orange fairy book

Chapter 14 The Story of Prince Ian (1)

Long ago, a king and queen ruled over an island in the west.They had a son named Ian, whom both the King and Queen loved very much.When Ian grew up, he became tall, strong, and handsome. He was good at running and shooting, and he could swim and dive. In these aspects, he was unmatched among his peers in China. In addition, he also knew how to sail. Will sing to the harp.On winter nights, people sat around the big bonfire in the auditorium making bows and arrows or weaving cloth, and Ian would tell them stories about their ancestors.

Time flies, and Ian has grown up in a blink of an eye, becoming a "man" in people's minds.Just then his mother, the queen, died.Both Ian and the king were very sad, and the whole country mourned deeply.But before the year when the queen passed away, the king had a new love, and he seemed to have forgotten the queen who died not long ago. Only Ian missed his mother.

The new queen is vicious and makes things difficult for Ian.

It was autumn, and the leaves in the canyon were turning yellow.One morning, Ian went up the mountain to hunt with a bow and arrow on his back.On the mountain, Ian couldn't even see a bird, until finally he saw a blue falcon flying by, and Ian raised his bow and arrow to aim at it.Ian had good eyesight and a steady hand, but the falcon flew so fast that he could only shoot one feather off the falcon's wing.By this time the sun had set on the sea, so he put the feather in his game bag and went home.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, his stepmother asked, "How much game did you bring me back today?"

"Nothing but this." Ian replied while handing her the blue feather.She twirled her feathers and stared at it for a while without saying a word, then said to Ian:
"Listen to my orders, that is my curse and torment for you too! That is - your body will be wet, cold and dirty, and your shoes will always have water in them until you grow this root Feathered blue falcon and bring it back to me."

"If you curse me, I will retaliate," replied Ian, "until I return, you will have one foot on this palace and the other on the castle, and no matter which way the wind blows The wind is blowing, and your face is always turned to the direction the wind is blowing." Then he set off to find the falcon.When he looked up the hill toward the castle, he saw the wicked queen with one foot on the palace and the other on the castle, her face always turned in the direction of the wind.

He went on to find the falcon.After climbing over mountains and wading through rivers, he finally came to a wide plain, but there was no trace of the falcon at all.It was getting dark and the birds were going back to their nests.In the end, it was completely dark, and Ian couldn't see anything, so he lay down in the bushes, and sleepiness hit him immediately.In the dream, a soft nose touched him, and then a warm body curled up next to his clammy body, and a low voice said in his ear:
"Ian, fate is testing you. I only have this leg of lamb for you. I hope you will be satisfied." At this moment, Ian woke up and saw the fox Jill Maiding.

They built a fire and sat around it for dinner.Then, the fox Jill Mading told Ian to lie down and sleep.When Ian woke up the next morning, Jill Maddin said:
"The falcon you're looking for was kept by a giant with five heads, five necks, and five humps. I'll tell you how to get to his house, and I advise you to do what he tells you to do and be flexible. Response, but also cheerful. First, you have to treat his birds well, only then can he give you the feeding and care of the falcon, and then, after the giant is out, wrap the falcon in a piece of cloth. The eagle's head takes it away. But be careful that its feathers don't touch anything in the house, or you'll be in trouble."

"Thank you for your advice," Ian said, "I will be careful."

So Ian set off for the giant's house.

When the giant heard someone knocking loudly on the door, he asked loudly, "Who is it?"

Ian replied, "I want to find a job as your servant."

The giant asked again: "Then what will you do?"

"If you have livestock or birds, I can help you raise pigs or feed birds, and also feed and milk cows, goats and sheep." Ian replied.

The giant said: "Then you come in, I just need such a person."

So Ian went into the giant's house.He took such good care of the giant's birds and livestock that the giant was more satisfied than he had ever been, and at last the giant thought he could trust him to feed the falcon.Ian was very happy, and took good care of the blue falcon, making its feathers as bright as the sky, and the giant was very satisfied.One day the giant said to Ian:

"My brothers live on the other side of the mountain. They have long wanted to invite me to visit there, but I am worried about my falcon, and have never been there. Now, I think I can entrust it to you to take care of it for a day. I'll go out early tomorrow morning and be back before dark."

The next morning, before the giant had gone far, Ian caught the falcon, wrapped a cloth around its head, and led it out hastily.But as they passed the door, the sun shone through the cloth, and the falcon fluttered a little, causing the end of a feather to strike the post with a screeching sound.The giant hurried back when he heard the noise, and Ian was terrified when he saw the giant come back, but the giant only said:

"If you want my falcon, you must go to the seven giantesses of Durad Island and bring me the white daylight sword in their house."

Ian asked: "Where do they live?" But the giant answered:

"Ah, then you have to find it yourself." Ian didn't dare to say anything, and left in a hurry.He came to a wasteland, as he wished, where he met his friend—the fox Jill Madin.It made Ian eat dinner first and then lie down to sleep.The next day, when Ian woke up, the fox said to him, "Let's go to the seaside together."

So they walked towards the sea.When they arrived at the beach, they saw the endless sea in front of them, and Durade Island was in the middle of the sea.Ian's heart sank all of a sudden.He asked Jill Madin: "It is impossible to go to Durad Island to find the giantess without a boat. Why does the giant ask me to go there when he knows this?"

"Don't be disheartened," replied the fox, "it's easy! I'll turn into a boat, and when you get on board, I'll take you to the Isle of Durad. When you get there, tell the giantess that you're good at grinding Gold and silver, then they will take you as a servant. If you play carefully to their satisfaction, they will give you the daylight white sword to polish. But when you want to steal that sword, be careful not to let the sword The sheath touches anything in the house, or you'll be in trouble."

Ian did what the fox said, and the seven giantesses of Durad Island really took him as a servant.He worked diligently for six weeks, and then the seven giantesses discussed: "There has never been a servant who has such a good craftsmanship. He can polish everything to shine. Why don't we give him the white sword of the sun to polish it?" Bar."

So they gave Ian the daylight white sword hanging in the iron closet, and asked him to polish the sword until it was so bright that it could be used as a mirror, and he did so.One day, when the seven giantesses were away, Ian thought it was time for him to take the sword.He put the sword into the scabbard, carried it on his shoulder, and wanted to sneak away.As he was passing by the door, the end of the scabbard struck the door with a screeching sound, and the giantess ran back at once, took the sword from his hand, and said to him:

"If you want our swords, you must first bring us the red and brown horse of the King of Ireland."

Ian left in shame. He sat down by the sea, and after a while the fox Jill Mading came to him.

"Ian, you obviously didn't listen to my advice," said the fox. "Eat something first, and I'll help you again."

After hearing what the fox said, Ian immediately cheered up.He picked up sticks and built a fire.After they had dinner by the fire, he slept on the beach.At dawn the next day, Jill Maddin said to Ian:

"I will turn into a ship and send you to the Isle of Ireland, where the king you are looking for is there. Offer to be a groom in the king's stable and take care of his horses. Wait until the king is very satisfied with your performance He will give you the reddish-brown horse to be washed. However, when you run away with it, be careful not to let any part of the horse touch anything in the palace except the horse's hooves, otherwise you will have troublesome."

After the fox said this advice to Ian, he turned into a ship and sailed to Ireland.Once there, at Ian's request, the king entrusted his horse to Ian's care.Thanks to Ian's meticulous care, the king's horse looks particularly shiny and runs very fast.The king was satisfied, and within a month he sent for Ian and said to him:
"Since you have served me faithfully, now I entrust you with the most precious thing in the kingdom." After speaking, he led Ian to the stable of the red and brown horse.So Ian began to feed and brush it carefully, and rode it around the kingdom faster than the wind.

(End of this chapter)