Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 3 Koglasburg (1)
Peronik was a poor fool, and would have starved to death if the villagers had not been kind enough to give him food whenever he asked for it.As for the bed, when he fell asleep at night, he would find a haystack, dig a hole like a lizard, and slip into it.Although he is stupid, he is cheerful all day long. He will thank anyone who gives him something to eat. Sometimes he will stop temporarily and sing to them.Peronick imitated the lark so well that people couldn't tell which was his voice and which was the bird's.

One day he wandered for hours in the forest, and as dusk drew near, he suddenly felt hungry.As it happened, the trees there were relatively sparse, and he could see a small farmhouse not far away.Peronik went straight to the farmhouse and found the farmer's wife standing at the door holding a large bowl from which the children were eating their supper.

"I'm hungry, can you give me something to eat?" the boy asked.

"Eat what you can find," she replied.Indeed, after everyone's spoon had been scooped, there wasn't much left in the bowl.Peronick ate the leftovers, and ate them very well, and thought he had never eaten such a good meal.

"Poor little fool," whispered the peasant woman, "he doesn't know what he's talking about. I'll cut him a new piece of bread." She cut a piece of bread, which Peronik ate cleanly, saying that only A pastor's baker can bake bread like this.This pleased the farmer's wife, and she gave some more butter to spread on the bread.While Peronik was sitting on the threshold eating his bread, a knight in full armor rode forward.

"Can you tell me how to get to Fort Coglas?" asked the knight.

"To Fort Koglas? Do you really want to go to Fort Koglas?" the peasant woman turned pale and exclaimed.

"That's right, I came from a far away place and rode a horse for three months before I came here."

"Why are you going to Fort Coglas?" she asked.

"I am looking for the golden bowl and the diamond spear in the keep," he answered.Then Peronick looked up.

"Golden bowls and diamond lances are very precious things," broke in Peronik suddenly.

"More precious than all crowns in the world," replied the stranger, "not only will the golden bowl provide you with food you never dreamed of, but if you drink from the golden bowl, you will be cured of even the most dangerous diseases. A golden bowl that touches a dead man's mouth can bring the dead back to life. As for the diamond spear, it can pierce any stone or metal."

"Whose treasures belong to?" Peronik asked in surprise.

"They belong to a magician named Roger in the castle," replied the peasant woman. "He rides past here every day, followed by a pony of thirteen months. He always carries a spear, No one dared to attack him."

"Indeed," said the knight, "but he is bewitched and cannot use these two treasures in Fort Coglas. As soon as he enters the castle, the golden bowl and spear are sent into a dark cellar, and the cellar There's only one key to open it. I want to fight the magician there."

"You will never be able to defeat him, Lord Knight." The peasant woman shook her head and said, "More than 100 knights have passed by this house, all with the same purpose, but none of them can turn back."

"I know, good lady," replied the knight, "that none of them have been taught by the hermit Brawit as I have."

"What did the hermit tell you?" Peronik asked.

"He said he had to go through a wood with strange things in it, in order to frighten me and make me lose my way. People before me got lost, didn't know where they were, and died of cold, hunger, or fatigue."

"Really? What if you go through the woods?" asked the fool.

"If I go through the forest," said the knight, "I shall meet a kind of elf. The elf has a needle of fire that burns everything it touches. This dwarf guards an apple tree from which I must pick An apple."

"And then?" Peronick asked.

"I have to find the laughing flower, which is protected by a lion whose mane is full of poisonous snakes. I must pick the flower, and then find Longhu, and fight the black man with the iron ball. The iron ball of the black man I will hit the target and fly back to my master. Then I will enter the valley of joy, where the bones of those who have overcome other obstacles are buried. If I can pass through this valley, I will come to a river. This There is only one crossing across the river, and there sits a woman in black. She will sit behind me, share a horse with me, and tell me what to do next."

He stopped, and the peasant woman shook her head. "You'll never be able to do it all," she said.But he told her not to forget that these are all things for men to do, and then followed the path she pointed out to flatter her.

The farmer's wife sighed, gave Peronick some more food, and bade him good night.The little fool got up, and was about to open the gate into the wood, when the farmer stepped forward. "I need a boy to herd my cows," he said suddenly. "So that one ran away. Would you like to stay and herd the cows?" Peronick agreed to stay.At sunrise he rounded up the cattle carefully and drove them out into the rich meadows at the edge of the forest, and he himself cut a hazel stick with which to restrain the cattle.

His task was not as easy as it seemed. The herd kept trying to run into the forest, and as soon as he drove one back, the other ran away.One mischievous black bull in particular gave him much trouble, and in pursuit of it Peronik ran off into the forest.Just then he heard the sound of hooves, and through the leaves he saw Roger the Giant on his horse, and the colt running behind.The giant hung the golden bowl on a chain around his neck, and clutched a diamond lance in his hand, which blazed like fire.But Roger had just disappeared from sight, and the little fool could no longer find his way back.

The same thing happened so many times that Peronik got used to it and stopped ducking at all.Every time he saw the magician, Peronik's desire for the golden bowl and spear grew stronger.

One evening Peronik was sitting alone on the edge of the forest when a man with a white beard came to him. "You want to find out the way to Fort Coglas?" asked the little fool, but the man replied, "I know it well."

"You were there and the magician didn't kill you?" cried Peronik.

"Oh! he needn't be afraid of me," replied Whitebeard, "I am Roger's brother, the wizard of Briac. Whenever I want to see him, I always go this way, even when I am walking through magic I would also get lost in the forest, so I summoned this pony to lead the way.” He bent down, stepped on the ground in three circles, and said a spell that Peronik could not hear in a very low voice. .Then he said loudly:
Pony, running freely and looking for food.

Little horse, run fast until we meet.

In an instant, the pony appeared, running and hopping towards the wizard.The wizard fastened the bridle around the pony's neck and jumped onto the horse's back.

Back at the farmhouse, Peronik said nothing about the matter, but he knew very well that before he could get to Fort Coglas, he must first catch the guide pony.Unfortunately he couldn't hear the wizard's spell, and he couldn't draw three circles, so he had to think of something else if he wanted to get the pony out.

All day, while grazing, he struggled to figure out how to call the pony out.So when the night was quiet and everyone was asleep, he began to prepare.Remembering what the wizard had done, he repaired the old bridle that hung in a corner of the stable, twisted a twine to tie the horse's legs, and wove a net for the birds.Then he sewed a sack roughly out of bits of cloth, and filled it with glue and a lark's feather, a string of beads, an elderberry whistle, and a piece of bread smeared with salt lard.Then he came to the path that Roger, the mare, and the pony used to take, and crumpled up the bread and scattered it on one side of the road.

Roger and his party showed up on time, and Peronick hid in a nearby bush, watching anxiously.Both the mare and the rider passed safely and disappeared around the corner, while the pony trotting with its head down, smelled the smell of bread, and began to lick greedily.The little one was sniffing around intently, trying to eat a few more crumbs, and never heard Peronik crawling up until a bridle was tied around his neck, his legs were tied with a rope, and someone rode on his back. superior.

The pony galloped into the wildest part of the forest, and the rider trembled at the strange sight before him.Sometimes it seemed as though the earth had opened before him, and he saw a bottomless pit; sometimes the trees burst into flames, and he found himself in flames; and at the foot of a hill, huge boulders rolled towards him as if to crush him and the pony.He pulled his knitted hat down over his eyes and let the pony lead him the right way.

At last the forest was left behind, and they came to a vast plain, where the wind was fresh and strong.The little fool looked out boldly, and found that except for the skeleton man and the skeleton horse beside him that made him shiver, the magic seemed to be over.Ah, what are those gray things in the distance?Could it be wolves?
The plain looked large, but they crossed it in a short time, and soon the pony ran into a shady park with only one apple tree, the branches bent by the fruit.The little elf Corrigan was standing guard in front of the apple tree, holding a flaming sword that turned everything into ashes.Seeing Peronik, he let out a scream and raised his sword. The boy did not change his face, but pushed his hat up, but he also kept his distance carefully.

"Don't be surprised, my prince," said Peronik, "I'm just passing through here to go to Fort Coglas, and the great Roger asks me to discuss things."

"Go, please!" repeated the Dwarf. "Who are you then?"

"You know, I'm his new servant," Peronik replied.

"I had no idea," said Cowley dryly. "I thought you might be a robber."

"I'm sorry," replied Peronik, "but I may be wrong in calling myself a servant. I'm a birder. Your Majesty the Wizard is waiting for me, and he's lent me his ponies so that I We can get to the castle quickly."

Hearing these words, Corrigan cast his eyes on the pony for the first time, and knowing that the pony belonged to a magician, he began to think that the boy was telling the truth.After looking at the horses, he looked at the riders.The rider's demeanor is so innocent, so hollow in fact, that it seems impossible to make up a story.Still, the Dwarf was not sure, and asked the magician what he wanted the Fowler for.

(End of this chapter)