Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 10 The Brave King (1)
When the young king of Iseid Rould came to his kingdom, the first thing he thought of was how to make himself the happiest.The favorite pastimes of his life seemed suddenly dull, and he wanted to do something he had never done before.Finally, a happy look came over his face.

"I know!" he said, "I'm going to compete with Krul Gage." Krul Gage was an evil fairy with long curly brown hair who lived in a house not far from the palace .

Although the king was young and impatient, he was still very cautious. Before his death, his father told him that he must be very careful when dealing with "good people", that is, what people call immortals.So before going to Krul Ghazi, the king found a wise man in the country.

"I want to compete with that curly Krul Gage," he said.

"Really?" replied the philosopher, "if you would take my advice, you'd better compete with others."

"No, I just want to compete with Krul Gage."

"Well, I think, if you must go, you can go," replied the philosopher, "and if you win the contest, you will ask him to give as a prize the ugly girl with the short hair standing behind the door." you."

"I will," said the king.

So he got up before the sun rose and walked to Krul Gage's house.Krul Gage was sitting outside.

"Oh, Your Majesty, what brought you here today?" Krulgezi asked, "But you are very popular, but if you will compete with me, you will be even more popular. .”

"That's what I want," said the king.So they competed, and for a while one got the upper hand, and for a while the other turned defeat into victory.In the end, the king was victorious.

"What are you going to choose as a prize?" Krulgezi asked.

"I want the ugly girl with the short hair standing behind the door," replied the King.

"Ah, there are 20 other girls in the room, all prettier than her!" Kruel Gage exclaimed.

"They may be more beautiful, but I only want her and no one else to be my wife." Seeing that the king wanted her wholeheartedly, he went into the house and ordered all the girls in the house to pass by the king.

So the girls came out one by one, tall and short, dark and white, fat and thin, everyone said: "I am the one you want. If you don't take me away , then you are really stupid."

Whether tall or short, black or white, fat or thin, he didn't want any of them, until finally, the girl with short hair came out.

"This is the man I want," said the king.She was so ugly that most men would not take a second look at her, "We're going to get married right away and bring you home." So they got married, and when they were done, they crossed a meadow and headed for the king's palace.On the way, the bride bent down and picked a clover that grew in the grass.When she stood up straight, her ugliness was gone, and beside the king stood a beautiful girl, such a beautiful person as the king had never seen.

The next day, before the sun had risen, the King sat up suddenly from the bed, and told his wife that he must fight Krul Ghazi again.

"If my father loses and you win the race," she said, "you don't want anything else but his shaggy pony with the wood saddle."

"I will do as you say," answered the King, and set off.

"Is the bride satisfactory to you?" Krul Gage was standing at the door of his house and asked.

"Ah! Why not!" replied the king immediately, "otherwise I would be a man with a lot of desires. Would you like to have a contest with me today?"

"Yes." Krulgezi replied.So they fought again, and sometimes the one had the upper hand, sometimes the other, and at last the king was victorious.

"What are you going to choose as a prize?" Krulgezi asked.

"The shaggy horse with the wood saddle," answered the king.He noticed that Krul Gage was sullen and silent as he led the horse out of the stable.The horse's mane was disheveled and its skin was dull, but the king didn't care about it. He rolled over and sat on the wood saddle, and rode away like a gust of wind.

On the third morning the king rose before dawn as usual.As soon as he had finished his breakfast, he was about to go out when his wife stopped him. "I don't want you to contest Krul Gage," she said, "because you've won twice, but he'll win someday too, and then he'll give you trouble. "

"Oh! I must fight him once more," cried the King, "just this one time." And he went to Krulgezi's house.Krul Gage was overjoyed when he saw him coming.They competed before they could speak.Somehow, the king's strength and skill were gone, and before long Krul Ghazi was victorious.

"Choose your prize," said the King when the game was over, "and don't be too hard on me, and don't ask for what I can't give you."

"The prize I've chosen," Kruel Gage replied, "is that the man with the short hair will cut it off if you don't get me the lightsaber that hangs in the king's palace in the oak window." neck, and cut off your head."

"I'll get it," replied the young man bravely, but as soon as he was out of Krul Ghazi's sight he dropped his pretense, his face darkened, and his steps were heavy.

"You have brought nothing back today," said the Queen, who was waiting on the steps.She was so pretty that the king had to smile when he saw her.At this moment, he remembered what happened just now, and his heart became heavy again.

"What's the matter? What happened? Tell me your sorrow, I can bear it with you, maybe I can help you!" So the king told her everything, and she As he listened, he stroked his hair.

"It's nothing to be sad about," she said when he had finished. "You have the best wife and the best horses in all Ireland. Just do what I tell you, and everything will be all right." And thereupon The king was relieved.

The king was still asleep when the queen got up, dressed, and made all preparations for her husband's departure.She went first to the stables and fed, watered and saddled the shaggy brown horse.Most people thought that the saddle was made of wood, and they couldn't see the little grains of gold and silver hidden in it.She tied him gently to the horse's back, and led the horse to the house, where the king was waiting.

"Good luck and victory," she said, kissing him before he mounted. "I don't need to remind you of anything. Take the horse's advice and never disobey it." .”

So he waved his hands and set off, and not even the wind could run as fast as the horse—yes, not even the March wind could catch him.The horse neither stopped nor looked back, and at night came outside the castle of the King Oak Window.

"Our tour is over," said the horse. "You will find the lightsaber in the king's chamber. It is a good omen if it flies towards you silently. At this time, the king is eating At dinner, the chamber is empty, so no one will see you. The sword has a knob at the end, and you will grasp it carefully, and gently draw the sword from the scabbard. Go now! I'll be waiting for you under the window."

The young man walked quietly down the corridor, stopping now and then to look behind him to make sure he was not being followed, and then entered the king's chambers.A strange white light told him where the sword hung, and he tiptoed across the room, grabbed the knob, and slowly drew the sword from its scabbard.The young man was so nervous that he could hardly breathe, lest it make a sound, and everyone in the castle would come to see what was going on.The sword slid out of the scabbard quickly and silently, until only the point remained in the scabbard.Immediately thereafter there was a low sound, as the blade touched a silver plate, and the young man was so startled that he nearly let go of the knob.

"Quick! Quick!" cried the horse.The young man hurried out of the little window and jumped into the saddle.

"He heard the noise, and he's coming," said the horse, "but we've got the first chance." So they ran, and ran, leaving the wind far behind. later.

Finally, the horse slowed down. "Look who's behind you," said the horse.The young man looked back.

"I saw a herd of brown horses chasing us madly," he replied.

"We're faster than them," said the horse, and galloped off again.

"Oh, Your Majesty, look again, is there anyone still chasing him?"

"There was a great herd of black horses chasing after him, and a man with a white face and a man on it. That man was the King of the Oak Window."

"That horse is my brother, and he can run faster than I," said the horse, "and he will overtake me in a gallop. Get your sword ready, and when the horseman turns to look at you, You cut off his head. There is no sword in the world that can cut off his head but yours."

"I will do as you say," answered the young man, who listened attentively to what was behind him, and at last he decided that the white-faced horse was approaching, and sat up and got ready.

Immediately afterwards, there was a rushing sound like a gust of wind, and the young man caught a glimpse of a face turned towards him.He hacked almost indiscriminately, not knowing whether he killed the rider or merely wounded him.But the man's head rolled off and was caught in the mouth of the brown horse.

"Jump on my brother—the black horse, and run home as fast as you can, and I'll run back with you as fast as I can," cried the brown horse.The young man leaped forward and onto the black horse's back, but landed so close to the horse's tail that he nearly fell off.He clung desperately to the mane and climbed into the saddle.

When the fiery red morning glow reflected the sky red, he returned home again.The queen was not sleepy, and was sitting there waiting for his return.She was very glad to see him come in, but said nothing, but took her harp, and sang softly his favorite songs, till he fell soundly asleep.

It was broad daylight when he awoke, and he sat up abruptly, saying, "I must go to Krul Gage now, to see if the spell he has put on me is broken."

(End of this chapter)