up in his capital, he could not continually send messengers to the
Queen. At last, however, after several sorties, he obliged the besiegers
to retire, and he rejoiced at his success less on his own account, than
on that of the Queen, whom he could now bring back in safety. He was in
total ignorance of the disaster which had befallen her, for none of his
officers had dared to tell him of it. They had been into the forest and
found the remains of the chariot, the runaway horses, and the driving
apparel which she had put on when going to find her husband. As they
were fully persuaded that she was dead, and had been eaten by wild
beasts, their only care was to make the King believe that she had died
suddenly. On receiving this mournful intelligence, he thought he should
die himself of grief; he tore his hair, he wept many tears, and gave
vent to his bereavement in every imaginable expression of sorrow, cries,
sobs, and sighs. For some days he would see no one, nor allow himself to
be seen; he then returned to his capital, and entered on a long period
of mourning, to which the sorrow of his heart testified more sincerely
than even his sombre garments of grief. All the surrounding kings sent
their ambassadors charged with messages of condolence; and when the
ceremonies, indispensable to these occasions, were over, he granted his
subjects a period of peace, exempting them from military service, and
helping them, in every possible way, to improve their commerce.
The Queen knew nothing of all this. Meanwhile a little Princess had been
born to her, as beautiful as the Frog had predicted, to whom they gave
the name of Moufette. The Queen had great difficulty in persuading the
fairy to allow her to bring up the child, for so ferocious was she, that
she would have liked to eat it. Moufette, a wonder of beauty, was now
six months old; the Queen, as she looked upon her with a tenderness
mingled with pity, continually said: "Ah! if your father could see you,
my poor little one, how delighted he would be! how dear you would be to
him! But even, already, maybe, he has begun to forget me; he believes,
no doubt, that we are lost to him in death; and perhaps another fills
the place in his heart, that once was mine."
These sorrowful reflections caused her many tears; the Frog, who truly
loved her, seeing her cry like this, said to her one day: "If you would
like me to do so, madam, I will go and find the King, your husband; the
journey is long, and I travel but slowly; but, sooner or later, I shall
hope to arrive." This proposal could not have been more warmly received
than it was; the Queen clasped her hands, and made Moufette clasp hers
too, in sign of the gratitude she felt towards Madam Frog, for offering
to undertake the journey. She assured her that the King also would not
be ungrateful; "but," she continued, "of what use will it be to him to
know that I am in this melancholy abode; it will be impossible for him
to deliver me from it?" "Madam," replied the Frog, "we must leave that
to Heaven; we can only do that which depends on ourselves."
They said good-bye to one another; the Queen sent a message to the King,
written with her blood on a piece of rag; for she possessed neither ink
nor paper. She begged him to give attention to everything the good Frog
told him, and to believe all she said, as she was bringing him news of
herself.
The Frog was a year and four days climbing up the ten thousand steps
which lead from the dark country, in which she had left the Queen, up
into the world; it took her another year to prepare her equipage, for
she had too much pride to allow herself to appear at the Court like a
poor, common frog from the marshes. She had a little sedan-chair made,
large enough to hold two eggs comfortably; it was covered on the outside
with tortoise-shell, and lined with lizard-skin; then she chose fifty
maids of honour, these were the little green frogs which hop about the
meadows; each was mounted on a snail, furnished with a light saddle, and
rode in style with the leg thrown over the saddle-bow; several
water-rats, dressed as pages, ran before the snails, as her body-guard;
in short, nothing so pretty had ever been seen before, and to crown it
all, her cap of crimson roses, always fresh and in full bloom, suited
her in the most admirable manner. She was a bit of a coquette in her
way, so she felt obliged to add a little rouge and a few patches; some
said that she was painted as were many ladies of that country, but
inquiries into the matter proved that this report had only been spread
by her enemies.
The journey lasted seven years, during which time the poor Queen went
through unspeakable pains and suffering, and if it had not been for the
beautiful Moufette, who was a great comfort to her, she would have died
a hundred times over. This wonderful little creature could not open her
mouth or say a word, without filling her mother with delight; indeed,
everybody, with the exception of the Fairy Lioness, was enchanted with
her; at last, when the Queen had lived six years in this horrible place,
the fairy said that, provided everything she killed was given to her,
she might go hunting with her.
The joy of the Queen at once more seeing the sun may be imagined. So
unaccustomed had she grown to its light, that at first she thought it
would blind her. As for Moufette, she was so quick and intelligent, that
even at five or six years of age, she never failed to hit her mark, and
so, in this way, the mother and daughter succeeded in somewhat lessening
the ferocity of the fairy.
The Frog travelled over mountains and valleys, never stopping day or
night; at last she drew near the capital, where the King was in
residence. She was surprised to see dancing and festivity in every
direction; there was laughter and singing, and the nearer she got to
the town, the more joyous and jubilant the people seemed. Her rural
equipage caused great astonishment, everyone went after it, and so large
had the crowd become by the time she had reached the town, that she had
great difficulty in making her way to the palace. Here everything was as
magnificent as possible, for the King, who had been a widower for nine
years, had at last yielded to the prayers of his subjects, and was on
the eve of marriage with a Princess, less beautiful, it is true, than
his wife, but not the less agreeable for that.
The kind Frog, having descended from her sedan-chair, entered the royal
presence, followed by her attendants. She had no need to ask for
audience, for the King, his affianced bride, and all the princes, were
all much too curious to know the reason of her coming, to think of
interrupting her. "Sire," said she, "I hardly know if the news I bring
you will give you joy or sorrow; the marriage which you are about to
celebrate, convinces me of your infidelity to the Queen."
"Her memory is dear to me as ever," said the King, unable to prevent the
falling of a tear or two; "but you must know, kind frog, that kings are
not always able to do what they wish; for the last nine years, my
subjects have been urging me to marry; I owe them an heir to the throne,
and I have therefore chosen this young Princess, who appears to me all
that is charming." "I advise you not to marry her, for the Queen is not
dead; I bring you a letter from her, written with her own blood. A
little daughter, Moufette, has been born to you, more beautiful than
the heavens themselves." The King took the rag, on which the Queen had
scrawled a few words; he kissed it, he bathed it in his tears, he showed
it to the whole assembly, saying that he recognised his wife's
handwriting; he asked the Frog a thousand questions, which she answered
with vivacity and intelligence.
The betrothed Princess, the ambassadors who had come to be present at
the marriage, began to pull long faces. One of the most important of the
guests turned to the King, and said, "Sire, can you think of breaking so
solemn an engagement, on the word of a toad like that? This scum of the
marshes has the insolence to come and tell lies before the whole Court,
for the pleasure of being heard!" "Know, your Excellency," replied the
Frog, "that I am no scum of the marshes, and since I am forced to
exhibit my powers: Come forth, fairies all!" And thereupon all the
frogs, rats, snails, lizards, with the frog at their head, suddenly
appeared; not, however, in the usual form of these reptiles, but with
tall, majestic figures, pleasing countenances, and eyes more brilliant
than stars; each wore a jewelled crown on his head, and over his
shoulders a regal mantle of velvet, lined with ermine, with a long train
which was borne by dwarfs. At the same time was heard the sound of
trumpets, kettle-drums, hautboys, and drums, filling the air with
melodious and warlike music, and all the fairies began to dance a
ballet, their every step so light, that the slightest spring lifted them
to the vaulted ceiling of the room. The King and his future Queen,
surprised as they were at this, were no less astonished, when they saw
all these fairy ballet dancers suddenly change into flowers, jasmine,
jonquils, violets, pinks, and tube roses, which still continued to dance
as if they had legs and feet. It was like a living flower-bed, of which
every movement delighted both the eye and the sense of smell. Another
moment, and the flowers had disappeared; in their place several
fountains threw their waters into the air and fell into an artificial
lake at the foot of the castle walls; this was covered with little
painted and gilded boats, so pretty and dainty that the Princess invited
the ambassadors to go for a trip on the water. They were all pleased to
do so, thinking it was all a merry pastime, which would end happily in
the marriage festivities. But they had no sooner embarked, than the
boats, water, and fountains disappeared, and the frogs were frogs again.
The King asked what had become of the Princess; the Frog replied, "Sire,
no queen is yours, but your wife; were I less attached to her than I am,
I should not interfere; but she is so deserving, and your daughter
Moufette is so charming that you ought not to delay a moment in going to
their deliverance." "I assure you, Madam Frog," said the King, "that if
I did not believe my wife to be dead, there is nothing in the world I
would not do to see her again." "After the wonders I have shown you,"
she replied, "it seems to me that you ought to be more convinced of the
truth of what I have told you. Leave your kingdom in charge of
trustworthy men, and start without delay. Here is a ring which will
furnish you with the means of seeing the Queen, and of speaking with
the Fairy Lioness, although she is the most terrible creature in the
world."
The King departed, refusing to have anyone to accompany him, after
making handsome presents to the Frog: "Do not be discouraged," she said
to him; "you will meet with terrible difficulties, but I hope that you
will succeed according to your wishes." Somewhat comforted by her words,
the King started in search of his dear wife, with no other guide than
his ring.
As Moufette grew older, her beauty became more perfect, and all the
monsters of the quicksilver lake fell in love with her; and the dragons,
with their hideous and terrifying forms, came and lay at her feet.
Although Moufette had seen them ever since she was born, her beautiful
eyes could not accustom themselves to the sight of these creatures, and
she would run away and hide in her mother's arms. "Shall we remain here
long?" she asked her; "is there to be no end to our misery?" The Queen
spoke hopefully in order to cheer her child, but in her heart she had no
hope; the absence of the Frog, her unbroken silence, the long time that
had elapsed since she had news of the King, all these things filled her
with sorrow and despair.
The Fairy Lioness had gradually made it a practice to take them with her
hunting. She was fond of good things, and liked the game they killed for
her, and although all they got in return was the gift of the head or the
feet, it was something to be allowed to see again the light of day. The
fairy took the form of a lioness, the Queen and her daughter seated
themselves on her back, and thus they went hunting through the forests.
The King happened to be resting in a forest one day, whither his ring
had guided him, and saw them pass like an arrow shot from the bow; he
was unseen of them, and when he tried to follow them, they vanished
completely from his sight. Notwithstanding the constant trouble she had
been in, the Queen still preserved her former beauty; she appeared to
her husband more charming than ever. He longed for her to return to him,
and feeling sure that the young Princess who was with her was his dear
little Moufette, he determined to face a thousand deaths, rather than
abandon his design of rescuing her.
By the help of his ring, he found his way into the obscure region where
the Queen had been so many years; he was not a little surprised when he
found himself descending to the centre of the earth, but every fresh
thing he saw astonished him more and more. The Fairy Lioness, who knew
everything, was aware of the day and the hour when he would arrive; she
would have given a great deal if the powers in league with her had
ordained otherwise; but she determined at least to oppose his strength
with the full might of her own.
She built a palace of crystal, which floated in the centre of the lake
of quicksilver, and rose and fell with its waves. In it she imprisoned
the Queen and her daughter, and then harangued all the monsters who were
in love with Moufette. "You will lose this beautiful Princess," she said
to them, "if you do not help me to protect her from a knight who has
come to carry her away." The monsters promised to leave nothing in their
power undone; they surrounded the palace of crystal; the lightest in
weight took their stations on the roof and walls; the others kept guard
at the doors, and the remainder in the lake.
The King, advised by his faithful ring, went first to the Fairy's Cave;
she was awaiting him in her form of lioness. As soon as he appeared she
threw herself upon him; but he handled his sword with a valour for which
she was not prepared, and as she was putting out one of her paws to fell
him to the earth, he cut it off at the joint just where the elbow comes.
She uttered a loud cry and fell over; he went up to her, put his foot on
her throat and swore that he would kill her, and in spite of her
ungovernable fury and invulnerability, she felt a little afraid. "What
do you wish to do with me?" she asked. "What do you want of me?" "I wish
to punish you," he replied proudly, "for having carried away my wife,
and you shall give her up to me or I will strangle you on the spot."
"Look towards the lake," she said, "and see if I have the power to do
so." The King turned in the direction towards which she pointed, and saw
the Queen and her daughter in the palace of crystal, which was floating
like a vessel, without oars or rudder, on the lake of quicksilver. He
was ready to die with mingled joy and sorrow; he called to them with all
his might, and they heard him, but how was he to reach them? While
thinking over the means by which he might accomplish this, the Fairy
Lioness disappeared. He ran round and round the lake, but whenever the
palace came close enough to him, on one side or the other, for him to
spring upon it, it suddenly floated away again with terrible swiftness,
and so his hopes were continually disappointed. The Queen, fearing he
would at length grow weary, called to him not to lose courage, that the
Fairy Lioness wanted to tire him out, but that true love knew how to
face all difficulties. She and Moufette then stretched out their hands
towards him with imploring gestures. Seeing this, the King was filled
with renewed courage, and raising his voice, he said that he would
rather pass the remainder of his life in this melancholy region than go
away without them. He needed great patience, for no king on earth ever
spent such a wretched time before. He had only the ground, covered with
briars and thorns, for his bed; his food consisted of wild fruits, more
bitter than gall, and he was incessantly engaged in defending himself
from the monsters of the lake.
Three years passed in this manner, and the King could not flatter
himself that he had gained the least advantage; he was almost in
despair, and over and over again was tempted to throw himself in the
lake, and he would certainly have done so if he could have thought that
by such a deed he might alleviate the sufferings of the Queen and the
Princess. He was running one day as usual, first to one side of the lake
then to the other, when one of the most hideous of the dragons called
him, and said to him: "If you will swear to me by your crown and
sceptre, by your royal mantle, by your wife and child, to give me,
whenever I shall ask for it, a certain delicate morsel to eat, for which
I have a taste, I will take you on my back, and I promise you that none
of the monsters of this lake, who guard the palace, shall prevent us
from carrying off the Queen and Princess Moufette."
"Ah! my beloved Dragon!" cried the King, "I swear to you, and to all the
family of dragons, that I will give you your fill to eat of what you
like, and will for ever remain your humble servant." "Do not make any
promises," replied the Dragon, "if you have any thought of not
fulfilling them; for, in that case, misfortunes will fall upon you that
you will not forget as long as you live." The King renewed his
protestations; he was dying of impatience to get possession of his dear
Queen. He mounted on the Dragon's back, as if it was the finest horse in
the world, but the other monsters now advanced to bar his passage. They
fought together, nothing was to be heard but the sharp hissings of the
serpents, nothing to be seen but fire, and sulphur, and saltpetre,
falling in every direction. At last the King reached the palace, but
here his efforts had to be renewed, for the entrances were defended by
bats, owls, and ravens; however, the Dragon, with his claws, his teeth
and tail, cut to pieces even the boldest of these. The Queen, on her
side, who was looking on at this fierce encounter, kicked away pieces of
the wall, and armed herself with these to help her dear husband. They
were at last victorious; they ran into one another's arms, and the work
of disenchantment was completed by a thunderbolt, which fell into the
lake and dried it up.
The friendly Dragon had disappeared with all the other monsters, and the
King, by what means he could not guess, found himself again in his own
capital, seated, with his Queen and Moufette, in a magnificent
dining-hall, with a table spread with exquisite meats in front of them.
Such joy and astonishment as theirs were unknown before. All their
subjects ran in to see the Queen and the young Princess, who, to add to
the wonder of it all, was so superbly dressed, that the eye could hardly
bear to look upon her dazzling jewels.
It is easy to imagine the festivities that now went on at the castle;
masquerades, running at the ring, and tournaments attracted the greatest
princes in the world; but even more were they attracted by the bright
eyes of Moufette. Among those who were the handsomest and most
accomplished in feats of arms, Prince Moufy everywhere was the most
conspicuous. He was universally admired and applauded, and Moufette, who
hitherto had been only in the company of dragons and serpents, did not
withhold her share of praise. No day passed but Prince Moufy showed her
some fresh attention, in the hope of pleasing her, for he loved her
deeply; and having offered himself as a suitor, he made known to the
King and Queen, that his principality was of a beauty and extent that
deserved their special attention.
The King replied that Moufette was at liberty to choose a husband, and
that he only wished to please her and make her happy. The Prince was
delighted with this answer, and having already become aware that he was
not indifferent to the Princess, offered her his hand. She assured him
that if he was not her husband, no other man should be, and Moufy,
overcome with joy, threw himself at her feet, and in affectionate terms
begged her to remember the promise she had given him. The Prince and
Princess were betrothed, and Prince Moufy then returned to his
principality to make preparations for the marriage. Moufette shed many
tears at his departure, for she was troubled with a presentiment of evil
which she could not explain. The Queen, seeing that the Prince was also
overcome with sorrow, gave him the portrait of her daughter, and begged
him rather to lessen the magnificence of the preparations than to delay
his return. The Prince, only too ready to obey such a command, promised
to comply with what would be for his own happiness.
The Princess occupied herself during his absence with her music, for she
had, in a few months, learnt to play well. One day, when she was in the
Queen's room, the King rushed in, his face bathed in tears, and taking
his daughter in his arms: "Alas, my child," he cried. "Alas! wretched
father, unhappy King!" He could say no more, for his voice was stifled
with sobs. The Queen and Princess, in great alarm, asked him what was
the matter, and at last he was able to tell them that a giant of an
enormous height, who gave himself out to be an ambassador from the
Dragon of the lake, had just arrived; that in accordance with the
promise, made by the King in return for the help he had received in
fighting the monsters, the Dragon demanded him to give up the Princess,
as he wished to make her into a pie for his dinner; the King added that
he had bound himself by solemn oaths to give him what he asked, and in
those days no one ever broke his word.
When the Queen heard this dreadful news, she uttered piercing cries, and
clasped her child to her breast. "My life shall be taken," she said,
"before my daughter shall be delivered up to that monster; let him
rather take our kingdom and all that we possess. Unnatural father! can
you possibly consent to such a cruel thing? What! my child made into a
pie! The thought of it is intolerable! Send me this terrible ambassador,
maybe the sight of my anguish may touch his heart."
The King made no reply, but went in search of the giant and brought him
to the Queen, who threw herself at his feet. She and her daughter
implored him to have mercy upon them, and to persuade the Dragon to take
everything they possessed, and to spare Moufette's life; but the giant
replied that the matter did not rest with him, and that the Dragon was
so obstinate and so fond of good things, that all the powers combined
would not prevent him eating whatever he had taken into his head he
would like for a meal. He further advised them, as a friend, to consent
with a good grace, as otherwise greater evils might arise. At these
words the Queen fainted, and the Princess, had she not been obliged to
go to her mother's assistance, would have done the same.
No sooner was the sad news spread through the palace, than the whole
town knew it. Nothing was heard but weeping and wailing, for Moufette
was greatly beloved. The King could not make up his mind to give her to
the giant, and the giant, who had already waited some days, began to
grow impatient, and to utter terrible threats. The King and Queen,
however, said to each other, "What worse thing could happen to us? If
the Dragon of the lake were to come and devour us all we could not be
more distressed; if Moufette is put into a pie, we are lost."
The giant now told them that he had received a message from his master,
and that if the Princess would agree to marry a nephew of his, the
Dragon would let her live; that the nephew was young and handsome; that,
moreover, he was a Prince, and that she would be able to live with him
very happily. This proposal somewhat lessened their grief; the Queen
spoke to the Princess, but found her still more averse to this marriage
than to the thought of death. "I cannot save my life by being
unfaithful," said Moufette. "You promised me to Prince Moufy, and I will
marry no one else; let me die; my death will ensure the peace of your
lives." The King then came and endeavoured with all the tenderest of
expressions to persuade her; but nothing moved her, and finally it was
decided that she should be conducted to the summit of a mountain, and
there await the Dragon.