HOW THE SUN PRINCESS CAME TO THE EARTH
[Illustration: (unlabelled)]
“Oh, how charming the Rainbow Sisters must be!” said Ethelda, “and how I
love to hear you tell these wonderful stories of the Earth! Do you know
any more?”
“Yes,” replied the guide, smiling, “a good many more, but what would you
like to hear about?”
“Won’t you tell us of how the Sun Princess happened to come to this
world?” interrupted a dainty little Moon maiden; “I really have never
heard it exactly, and as we are going to visit her, perhaps Princess
Ethelda will let us all hear about it?”
“Most willingly,” replied Ethelda; “I know the wonderful story almost by
heart, of course, but I never tire of it,” she added, looking tenderly
at Prince Dorion the while.
So the guide, with this permission, began:—
“In the Land of the Sun there was once a Palace of Wisdom, where all the
science in the universe could be studied. Of course this Palace of
Wisdom became very famous. Far and wide it was heard of, so that from
all parts came representative young men to study and become wise. Now,
the ruler of the Sun lands was a powerful king, possessing many sons,
but only one daughter, the Princess Kuldah. She was a maiden of
wonderful beauty. Her countenance was so exquisitely lovely, that all
who looked upon her immediately fell in love with her. This caused the
young Princess, as well as her father, great annoyance, because her
suitors became legion. One day, however, with the help of her maidens
she wove a veil of delicate texture, which completely concealed her
features. In this way, she was enabled to go and come throughout her
father’s vast possessions in comparative ease.
“Notwithstanding her great indifference toward her lovers, kings and
princes sought her hand in marriage, but her father (who adored her and
could deny her nothing) was secretly well content that she chose none of
them, but remained always in his dominions with him.
“Tall and of majestic appearance, the Princess Kuldah looked the
daughter of the Sun King. Her eyes were brown and large, with brilliant
lights within, and her curling brown hair, falling below her waist, had
caught a little of the golden fire of the Sun. Her gleaming white teeth
looked like pretty little pearls when she smiled. Indeed, she was a
queenly sight as she drove in her handsome chariot toward the Fire
Mountains.
“These mountains were a great range of gorgeous-hued stones, piled very
high. Rising in blazing splendor, they perpetually sent forth their red
beams in dazzling streams of light across the Sun country. But the heat
and glare of her home—which would have burned and killed an earth
maiden—were but life-giving elements to the Sun Princess. She loved the
glitter of her country, and no glare seemed too great for her. The
palace where she dwelt was built of the brightest, yellowest gold to be
found, and she moved through it a splendid vision of beauty.
“Her favorite ride was toward the Fire Mountains. One morning as she
drove the fiery steeds toward their flaming heights her horses became
unmanageable. Pull as she would, she could not control them; they went
like the wind at his greatest fury. She had outrun all her companions in
her mad race, and she was in the most imminent danger of being killed.
At this critical moment there arose in her path a tall and handsome
young man. The horses were as startled as the young Princess at this
sudden appearance, and for a moment, in alarm, slackened their speed. It
was in this second of hesitation that the young man leaped into the
chariot beside Kuldah, and snatched the reins from her hands. It took
but a few moments of his great strength to subdue the enraged animals
completely, and in a little while they were trotting along quietly, as
if nothing had happened.
“Then of course the grateful Princess turned to thank her preserver. In
her excitement (when she had lost control of the horses), she had thrown
back her veil, and the young man found himself steadily gazing into her
beautiful countenance. Strive as he would, he could not resist the love
that surged in his heart as he looked upon her. But although he was
falling in love rapidly, he had heard too much of the haughty Princess’s
coldness and indifference to feel sure of winning her. He guessed at
once it was she, because he had heard she was the loveliest being in the
Sun world, but he determined he would not yield to her influence and
become one of her suitors. The Princess’s own feelings, when she looked
at the young man, surprised her very much. He was so modest and
dignified, and withal so handsome and charming, that she could not help
wondering who he was. He was certainly not one of her suitors, for she
had never seen him before. This young man, too, seemed quite indifferent
to her attractions, and talked to her very seriously about driving her
horses, and showed her how to manage the reins in case they tried to run
away again. She might have been just a plain girl for all the admiration
he showed. At first this indifference pleased her; later she rebelled a
little against it.
“She learned he was a young Prince who had been studying in the Palace
of Wisdom. This astonished her still more, for although he had been in
her country some time he had never sought her out at all. He had come to
the land of the Sun to study its fire and flame, and he was evidently
absorbed only in that study. The Princess was so astonished to learn all
these facts, and to observe his indifference to her famous beauty (which
was proved by his not seeking her hand in marriage), that she forgot to
lower her veil, and sat talking to him much longer than she otherwise
would have done. Finally remembering, she covered her face, but not
before she had asked him to call at the palace and let her father thank
him properly for having saved her life.
“The young man secretly determined he would not accept her invitation,
for he had already learned to love her, and feared the usual fate of her
suitors. However, when the hour approached the next day he could not
resist the temptation to see once more the lovely Princess; after that
he found many excuses to call, and managed each day to see her.
“But the wonderful part of it all was, that Kuldah took as much pleasure
in his company as he did in hers. So later, when he asked her to marry
him she said yes, right on the spot, fearing to delay, lest he might go
off and become as indifferent as he was at first, and never come back
again.
“He was very happy when she said yes, and thus far everything had gone
very smoothly for them both; but when they went in to see the old King
their troubles began. Kuldah was wreathed in smiles, and Prince Minio
looked very happy and proud. The old King, who had never supposed for
one minute that his daughter would accept any man,—having refused so
many,—had one day rashly promised all the suitors that, if she ever made
a choice, they should each have a fair chance to win her. This, of
course, was the cause of the lovers’ trouble now. The Princess was
indignant that her father should have made such a promise about her. She
considered herself free to choose for herself. So she stormed and wept
about it as only a Sun Princess could do, and declared she would never,
never marry any man but the man she loved.
“But her old father, who was so indulgent and yielding with her usually,
remained firm in his decision, and said he could not break a promise
once made, for that would not be honorable. Therefore, the very next day
he announced to everybody that a contest in skill and science should
take place between the suitors for her hand. The Princess was very
unhappy, of course, during the days that followed, but Prince Minio
cheered her by saying he felt equal to winning her in a fair contest.
His love was far greater than that of the others, and therefore he felt
assured he would learn a way to win her for his bride in spite of them
all.
“When the great day for the contest came, a large gathering of the
suitors was held in an open field at the foot of the Fire Mountains.
They were a fine and noble company of young men who contended for
Kuldah’s hand, and her father said she should have felt proud and glad
at such a sight. But she was too sad to feel proud. She had dressed as
became a Sun Princess, and her gown was of finely spun gold, embroidered
in diamonds. Her white arms and throat gleamed through the thin gauze
dress, and a girdle of diamonds encircled her slender waist. From her
shoulders fell a train, which swept for yards behind her, and a narrow
gold band held her beautiful hair in place. For her hair hung about her
in loose masses, falling far below her waist, and mingling its
burnt-gold color with that of her brilliant dress, so that one could
hardly tell where one ended and the other began. As she stood she looked
like a golden Princess, except that her face was as pale as the fleecy
clouds overhead.
“In her majestic beauty she let them kneel and kiss her hand. Each one,
as he touched her hand, swore in turn to be faithful and true to the
knight who should win her, but each one believed secretly he himself
would be the winner. Then began the tournament of skill. One showed how
he could ride; another how he could mount and dismount, or how he could
unhorse an enemy; a third used the gloves or the sword with wonderful
dexterity; another engaged in a trial of strength, or swiftness in
running; and so on until the long list was completed.
“It seemed to the Princess, as she watched in despair their wonderful
deeds, that there was nothing left for her beloved even to attempt. The
suitors had all done such marvellous things; and her heart ached within
her when she learned from one of her handmaidens that her lover was the
last to appear on the lists. Yet, when he did step forth, calm and
serene, her heart leaped again to her throat, her confidence returned;
for he looked strong and handsome, and it was only with pride and
pleasure she gazed upon him. She leaned forward with a smiling face to
listen to his words, for he was speaking.
“‘O mighty King of the Sun,’ he was saying. ‘I have one request to make
of you before beginning my experiment. If successful in what I
undertake, I want your consent to take the Princess away with me from
the Sun lands. What I shall try to accomplish to-day is but the
beginning of a great problem I wish to work out. It may take thousands
of years to complete, and I wish to live in a land of my own choosing,
that I may be able to accomplish it.’
“The Sun King, astonished at these words, hesitated to grant such a
remarkable request, but the Princess threw herself at her father’s feet,
and added her pleadings to the Prince’s. Finally the Sun King
reluctantly consented; but the other suitors smiled broadly among
themselves, as they heard the words, for no matter what the Prince might
do they believed he never could show more skill or wisdom than they had
already displayed.
“Having bowed smilingly to the King and kissed Kuldah’s hand, Prince
Minio turned to his competitors and said: ‘I have made a close study of
the Sun’s fire, and I am convinced that, no matter where this fire is
sent, it will continue to burn and hold its remarkable glint and its
quickening power. It will never be extinguished, but glow brilliantly
for ever. Therefore, my experiment in skill to-day shall be made from it
alone; it will serve my purpose better than anything else.’ So saying,
he picked up a huge bowlder from the Fire Mountain nearest him. The
stone was so big that it seemed impossible for any one to lift it. But
the Prince gathered it up in his arms with a terrific effort, and
balancing it perfectly threw it far out into the heavens. It bounded
away and rolled into space with tremendous force, making a whirring
noise as it dashed along. Again and again he lifted out the big rocks
and tossed them off in the distance. It seemed as if he would never tire
of this remarkable exhibition of strength. Hundreds and thousands of the
brilliantly burning stones went whizzing through space, before the eyes
of the astonished spectators. Yet he continued, calmly throwing more and
more stones, until the heavens fairly gleamed with millions of burning
lights. Thus were the star fires first kindled, and they were truly a
magnificent sight, even to the Sun people, accustomed as they were to
splendid spectacles.
“As the Prince predicted, the stars have never lost their brilliancy,
the Sun’s power to warm and enliven all creatures has proved very strong
and lasting, and those splendid, flaming signals light the
turquoise-blue skies every night, even to this day.
“Finally, Prince Minio selected with great care seven superb stones,
even brighter than the rest, and threw them not quite so far from the
Sun. In this way they felt the Sun’s influence more strongly; though
they flew to a good distance they always revolved about their old home.
Whizzing and whirling continually, yet never flying away from the Sun,
they appeared to the spectators to be the prettiest of all the stars in
the sky. Then the Prince, turning to the Princess, who was bewildered
with the joy of his brilliant success, bade her choose from the seven
stars the one that should be their home. She chose what she thought the
loveliest of all the seven, and they named it the Earth!
“The old King unhesitatingly pronounced Prince Minio the victor. For he
acknowledged that, beside the great strength the Prince had displayed in
lifting the stones from Fire Mountain, the Sun people had never before
witnessed such a glorious sight as the star-studded heavens; and even
the suitors, though much disappointed, consented in a manly way that he
should take Princess Kuldah as his bride, saying he had fairly won her.
“Shortly afterward a marriage of magnificence and splendor followed, and
Prince Minio and his charming wife came to the Earth to spend many
years. The Earth, owing allegiance to the Sun, never loses sight of him,
and though she continues to rush through space at a terrible rate, yet
the Sun King always sees her.
“Out of the white mist on the Earth came trooping a wonderful band of
little creatures to greet the Sun people. They were very tiny; their
skirts of silver glistened like the moonlight, and their jewelled wands
sparkled like the dew. These little creatures were fairies, and ever
after dwelt among the Earth children, helping to beautify the world.
They wander about us in the moonshine and are sometimes caught in the
mist, but they can never come out in the sunlight. One of the laws in
Fairyland is to be in bed before the dawn. From dusk until dawn the
fairies lead a gay life. They hold their revels, they dance, and they
travel the world over, frolicking like mad sometimes, but only the
Moon’s white light shines on their silver dresses.
“Many other charming people adopted the Earth as their home, for it was
beautiful to live upon. The Sun Princess and her husband did not object
to others coming to their home at all, only, as the strangers came in
great numbers, they finally decided to set apart a great space for
themselves alone. They reserved, therefore, a charming bit of country
for the Prince’s workshop, otherwise there would have been so many
interruptions Prince Minio could never hope to accomplish his scientific
work. Charming as the Earth people were, they interfered with the
Prince’s heart’s desire. Therefore, he and his friends from the Sun
chose a wonderful valley which lay in the heart of a great range of
mountains. The valley covered many miles of ground, and it had the most
sublime scenery in the world. Rivers ran through it, and big mountains
rose suddenly in its midst. Small silver lakes also shone like crystal
mirrors. Wonderful springs abounded there; boiling water came out of
one, while from the next shot up cool and deliciously sparkling drops.
They called the bubbling, spouting springs geysers, and people come from
all over the world to see and study them.
“After the Sun people had reserved the country, the Earth people never
remained long on that spot; they recognized the law and accepted it,
only making short visits to the marvellous place. Sometimes, if one
mortal, more daring than the rest, determined to live there, and built
him a house, he was promptly punished, for the fairies at once opened a
geyser directly under the carefully chosen home and destroyed it
entirely. So this beautiful valley of yellow stones and brilliant lights
and rushing waters is left to the Sun Princess and her people. It is
certainly a valley of enchantment, for it is never very cold and never
very hot there, but is an ideal workshop for a Prince. The geysers and
boiling pools are just the escaping gas and steam of his big furnaces;
for the fires in his furnaces under the earth are kept burning day and
night. It is all very mysterious. In one part he has a big hot lake, and
in another an ice-cold one. The cold lake is shaped like a human hand,
and near it is a big fountain that dashes up clouds of white spray,
hundreds of feet high, flecking the green surface of the water with
foam.
“Nothing can be more beautiful than this enchanted valley. The fairies
are busy beautifying it all the time. They have painted the colors of
the rainbow in the rocks, and the great canyon looks now as if millions
of jewels were piled up there. For it is a bewildering mass of color.
Amethyst, topaz, and emerald tints sparkle everywhere, and when the
sunshine pours down on it you feel as if all the wealth of the world
must be hidden in the rocks, for they sparkle like diamonds and rubies.
As the years go on the valley grows more beautiful, for the Sun Prince
and his bride watch it by day,—and of course as the fairies have charge
at night it is never neglected.
“When the Sun Prince has finished his great labors and solved his
problem, of course, he will close his workshop, and with his lovely
bride go back to their home in the Golden Palace of the Sun. But until
then his workshop fires will burn. The geysers and fountains will spout
up great volumes of water and steam, making the valley one of the
wonders of the world. And all the Earth mortals who go there will be
made welcome by the fairies.”