yellow fairy tale book

Chapter 38 Blue Mountain Country (1)

Once upon a time there were three soldiers: one was a Scot, one was an Englishman, and one was an Irishman.They are always looking for an opportunity to desert.Finally they seized the opportunity and successfully escaped from the army.They walked through the dense forest for two days and two nights without eating or drinking, and did not run into a single family.In order to avoid the attack of wild animals in the forest every night, they had to climb to the tree to spend the night.In the early morning of the next day, the Scottish soldiers found a huge castle in the distance on the branch of a tree.He thought to himself that if he still stayed in the forest and lived on grass roots all day, he would starve to death sooner or later.So he slid down the tree quickly, and ran in the direction of the castle.He didn't tell his companions at all what he saw in the tree—maybe hunger and suffering had changed his nature, so he only cared about his own escape and no longer cared about their safety.He ran all day, and finally came to the castle just as the sun was setting.But what was disappointing was that there was no smoke curling from the chimney, only the closed door, and he saw nothing else.He was so discouraged that he thought he would starve to death.So he lay down against the wall, when suddenly he heard a window open above his head.He looked up and saw a very beautiful girl whom he had never seen before.

"Oh! It must be the goddess of fate who let me see you!" He praised.

"That's right," she answered. "Why did you come here?"

"To survive," he said. "If I don't eat more, I'm going to starve to death."

"Come in, then. There's food and wine inside." She invited the Scotch soldiers.

So he went into the castle where the girl lived.She opened a door for him, and he saw many people lying in it sleeping.Then the girl brought him food, and she showed him around the room where the others slept.Unexpectedly, the Scottish soldier fell asleep as soon as he lay down on a bed.So let's go back now and see what happened to the other two soldiers he left in the forest.

The night gradually fell, and it was time for the beasts to come and go.The English soldiers also happened to climb up the same tree that the Scottish soldiers saw the castle from.At dawn the next day, the English soldiers looked to the horizon and saw the castle at a glance!So he went on his way without telling the Irish soldiers.What happened next was exactly what happened to the Scottish soldiers.

The poor Irish soldier was now alone on the road, but he didn't know where his comrades had gone, and he could only stay where he was sad.Late at night, he even climbed up the tree where the English soldiers stayed overnight.So at dawn he found the castle, and set out for it too.When the Irish soldier came to the castle, he also found no smoke or inhabitants, but he soon heard the sound of a window opening overhead.He looked up—the most beautiful girl he had ever seen was looking at him.So he asked the girl if she could give him some food.The girl greeted him kindly and kindly, and asked him if he would like to enter the castle.Of course the soldier was very willing, so the girl brought him the most delicious food.In the room where he dined, there was also an exquisite bed and curtains studded with diamonds.Everything in the house surprised him so much that he almost forgot his hunger.The girl saw that the soldier had nothing to eat, and asked him what he wanted?The Irish soldier replied that he would never eat her food unless she said who she was or where she came from, and who had brought her here.

"Well, I'll tell you," she said, "I'm actually a princess under a spell. My father promised that whoever can free me from the spell will have three princesses in his lifetime." One-third of the kingdom, he can inherit the whole kingdom after he dies; he can also marry me. I always hope that someone can rescue me, and you are the one I hope. Because I have lived here for 16 years, But the people who came to the castle, except you, didn’t ask about my life experience at all. Since I was trapped here, everyone who came here is now sleeping in that big house.”

"Tell me, then," asked the Irish soldier, "what is the spell about? How can you be freed from the spell?"

"There is a little room over there," said the Princess, "and if anyone can stay in it for three days straight, from ten o'clock until midnight every day, I will be saved."

"Yes, I'm the one who can save you," he said. "I'll get you out right away."

So the princess brought him a pipe and tobacco, and he went into the little room.But soon he heard the sound of hammering outside the door, asking him to open the door.

"I'm not going!"

Then the door suddenly opened by itself, and the guy who knocked on the door rushed in.They threw him to the ground, beat and kicked him until midnight.When the cock crowed, they all disappeared without a trace.After dawn, the princess came and found the soldier paralyzed on the ground, unable to speak a word.She took out a bottle, poured out the contents, and wiped the soldier from head to toe, and the soldier was at once as strong as ever.But thinking of what happened to him last night, he really didn't want to try again.But the princess begged him to stay, and reassured him that the evening would not be so bad, and at last the soldier relented, and stayed again.

Towards midnight, the gang again called him to open the door.There are three of them.Soon, however, they broke through the door and kicked him to the ground.They caught him, tossed him, and jumped on him, until the rooster crowed and disappeared without a trace.After daybreak, the princess hurried to see if the soldier was still alive.She took out the bottle and put it next to the soldier's nostril, and he regained consciousness immediately.The first thing he does when he wakes up is to complain that he's such a complete fool, that he's almost killed by those he's never seen in the night.Then he decided that he could not stay here any longer, and must leave the castle at once.Knowing his plan, the princess still begged him to stay, and she reminded the soldier that the spell would be lifted in just one more night. "Moreover, as long as you still have a little breath at dawn, the potion in the bottle can make you as strong as before."

Hearing this, the Irish soldier changed his mind again.Those three guys barged in again on time that night.Although he looked like there was no hope of surviving, he did come back to life.At dawn the princess came to see if he was still alive, and found him lying motionless on the ground like a dead man.She wanted to see if the soldier was still breathing, but it was hard to feel it.So she checked his pulse again and found there was still a faint beat, so she quickly sprinkled all the potion in the bottle on the soldier - and he was as strong as before.At last three days passed, and he freed the princess from the spell.

Then the princess told the Irish soldier that she must go away now, and she would not come back to him in a four-horse coach some time later.He complained: "For you, I paid so much for three nights, but now you want to separate from me!" Unexpectedly, the princess disappeared in the blink of an eye.The soldiers were at a loss when they found out that the princess was missing.Fortunately, the princess gave him a small wooden stick before leaving.If he chooses, he can wake up the sleeping people in the house - some have even slept for 16 years.

Now that he was alone, the soldier went inside and stretched himself on three chairs.Suddenly he saw a blond guy standing at the door.

"Where are you from, my man?" the Irish soldier asked him.

"I've come to prepare food for you," he replied.

"Who told you to do that?" asked the Irish soldier again.

"My mistress," answered the boy, "is the princess whom you have freed from the spell."

Now the Irish soldier understands that the princess sent this guy to serve him.The blond fellow also told him that the princess hoped to meet him in a carriage next morning at nine o'clock.The soldiers were naturally very happy to hear this.So the next morning when the time was approaching, the soldier came to the garden, but the nasty blond guy took out a pin from his pocket and stuck it through his clothes into the soldier's back while he was not paying attention.In this way, the soldier fell asleep immediately.

(End of this chapter)