yellow-green fairy tale book

Chapter 25 Dolani

Long, long ago, in a city in Hindustan, there lived a spice merchant who had a very beautiful daughter named Dolani.The maiden had a fairy friend, and because the two of them had a beautiful singing voice and dexterous dancing, which was unmatched in the kingdom, they were loved by the fairy king Indra.Dolani has the most beautiful long hair in the world, as soft as spun gold and as fragrant as fresh roses.However, her hair was so long and thick that she sometimes couldn't bear the weight.One day, she cut off a strand of long hair, wrapped it with a big leaf, and threw it into the small river under the window sill.Just at this time, the king's son was out hunting, and just going to the river to drink, he saw floating by a wrapped leaf, which still smelled of roses.The prince was very curious, so he went to the river and picked up the floating leaf.He opened the leaves, and saw a strand of long hair shining like gold, exuding a faint fragrance of roses.

On this day, the prince returned to the palace, he looked very depressed and quiet.Worried that he was in trouble, the king asked him what had happened.The young prince took from his chest the lock of long hair which he had picked up by the river, held it to the lamp, and replied, "Father, have you ever seen such beautiful hair? If I could not be as If a woman with beautiful long hair marries, I will die."

So, the king immediately sent envoys to the whole country to search for the girl with long hair shining like gold.Later, he finally found out that she was the daughter of a spice merchant.At the same time, news spread that the prince was going to marry a girl with beautiful long hair, and Dolani also heard the news.One day she said to her father:

"If that lock of hair was mine, the king would ask me to marry the prince, and I must obey. However, please be sure to tell His Majesty the king that after the wedding, I will stay in the palace during the day and return at night. Live at home."

The merchant was very surprised, but said nothing, because he knew that his daughter was smarter than him.Of course, that lock of hair belonged to Dolanie.The envoy immediately went back to report to His Majesty the King.The king summoned the merchant and hoped that his daughter would marry the prince.Dolani's father bowed deeply to the king three times, and then replied: "My lord king, I dare not disobey your order. My daughter has only one request, that is, after she gets married, she will stay in the In the palace, the night will return home."

The king thought it was a very strange request, but he told himself that it was his son's big business after all, and he thought the girl would get tired of coming and going every day, so he quickly agreed to the request .Things were quickly arranged, and the wedding was held with great pomp and excitement.

At first, the prince felt that Dolani's request would not affect his married life with Dolani, because he could at least see his bride every day.But, to his disappointment, Dolanie does nothing but sit on a stool and bury her head in her knees every day.He couldn't even persuade her to say a word.Every night, she goes back to her father's house in a sedan chair.Every morning at dawn, she came back.She said not a word, nor responded to the prince's greetings and concerns.

One night, the Prince was very sad and troubled, and wandered in an old and exquisite garden that stood beside the palace.The keeper was an elderly man who had served the prince's great-grandfather.Seeing the prince, he came over and bowed to the prince, and asked:
"My child! My child! Why do you look so sad? What happened?" The prince replied, "My old friend, I am very sad because I have married a wife who is as lovely as a star, but she never talked to me. I talk. I don't know what to do. Night after night, she leaves me for her father's house.

Day after day, she sat next to me, no matter what I said or did, she didn't say a word, like a stone statue. "

The old man stood thinking for a while, then staggered to his hut.After a while, he came up to the prince with five or six small bags, put the bags into the prince's hands, and said, "Tomorrow, when your bride leaves the palace, you will sprinkle the powder in one of the bags on yourself. Others can't see you, but you can see others clearly. There's only so much I can help you with, the rest is up to you, and I hope everything goes well."

After thanking the old man, the prince carefully hid the bags in his turban.

The next night, when Dolani set off for her father's house in a sedan chair, the prince took out a bag of magic powder, sprinkled it on himself, and hurriedly followed behind Dolani.He found that, as the old man said, no one could see him, but he could see everything as usual.He quickly caught up with the sedan chair and followed her to the merchant's house.After arriving home, his bride, covered with layers of veils, got off the sedan chair and entered the house, and he followed quietly.

At the first door, Dolanie lifted one veil, and down the corridor into the second door, she lifted another veil.Then she went up the stairs and dropped the third veil at the boudoir door.After this, she went into the room, and there were two big bathtubs in it, one filled with roses, and the other with clear water.After bathing, she asked the servants to bring some food to eat.A servant brought her a bowl of curd, which she ate hastily, then wrapped herself in a silver robe, put on a necklace of pearls, and pinned a wreath of roses in her hair.When she was fully dressed, she sat on a four-corner chair with silk hangings and said, "Fly, magic chair, to the palace of Indra!"

Immediately the magic chair flew up into the sky, and the invisible prince watched in amazement what happened before him. He quickly grabbed the leg of the chair, and the chair flew quickly through the air with the prince.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the house of the little fairy, who was a friend of the aforementioned Dolani.The beautifully dressed little fairy was waiting for Dolani at the door. When the chair landed, the little fairy yelled in amazement:
"Ah, why is the chair flying crookedly today? I guess you must have talked to your husband today, so the chair can't fly straight."

But Dolani insisted that she hadn't spoken a word to her husband herself, and she didn't know why the chair tipped to one side.The little fairy was still skeptical, but she didn't say anything. She came up and sat next to Dolanie, and the prince quickly grabbed a leg of the chair.The chair carried the three of them into the sky, to Indra's palace.

Throughout the night, the girls sang and danced to the melodious music played by the lute in Indra's palace, and even the prince sitting by was fascinated.It wasn't until the eve of sunrise that Indra signaled the end, and the little fairy and Dolani sat back on the magic chair, and the prince also dragged the chair legs and flew back to the ground.Tired Dolani and the prince returned safely to the spice merchant's shop.

When the sleepy-eyed bearers carried Dolani back to the palace, the prince had already returned to the palace quickly.No sooner had the prince stepped across the threshold than the magic of invisibility vanished.Then, the prince lay on the couch, waiting for Dolanie's return.

As soon as she returned to the palace, Dolani sat on a chair, buried her head in her knees as usual, and said nothing.At first, no one spoke, and there was no sound at all.Then the prince said:
"Last night, I had a strange dream. This dream was about you. Although you don't care, I still want to tell you."

However, Dolani still ignored the prince's words.The prince told Dolanie in great detail what he had seen and heard last night.His voice trembled a little when the prince praised Dolane for her beautiful singing, for Dolane looked up at the prince.Dolani still didn't say anything, although her heart was full of doubts. "What a strange dream!" she thought, "how can there be such a dream? How can he know what I did last night?" Still, she said nothing, just looked at the prince, or Sit still like before.

When another night came, the prince became invisible again, following Dolani once more.Something like last night happened again.Only this time, Dolani sang better.The next morning, the prince told Dolanie again what she had done, pretending to see it in a dream.As soon as the prince finished speaking, Dolani looked at the prince and said:
"Did you see it in a dream or were you really there?"

"Yes, I am there," replied the Prince.

"But why are you following me?" Dolani asked.

"Because," replied the Prince, "I love you, and I am happy with you."

Hearing this, Dolani's eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't say much, and remained silent all day.Then, on this evening, before she stepped into the palanquin, she said to the prince, "If you love me, prove it to me and don't follow me tonight."

The prince was at court, as she had hoped.

That night, the magic chair flew extremely erratically, and Duo Lani and the little fairy could hardly sit on the chair stably.At last the little fairy couldn't bear it anymore and said, "There is no reason why the magic chair is flying so erratically. You must have talked to your husband."

Dolani replied, "Yes, I did." After that, she said nothing.

Dorani sang so beautifully that night that at the end, Indra also stood up and promised to give Dorani everything she wanted.Dolani didn't speak at first, but when Indra asked her again, she replied, "I want that magic lute."

When Indra heard this, he regretted his hasty promise, for the lute was his most precious possession.But since he has agreed, he cannot go back on his word, and Indra reluctantly gave the piano to Dolani.

"You cannot come here again," said Indra, "because this time you have asked for too much, and next time you will not be satisfied with my little bounty."

Dolani bowed, took the lute with her head down, and walked out of the gate with the little fairy, where the magic chair was waiting for them.On the way back this time, the magic chair flew more erratically than before.

The next morning, Dolanie returned to the palace, and she asked the prince if he still dreamed of her.The prince smiled happily, because this time, Dolani took the initiative to talk to him.Then the prince replied, "No, I am dreaming again now. Not of things that happened in the past, but of things that will happen in the future."

On this day, Dolani still sat quietly, but whenever the prince spoke to her, she answered.As night fell, it was time for her to leave, and Dolani was still sitting.The prince walked up to Dolani and asked softly, "Duolani, you're not going home, are you?"

Dolani stood up, leaned on the prince's shoulder, and said softly: "Never again, my prince, I will never leave here again!"

Finally, the prince won his beautiful bride.Although they don't deal with fairies and magic anymore, they learn more magical things about love every day.

Although the magic of the fairy world is gone, the magic of the world is enough for them to learn endlessly.

(End of this chapter)