The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (interesting novels to read .txt) 📕

affliction, and the King had promised the Princess and half his

kingdom to anyone who could set her free; but there was no one

who could do it, though a great number had tried. So when the

youth had been there for the space of a year or so, he wanted to go

home again to pay his parents a visit; but when he got there his father

and mother were dead, and his brothers had divided everything

that their parents possessed between themselves, so that there was

nothing at all left for him.

`Shall I, then, receive nothing at all of my inheritance?’ asked

the youth.

`Who could know that you were still alive—you who have been

a wanderer so long?’ answered the brothers. `However, there are

twelve mares upon the hills which we have not yet divided among

us, and if you would like to have them for your share, you may take

them.’

So the youth, well pleased with this, thanked them, and at once

set off to the hill where the twelve mares were at pasture. When

he got up there and found them, each mare had her foal, and by the

side of one of them was a big dapple-grey foal as well. which was so

sleek that it shone again.

`Well, my little foal, you are a fine fellow!’ said the youth.

`Yes, but if you will kill all the other little foals so that I can

suck all the mares for a year, you shall see how big and handsome

I shall be then!’ said the Foal.

So the youth did this—he killed all the twelve foals, and then

went back again.

Next year, when he came home again to look after his mares and

the foal, it was as fat as it could be, and its coat shone with brightness,

and it was so big that the lad had the greatest difficulty in

getting on its back, and each of the mares had another foal.

`Well, it’s very evident that I have lost nothing by letting you

suck all my mares,’ said the lad to the yearling; `but now you are

quite big enough, and must come away with me.’

`No,’ said the Colt, `I must stay here another year; kill the

twelve little foals, and then I can suck all the mares this year also,

and you shall see how big and handsome I shall be by summer.’

So the youth did it again, and when he went up on the hill next

year to look after his colt and the mares, each of the mares had her

foal again; but the dappled colt was so big that when the lad wanted

to feel its neck to see how fat it was, he could not reach up to it, it

was so high? and it was so bright that the light glanced off its coat.

`Big and handsome you were last year, my colt, but this year

you are ever so much handsomer,’ said the youth; `in all the King’s

court no such horse is to be found. But now you shall come away

with me.’

`No,’ said the dappled Colt once more; `here I must stay for

another year. Just kill the twelve little foals again, so that I can

suck the mares this year also, and then come and look at me in the

summer.’

So the youth did it—he killed all the little foals, and then went

home again.

But next year, when he returned to look after the dappled colt

and the mares, he was quite appalled. He had never imagined

that any horse could become so big and overgrown, for the dappled

horse had to lie down on all fours before the youth could get on his

back, and it was very hard to do that even when it was lying down,

and it was so plump that its coat shone and glistened just as if it

had been a looking-glass. This time the dappled horse was not

unwilling to go away with the youth, so he mounted it, and when he

came riding home to his brothers they all smote their hands

together and crossed themselves, for never in their lives had they

either seen or heard tell of such a horse as that.

`If you will procure me the best shoes for my horse, and the

most magnificent saddle and bridle that can be found,’ said the

youth, `you may have all my twelve mares just as they are standing

out on the hill, and their twelve foals into the bargain.’ For

this year also each mare had her foal. The brothers were quite

willing to do this; so the lad got such shoes for his horse that the

sticks and stones flew high up into the air as he rode away over the

hills, and such a gold saddle and such a gold bridle that they could

be seen glittering and glancing from afar.

`And now we will go to the King’s palace,’ said Dapplegrim—

that was the horse’s name, `but bear in mind that you must ask the

King for a good stable and excellent fodder for me.’

So the lad promised not to forget to do that. He rode to the

palace, and it will be easily understood that with such a horse as he

had he was not long on the way.

When he arrived there, the King was standing out on the steps,

and how he did stare at the man who came riding up!

`Nay,’ said he, `never in my whole life have I seen such a man

and such a horse.’

And when the youth inquired if he could have a place in the

King’s palace, the King was so delighted that he could have danced

on the steps where he was standing, and there and then the lad was

told that he should have a place.

`Yes; but I must have a good stable and most excellent fodder

for my horse,’ said he.

So they told him that he should have sweet hay and oats, and as

much of them as the dappled horse chose to have, and all the other

riders had to take their horses out of the stable that Dapplegrim

might stand alone and really have plenty of room.

But this did not last long, for the other people in the King’s

Court became envious of the lad, and there was no bad thing that

they would not have done to him if they had but dared. At last

they bethought themselves of telling the King that the youth had

said that, if he chose, he was quite able to rescue the Princess who

had been carried off into the mountain a long time ago by the

Troll.

The King immediately summoned the lad into his presence, and

said that he had been informed that he had said that it was in his

power to rescue the Princess, so he was now to do it. If he

succeeded in this, he no doubt knew that the King had promised his

daughter and half the kingdom to anyone who set her free, which

promise should be faithfully and honourably kept, but if he failed

he should be put to death. The youth denied that he had said this,

but all to no purpose, for the King was deaf to all his words; so there

was nothing to be done but say that he would make the attempt.

He went down into the stable, and very sad and full of care

he was. Then Dapplegrim inquired why he was so troubled, and

the youth told him, and said that he did not know what to do, `for

as to setting the Princess free, that was downright impossible.’

`Oh, but it might be done,’ said Dapplegrim. `I will help you;

but you must first have me well shod. You must ask for ten pounds

of iron and twelve pounds of steel for the shoeing, and one smith to

hammer and one to hold.’

So the youth did this, and no one said him nay. He got both

the iron and the steel, and the smiths, and thus was Dapplegrim

shod strongly and well, and when the youth went out of the King’s

palace a cloud of dust rose up behind him. But when he came to

the mountain into which the Princess had been carried, the difficulty

was to ascend the precipitous wall of rock by which he was to get

on to the mountain beyond, for the rock stood right up on end, as

steep as a house side and as smooth as a sheet of glass. The first

time the youth rode at it he got a little way up the precipice, but

then both Dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down came horse and

rider with a sound like thunder among the mountains. The next

time that he rode at it he got a little farther up, but then one of

Dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down they went with the sound

of a landslip. But the third time Dapplegrim said: `Now we must

show what we can do,’ and went at it once more till the stones

sprang up sky high, and thus they got up. Then the lad rode into

the mountain cleft at full gallop and caught up the Princess on his

saddle-bow, and then out again before the Troll even had time to

stand up, and thus the Princess was set free.

When the youth returned to the palace the King was both

happy and delighted to get his daughter back again, as may easily

be believed, but somehow or other the people about the Court had

so worked on him that he was angry with the lad too. `Thou shalt

have my thanks for setting my Princess free,’ he said, when the

youth came into the palace with her, and was then about to go away.

She ought to be just as much my Princess as she is yours now,

for you are a man of your word,’ said the youth.

`Yes, yes,’ said the King. `Have her thou shalt, as I have said

it; but first of all thou must make the sun shine into my palace

here.’

For there was a large and high hill outside the windows which

overshadowed the palace so much that the sun could not shine in.

`That was no part of our bargain,’ answered the youth. `But

as nothing that I can say will move you, I suppose I shall have to

try to do my best, for the Princess I will have.’

So he went down to Dapplegrim again and told him what the

King desired, and Dapplegrim thought that it might easily be

done; but first of all he must have new shoes, and ten pounds of

iron and twelve pounds of steel must go to the making of them,

and two smiths were also necessary, one to hammer and one to

hold, and then it would be very easy to make the sun shine into

the King’s palace.

The lad asked for these things and obtained them instantly,

for the King thought that for very shame he could not refuse to

give them, and so Dapplegrim got new shoes, and they were good

ones. The youth seated himself on him, and once more they went

their way, and for each hop that Dapplegrim made, down went the

hill fifteen ells into the earth, and so they went on until there was

no hill left for the King to see.

When the youth came down again to the King’s palace he

asked the King if the Princess should not at last