blue fairy tale book

Chapter 21 White Cat (1)
Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons who were wise and brave, so he was afraid that they would seize the throne before he died.Although the king felt getting old, he didn't want to give up his right to rule when he was still able to run the country well.So he thought that the best way to enjoy peace was to distract his sons with promises, and when it came time to keep them he could always find a way out.

So he sent for his three sons, and after talking with them kindly for a while, added: "You will agree with me quite well, my dear children--I am too old to be what I was. The affairs of state are so well managed. I fear it will affect the happiness of my subjects, and therefore wish one of you to succeed to the throne, but to be fair, you must do one thing for me. See, I am ready to retire to the country, A handsome, lively, faithful puppy would be a very good companion to me. Therefore I promise that whoever finds the most beautiful puppy for me, regardless of your age, will immediately inherit the throne."

The three princes were very surprised when their father suddenly wanted a dog.But as the father's promise gave the two little princes the chance to be kings--otherwise they could never be kings--and the elder prince was too modest to object, they gladly accepted Father's request.The king gave them silver and precious stones as gifts, and agreed to meet them at the same time and place in a year's time to see the puppy they brought back.Then they said goodbye to their father and king.

They came together to a castle about three miles from the town, accompanied by all their intimate friends, and a feast was given for them.The three brothers promised to be friendly forever, to share whatever good fortune they had, and not to part because of jealousy and suspicion.So they set off, agreeing to meet in this castle at the appointed time, and then go to the king together.Everyone went their own way, and the two brothers had many adventures along the way, but what you want to hear next is the story of the little brother.He was young, happy, and handsome, and knew everything a prince should know.As for his guts, there is no limit to it.

The day was almost over, and he hadn't bought a few dogs yet.Whenever he bought a beautiful dog, he always saw another more beautiful one, so he gave up the previous purchase and bought that one.Day after day he traveled, not knowing where he was going, until at last one evening he came into a great dark forest.He lost his way, and to make matters worse, there was a thunderstorm and a downpour of rain.He followed the first road he found, and after a long time thought he saw a dim light, which he hoped was a farmhouse, so that he could find a place to spend the night.Finally, guided by the lights, he came to the gate of the most luxurious castle he could imagine.The door was made of pure gold and set with rubies.The ruby ​​shone pure red, and it was this light that showed him the way through the forest.The walls of the castle are made of the finest ceramics in the most elegant colors.The prince saw that all the stories he had read in books were depicted on these walls, but because he was soaked and the rain was still pouring down, he could not stop to look more, but went back to the In front of the golden gate.

There he saw a stag whose feet were suspended by a chain of diamonds, and wondered who could live in such a splendid castle.

"They must think it is safe here, and there will be no thieves." He said to himself, "How can they prevent others from cutting off the chain, digging out the ruby, and making themselves rich for a lifetime?"

He pulled Luzi's foot, and at once a silver bell rang, and the door was opened, but the Prince could only see many hands with torches in the air.He stood there motionless in astonishment, until at last he felt himself being pushed forward by other hands, so that although he was a little embarrassed, he had to go forward.He put his hand on his sword for protection.He entered a hall paved with lapis lazuli, and then two lovely voices sang: "The hand you see floating in the air, will obey you at once, if your heart will not bow before love, You can stay here without fear."

The prince, being thus welcomed, believed that no danger could threaten his safety, and, guided by these mysterious pointers, he came to a coral door.The door opened of its own accord, and he found himself standing in a hall full of mother-of-pearl, surrounded by small rooms lit by a thousand lamps, full of beautiful pictures and precious something that made the prince feel overwhelmed.After passing through sixty such rooms, the guiding hands stopped, and the prince saw what seemed to be a comfortable armchair set up near the fireplace.Just then the fire was kindled in the hearth of its own accord, and those beautiful, gentle, dexterous hands took off the mud-soaked clothes for the Prince, and presented new garments of the most expensive cloth, each with a Embellished with gold and emeralds.He couldn't help admiring everything he saw, and the dexterity of the hands that waited on him, although sometimes they appeared so suddenly that he was taken aback.

When he was dressed—and I bet he was a very different man from the drenched, weary prince standing in the rain pulling a deer's feet—the hands led him into a splendid room. The story of Puss in Boots is painted on its walls, along with many other famous cats.There was supper ready on the table: two gold plates, gold spoons and forks, and in the sideboard were plates set with jewels and glasses of crystal.The prince was wondering whose other place belonged, when eleven or twelve cats came in suddenly, they were holding guitars and sheet music, and found their place at the end of the room, one cat was holding a roll of paper and beating the beat, the other cats started Meow in every possible tune, put your paws on the strings of your guitar, and make the weirdest music in the world.The prince hurriedly covered his ears, but he still couldn't help laughing when he saw the funny musicians.

"What's interesting to see next?" he said to himself.Suddenly the door opened and a small man in a long black veil entered.Two cats in black cloaks and swords lead the way, followed by a large herd of cats bringing cages full of rats and mice.

The Prince was astonished, and suspected that he was dreaming, but the little man came up to him, and pulling back the veil, he saw that it was the loveliest little white cat he could imagine.She looked very young and very sad, and she spoke to the prince with a sweet thin voice, which moved the prince deeply: "Welcome, Prince, Elvis Queen is very happy to meet you."

"Madame Cat," replied the Prince, "I am very grateful for your hospitality. But surely you are not an ordinary cat? Indeed, your way of speaking and your rich castle clearly prove it." a little."

"Prince," said the white cat, "please don't compliment me like that, I'm not used to it. Now," she said again, "bring up the supper and make the musicians stop, because the prince can't understand what they're all singing what."

So those mysterious hands began to serve the dinner. They first set out two plates, one with stewed pigeon and the other with stewed rat.Seeing the plate of rat meat, the prince seemed to have lost his appetite at all. Seeing it, the white cat assured him that all the dishes prepared for him were cooked in a special kitchen, and he could rest assured that there was no food in the kitchen. None of the rat meat.The prince was sure that she would never lie to him, so he stopped hesitating and started eating.After a while he noticed that the white cat sitting beside him wore a bracelet with a painted portrait on one of its little paws, and he begged to see the bracelet.He was very surprised to find that it was a very handsome young man, so much like himself, it might be his own portrait!As he looked at the bracelet, the white cat sighed and looked even sadder.

The prince didn't dare to ask anything for fear of offending her, so he began to talk to her about other things.He found that she was interested in all the topics he cared about, and seemed to know everything about what was going on in the world.After supper they went to another room, which was arranged as a theater, and the cats sang and danced for entertainment.Then the white cat said good night to the prince, and those hands took him into a room he had never seen before.Inside, there are curtains embroidered with butterfly wings of various colors, and several floor-to-ceiling mirrors are as high as the ceiling.There was also a little white bed with muslin curtains tied with ribbons.The Prince did not know how to speak to the hands that attended him, so he went to bed in silence, and next morning he was awakened by a loud commotion outside the window, and the hands came at once to dress him in his hunting-coat.

He looked outside and found that all the cats had assembled in the yard, some were leading the gray dogs, some were blowing the horn, and it turned out that the white cats were going out to hunt.Those hands brought the prince a wooden horse, as if to ride on it, and he was indignant about it.But it was useless to object, because in a blink of an eye he found that he was already on horseback, and the wooden horse galloped away happily carrying him.

The white cat herself rode a monkey, which even climbed into the eagle's nest when she became interested in the eaglet.There was never a more enjoyable hunting activity than this time. When they returned to the castle, the prince and the white cat still had dinner together as before, but after the meal, the white cat gave the prince a crystal goblet , the cup must contain some miraculous medicine, for as soon as he drank its contents he forgot everything, even the fact that he was looking for a puppy for the king, and only thought of him and the white cat. What a joy to be together!And so the days passed, day by day, in various entertainments, until the year was almost at an end.The prince forgot all about meeting his brothers, and he didn't even know which country he was from.But the white cat knew when he should go back, and one day she said to him, "Do you know that you have only three days left to find a puppy for your father, and your brothers have already found a lovely puppy?"

Immediately the prince regained his memory and exclaimed: "What has made me forget such an important thing? This matter is related to all my happiness, even if I can find a beautiful one in such a short few days. Where can I find a horse that can cover such a distance in three days?" He was very distressed, but the white cat said to him, "Prince, don't worry, I am yours. That will make it very easy, my friend. You can stay here for a day, and that fine Trojan horse will get you home in twelve hours."

"Thank you, beautiful white cat," said the Prince, "but what's the use of going back if I can't find a puppy to dedicate to my father?"

"Look here," answered the white cat, picking up an acorn seed, "here is a dog prettier than the one in Sirius!"

"Oh! my dear White Cat," said the Prince, "you are unkind to make fun of me at this hour!"

"You just have to listen," she said, holding the acorn seed to his ear.

He clearly heard a small voice inside calling: "Wow!"

The Prince rejoiced, for it was evident that the dogs that could be imprisoned in the acorn must be very small.He wanted to take the dog out to have a look, but the white cat said that it was better not to open the acorn until he saw the king, in case the puppy caught a cold during the journey.When the time came for departure, he thanked her countless times and took her farewell with great sadness.

"Time flies with you," he said. "I wish I could take you with me."

But the white cat shook his head and sighed deeply in reply.

The little prince was the first to arrive at the castle where he and his brothers had agreed to meet.But they arrived soon, and when they saw the wooden horse jumping like a hunter in the yard, they were all stunned.

The little prince received them with great joy, and they told him all his adventures, but he tried to conceal what he was doing these days, and made them believe that he was going to give the king a fork dog.Although they both liked each other, the two eldest princes could not help thinking with joy that their dog must be more sure of winning.The next morning they set off in the same Triumph.In the basket of the eldest princes were two small, delicate dogs, which they scarcely dared to touch.But the little prince's fork dog was running behind the carriage, covered in mud, and it was almost impossible to see what it looked like.When they reached the palace, all the people came to meet them as they entered the king's hall.When the two older brothers presented their puppies, no one could decide which was prettier.

So they made an arrangement among themselves that the kingdom should be divided equally between the two great princes.At this time, the little prince came forward and took out from his pocket the acorn seed that the white cat gave him.He opened it quickly, and they saw sitting on a white cushion a very small dog, so small that it could easily crawl through the ring.

The little prince put it on the ground, and it immediately stood up and began to dance.The King did not know what to say, for there could be nothing more beautiful than this dog.Nevertheless, the king was in no hurry to hand over the throne, and he told his sons that since they had done so well the first time, he wanted them to try again: to retrieve a piece of land and sea that would pass through the eye of a needle. muslin.The three brothers were reluctant to go out again, but the two elder brothers agreed because it was another chance for them.They set off again as before.The little prince mounted the wooden horse again, and was in charge of spinning the spit at full speed.

Selan ran back to his beloved white cat.All the doors of the castle were wide open, and every window and tower was brightly lit, so that the whole castle looked more wonderful than ever.The hands hurried to meet him, and led the wooden horse into the stable, while the prince hurried off to find the white cat.She was sleeping on a white satin cushion in a little basket, but was soon awakened by the sound of the Prince coming in, and she was very glad to see him again.

"Prince, I never thought you would come back to me," she said.The prince caressed the white cat, and told her of his successful journey, and how he had come back to ask her for help, because he thought it impossible to find what his father asked for.The white cat looked serious and said it had to think about what to do.Luckily, some cats in the castle are very good at knitting, and they can do anything that someone can knit.She will hand over this task to them herself.

At this time, those hands appeared again with torches, and they led the prince and the white cat to a long corridor overlooking the river, and they watched all kinds of fireworks from the window, which was very magnificent.Afterwards they began to eat their supper, which the Prince preferred to the fireworks, for it was late and he was very hungry after riding so far.The days flew by as fast as ever, and there was never a dull day with the white cat, and she was a genius at inventing new ways of entertaining herself—really, she wasn't supposed to be that smart for a cat.But when the prince asked why she was so smart, she just said, "Prince, don't ask me, guess as you like. I won't tell you anything."

The prince was very happy and didn't worry about time at all.Soon the white cat told him that although the year had passed, he need not worry about the piece of muslin, because the cats had already woven it very well.

(End of this chapter)