am the Prince stolen by Foamina;” but he was too wise to say this aloud,
lest the King should hear of it, and hang him for high treason.
“As you look tired, you had better come to my house,” said Onaro in a
kind voice.
“No, thank you,” replied Duldy, “I’m in too great a hurry; but please
tell me how to reach the palace of the King.”
“Go straight on, and you will find it at the end of the street,” said
Onaro; “but if you are wise you will not go.”
He spoke these last words to the empty air, for Duldy, as soon as he
heard where the palace was to be found, darted up the street like a
swallow, so Onaro turned away sighing, thinking that Duldy would soon
lose his head, like the rest who had come to cure the Princess.
But Duldy had no idea of losing his head, for it was a very wise head,
and useful to him, seeing he could never get another; besides, feeling
sure that Salamander would not deceive him, he determined to follow out
his instructions about the fire of pine cones and the magic powder.
He soon reached the palace, which was built of dazzling white marble on
an elevation at the end of a square, and was approached by a splendid
staircase with statues of beautiful women on either side. Duldy looked
at the glittering building, with its great towers and pinnacles of gold,
its innumerable slender pillars, its golden lattices, and the great dome
swelling against the blue sky like an enormous white soap bubble. All
this matchless building blazed in the hot sunshine with such splendour
that his foot faltered as he placed it on the lowest step, and thought
what a poor unknown lad he was to dare such a quest. But the remembrance
of the Princess, and the half belief he had in his own royal birth, gave
him courage, and he raced lightly up the steps, never halting until he
stood at the top, looking down on the wonderful city of white marble and
gold spread out before him.
Then he turned and went into a large hall, through the mighty doors,
which were of sandalwood, all curiously diapered with gold.
“What do you want?” asked a soldier who was on guard at the door.
“To see the King and cure the Princess,” said Duldy boldly.
The soldier burst out laughing, and, calling to his comrade, whispered
in his ear, whereupon they both looked pityingly at Duldy.
“You’ll never succeed,” they said.
“I’ll try, anyhow,” replied Duldy, taking off his cap to a
gorgeously-dressed officer who approached. The soldiers told the officer
what Duldy wanted, the officer told the groom of the chambers, the groom
of the chambers told the prime minister, and the prime minister told the
King; whereupon Duldy was ordered before the monarch, who sat upon his
throne in the great Hall of Audience.
A splendid hall it was, all of white marble, with a roof of fretted
gold, and rich curtains of pale blue velvet hanging between the slender
pillars. The throne of solid gold flashed like a jewel, and Duldy’s feet
sank in the soft velvet carpets as he stood before the King, a
royal-looking man with a crown of silver, for in Aurea silver was
thought to be much more precious than gold. But Duldy did not look upon
the King, as his attention was fixed upon a great golden fountain in the
centre of the hall, out of which spouted the most beautiful coloured
water, which first ascended and fell into the topmost basin like liquid
silver, then fell from the first to the second basin a sheet of gold,
from the second to the third a beautiful crimson tint, from the third to
the fourth a bright blue, and from the fourth to the lowest and last a
pale green colour. All these different coloured waters glittered like
gems in the sunlight which came through the wide windows of the hall, so
that the fountain was called the Fountain of Jewels, and Duldy guessed
it to be the one which Foamina had sent to the King.
Meanwhile Arago was rather angry at Duldy staring at the fountain
instead of himself, for no king likes to be neglected, so he called out
to him in a loud voice,—
“Well, my lad, what do you want?”
“To cure the Princess, sire,” said Duldy, quickly turning to the throne.
“You know the penalty if you fail?” said Arago, looking at him steadily.
“Yes, I lose my head.”
“Are you not afraid?”
“No, not a bit; but if I succeed, of course I marry the Princess Elsa,
and succeed your Majesty on the throne of Metella,” said Duldy frankly.
“We have passed our royal word that such will be the case,” replied the
King, smiling. “Now, begin at once and awaken the Princess.”
“First of all, I must have the Princess brought into this hall,”
declared the shepherd.
“Impossible!” said Arago, frowning; “my daughter is asleep on a couch in
her bedroom.”
“Then she must be brought here, couch and all,” said Duldy boldly,
determined to have his own way; “I can only break the spell here.”
“How so?” asked the King.
“Because the Princess Elsa’s sleep is caused by that fountain,” said
Duldy.
“What! the Fountain of Jewels!” cried the King. “That’s nonsense; it was
sent to me by the Queen of Faeryland, and she would not send me anything
hurtful.”
“I daresay _she_ would not,” said Duldy, with emphasis; “but she did not
send that fountain. It came from Foamina.”
“From Foamina!” cried every one, with a start of terror, for the
water-faery was much dreaded in Aurea.
“This is very serious,” said the King gravely. “Young man, you must
prove the truth of what you say, and if such is the case, I shall have
the fountain removed.”
“Then bring in the Princess,” said Duldy, and, kneeling down, he opened
his bundle, which was full of pine cones he had picked up in the forest.
“I must have your Majesty’s permission to light a fire with these on the
marble floor.”
“Very well,” said Arago, nodding his head; “only take care you don’t
spoil the pavement.”
Duldy laughed, and while some of the courtiers went out to bring in the
Princess, he removed a portion of the carpet, then piling up the pine
cones in a little heap, he set them on fire. While he was doing this,
the waters of the fountain kept changing to all sorts of colours, and at
last every tint faded into a bright yellow, which looked like liquid
gold, and breathed a strong perfume, nearly sending Duldy to sleep.
However, he pinched himself to keep awake, and attended to his fire,
which was now glowing red-hot, while the King and the courtiers all
looked on with great curiosity, being much astonished at the change of
the Fountain of Jewels.
The Princess was brought in, sleeping on her couch of purple, with a
cloth of gold coverlet thrown over her, and she looked truly beautiful,
with her black hair falling in disorder over the couch, and her
rose-tinted cheek supported by one hand, while the other was pressed on
her faintly beating heart. Duldy fell more in love with her than ever,
but, suppressing all outward signs of his passion, he ordered her couch
to be placed midway between the fire and the throne.
The pine cones were now a small heap of red-hot embers, so Duldy took
out the golden box given to him by Salamander, and began to sing, while
he sprinkled some of the powder from the box upon the fire,—
“O my lovely Princess sleeping,
By the spells of evil chained,
At thy side I’m vigil keeping,
Longing, hoping, smiling, weeping,
While the day hath slowly waned.
In thy sleep are visions gleaming,
Faery visions from above,
Yet tho’ lovely be thy dreaming,
All these visions are but seeming,
Wake once more to life and love.
Lovely Princess, I have found thee
Sleeping like a night-closed flower,
Of my heart I queen have crowned thee,
So tho’ evil spells have bound thee,
Laugh to scorn all magic power.”
Duldy now emptied all the powder on the fire, and a thick violet mist
arose, which, trailing along the floor like a sinuous serpent, writhed
across to the fountain and commenced to coil around it. Coil after coil
it curled around, till it reached the topmost basin, so that the whole
fountain could not be seen, but only the slender jet of water which shot
out of the violet mist like the yellow horn of a trumpet lily. Duldy,
waving his arms towards the fountain, began to sing again,—
“I have found her—long I’ve sought her,
To my heart this maid I take.
Cease thy spells, O river-daughter,
Vanish, fountain—vanish, water,
Let my Princess fair awake.”
At this the yellow jet shot up as high as the fretted ceiling of the
hall, and then sank down till it vanished in the violet mist, which
began to whirl round and round, growing smaller and smaller, sinking at
every whirl till it vanished altogether, and with it the fountain,
leaving nothing but the bare white gleaming marble floor. But the
Princess still slept on, although Duldy could see a faint flutter of her
eyelids, which showed she was awaking, so, bending forward, he kissed
her red lips three times, and sang once more,—
“Now the end of all things this is,
Thou art free from magic snare.
Life for thee hath many blisses,
Words of love and endless kisses.
Ope thine eyes, O maiden fair.”
At this the beautiful Princess opened her eyes, and looked long and
steadily at Duldy, then, rising to her feet, she smiled, and flung her
white arms round his neck.
“It is the face of my dreams,” she sighed. “Oh, my love, I have waited
for thee long years!”
So the spell was broken, for the Princess had awakened, to the delight
of King Arago, who descended from his throne and joined her hand to that
of Duldy.
“I will keep my word,” he said gaily. “You have released not only the
Princess, but all of us, from the power of Foamina, so you will be
married at once, and to-night I’ll give a great ball in honour of you
both.”
Oh, how everybody cheered, and the courtiers ran hither and thither,
telling the good news to one another. The city was in a great state of
excitement, and all the poor people were given plenty of food to eat.
Duldy led his Princess to her room, and then retired in order to dress
himself in his wedding clothes, while the people cheered in the city,
the joy bells rang out, and even Foamina in her mountain solitude heard
the cry, “Long live Prince Duldy!”
III.
THE SECRET OF DULDY’S BIRTH.
YOU may be sure Foamina was very angry when she heard the rejoicings in
the city of Aurea, for by her magic power she knew that in spite of all
her enchantments Duldy was going to marry the Princess. She was sitting
on a couch of snow high up on the mountain of Kel, and the moon was
shining down on her as she looked far across the plain to the
illuminated city, where Duldy was being married to Elsa. As she thought
of this, Foamina arose quickly, stamping her foot with rage, so that a
great mass of snow came thundering down the side of the mountain and
crashed through the green trees.
“I won’t let him be happy!” cried Foamina in a rage, “he still has the
foam bracelet on his wrist, so I’ll part him from his Princess yet, in
spite of Salamander and his threats.”
So she flung herself off the snow bed and poured down the valley in a
torrent of angry foam. First she went to the faery of one stream, and
then to the faery of another—making them promise that they would roar
like torrents down the mountain, through the plain, and make the great
river round the rock upon which Aurea was built rise higher and higher
till it flooded the whole city. They all promised gladly, for they were
very much afraid of offending Foamina, who was a very malignant faery,
and could do them all harm.
Then the Water-witch flowed away through the plain to the great river,
and, rising up in the principal fountain of the city, she spoke to all
the streams and fountains of the city, in order to make them pour out as
much water as they could to drown the city, and this they promised to
do, so Foamina was now quite satisfied she would be revenged upon Duldy
and Salamander for destroying the Fountain of Jewels and awaking the
Princess Elsa.
At the palace all was festivity and rejoicing, and the King was giving a
great ball in honour of the marriage; for Duldy and the Princess were
now married, and sat on two golden thrones, looking wonderfully handsome
and happy. Below them on the marble floor all the lords and ladies were
dancing the most graceful dances in the world, and the musicians placed
up in a high gallery sang and played the most delightful music, while
tables covered with nice tarts and cakes and other beautiful things ran
down on each side of the hall.
But notwithstanding that Duldy had married the Princess, and was going
to be king when Arago died, he felt quite unhappy, as the foam bracelet
still clasped his wrist.
“What is the matter, Prince?” asked Elsa, putting her beautiful white
arms round his neck; “you look so sad.”
“I’m afraid of Foamina,” said Duldy, showing Elsa his wrist. “Look at
the foam bracelet chaining my wrist; I cannot get it off. Look, you can
see it quite plainly.”
And indeed they could, a slender ring of white foam which clasped his
wrist so tightly that Duldy felt as though it were the hand of the
enchantress grasping him, to drag him away from his lovely bride to the
depths of her cold pool.
“Is it cold?” asked Elsa.
“Yes, very cold,” replied Duldy disconsolately. “I wish I could take it
off.”
“I think I can do that,” said the Princess, laughing. “If it’s cold, it
will soon melt away under my warm kisses;” and so saying, she bent down
and kissed his wrist three times with her red lips. Much to Duldy’s
surprise, at the first kiss the foam bracelet seemed to grow loose, at
the second it fell off his wrist and lay on the floor like a white ring,
and at the third it vanished with a loud noise.
Duldy was overjoyed that he was now free from the power of the
enchantress, and led the Princess out on to the balcony which overlooked
the river. It was a beautiful night, and Duldy saw the great white peak
of Kel shining against the dark blue sky, and the heaving waters of the
river at his feet. Just as he kissed the lips of his Princess, a
confused noise sounded from the city below. The river, lashing itself
into angry waves, began to rise, and as Duldy and the Princess, full of
dismay, retreated to the hall, a crowd of people rushed in and stopped
the dancing.
“Sire! sire!” they called out to the King, “the river is rising round
the city, and all the fountains are spouting foam! We are lost! we are
lost!”
Everything was in confusion, people rushing here and there shrieking and
crying, while the lights of the city died out, and the cruel, dark
waters kept on rising, until every one thought the whole city would sink
beneath the flood.
Duldy knew it was the work of Foamina, and his mind was quite satisfied
on that point when a great white wave of foam rolled into the hall over
the balcony. On this the Water-witch was riding, singing loudly,—
“Give me my lover,
King’s daughter, king’s daughter,
Or I will cover
Your city with water.”
The Princess shrieked and hid her face on Duldy’s shoulder, while Arago
and all the people around looked at the witch in dismay. Suddenly Duldy
recollected how Salamander had promised to help him, so he called out,—
“Salamander,
O, withstand her!
She has brought her
Cruel water.
Drive from land her,
Salamander!”
The witch laughed loudly, and the wave rolled on, amid the lamentations
sounding from the city below, when suddenly, in the place where the
Fountain of Jewels had been, a tall flame shot up, and out of it flashed
Salamander, glowing like a beautiful crimson star.
“Foamina, beware!” he cried, shaking a torch which he held in his hand;
“or I will burn up your springs, scorch your forests, and crush you for
ever.”
“No, you won’t,” said Foamina, flinging her white arms aloft. “This
shepherd is mine—mine! and you can do nothing.”
“Can’t I?” cried Salamander, waving his torch. “Behold!”
There was a great roar, like the report of a thousand cannons, and every
one looked through the open window with a cry of alarm.
Far away, from the snowy peak of Kel shot a tall column of red flame,
with a black cloud above it spreading over the midnight sky, and vividly
bright streams of burning lava began to run down the white snow like
veins of fire.
“Oh, my springs, my springs!” shrieked Foamina wildly; “they will all be
burned up, and I’ll die—I can’t put that fire out.”
“No, you cannot,” said Salamander sternly; “nor will I till you give up
all claim to Duldy.”
“I do! I do!” shrieked the Water-witch, listening with terror to the
roar of the fire mountain.
“And tell Duldy who he really is?” said Salamander relentlessly.
“Yes! yes!” cried Foamina, who was now getting thinner and thinner as
the hot lava scorched her springs in the distant mountain. “Only stop
that cruel, cruel fire!”
“Who am I?” asked Duldy. “Quick! tell me, and Salamander will stop the
fire.”
“You are the son of the old King,” cried Foamina wildly. “I drowned your
mother and carried you off. I surrender all claim to you now, only stop
the fire—stop the fire!”
“You will never do cruel things again?” said Salamander.
“Never!—never!” said the Water-witch, who was now writhing on the floor.
“Then make the waters leave the city,” cried Duldy.
The Water-witch flew to the window and muttered some words, whereupon
the river sank down to its usual level, all the fountains stopped
pouring out jets of foam, and in a short time the city was as dry and
clean as if no waters had been there at all.
“Now go!” cried Salamander, and stretched out his torch towards the
mountain. Immediately the column of fire sank back again, the smoke
vanished and nothing could be seen but the snow-white peak, the dark
blue sky, and the serene moon. As soon as Foamina saw this, she gave a
cry of joy, and, flinging herself in a foaming torrent from the window,
vanished in the river, and was never seen again.
Then Salamander turned to Duldy and Arago, who stood near, delighted
with the defeat of the Water-witch.
“You heard what Foamina said,” he observed to Duldy; “you are the son of
the old king, and ought to reign now.”
“And so he shall,” cried Arago, taking off his beautiful silver crown
and placing it on Duldy’s head. “I will give up the throne to Duldy and
my daughter, and become prime minister once more. Hail, King Duldy!”
“No, he must not be called Duldy,” said Salamander, smiling, “but by his
father’s name. So, Hail, King Sama!”
Then all present, including Arago, kneeled down before Duldy, who
ascended the throne with his silver crown, and his beautiful Queen Elsa
by his side.
“Be happy,” cried Salamander; “you have a kind heart, and that always
brings happiness.”
Whereupon he vanished, and was never more seen again, nor did he allow
the mountain of Kel to breathe fire any more. So King Sama and Queen
Elsa ruled over the land of Metella, and were very, very happy, and were
guided by the advice of Arago, who once more became prime minister.
[Illustration]
Duldy brought Dull and Day from the forest, and gave them a beautiful
palace to live in, but they did not like the city life, and went back
again to their cottage, where they died after many years.
So Duldy became king after all, but while his people hailed him as King
Sama, his beautiful wife called him nothing but Duldy, the shepherd lad
who had released her from the enchantment of the Water-witch.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOON FANCIES
THERE was once a girl called Lurina, who dwelt with her parents in a
cottage on the edge of a great forest, which was said to be enchanted.
She was an only child, and her parents, whose names were Panus and Cora,
were very fond of her, although she certainly gave them a great deal of
trouble. Not that she was naughty in any way, for no one could have been
better or more obedient; but she was generally very dull and sleepy all
the day, and only woke up at night-time, when she liked to wander
outside in the moonlight, instead of going to bed. This habit led her
parents to think she had faery blood in her veins, and, although Panus
was a dull, stupid man, he nevertheless remembered how very peculiar his
old grandmother had been in her actions.
Another curious thing was that Lurina had been born just at full moon,
which is the time when all the faeries hold their great monthly
festival, and Cora remembered hearing them singing a birth-song about
little Lurina, who lay by her side. So there was no doubt but that the
faery blood which flowed in the veins of the old grandmother had missed
a generation, and once more came out in Lurina. Panus and Cora therefore
let her do just as she liked, which was the best thing they could do, as
they had been told by a Wise Woman who lived near them.
[Illustration]
Lurina was a most beautiful girl, with golden hair, a delicate white
skin, and dark, dark eyes, which had a somewhat mournful look in their
depths. When she arrived at the age of eighteen, a young woodman called
Berl fell in love with her, and, after some hesitation, Lurina promised
to become his wife, provided he let her do exactly as she pleased, and
did not stop her night wanderings.
“You can go into the forest whenever you like,” said Berl, kissing her;
“but why do you not come when the sun is bright, instead of the feeble
moonlight?”
“I don’t like the sun,” said Lurina, pouting, “it makes everything so
hot and disagreeable; but the moonlight is so soft and beautiful that I
love it. Besides, you don’t know what strange fancies come to me when
the moon is shining.”
“What kind of fancies?” asked Berl, who was a somewhat dull youth.
“Oh, all sorts of beautiful things,” replied Lurina dreamily; “lovely
little men and women dressed in green, who dance lightly on the emerald
turf, and strange, sweet songs which sound like rushing water and the
whispering of leaves. I dream about them when I’m in the wood, but
nowhere else.”
Berl was now convinced that Lurina had faery blood in her veins, and
attended the festivals of the faeries, which she called moon fancies;
but, being a very cautious man, he said nothing to Lurina; nevertheless,
before he got married he consulted the Wise Woman.
[Illustration]
She was really a very wonderful old woman, with snow-white hair and a
form nearly bent double with age. She listened to Berl’s story about
Lurina’s moon fancies, and then spoke in a harsh, determined voice.
“Your future wife has dealings with the faeries,” she said, looking at
Berl from under her bushy white eyebrows; “but what she sees at night in
the forest are real truths, and not fancies as she thinks. My advice to
you is not to marry her, lest evil befall you.”
But Berl was too much in love with the beautiful Lurina to take this
advice, so he said nothing, but asked Panus and Cora to let him marry
their daughter at once, which they were very pleased to do, for he was
quite a rich man among the woodmen and, moreover, very good-natured.
The wedding-day arrived at last, and Lurina was married to Berl by the
village pastor. Those who thought she had faery blood in her veins said
she would never be able to enter the church; but, much to their
surprise, nothing unusual occurred at the ceremony, so they began to
think Lurina was only a dull, stupid girl after all. This was a mistake,
however, as you will soon hear.
[Illustration]
Berl and Lurina took up their abode in a pretty cottage under the shade
of a great oak, and lived very happily for a long time. Lurina was still
dreamy and quiet all the day, but as Berl was generally at work in the
wood, he did not notice it much. At night-time, however, she still
wandered into the forest, especially when the moon was very bright, and
this habit began to annoy Berl very much, but as he had given his word
not to interfere with Lurina, he said nothing.
One night, however, when the moon was full, and the whole of the forest
was bathed in the pale, cold light, he woke up, and, missing his wife
from his side, knew that she had gone into the forest to indulge in her
moon fancies. Berl sprang out of bed, and just caught a glimpse of her
shadow disappearing among the trunks of the trees; so he rapidly slipped
on his clothes and hurried after her, being determined to find out why
she was so fond of these midnight wanderings.
“She’s going to a meeting of the faeries,” thought Berl, as he ran
across the lawn. “I hope the little people won’t be angry if they see
me; but my wife will protect me.”
For you must know that the faeries never like their revels gazed upon by
mortal eye, and if they catch any one looking they pinch him black and
blue; so Berl had good reason to be afraid of venturing into the
enchanted wood at night.