whose love for her was sincere, was moved one day by the sight of her
grief to say to her:
'If you like, Madam, I will go and seek your royal husband. It is a long
journey, and I am but a tardy traveller, but sooner or later I have no
doubt I shall get there.'
[Illustration: "COULD YOUR FATHER BUT SEE YOU, MY POOR CHILD."]
No suggestion could have been more warmly approved, the queen clasping
her hands, and bidding little Moufette do the same, in token of the
gratitude she felt towards the good Frog for offering to make the
expedition. Nor would the king, she declared, be less grateful. 'Of what
advantage, however,' she went on, 'will it be to him to learn that I
am in this dire abode, since it will be impossible for him to rescue me
from it?'
'That we must leave to Providence, Madam,' said the Frog; 'we can but
make those efforts of which we are capable.'
They took farewell of each other, and the queen sent a message to the
king. This was written with her blood on a piece of rag, for she had
neither ink nor paper. The good Frog was bringing him news of herself,
she wrote, and she implored him to give heed to all that she might tell
him, and to believe everything she had to say.
It took the Frog a year and four days to climb the ten thousand steps
which led from the gloomy realm in which she had left the queen, up into
the world. Another year was spent in preparing her equipage, for she was
too proud to consent to appear at Court like a poor and humble frog from
the marshes. A little sedan-chair was made for her, large enough to hold
a couple of eggs comfortably, and this was covered outside with
tortoise-shell and lined with lizard-skin. From the little green frogs
that hop about the meadows she selected fifty to act as maids of honour,
and each of these was mounted on a snail. They had dainty saddles, and
rode in dashing style with the leg thrown over the saddle-bow. A
numerous bodyguard of rats, dressed like pages, ran before the
snails--in short, nothing so captivating had ever been seen before. To
crown all, the cap of roses, which never faded but was always in full
bloom, most admirably became her. Being something of a coquette, too,
she could not refrain from a touch of rouge and a patch or two; indeed,
some said she was painted like a great many other ladies of the land,
but it has been proved by inquiry that this report had its origin with
her enemies.
The journey lasted seven years, and during all that time the poor queen
endured unutterable pain and suffering. Had it not been for the solace
of the beautiful Moufette she must have died a hundred times. Every word
that the dear little creature uttered filled her with delight; indeed,
with the exception of the Lion-Witch, there was nobody who was not
charmed by her.
There came at length a day, after the queen had lived for six years in
this dismal region, when the Witch told her that she could go hunting
with her, on condition that she yielded up everything which she killed.
The queen's joy when she once more saw the sun may be imagined; though
at first she thought she would be blinded, so unaccustomed to its light
had she become. So quick and lively was Moufette, even at five or six
years of age, that she never failed in her aim, and mother and daughter
together were thus able to appease somewhat the fierce instincts of the
Witch.
Meanwhile the Frog was travelling over hills and valleys. Day or night,
she never stopped, and at last she came nigh to the capital, where the
king was now in residence. To her astonishment signs of festivity met
her eye at every turn; on all sides there was merriment, song and
dancing, and the nearer she came to the city the more festive seemed the
mood of the people. All flocked with amazement to see her rustic
retinue, and by the time she reached the city the crowd had become so
large that it was with difficulty she made her way to the palace.
[Illustration: '_The journey lasted seven years_']
At the palace all was splendour, for the king, who had been deprived
of his wife's society for nine years, had at last yielded to the
petitions of his subjects, and was about to wed a princess who possessed
many amiable qualities, though she lacked, admittedly, the beauty of his
wife.
The good Frog descended from her sedan-chair, and with her attendants in
her train entered the royal presence. To request an audience was
unnecessary, for the king and his intended bride and all the princes
were much too curious to learn why she had come to think of interrupting
her.
'Sire,' said the Frog, 'I am in doubt whether the news I bring will
cause you joy or sorrow. I can only conclude, from the marriage which
you are proposing to celebrate, that you are no longer faithful to your
queen.'
Tears fell from the king's eyes. 'Her memory is as dear to me as ever,'
he declared; 'but you must know, good Frog, that monarchs cannot always
follow their own wishes. For nine years now my subjects have been urging
me to take a wife, and indeed it is due to them that there should be an
heir to the throne. Hence my choice of this young princess, whose charms
are apparent.'
'I warn you not to marry her,' rejoined the Frog; 'the queen is not
dead, and I am the bearer of a letter from her, writ in her own blood.
There has been born to you a little daughter, Moufette, who is more
beautiful than the very heavens.'
The king took the rag on which the short message from the queen was
written. He kissed it and moistened it with his tears; and declared,
holding it up for all to see, that he recognised the handwriting of his
wife. Then he plied the Frog with endless questions, to all of which she
replied with lively intelligence.
The princess who was to have been queen, and the envoys who were
attending the marriage ceremony, were somewhat out of countenance.
'Sire,' said one of the most distinguished guests, turning to the king,
'can you contemplate the breaking of your solemn pledge upon the word of
a toad like that? This scum of the marshes has the audacity to come and
lie to the entire Court, just for the gratification of being listened
to!'
'I would have you know, your Excellency,' replied the Frog, 'that I am
no scum of the marshes. Since you force me to display my powers--hither,
fairies all!'
At these words the frogs, the rats, the snails, and the lizards all
suddenly ranged themselves behind the Frog. But in place of their
familiar natural forms, they appeared now as tall, majestic figures,
handsome of mien, and with eyes that outshone the stars. Each wore a
crown of jewels on his head, while over his shoulders hung a royal
mantle of velvet, lined with ermine, the train of which was borne by
dwarfs. Simultaneously the sound of trumpets, drums, and hautboys filled
the air with martial melody, and all the fairies began to dance a
ballet, with step so light that the least spring lifted them to the
vaulted ceiling of the chamber.
The astonishment of the king and his future bride was in no way
diminished when the fairy dancers suddenly changed before their eyes
into flowers--jasmine, jonquils, violets, roses, and carnations--which
carried on the dance just as though they were possessed of legs and
feet. It was as though a flower-bed had come to life, every movement of
which gave pleasure alike to eye and nostril. A moment later the flowers
vanished, and in their place were fountains of leaping water that fell
in a cascade and formed a lake beneath the castle walls. On the surface
of the lake were little boats, painted and gilt, so pretty and dainty
that the princess challenged the ambassadors to a voyage. None hesitated
to do so, for they thought it was all a gay pastime, and a merry prelude
to the marriage festivities. But no sooner had they embarked than boats,
fountains, and lake vanished, and the frogs were frogs once more.
'Sire,' said the Frog, when the king asked what had become of the
princess, 'your wife alone is your queen. Were my affection for her less
than it is, I should not interfere; but she deserves so well, and your
daughter Moufette is so charming, that you ought not to lose one moment
in setting out to their rescue.'
'I do assure you, Madam Frog,' replied the king, 'that if I could
believe my wife to be alive, I would shrink from nothing in the world
for sight of her again.'
'Surely,' said the Frog, 'after the marvels I have shown you, there
ought not to be doubt in your mind of the truth of what I say. Leave
your realm in the hands of those whom you can trust, and set forth
without delay. Take this ring--it will provide you with the means of
seeing the queen, and of speaking with the Lion-Witch, notwithstanding
that she is the most formidable creature in the world.'
The king refused to let any one accompany him, and after bestowing
handsome gifts upon the Frog, he set forth. 'Do not lose heart,' she
said to him; 'you will encounter terrible difficulties, but I am
convinced that your desires will meet with success.' He plucked up
courage at these words, and started upon the quest of his dear wife,
though he had only the ring to guide him.
Now Moufette's beauty became more and more perfect as she grew older,
and all the monsters of the lake of quicksilver were enamoured of her.
Hideous and terrifying to behold, they came and lay at her feet.
Although Moufette had seen them ever since she was born, her lovely eyes
could never grow accustomed to them, and she would run away and hide in
her mother's arms. 'Shall we remain here long?' she would ask; 'are we
never to escape from misery?'
The queen would answer hopefully, so as to keep up the spirits of the
child, but in her heart hope had died. The absence of the Frog and the
lack of any news from her, together with the long time that had passed
since she had heard anything of the king, filled her with grief and
despair.
By now it had become a regular thing for them to go hunting with the
Lion-Witch. The latter liked good things, and enjoyed the game which
they killed for her. The head or the feet of the quarry was all the
share they got, but there was compensation in being allowed to look
again upon the daylight. The Witch would take the shape of a lioness,
and the queen and her daughter would seat themselves on her back. In
this fashion they ranged the forests a-hunting.
One day, when the king was resting in a forest to which his ring had
guided him, he saw them shoot by like an arrow from the bow. They did
not perceive him, and when he tried to follow them he lost sight of them
completely. The queen was still as beautiful as of old, despite all that
she had suffered, and she seemed to her husband more attractive than
ever, so that he longed to have her with him again. He felt certain that
the young princess with her was his dear little Moufette, and he
resolved to face death a thousand times rather than abandon his
intention of rescuing her.
With the assistance of his ring he penetrated to the gloomy region in
which the queen had been for so many years. His astonishment was great
to find himself descending to the centre of the earth, but with every
new thing that met his eyes his amazement grew greater.
The Lion-Witch, from whom nothing was hid, knew well the day and hour of
his destined arrival. Much did she wish that the powers in league with
her could have ordered things otherwise, but she resolved to pit her
strength against his to the full.
She built a palace of crystal which floated in the midst of the lake of
quicksilver, rising and falling on its waves. Therein she imprisoned the
queen and her daughter, and assembling the monsters, who were all
admirers of Moufette, she gave them this warning:
'You will lose this beautiful princess if you do not help me to keep her
from a gallant who has come to bear her away.'
The monsters vowed that they would do everything in their power, and
forthwith they surrounded the palace of crystal. The less heavy
stationed themselves upon the roofs and walls, others mounted guard at
the doors, while the remainder filled the lake.
Following the dictates of his faithful ring, the king went first to the
Witch's cavern. She was waiting for him in the form of a lioness, and
the moment he appeared she sprang upon him. But she was not prepared for
his valiant swordsmanship, and as she put forth a paw to fell him to
the ground, he cut it off at the elbow-joint. She yelped loudly and
fell over, whereupon he went up to her and set his foot upon her throat,
swearing that he would kill her. Notwithstanding her uncontrollable
rage, and the fact that she had nothing to fear from wounds, she felt
cowed by him.
'What do you seek to do to me?' she asked; 'what do you want of me?'
'I intend to punish you,' replied the king with dignity, 'for having
carried away my wife. Deliver her up to me, or I will strangle you on
the spot.'
'Turn your eyes to the lake,' she answered, 'and see if it lies in my
power to do so.'
The king followed the direction she indicated, and saw the queen and her
daughter in the palace of crystal, where it floated like a boat without
oars or rudder on the lake of quicksilver. He was like to die of mingled
joy and sorrow. He shouted to them at the top of his voice, and they
heard him. But how was he to reach them?
While he pondered a plan for the accomplishment of this, the Lion-Witch
vanished. He ran round and round the lake, but no sooner did the palace
draw near enough, at one point or another, to let him make a spring for
it, than it suddenly receded with menacing speed. As often as his hopes
were raised they were dashed to the ground.
Fearing that he would presently tire, the queen cried to him that he
must not lose courage, for the Lion-Witch sought to wear him down, but
that true love could brave all obstacles. She stretched out imploring
hands, and so did Moufette. At sight of this the king felt his courage
renewed within him. Lifting his voice, he declared that he would rather
live the rest of his life in this dismal region than go away without
them.
Patience he certainly needed, for no monarch in the world ever spent
such a miserable time. There was only the ground, cumbered with briars
and thorns, for bed, and for food he had only wild fruit more bitter
than gall. In addition, he was under the perpetual necessity of
defending himself from the monsters of the lake.
Three years went by in this fashion, and the king could not pretend that
he had gained the least advantage. He was almost in despair, and many a
time was tempted to cast himself into the lake. He would have done so
without hesitation had there been any hope that thereby the sufferings
of the queen and the princess could be alleviated.
One day as he was running, after his custom, from one side of the lake
to the other, he was hailed by one of the ugliest of the dragons. 'Swear
by your crown and sceptre, by your kingly robe, by your wife and child,'
said the monster, 'to give me a certain tit-bit to eat for which I have
a fancy, whenever I shall ask for it, and I will take you on my back:
none of the monsters in this lake which are guarding the palace will
prevent us from carrying away the queen and Princess Moufette.'
'Best of dragons!' cried the king; 'I swear to you, and to all of dragon
blood, that you shall have your fill of whatsoever you desire, and I
will be for ever your devoted servant.'
'Promise nothing which you do not mean to fulfil,' replied the dragon;
'for otherwise life-long misfortunes may overwhelm you.'
The king repeated his assurances, for he was dying of impatience to
regain his beloved queen, and mounted the dragon just as though he were
the most dashing of steeds. But now the other monsters rushed to bar the
way. The combat was joined, and nought was audible save the hissing of
the serpents, nought visible save the brimstone, fire and sulphur, which
were belched forth in every direction.
The king reached the palace at last, but there fresh efforts were
required of him, for the entrances were defended by bats and owls and
ravens. But even the boldest of these was torn to pieces by the dragon,
who attacked them tooth and nail. The queen, too, who was a spectator of
this savage fight, kicked down chunks of the wall, and armed with these
helped her dear husband in the fray. Victory at length rested with them,
and as they flew to one another's arms, the enchantment was brought to
an end by a thunderbolt which plunged into the lake and dried it up.
The friendly dragon vanished, along with all the other monsters, and the
king found himself (by what means he had not the least idea) home again
in his own city, and seated, with his queen and Moufette beside him, in
a splendid dining-hall before a table laid with the richest fare. Never
before was there such amazement and delight as theirs. The populace came
running for a sight of the queen and princess, and to add to the wonder
of it all, the latter was seen to be attired in apparel of such
magnificence that the gaze was almost dazzled by her jewels.
You can easily imagine what festivities now took place at the palace.
There were masquerades, and tournaments with tilting at the ring which
attracted the highest princes from all over the world; even more were
these drawn by the bright eyes of Moufette.
Amongst the handsomest and most accomplished in skill-at-arms, there was
none anywhere who could outshine Prince Moufy. He won the applause and
admiration of all, and Moufette, who had hitherto known only dragons and
serpents, was not backward in according him her share of praise. Prince
Moufy was deeply in love with her, and not a day passed but he showed
her some fresh attention in the hope of gaining her favour. In due
course he offered himself as a suitor, informing the king and queen that
his realm was of a richness and extent that might well claim their
favourable consideration.
The king replied that Moufette should make her own choice of husband,
for his only wish was to please her and make her happy. With this answer
the prince was well satisfied, for he was already aware that the
princess was not indifferent to him. He offered her his hand, and she
declared that if he were not to be her husband, then no other man should
be. Prince Moufy threw himself in rapture at her feet, and exacted,
lover-like, a promise that she would keep her word with him.
The prince and princess were betrothed, and Prince Moufy then returned
to his own realm, in order to make preparations for the marriage.
Moufette wept much at his going, for she was oppressed by an
inexplicable presentiment of evil. The prince likewise was much
downcast, and the queen, noticing this, gave him a portrait of her
daughter with an injunction to curtail the splendour of his preparations
rather than allow his return to be delayed. The prince was nothing loth
to obey her behest, and promised to adopt a course which so well
consulted his own happiness.
The princess amused herself with music during his absence, for in a few
months she had learned to play exceedingly well.
One day, when she was in the queen's apartment, the king rushed in.
Tears were streaming down his face as he took his daughter in his arms
and cried aloud: 'Alas, my child! O wretched father! O miserable king!'
Sobs choked his utterance, and he could say no more.
Greatly alarmed, the queen and princess asked him what had happened, and
at last he got out that there had just arrived an enormously tall giant,
who professed to be an envoy of the dragon of the lake; and that in
pursuance of the promise which the king had given in exchange for
assistance in fighting the monsters, the dragon demanded that he should
give up the princess, as he desired to make her into a pie for dinner.
The king added that he had bound himself by solemn oaths to give the
dragon what he asked--and in the days of which we are telling no one
ever broke his word.
The queen received this dire news with piercing shrieks, and clasped her
child to her bosom. 'My life shall be forfeit,' she cried, 'ere my
daughter is delivered up to this monster. Let him rather take our
kingdom and all that we have. Unnatural father! Is it possible you can
consent to such cruelty? What! My child to be made into a pie! The bare
notion is intolerable! Send this grim envoy to me; it may be the
spectacle of my anguish will soften his heart.'
The king said nothing, but went in quest of the giant. He brought him to
the queen, who flung herself at his feet with her daughter. She begged
him to have mercy, and to persuade the dragon to take all that they
possessed, but to spare Moufette's life. The giant replied, however,
that the matter did not rest with him. The dragon, he said, was so
obstinate, and so addicted to the pleasures of the table, that no power
on earth would restrain him from eating what he had a mind to make a
meal of. Furthermore, he counselled them, as a friend, to yield with a
good grace lest greater ills should be in store. At these words the
queen fainted, and the princess would have been in similar case, if she
had not been obliged to go to the assistance of her mother.
No sooner was the dreadful news known throughout the palace than it
spread all over the city. On all sides there was weeping and wailing,
for Moufette was greatly beloved.
The king could not bring himself to give her up to the giant, and the
latter, after waiting several days, grew restive and began to utter
terrible threats. But the king and queen, taking counsel together, were
agreed. 'What is there worse that could happen to us?' they said; 'if
the dragon of the lake were to come and eat us all up, we could not
suffer more, for if Moufette is put into a pie that will be the end of
us.'
Presently the giant informed them that he had received a message from
the dragon, to the effect that if the princess would agree to marry one
of his nephews, he would spare her life. This nephew was not only young
and handsome, but a prince to boot; and there was no doubt of her being
able to live very happily with him.
This proposal somewhat assuaged their grief, but when the queen
mentioned it to the princess, she found her more ready to face death
than entertain this marriage. 'I cannot break faith just to save my
life,' said Moufette; 'you promised me to Prince Moufy, and I will marry
none else. Let me perish, for my death will enable you to live in
peace.' The king in his turn tried, with many endearments, to persuade
her, but she could not be moved. Finally, therefore, it was arranged
that she should be conducted to a mountain-top, there to await the
dragon.
Everything was made ready for the great sacrificial rite, and nothing so
mournful had ever been seen before. Black garments and pale, distraught
faces were encountered at every turn. Four hundred maidens of the
noblest birth, clad in long white robes and wearing crowns of cypress,
accompanied the princess. The latter was borne in an open litter of
black velvet, that all men might behold the wondrous miracle of her
beauty. Her tresses, tied with crape, hung over her shoulders, and she
wore a crown of jasmine and marigolds. The only thing that seemed to
affect her was the grief of the king and queen, who walked behind her,
overwhelmed with the burden of their sorrow. Beside the litter strode
the giant, armed from top to toe, and looking hungrily at the princess,
as though already he savoured his share of the dish she was to make. The
air was filled with sighs and sobs, and the tears of the spectators made
rivulets along the road.
'O Frog, dear Frog,' cried the queen; 'you have indeed forsaken me! Why
give me help in that dismal place and refuse it to me here? Had I but
died then, I should not now be mourning the end of all my hopes, and I
should have been spared the agony of waiting to see my darling Moufette
devoured.'
Slowly the procession made its way to the summit of the fatal mountain.
On arrival there the cries and lamentations broke out with renewed
force, and a more pitiful noise was never heard before. The giant then
directed that all farewells must be said, and a general withdrawal made,
and his order was obeyed. Folks in those days were docile and obedient,
and never thought of combating ill-fortune.