The Enchanted Princess

In a certain kingdom, a soldier served in the king's mounted guard. He served faithfully and truthfully for twenty-five years, and as a reward for his good conduct, the king ordered that he be honorably discharged and given the very horse he had ridden, along with all its trappings.

The soldier took leave of his comrades and set out for home. He traveled for a day, then a second, and a third. Before he knew it, a whole week had passed, then a second and a third week. The soldier had no money; he had nothing to eat for himself and nothing to feed his horse, and his home was still far, far away. Realizing his dire situation, he felt terribly hungry. He looked around and saw a great castle in the distance. "Well," he thought, "I'd better go there. Maybe they'll take me in for a time to serve, and I'll earn something."

He turned toward the castle, rode into the courtyard, put his horse in the stable, gave it hay, and entered the castle. Inside, a table was set with food and wine—everything one could wish for. The soldier ate and drank heartily, then thought, "Now I can sleep."

But all at once, a bear came in. "Fear me not, brave hero," it said. "You have come at the right time. I am not a savage bear, but a fair maiden, an enchanted princess. If you can endure and spend three nights in this place, the enchantment will be broken, I will be a princess again, and I will marry you."

The soldier agreed. Then a great sadness fell upon him, so heavy that he could hardly bear to look at the world, and it grew worse every moment. If it hadn't been for the wine, he couldn't have held out even one night. The second night was so hard that he resolved to leave everything and run away, but no matter how he struggled, he could find no way out of the castle. He was forced to stay despite himself.

He survived the third night. In the morning, a princess of unspeakable beauty stood before him. She thanked him for his service and told him to prepare for the wedding. They were married without delay and began to live together without care or trouble. After a time, the soldier remembered his homeland and wanted to visit. The princess tried to persuade him to stay.

"Remain, stay here, my friend, don't go away. What do you lack?"

But she could not convince him. She took leave of her husband, gave him a sack filled with seeds, and said, "On whatever road you travel, throw these seeds on both sides. Wherever they fall, trees will spring up instantly, bearing precious fruit. Beautiful birds will sing songs, and tom-cats from across the sea will tell tales."

The good soldier mounted his trusty steed and rode off. As he journeyed, he cast seeds on both sides, and forests rose behind him, just creeping out of the damp earth. He rode for one day, then another, then a third, and in the open field he saw a caravan. Merchants were sitting on the grass playing cards, and nearby hung a great kettle. Though there was no fire under it, the kettle was boiling like a fountain. "What a wonder!" thought the soldier. "There's no fire, yet the kettle boils. Let me take a closer look." He turned his horse toward the merchants and rode up to them.

"Hail, honorable gentlemen!" he said, not suspecting that they were not true merchants but unclean spirits. "That's a clever trick—a kettle boiling without fire. But I have a better one." He took out a seed and threw it on the ground. Instantly a full-grown tree sprang up, bearing precious fruit, with birds singing and tom-cats telling tales. At this boast, the unclean spirits recognized him.

"Ah," they said among themselves, "this is the man who liberated the princess! Come, brothers, let's drug him with a magic weed so he'll sleep for half a year." They entertained him and slipped the weed into his food and drink. The soldier fell to the grass and sank into a deep sleep from which nothing could rouse him. The merchants, the caravan, and the kettle vanished in a twinkle.

Soon after, the princess went into her garden and saw that the tops of all the trees had begun to wither. "This bodes no good," she thought. "It seems harm has come to my husband."

Three months passed. It was time for him to return, but there was no sign of him. So the princess prepared for a journey and went to search for him. She followed the road he had taken, where forests grew on both sides, birds sang, and tom-cats purred their tales. She reached a spot where the trees ended abruptly, and the road wound out into the open field. She wondered, "Where could he have gone? He hasn't sunk into the earth, surely."

Then she noticed, off to one side, one of the wonderful trees standing alone, and under it lay her dear husband. She ran to him, pushed him, and tried to rouse him, but he would not wake. She pinched him, stuck pins into his side, pricked and pricked him. He felt no pain and lay like a corpse, motionless. The princess grew angry, and in her anger she pronounced a spell: "May the wild whirlwind catch you, you good-for-nothing sleepyhead, and carry you to places unknown!"

The moment she spoke, the wind began to whistle and howl. In a flash, the soldier was lifted by a raging whirlwind and swept away from her sight. She realized too late that she had spoken a terrible curse. She wept bitter tears, returned home, and lived alone and lonely.

The poor soldier was carried by the whirlwind far, far away, beyond the thrice-ninth land to the thirtieth kingdom, and dropped on a tiny point of land between two seas. He landed on the narrowest of wedges. If he turned right or rolled left, he would tumble into the sea and surely drown.

The good soldier slept for half a year, not moving a finger, and when he woke, he sprang to his feet and looked around. The waves rolled as far as the eye could see. He stood there, wondering, "How did I get here? Who dragged me to this place?" He turned from the point and came to an island, where a steep, lofty mountain touched the clouds, with a great stone on top. As he approached, he saw three devils fighting, blood flowing and flesh flying.

"Stop, you wretches! What are you fighting over?" he called.

"See, our father died three days ago and left three wonderful things: a flying carpet, swift-moving boots, and a cap of invisibility. We cannot divide them."

"Oh, you cursed fools, fighting over such trifles! If you wish, I'll divide them between you, and you'll be satisfied. I'll offend no one."

"Well then, countryman, divide them for us, if you please."

"Very well. Run quickly through the pine forest and gather a hundred poods of pitch, and bring it here."

The devils rushed off, gathered three hundred poods of pitch, and brought it to the soldier.

"Now, bring me the largest kettle from your kingdom." The devils fetched a huge kettle that held forty barrels, and they put the pitch into it. The soldier built a fire, and when the pitch was boiling, he ordered the devils to carry it up the mountain and pour it out from top to bottom. The devils did this in a flash.

"Now," said the soldier, "push that stone there. Let it roll down the mountain, and follow it. Whoever catches up with it first may take any of the three things. Whoever comes second may choose from the remaining two, and the last wonder goes to the third."

The devils pushed the stone, and it rolled quickly. The first devil caught up and seized the stone, but it turned and crushed him into the pitch. The second and third devils met the same fate, all firmly stuck in the boiling pitch.

The soldier then took the swift boots and the cap of invisibility, sat on the flying carpet, and flew off to search for his homeland. He traveled far and wide until he came to a hut. Inside sat a Baba-Yaga, old and toothless, with a bone leg.

"Greetings, grandmother! Can you tell me how to find my fair princess?" he asked.

"I haven't seen her or heard of her," she replied. "But go beyond many seas and lands, and there lives my second sister. She knows more than I do. Perhaps she can help you."

The soldier flew on his carpet. He wandered over the white world for a long time. Whenever he needed food or drink, he put on the cap of invisibility, descended to a shop, took what he wanted, then flew on. He came to the second hut and entered. Inside sat another Baba-Yaga, also old and toothless.

"Greetings, grandmother! Do you know how I can find my fair princess?"

"No, my dove, I do not know."

"Ah, you old hag! You've lived so many years, yet all your teeth are gone and you know nothing!" He flew on toward the eldest sister.

He wandered for a long time, crossing many seas and lands, until he reached the end of the world. There stood a hut with no road beyond—only darkness. "Well," he thought, "if I can't get an answer here, there's nowhere else to go." He entered the hut. A gray, toothless Baba-Yaga sat inside.

"Greetings, grandmother! Tell me where I must seek my princess."

"Wait a moment. I will call all my winds together and ask them. They blow over the whole world, so they must know where she lives now."

The old woman went out on the porch, cried out with a loud voice, and gave a mighty whistle. Straightaway, stormy winds gathered from all sides, and the hut quivered.

"Quieter, quieter!" cried Baba-Yaga. Once the winds had assembled, she asked, "My stormy winds, you blow throughout the world. Have you seen the beautiful princess anywhere?"

"We have not seen her," they answered in unison.

"Are you all here?"

"All but South Wind."

Soon South Wind flew up. The old woman asked, "Where have you been all this time? I could hardly wait for you."

"Pardon me, grandmother. I went to a new kingdom where the beautiful princess is living. Her husband has vanished, so many tsars and tsars' sons, kings and kings' sons are courting her."

"And how far is it to that kingdom?"

"A man on foot would take thirty-five years, ten years on the wing. But if I blow, I can carry a person there in three hours."

The soldier tearfully begged South Wind to take him there.

"I will," said South Wind, "provided you let me run freely through your kingdom for three days and three nights afterward."

"Frolic for three weeks if you like!"

"Well, I'll rest for a few days to gather my strength, and then we'll go."

South Wind rested, and when he was ready, he said, "Well, brother, we'll depart. But don't be afraid; you'll arrive safely."

Suddenly a mighty whirlwind whisked the soldier into the air and carried him over mountains and seas, up to the clouds. In exactly three hours, he arrived in the new kingdom where his beautiful princess lived. South Wind said, "Farewell, good hero. Out of compassion, I will not frolic in your kingdom."

"Why not?"

"If I frolic, not a single house will remain standing, and not a tree in the gardens—I'd turn everything upside down."

"Farewell, then; may God keep you," said the soldier. He put on his cap of invisibility and made his way to the white-walled castle. While he had been away, all the trees in the garden had withered at the tops, but the moment he appeared, they came alive and began to bloom. He entered the great hall, where many tsars and kings sat at the table, courting the princess. They were enjoying sweet wines. But whenever a guest raised his glass to his lips, the soldier, invisible, would strike it from his hand. All the guests marveled, but the princess understood at once.

"Surely my friend is here," she thought. She looked out the window and saw the tree tops alive and blooming. Then she gave the guests a riddle: "I had a home-made casket with a golden key. I lost this key and did not expect to find it, but now it has found itself. Whoever guesses this riddle, him will I marry."

The tsars and kings racked their wise heads, but none could solve it.

At last the princess said, "Show yourself, dear friend."

The soldier removed his cap of invisibility, took her by the hand, and kissed her sweetly.

"Here is the answer," said the princess. "I am the home-made casket, and my faithful husband is the golden key."

The suitors had to turn their wagon shafts around and go home. The princess and her husband lived together happily ever after, and their wealth grew.

THE END.