orange fairy book

Chapter 34 Princess Bellaflore (2)

Soon they came to a stone path in the valley, where they saw an eagle caught in the hunter's net.

"Go down and cut the rope, and let that poor eagle go," said the white horse.

"But it will take a long time," objected Joseph, "and we might miss our chance of finding the princess."

"It's okay, help people when you can!" Baima said.So Joseph went to cut the net, and the eagle was free, and the white horse galloped on.

After running for many miles, they came to a river and saw a small fish lying on the sand, dying.The white horse said, "Did you see that little fish? Put it back into the river quickly, or it will die."

"However, if we waste time like this again, we may never find Princess Bellaflore." Joseph shouted.

"We are helping people, not wasting time." Baima replied.Joseph still listened to the white horse's words and did as he said, and soon the little fish returned to the water and swam away happily.

They ran for a while, and came to a castle.The castle was built in the middle of a dense forest, and Princess Bellaflore was feeding the hens in front of the castle.

"Listen well," said the white horse, "I'm going up now, jumping up and down in front of the princess, amusing her, attracting her attention, so she will come and beg you to give me a ride, and then you will help me She rides on my back. Once she sits, I'll act like she's not welcome, yelling and jumping, and then you tell her I've never driven a woman and it's best to put you behind her so you can control Me, as soon as you ride up, we will immediately gallop back to the palace."

Joseph did as the white horse said, and everything happened exactly as the white horse said.When they rushed to the palace like lightning, the princess knew that she couldn't get away.On the way, she didn't say anything, but quietly unfolded her apron, which contained the chaff that was intended for the chickens, and she scattered the chaff on the ground.

"Oh, I've spilled my chaff!" she cried, "get off your horse and help me pick it up."

But Joseph ignored her, and only replied, "We will have a lot of chaff when we get to our destination." The horse galloped on.

As they passed through the forest, the princess took out her handkerchief, and threw it into the sky, where it hung on the highest branch of a tree.

"My God, my handkerchief was blown away," she said, "will you help me climb up and take it off?"

But Joseph replied, "We will have plenty of handkerchiefs when we get to our destination." The white horse galloped on.

They walked through the forest and came to a river.The princess slipped her ring on purpose, and the ring rolled into the river. "I am careless," she gasped, and began to cry. "I have lost my dearest ring, and you must stop a moment and see if you can find it."

But Joseph still said, "We will have many rings when we get to our destination." The white horse galloped on.

Finally, they arrived at the palace and entered the palace gate. The king was very happy to see his beloved Princess Bellaflo, but the princess ignored the king and regarded him as transparent air.She locked herself in a room which she would not open no matter what the king asked.

"If you can return the three things I lost on the road, maybe I will consider seeing you." This was the only sentence the princess ever said.The desperate king had to find Joseph to discuss a solution.

"I see no other way," said the king, "but you know where they are, and you go and find them. If you don't find them, I'll have you drowned."

Poor Joseph was very distressed at hearing the king's words, but, now that the king's order had been given, he bowed deeply, and went out to consult with his friend the white horse.

"Don't worry," the white horse said after hearing what had happened to him, "jump on my back, and we'll go find these things now." Joseph jumped on the horse at once.

They kept running and running until they reached the ant hill.The white horse asked Joseph, "Do you want to find the chaff of the princess?"

"Why did you say the word 'want'? Of course I want it. Is there anything you can do?" Joseph replied.

"Remember the ants we met on the road? Ask them to find the chaff for you, and if some of the chaff has been blown away by the wind, let them take the crumbs you give them instead."

Joseph was very surprised when he heard this. He didn't quite believe that the white horse's plan could be realized, but he couldn't think of any other good way, so he called the ants and told them to gather the chaff as soon as possible.

Then Joseph waited under a tree while the white horse ate grass.

"Look there!" the white horse suddenly raised his head and said.Joseph looked back and saw a hill of chaff. He put the hill into a bag and hung it on the saddle.

"Good deeds will be rewarded sooner or later," said the white horse, "if you ride on my back now, we still have a long way to go."

After a while, they came to the place where the princess had thrown the handkerchief again, and saw the handkerchief hanging on the top of a tall tree, fluttering in the wind.Joseph was discouraged again.

"How can I get the handkerchief?" he cried, "unless I have Jacob's Ladder!"

But the white horse said, "Don't worry, do you remember that you saved the eagle's life? Call the eagle and it will help you."

So Joseph called the eagle, and the eagle flew up to the top of the branch, and took the handkerchief down with its beak.Joseph thanked the eagle, jumped on his horse, and rode to the river.

There was a heavy rain at night, and the river was not as clear as before, but became dark and muddy.

"I don't know where the ring fell. The river is so muddy, how can I get the ring back from the bottom of the river?" Joseph asked.

The white horse replied, "Don't worry, call the little fish you saved, and he will get the ring for you."

So he called the little fish, and the little fish dived into the bottom of the water, searched the bottom of the river carefully, found the ring at last, and brought it back to Joseph.

Joseph was very happy and returned to the palace.The king took these hard-earned things to Princess Bellaflore, but the princess still refused to open the door.She said that she was required to open the door unless the bad guy who kidnapped her was fried in a frying pan.Isn’t that “bad guy” Joseph?
"I'm so sorry," the king said to Joseph, "I really don't want to do this, but you can see that there is nothing I can do."

So the king ordered someone to prepare a large pot, pour oil into it and heat it.Joseph hurried to the stable and asked his friend on the white horse if there was any way to escape.

"Don't worry," said the white horse, "ride on my back, and I'll carry you galloping until I'm sweaty from running, and then you wipe my sweat all over your body, so that when you get off the oil pan , no matter how hot the oil is, you can’t feel it.”

Joseph did as the white horse said.After a while, people put him into the hot oil pan, but Joseph's face was full of joy, and everyone around him felt very strange.At last Joseph came out of the frying pan, and now he was very, very handsome, and everyone who saw him fell in love with him, but Bellaflore loved him the most.

How could this be the result?Seeing that he was completely defeated, the old king left the country in despair.

Joseph became king and announced that he would marry Princess Bellaflore the next day.After getting married, the first thing he did was to go to the stable, find the white horse, and ask it: "I can save my life and get the throne, all thanks to you. Why did you help me?"

The white horse replied: "Do you still remember helping a person who has nothing to do with you, helping him pay off his debts, and helping him pay for his burial when he died. I am the embodiment of that person, and you spent everything for him. All the money, so when I see your life in danger, I want to help you like you helped me. Kindness pays off!"

(End of this chapter)