And so they lived together in the valley, although the little cabin was
rather too small for them. But Relya had strong hands, and he built them
a little house of stone. Their lives were uneventful, but there was a
blessing upon them. Primrose tended the ewes and lambs, Lavender looked
after the house and garden, the princess span and sewed, and Relya
worked in the fields.
The people of the village got to know the wisdom of the princess and
Relya’s strength. Presently they remarked how well the Golden Girdle
became the princess, and, although none of them had ever seen the
princess before, they said:
“She must be our noble princess.” And so they gave Relya and the
princess a great piece of land in the valley, and begged Relya to be
their leader in all things and the princess to be their counsellor.
God’s blessing was with Relya’s strength and the princess’s wisdom.
Their fields and meadows increased; other villages joined them; gardens
and cottages sprang up in the villages.
Meantime the fine lords in the castle went on drinking and feasting as
before. Now this had gone on far too long, and although the vaults and
cellars of the castle had been the richest in seven kingdoms, yet after
so many years of waste there began to be a lack of precious stones.
First of all the gems gave out in the treasure vaults, and then the
mother-o’-pearl in the passages. Yet a little while, and there was no
more bread for the servants, who had grown lazy. At last there was not
even meat for the bloodhounds and guards. The faithless servants
rebelled, the hounds ran away, and the guards left their posts.
But all this did not trouble the fine lords, because they had dulled
their wits with drinking and feasting. But one fine day the wine gave
out. _Then_ they decided to hold a council! They met in the great hall
and debated upon where they should get wine, because round about the
castle all was desolate: the inhabitants had left, and the vines had run
wild in the vineyards.
So the fine lords debated. But their vengeful and rebellious servants
had cut through the rafters of the great hall, and when the lords were
in the midst of their conference the roof fell in upon them. They were
buried under the ruins of the great tower of the castle and all of them
killed.
When the servants heard the tower crashing and falling, they too
deserted the castle.
And so the castle was left without hounds, servants, or fine lords,
ruinous and deserted, and dead.
Soon the news of this spread through the land, but not a soul troubled
to go and see what had happened in the dead castle. From all sides they
flocked together and went to the foot of Mount Kitesh to beg Relya to be
their prince, because they had heard of his strength and courage and of
the wisdom of the noble princess. Wherefore the people promised with
their own hands to build them a new castle, all fair and stately.
Relya accepted the people’s offer, because he rightly judged that God
had given him such great strength and courage, and had delivered him
from his hot and cruel temper, so that he might be of use to his
country.
So Relya became a prince; and the princess, who was getting old by now,
yet lived to see great happiness in her old age. And when the princess
and Relya, with Lavender and Primrose, entered their new and stately
castle for the first time, the village children scattered evergreens and
sweet basil on their path, men and woman pressed round the princess,
seized the hem of her robe and kissed it.
But the princess, radiant with joy, remembered that but for the loyalty
of Lavender and Primrose none of this would ever have come to pass. She
clasped the children to her breast and said:
“Happy the land whose treasure is not guarded by mighty armies or strong
cities, but by the mothers and children in shepherds’ cots. Such a land
will never perish!”
* * * * *
Later on Prince Relya married Lavender, and never in the world was there
a princess sweeter and more lovely than Princess Lavender.
Primrose grew up into a brave and handsome youth. He rode a fiery dapple
grey, and he would often ride over Mount Kitesh, upon whose summit men
were building a new chapel by the Holy Lake.
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