blue fairy tale book

Chapter 11 East of the Sun and West of the Moon (2)
So the girl got on the horse and rode a long, long way. After a long, long time, she came to a big mountain again.There is also an old woman sitting outside the mountain, she is playing with a golden spinning wheel.Then the girl asked the old woman the way to find the prince, and how to find the castle which was to the east of the sun and to the west of the moon.But the answer is still the same. "Are you the girl who should marry the prince?" asked the old woman. "Yes, I am," answered the girl.But this shriveled old woman didn't know much more than the first two, except that the castle was to the east of the sun and to the west of the moon. "You'll have a long walk to get there, and it's no good even if you get there," she said, "but you can ride my horse, and then you'd better go to 'East Wind' and ask him. Maybe he will knows where the castle is, and can send you there. When you get there, just tap the horse under the left ear, and it will come back by itself." Then the old woman gave her the golden spinning wheel, and said, "Perhaps You'll find it useful."

The girl rode for many, many days, and the journey was long and tiring, and she finally arrived at that place.She asked "East Wind" if he could tell her how to get to the castle where the prince lived-the castle on the east side of the sun and the west side of the moon.

"Well," said East Wind, "I've heard of the Prince and his castle. But I don't know the way to get there. And I've never traveled that far. Or, if you will , I can take you to my brother 'West Wind'."

So the girl sat on his back and they flew away with a whoosh.When he got to "West Wind", "East Wind" went in and introduced the girl he had brought, saying that she had already got the prince who lived in the castle to the east of the sun and west of the moon, and now she came out to look for the prince again.He had to bring her here to ask if West Wind knew where the castle was.

"Oh, I don't know," said West Wind, "I've never traveled that far. Or, if you like, I can take you to South Wind. You sit in my Come on, I'll take you to him right away."

She sat on the back of "West Wind" and went on the road to find "South Wind".Soon they were there. "West Wind" asked him if he could tell him how to find the castle that was east of the sun and west of the moon, for the girl brought was supposed to marry the prince who lived there. "Oh, is it?" "Southern Wind"

asked. "Is that her?" he went on. "Well, I've been to a lot of places, but none of the places I've been has ever been that far. If you like, I can take you to my brother' North Wind' there. He is the oldest and most powerful of our four brothers. If he doesn't know, there's probably no one in the world who can tell you. You can sit on my back and I'll take you to there."

She sat on the back of "South Wind", and they immediately set off to the place where "North Wind" lived.Soon they were there.When they got close to the place where the "Northern Wind" lived, they had already felt the gusts of cold wind, because the "North Wind" was so wild. "What are you doing here?" He growled from a distance.They almost froze when they heard it.

"The South Wind" said: "It is so. This girl once had a prince who lived in a castle east of the sun and west of the moon. Now she wants to ask you if you have been there? Can you tell her the way, because She wants to get him back."

"Of course," said the North Wind, "I know where it is. I blew a poplar leaf there once. But I was too tired to move for days after that. If you're really that eager to go That place, and if you're not afraid to go with me, I can take you there behind my back."

"I must go there!" she said, "if I can find a way to go. I'm afraid of nothing, however fast you fly!"

"In that case, all right," said the North Wind, "but you must sleep here to-night, for to think there we must set off before daybreak."

The next morning, "North Wind" woke her up in time, carried her on his back, and then he became bigger and stronger, and it was scary to see.After setting off, they fly high in the sky, as if they will only stop at the end of the sky.There was a torrential rain under their feet.The wind knocked down trees and houses.Hundreds of ships were sunk as they crossed the sea.After a long, long time, they still galloped over the sea. "North Wind" became more and more tired, until he was so tired that he couldn't move anymore, so he had to lower slowly, getting lower and lower, until finally the waves could wash over the poor girl's heels.

"Are you afraid?" "North Wind" asked. "I'm not afraid," she replied.The same is true.They were not too far from land then, and the North Wind had enough strength to carry her ashore.Soon they were under the windows of the castle where the sun was in the east and the moon was in the west.At this time, "North Wind" was so tired that he had to rest there for a few days before going home.

Next morning she sat under the castle wall and played with golden apples.The first person she saw was the long-nosed princess who was going to marry the prince. "Hullo! How much will you sell your golden apples?" she asked, opening the window.

"I don't want gold or silver," said the girl. "If you can't buy gold or silver, what can you buy? Tell me what you want," said the Princess.

"Well. If I can see the Prince who lives here, and stay with him for one night, you can have it," said the girl who came with the North Wind. "Of course." The princess agreed, because she wanted the apple so badly.So the princess got the golden apple.But because the princess used tricks, when the girl came to the prince's bedroom, no matter how much she called him to shake him, no matter how sad she cried, she couldn't wake him up.At dawn the next day, the princess with the long nose came and threw her out.

Once again she sat under the window of the castle during the day and began to comb her hair with the golden comb.Then the same thing happened again—the princess asked what she would like for a comb, and she said combs could not be bought with gold or silver.The princess could get the comb if she could go to the prince for one night.But when she came to the prince's bedroom again, he was still asleep.At dawn, the long-nosed princess kicked her out again.

So the girl sat down again under the window of the castle, and began to spin her golden spinning wheel.The long-nosed princess wanted it too.So she opened the window and asked the girl what she wanted in exchange for it.The girl told her the same conditions as before:

Neither gold nor silver can be bought, but the princess can get it if she can go to the prince's chamber and stay there for one night. "Very well," said the princess, "I agree to this condition."

Fortunately, there are some captured Christians in the castle.They had been locked up next to the prince, and for two consecutive nights a girl was heard crying and calling his name in the prince's room.They told the matter to the prince.So that night when the princess brought the sleeping water again, he pretended to drink it, but in fact Prince Selan spit it out behind his back, because he believed it must be a cup of sleeping water.

In this way, when the girl came to the prince's room again, she found that he was awake.She had to tell him how she had found it. "You have come just in time, or I shall be forced to marry tomorrow," said the prince, "but I will not marry the long-nosed princess, and only you can save me. I will say to see what the bride can do. I Ask her to wash my shirt with three drops of candle grease on it. Stepmother will agree, because she doesn't know that you put the candle grease on it. And no one can wash them off except a Christian descendant. Witch They can't do it. So I'll declare that no one is worthy to be my wife but he who can wash them off, and I know only you can." They were very merry all that evening.By the next day, when the wedding was about to begin, the prince announced: "I must first see what my bride can do."

"All right!" said the stepmother.

"I had a nice blouse I was going to wear to my wedding, but I got three drops of candle grease on it and had to wash it off. I swear I'd only marry a girl who could do it. If she couldn't, I'd won't marry her."

Wow!How easy it is!Everyone agreed without thinking.The long-nosed princess began to wash the shirt as hard as she could, but the more she washed, the more she rubbed the candle grease. "Ah! You can't wash it off at all," said her old witch. "Let me do it!" But the shirt got worse as soon as it was in her hands: the more she washed and rubbed the candle grease, the bigger and darker it became. .

The other witches also came forward and tried to wash the shirt, but the more they washed the shirt, the darker and uglier it became, until it was as black as if it had been hung on the chimney.

"Oh!" cried the Prince, "you are not worthy to be my wife! There is a poor girl sitting outside the window, and I am sure she is cleaner than any of you! Come in, girl," he cried .So the girl came in. "Can you wash this shirt?" he asked. "I don't know," she said, "but I'd like to try." When she first took the shirt and dipped it in the water, it was snow white, even whiter than new.

"I will marry you," said the prince.

The old witch was so angry that she exploded immediately.And what about the long-nosed princess and all the little witches?Might as well have blown them all up, as nothing has been heard about them since.The prince and his bride freed all the Christians who were imprisoned in the castle, and gave them a great deal of gold and silver.The two of them also left the castle, which was east of the sun and west of the moon.

(End of this chapter)