had before been seen; nothing to be met anywhere but black garments, and
pale and horrified faces. Four hundred maidens of the highest rank,
dressed in long white robes, and crowned with cypress, accompanied the
Princess, who was carried in an open litter of black velvet, that all
might look on this masterpiece of beauty. Her hair, tied with crape,
hung over her shoulders, and she wore a crown of jasmine, mingled with a
few marigolds. The grief of the King and Queen, who followed, overcome
by their deep sorrow, appeared the only thing that moved her. The giant,
armed from head to foot, marched beside the litter, and looked with
hungry eye at the Princess, as if anticipating his share of her when she
came to be eaten; the air resounded with sighs and sobs, and the road
was flooded with the tears of the onlookers.
"Ah! Frog, Frog," cried the Queen, "you have indeed forsaken me! Alas!
why did you give me help in that unhappy region, and now withhold it
from me! Would that I had then died, I should not now be lamenting the
loss of all my hopes, I should not now have the anguish of seeing my
dear Moufette on the point of being devoured!" The procession meanwhile
was slowly advancing, and at last reached the summit of the fatal
mountain. Here the cries and lamentations were redoubled, nothing more
piteous had before been heard. The giant ordered everyone to say
farewell and to retire, and they all obeyed him, for in those days,
people were very simple and submissive, and never sought for a remedy in
their misfortunes.
The King and Queen, and all the Court, now ascended another mountain,
whence they could see all that happened to the Princess: and they had
not to wait long, before they saw a Dragon, half a league long, coming
through the air. His body was so heavy that, notwithstanding his six
large wings, he was hardly able to fly; he was covered with immense blue
scales, and poisonous tongues of flame; his tail was twisted into as
many as fifty and a half coils; each of his claws was the size of a
windmill, and three rows of teeth, as long as those of an elephant,
could be seen inside his wide-open jaw. As the Dragon slowly made his
way towards the mountain, the good, faithful Frog, mounted on the back
of a hawk, flew rapidly to Prince Moufy. She wore her cap of roses, and
although he was locked into his private room, she entered without a key,
and said, "What are you doing here, unhappy lover? You sit dreaming of
Moufette's beauty, and at this very moment she is exposed to the most
frightful danger; here is a rose-leaf, by blowing
upon it, I can change it into a superb horse, as you will see."
There immediately appeared a horse, green in colour, and with twelve
hoofs and three heads, of which one emitted fire, another bomb-shells,
and the third cannon-balls. She gave the Prince a sword, eight yards
long, and lighter than a feather. She clothed him with a single diamond,
which he put on like a coat, and which, although as hard as a rock, was
so pliable that he could move in it at his ease. "Go," she said, "run,
fly to the rescue of her whom you love; the green horse I have given
you, will take you to her, and when you have delivered her, let her know
the share I have had in the matter."
"Generous fairy," cried the Prince, "I cannot at this moment show you
all my gratitude; but from henceforth, I am your faithful servitor."
He mounted the horse with the three heads, which instantly galloped off
on its twelve hoofs, and went at a greater rate than three of the best
ordinary horses, so that in a very little time the Prince reached the
mountain, when he found his dear Princess all alone, and saw the Dragon
slowly drawing near. The green horse immediately began to send forth
fire, bomb-shells, and cannon-balls, which not a little astonished the
monster; he received twenty balls in his throat, and his scales were
somewhat damaged, and the bomb-shells put out one of his eyes. He grew
furious, and made as if to throw himself on the Prince; but his long
sword was so finely-tempered, that he could use it as he liked,
thrusting it in at times up to the hilt, and at others using it like a
whip. The Prince, on his side, would have suffered from the Dragon's
claws, had it not been for his diamond coat, which was impenetrable.
Moufette had recognised her lover a long way off, for the diamond that
covered him was transparent and bright, and she was seized with mortal
terror at the danger he was in. The King and Queen, however, were filled
with renewed hope, for it was such an unexpected thing to see a horse
with three heads and twelve hoofs, sending forth fire and flame, and a
Prince in a diamond suit and armed with a formidable sword, arrive at
such an opportune moment, and fight with so much valour. The King put
his hat on the top of his stick, and the Queen tied her handkerchief to
the end of another, as signals of encouragement to the Prince; and all
their Court followed suit. As a fact, this was not necessary, for his
own heart and the peril in which he saw Moufette, were sufficient to
animate his courage. And what efforts did he not make! the ground was
covered with stings, claws, horns, wings, and scales of the Dragon; the
earth was coloured blue and green with the mingled blood of the Dragon
and the horse. Five times the Prince fell to the ground, but each time
he rose again and leisurely mounted his horse, and then there were
cannonades, and rushing of flames, and explosions, such as were never
heard or seen before. The Dragon's strength at last gave way, and he
fell; the Prince gave him a final blow, and nobody could believe their
eyes, when from this last great wound, there stepped forth a handsome
and charming prince, in a coat of blue and gold velvet, embroidered with
pearls, while on his head he wore a little Grecian helmet, shaded with
white feathers. He rushed, his arms outspread, towards Prince Moufy, and
embraced him. "What do I not owe you, valiant liberator?" he cried. "You
have delivered me from a worse prison than ever before enclosed a king;
I have languished there since, sixteen years ago, the Fairy Lioness
condemned me to it; and, such was her power, that she would have forced
me, against my will, to devour that adorable Princess; lead me to her
feet, that I may explain to her my misfortune."
Prince Moufy, surprised and delighted at this extraordinary termination
to his adventure, showered civilities on the newly-found Prince. They
hastened to rejoin Moufette, who thanked Heaven a thousand times for her
unhoped-for happiness. The King, the Queen, and all the Court, were
already with her; everybody spoke at once, nobody listened to anybody
else, and they all shed nearly as many tears of joy as they had before
of grief. Finally, that nothing might be wanting to complete their
rejoicing, the good Frog appeared, flying through the air on her hawk,
which had little bells of gold on its feet. When the tinkle, tinkle, of
these was heard, everyone looked up, and saw the cap of roses shining
like the sun, and the Frog as beautiful as the dawn.
The Queen ran towards her, and took her by one of her little paws, and
in the same moment, the wise Frog became a great Queen, with a charming
countenance. "I come," she cried, "to crown the faithful Moufette, who
preferred to risk her life, rather than be untrue to Prince Moufy." She
thereupon took two myrtle wreaths, and placed them on the heads of the
lovers, and giving three taps with her wand, all the Dragon's bones
formed themselves into a triumphal arch, in commemoration of the great
event which had just taken place.
They all wended their way back to the town, singing wedding songs, as
gaily as they had before mournfully bewailed the sacrifice of the
Princess. The marriage took place the following day, and the joy with
which it was celebrated may be imagined.
PRINCESS ROSETTE
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had two handsome boys;
so well-fed and hearty were they, that they grew like the day.
Whenever the Queen had a child, she sent for the fairies, that she might
learn from them what would be its future lot. After a while she had a
little daughter, who was so beautiful, that no one could see her without
loving her. The fairies came as usual, and the Queen having feasted
them, said to them as they were going away, "Do not forget that good
custom of yours, but tell me what will happen to Rosette"--for this was
the name of the little Princess. The fairies answered her that they had
left their divining-books at home, and that they would come again to see
her. "Ah!" said the Queen, "that bodes no good, I fear; you do not wish
to distress me by foretelling evil; but, I pray you, let me know the
worst, and hide nothing from me." The fairies continued to make excuses,
but the Queen only became more anxious to know the truth. At last the
chief among them said to her, "We fear, madam, that Rosette will be the
cause of a great misfortune befalling her brothers; that they may even
lose their lives on her account. This is all that we can tell you of
the fate of this sweet little Princess, and we are grieved to have
nothing better to say about her." The fairies took their departure, and
the Queen was very sorrowful, so sorrowful that the King saw by her face
that she was in trouble. He asked her what was the matter. She told him
she had gone too near the fire and accidentally burnt all the flax that
was on her distaff. "Is that all?" replied the King, and he went up to
his store-room and brought her down more flax than she could spin in a
hundred years.
But the Queen was still very sorrowful, and the King again asked her
what was the matter. She told him that she had been down to the river
and had let one of her green satin slippers fall into the water. "Is
that all?" replied the King, and he sent for all the shoemakers in the
kingdom, and made the Queen a present of ten thousand green satin
slippers.
Still the Queen was no less sorrowful; the King asked her once more what
was the matter. She told him that, being hungry, she had eaten hastily,
and had swallowed her wedding-ring. The King knew that she was not
speaking the truth, for he had himself put away the ring, and he
replied, "My dear wife, you are not speaking the truth; here is your
ring, which I have kept in my purse." The Queen was put out of
countenance at being caught telling a lie--for there is nothing in the
world so ugly--and she saw that the King was vexed, so she told him what
the fairies had predicted about little Rosette, and begged him to tell
her if he could think of any remedy. The King was greatly troubled, so
much so, that at last he said to the Queen, "I see no way of saving our
two boys, except by putting the little girl to death, while she is still
in her swaddling clothes." But the Queen cried that she would rather
suffer death herself, that she would never consent to so cruel a deed,
and that the King must try and think of some other remedy. The King and
Queen could think of nothing else, and while thus pondering over the
matter, the Queen was told that in a large wood near the town, there
lived an old hermit, who made his home in the trunk of a tree, whom
people went from far and near to consult.
"It is to him I must go," said the Queen; "the fairies told me the evil,
but they forgot to tell me the remedy."
She started early in the morning, mounted on her little white mule, that
was shod with gold, and accompanied by two of her maids of honour, who
each rode a pretty horse. When they were near the wood they dismounted
out of respect, and made their way to the tree where the hermit lived.
He did not much care for the visits of women, but when he saw that it
was the Queen approaching, he said, "Welcome! what would you ask of me?"
She related to him what the fairies had said about Rosette, and asked
him to advise her what to do. He told her that the Princess must be shut
up in a tower, and not be allowed to leave it as long as she lived. The
Queen thanked him, and returned and told everything to the King. The
King immediately gave orders for a large tower to be built as quickly as
possible. In it he placed his daughter, but that she might not feel
lonely and depressed, he, and the Queen, and her two brothers, went to
see her every day. The elder of these was called the big Prince, and the
younger, the little Prince. They loved their sister passionately, for
she was the most beautiful and graceful Princess ever seen, and the
least glance of hers was worth more than a hundred gold pieces. When she
was fifteen years old, the big Prince said to the King, "Father, my
sister is old enough to be married; shall we not soon have a wedding?"
The little Prince said the same to the Queen, but their Majesties
laughed and changed the subject, and made no answer about the marriage.
Now, it happened that the King and Queen both fell very ill, and died
within a few days of one another. There was great mourning; everyone
wore black, and all the bells were tolled. Rosette was inconsolable at
the loss of her good mother.
As soon as the funeral was over, the dukes and marquises of the kingdom
placed the big Prince on a throne made of gold and diamonds; he wore a
splendid crown on his head, and robes of violet velvet embroidered with
suns and moons. Then the whole Court cried out, "Long live the King!"
and now on all sides there was nothing but rejoicing.
Then the young King and his brother said one to another, "Now that we
are the masters, we will release our sister from the tower, where she
has been shut up for such a long and dreary time." They had only to pass
through the garden to reach the tower, which stood in one corner of it,
and had been built as high as was possible, for the late King and Queen
had intended her to remain there always. Rosette was embroidering a
beautiful dress on a frame in front of her, when she saw her brothers
enter. She rose, and taking the King's hand, said, "Good-day, sire, you
are now King, and I am your humble subject; I pray you to release me
from this tower, where I lead a melancholy life," and with this, she
burst into tears. The King embraced her, and begged her not to weep, for
he was come, he said, to take her from the tower, and to conduct her to
a beautiful castle. The Prince had his pockets full of sweetmeats, which
he gave Rosette. "Come," he said, "let us get away from this wretched
place; the King will soon find you a husband; do not be unhappy any
longer."
When Rosette saw the beautiful garden, full of flowers, and fruits, and
fountains, she was so overcome with astonishment, that she stood
speechless, for she had never seen anything of the kind before. She
looked around her, she went first here, then there, she picked the fruit
off the trees, and gathered flowers from the beds; while her little dog,
Fretillon, who was as green as a parrot, kept on running before her,
saying, yap, yap, yap! and jumping and cutting a thousand capers, and
everybody was amused at his ways. Presently he ran into a little wood,
whither the Princess followed him, and here her wonder was even greater
than before, when she saw a large peacock spreading out its tail. She
thought it so beautiful, so very beautiful, that she could not take her
eyes off it. The King and the Prince now joined her, and asked her what
delighted her so much. She pointed to the peacock, and asked them what
it was. They told her it was a bird, which was sometimes eaten. "What!"
she cried, "dare to kill and eat a beautiful bird like that! I tell you,
that I will marry no one but the King of the Peacocks, and when I am
their Queen I shall not allow anybody to eat them." The astonishment of
the King cannot be described. "But, dear sister," said he, "where would
you have us go to find the King of the Peacocks?" "Whither you please,
sire; but him, and him alone, will I marry."
Having come to this decision, she was now conducted by her brothers to
their castle; the peacock had to be brought and put into her room, so
fond was she of it. All the Court ladies who had not before seen Rosette
now hastened to greet her, and pay their respects to her. Some brought
preserves with them, some sugar, and others dresses of woven gold,
beautiful ribbons, dolls, embroidered shoes, pearls, and diamonds.
Everyone did their best to entertain her, and she was so well brought
up, so courteous, kissing their hands, curtseying when anything
beautiful was given to her, that there was not a lord or lady who did
not leave her presence gratified and charmed. While she was thus
occupied, the King and the Prince were turning over in their minds how
they should find the King of the Peacocks, if there was such a person in
the world to be found. They decided that they would have Rosette's
portrait painted; and when completed it was so life-like, that only
speech was wanting. Then they said to her, "Since you will marry no one
but the King of the Peacocks, we are going together to look for him, and
will traverse the whole world to try and find him for you. If we find
him, we shall be very glad. Meanwhile take care of our kingdom until we
return."
Rosette thanked them for all the trouble they were taking; she promised
to govern the kingdom well, and said that, during their absence, her
only pleasure would be in looking at the peacock, and making her little
dog dance. They all three cried when they said good-bye to each other.
So the two Princes started on their long journey, and they asked
everyone whom they met, "Do you know the King of the Peacocks?" but the
reply was always the same, "No, we do not." Each time they passed on and
went further, and in this way they travelled so very, very far, that no
one had ever been so far before.
They came to the kingdom of the cock-chafers; and these were in such
numbers, and made such a loud buzzing, that the King feared he should
become deaf. He asked one of them, who appeared to him to have the most
intelligence, whether he knew where the King of the Peacocks was to be
found. "Sire," replied the cock-chafer, "his kingdom lies thirty
thousand leagues from here; you have chosen the longest way to reach
it." "And how do you know that?" asked the King. "Because," answered the
cock-chafer, "we know you very well, for every year we spend two or
three months in your gardens." Whereupon the King and his brother
embraced the cock-chafer, and they went off arm in arm to dine together,
and the two strangers admired all the curiosities of that new country,
where the smallest leaf of a tree was worth a gold piece. After that,
they continued their journey, and having been directed along the right
way, they were not long in reaching its close. On their arrival, they
found all the trees laden with peacocks, and, indeed, there were
peacocks everywhere, so that they could be heard talking and screaming
two leagues off.
The King said to his brother "If the King of the Peacocks is a peacock
himself, how can our sister marry him? it would be folly to consent to
such a thing, and it would be a fine thing for us to have little
peacocks for nephews." The Prince was equally disturbed at the thought.
"It is an unhappy fancy she has taken into her head," he said. "I cannot
think what led her to imagine that there was such a person in the world
as the King of the Peacocks."
When they entered the town, they saw that it was full of men and women,
and that they all wore clothes made of peacocks' feathers, and that
these were evidently considered fine things, for every place was covered
with them. They met the King, who was driving in a beautiful little
carriage of gold, studded with diamonds, and drawn by twelve peacocks at
full gallop. This King of the Peacocks was so handsome, that the King
and the Prince were delighted; he had long, light, curly hair, fair
complexion, and wore a crown of peacocks' feathers. Directly he saw
them, he guessed, seeing that they wore a different costume to the
people of the country, that they were strangers, and wishing to
ascertain if this was so, he ordered his carriage to stop, and sent for
them.
[Illustration: '_Oh, you are jesting;_' _replied the King of the
Peacocks._ _Princess Rosette_]
The King and the Prince advanced, bowing low, and said, "Sire, we have
come from afar, to show you a portrait." They drew forth Rosette's
portrait and showed it to him. After gazing at it a while, the King of
the Peacocks said, "I can scarcely believe that there is so beautiful a
maiden in the whole world." "She is a thousand times more beautiful,"
said the King. "You are jesting," replied the King of the Peacocks.
"Sire," rejoined the Prince, "here is my brother, who is a King, like
yourself; he is called King, and my name is Prince; our sister, of whom
this is the portrait, is the Princess Rosette. We have come to ask if
you will marry her; she is good and beautiful, and we will give her, as
dower, a bushel of golden crowns." "It is well," said the King. "I will
gladly marry her; she shall want for nothing, and I shall love her
greatly; but I require that she shall be as beautiful as her portrait,
and if she is in the smallest degree less so, I shall make you pay for
it with your lives." "We consent willingly," said both Rosette's
brothers. "You consent?" added the King. "You will go to prison then,
and remain there until the Princess arrives." The Princes made no
difficulty about this, for they knew well that Rosette was more
beautiful than her portrait. They were well looked after while in
prison, and were well served with all they required, and the King often
went to see them. He kept Rosette's portrait in his room, and could
scarcely rest day or night for looking at it. As the King and his
brother could not go to her themselves, they wrote to Rosette, telling
her to pack up as quickly as possible, and to start without delay, as
the King of the Peacocks was awaiting her. They did not tell her that
they were prisoners, for fear of causing her uneasiness.
The Princess scarcely knew how to contain herself with joy, when she
received this message. She told everybody that the King of the Peacocks
had been found, and that he wanted to marry her. Bonfires were lit, and
guns fired, and quantities of sweetmeats and sugar were eaten; everyone
who came to see the Princess, during the three days before her
departure, was given bread-and-butter and jam, rolled wafers, and negus.
After having thus dispensed hospitality to her visitors, she presented
her beautiful dolls to her best friends, and handed over the government
to the wisest elders of the town, begging them to look well after
everything, to spend little, and to save up money for the King on his
return. She also prayed them to take care of her peacock, for with her
she only took her nurse, and her foster-sister, and her little green
dog, Fretillon. They set out in a boat on the sea, carrying with them
the bushel of golden crowns, and sufficient clothes for two changes a
day for ten years. They made merry on their voyage, laughing and
singing, and the nurse kept on asking the boatman if they were nearing
the Kingdom of the Peacocks; for a long time, all he said was, "No, no,
not yet." Then at last, when she asked again, "Are we anywhere near it
now?" he answered, "We shall soon be there, very soon." Once more she
said, "Are we near, are we anywhere near it now?" and he said, "Yes, we
are now within reach of shore." On hearing this, the nurse went to the
end of the boat, and sitting down beside the boatman, said to him, "If
you like, you can be rich for the remainder of your life." He replied,
"I should like nothing better." She continued, "If you like, you can
earn good money." "That would suit me very well," he answered. "Well,"
she went on, "then to-night, when the Princess is asleep, you must help
me throw her into the sea. After she is drowned, I will dress my
daughter in her fine clothes, and we will take her to the King of the
Peacocks, who will only be too pleased to marry her; and as a reward to
you, we will give you as many diamonds as you care to possess." The
boatman was very much astonished at this proposal; he told the nurse
that it was a pity to drown such a pretty Princess, and that he felt
compassion for her; but the nurse fetched a bottle of wine and made him
drink so much, that he had no longer any power to refuse.