UPON an island in the midst of the sea dwelt a princess, and with her
lived twelve female attendants. The princess was of extraordinary
beauty. Her face was calm and lovely as the moon, her lips were rosy
red, and when she spoke her voice was full of music. Her eyes were
remarkable. If they looked upon one with favour, her glance filled him
with delight; but if they were cast upon one in anger, he was at once
changed into a block of ice. All the princess’s attendants were very
beautiful, and devoted to their mistress. In time the fame of the
princess’s extraordinary loveliness was spread abroad. Folk came from
all parts to see her, and the island became full of people.
Many princes sought the princess in marriage, but she rejected them all.
Those who took her refusal in good part returned to their homes safe and
sound, but woe to him who endeavoured to obtain the hand of Princess
Marvel by force! Having landed with an army on the island, he saw his
soldiers miserably perish, and he himself, pierced by a glance from the
princess’s eye, became a block of ice.
One day the great ogre Koshchei, looking around the world, took it into
his head to see all the different kings, queens, princes, and princesses
it contained.
All of a sudden his glance fell upon the island where dwelt the
princess. He looked, and saw the twelve beautiful attendants, and in
their midst the lovely princess, asleep. As she slept the princess
dreamt of a man who wore gold armour, was mounted on a fiery charger,
and who was armed with an invisible club, and she felt that she loved
the chevalier more than life itself.
Meanwhile Koshchei had fallen deep in love with the princess. Stamping
three times upon the ground, he was at once transported to the island,
but the princess, when he presented himself, rejected him with scorn,
for she felt that she could be the wife of none but him whom she had
seen in her dream. As Koshchei was determined to carry off the princess
by force, if need be, she assembled her troops, and went out to meet
him. Koshchei with his poisonous breath laid all the troops prostrate on
the ground in a deep sleep. The princess, however, escaped, for, casting
one of her angry glances on Koshchei, he was turned into a block of ice,
and the princess returned to her palace. Koshchei did not long remain in
that condition. When the princess came to her palace she found all the
people within it asleep, and Koshchei, following her there, and not
daring to appear before her for fear of again feeling the power of her
eyes, built a wall of iron around the palace, placed a dragon with
twelve heads at its gate, and waited, thinking that the princess would
at length tire of being a solitary prisoner, and would agree to become
his wife.
All upon the island were asleep, save the princess and Koshchei. Weeks
and months passed away and Koshchei came to the gate of the palace time
after time to tell the princess that he loved her, that resistance must
be vain, and that, as his wife, she should be queen of all the
underground world. Princess Marvel, however, listened to him in silence.
Solitary and sad, she thought of him she had seen in her dream. She
thought of his shining armour, his fiery horse, his invisible club, and
the glances he had cast upon her, assuring her he loved her. She was
always thinking of him. One day, as she looked out, she saw a cloud
passing along the sky, and said to it—
“Stop on your way through the blue sky, cloud, and tell me where is he
whom I love, and whether he ever thinks of me.”
“I do not know,” said the cloud. “Ask the wind.”
The princess, seeing a breath of wind playing amongst the flowers, said
to it—
“Wind, you travel far and wide and are so happy in your freedom, have
pity upon me, who am so miserable and helpless. Tell me where is he whom
I love, and whether he ever thinks of me.”
“Ask the stars,” said the wind. “They know more than I do.”
Princess Marvel lifted up her eyes to the bright, shining stars, and
said—
“Stars, that shine so bright, can you see my eyes so full of tears
without having pity on me? Tell me where is he whom I love, and whether
he thinks of me.”
“You had better ask the moon,” said the stars. “She knows more that goes
on upon the earth than we do.”