all this had

been caused by the three kisses Petru had given the Fairy of the Dawn.

He passed everything safely by, and was soon seated in his saddle again.

Faster than the wind, faster than thought, faster than longing, faster

than hatred rode Petru. At length he dismounted, and, leaving his horses

at the roadside, went on foot to the house of Venus.

The goddess Venus knew that he was coming, and went to meet him, bearing

with her white bread and red wine.

‘Welcome back, my prince,’ said she.

‘Good day, and many thanks,’ replied the young man, holding out the

flask containing the magic water. She received it with joy, and after a

short rest Petru set forth, for he had no time to lose.

He stopped a few minutes, as he had promised, with the Goddess of

Thunder, and was taking a hasty farewell of her, when she called him

back.

‘Stay, I have a warning to give you,’ said she. ‘Beware of your life;

make friends with no man; do not ride fast, or let the water go out of

your hand; believe no one, and flee flattering tongues. Go, and take

care, for the way is long, the world is bad, and you hold something very

precious. But I will give you this cloth to help you. It is not much

to look at, but it is enchanted, and whoever carries it will never be

struck by lightning, pierced by a lance, or smitten with a sword, and

the arrows will glance off his body.’

Petru thanked her and rode off, and, taking out his treasure box,

inquired how matters were going at home. Not well, it said. The emperor

was blind altogether now, and Florea and Costan had besought him to give

the government of the kingdom into their hands; but he would not, saying

that he did not mean to resign the government till he had washed his

eyes from the well of the Fairy of the Dawn. Then the brothers had gone

to consult old Birscha, who told them that Petru was already on his way

home bearing the water. They had set out to meet him, and would try

to take the magic water from him, and then claim as their reward the

government of the emperor.

‘You are lying!’ cried Petru angrily, throwing the box on the ground,

where it broke into a thousand pieces.

It was not long before he began to catch glimpses of his native land,

and he drew rein near a bridge, the better to look at it. He was still

gazing, when he heard a sound in the distance as if some one was calling

hit by his name.

‘You, Petru!’ it said.

‘On! on!’ cried the horse; ‘it will fare ill with you if you stop.’

‘No, let us stop, and see who and what it is!’ answered Petru, turning

his horse round, and coming face to face with his two brothers. He had

forgotten the warning given him by the Goddess of Thunder, and when

Costan and Florea drew near with soft and flattering words he jumped

straight off his horse, and rushed to embrace them. He had a thousand

questions to ask, and a thousand things to tell. But his brown horse

stood sadly hanging his head.

‘Petru, my dear brother,’ at length said Florea, ‘would it not be better

if we carried the water for you? Some one might try to take it from you

on the road, while no one would suspect us.’

‘So it would,’ added Costan. ‘Florea speaks well.’ But Petru shook his

head, and told them what the Goddess of Thunder had said, and about the

cloth she had given him. And both brothers understood there was only one

way in which they could kill him.

At a stone’s throw from where they stood ran a rushing stream, with

clear deep pools.

‘Don’t you feel thirsty, Costan?’ asked Florea, winking at him.

‘Yes,’ replied Costan, understanding directly what was wanted. ‘Come,

Petru, let us drink now we have the chance, and then we will set out on

our way home. It is a good thing you have us with you, to protect you

from harm.’

The horse neighed, and Petru knew what it meant, and did not go with his

brothers.

No, he went home to his father, and cured his blindness; and as for his

brothers, they never returned again.

(From Rumanische Marchen.)