"Alas! poor me! I shall see thee no more."
Then it caressed the little dog, and the dog returned its caresses. As
the bird was about to go away, the king sprang out and caught it by the
foot. Then the bird changed its form and became a horrible dragon, but
the king held it fast. It changed itself again, and took the forms of
snakes, wolves, and other fierce animals, but the king did not lose his
hold. Then the mermaid pulled hard at the chain, but the king held so
fast that the chain broke in two with a great snap and rattling. That
moment there stood there a beautiful maiden much more beautiful than
that in the fine picture. She thanked the king for having saved her
from the power of the mermaid. The king was very glad, and took the
beautiful maiden in his arms, kissed her, and said--
"I will have no one else in the world for my queen, and now I well see
that your brother was guiltless."
Then he sent off at once to the lions' den to learn if the young man was
yet alive. There the young man was safe and sound among the wild beasts,
which had done him no injury. Then the king was in a happy mood, and
rejoiced that everything had chanced so well. The brother and sister
told him all that the step-mother had done.
When it was daylight the king ordered a great feast to be got ready, and
asked the foremost people in the country to the palace. As they all sat
at table and were very merry, the king told a story of a brother and
sister who had been treacherously dealt with by a step-mother, and he
related all that had happened from beginning to end. When the tale was
ended the king's folk looked at one another, and all agreed that the
conduct of the step-mother in the tale was a piece of unexampled
wickedness.