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

completely routed that malicious old Carabosse. Will you believe it!

she actually wanted to claim authority over you for ever, because

you came out of the tower four days before the twenty years were

ended. However, I think I have settled her pretensions, and I

hope you will be very happy and enjoy the freedom I have won for

you.’

The Princess thanked her heartily, and then the Fairy despatched

one of her peacocks to her palace to bring a gorgeous robe for

Mayblossom, who certainly needed it, for her own was torn to shreds

by the thorns and briars. Another peacock was sent to the Admiral

to tell him that he could now land in perfect safety, which he at

once did, bringing all his men with him, even to Jack-the-Chatterer,

who, happening to pass the spit upon which the Admiral’s dinner

was roasting, snatched it up and brought it with him.

Admiral Cocked-Hat was immensely surprised when he came

upon the golden chariot, and still more so to see two lovely ladies

walking under the trees a little farther away. When he reached

them, of course he recognised the Princess, and he went down on

his knees and kissed her hand quite joyfully. Then she presented

him to the Fairy, and told him how Carabosse had been finally

routed, and he thanked and congratulated the Fairy, who was most

gracious to him. While they were talking she cried suddenly:

`I declare I smell a savoury dinner.’

`Why yes, Madam, here it is,’ said Jack-the-Chatterer, holding

up the spit, where all the pheasants and partridges were frizzling.

`Will your Highness please to taste any of them?’

`By all means,’ said the Fairy, `especially as the Princess will

certainly be glad of a good meal.’

So the Admiral sent back to his ship for everything that was

needful, and they feasted merrily under the trees. By the time

they had finished the peacock had come back with a robe for the

Princess, in which the Fairy arrayed her. It was of green and gold

brocade, embroidered with pearls and rubies, and her long golden

hair was tied back with strings of diamonds and emeralds, and

crowned with flowers. The Fairy made her mount beside her in

the golden chariot, and took her on board the Admiral’s ship, where

she bade her farewell, sending many messages of friendship to the

Queen, and bidding the Princess tell her that she was the fifth

Fairy who had attended the christening. Then salutes were fired,

the fleet weighed anchor, and very soon they reached the port.

Here the King and Queen were waiting, and they received the

Princess with such joy and kindness that she could not get a word

in edgewise, to say how sorry she was for having run away with

such a very poor spirited Ambassador. But, after all, it must have

been all Carabosse’s fault. Just at this lucky moment who should

arrive but King Merlin’s son, who had become uneasy at not

receiving any news from his Ambassador, and so had started himself

with a magnificent escort of a thousand horsemen, and thirty

body-guards in gold and scarlet uniforms, to see what could have

happened. As he was a hundred times handsomer and braver

than the Ambassador, the Princess found she could like him very

much. So the wedding was held at once, with so much splendour

and rejoicing that all the previous misfortunes were quite forgotten.[1]

[1] La Princesse Printaniere. Par Mme. d’Aulnoy.

THERE was once upon a time a couple of folks who had a son

called Halvor. Ever since he had been a little boy he had been

unwilling to do any work, and had just sat raking about among the

ashes. His parents sent him away to learn several things, but

Halvor stayed nowhere, for when he had been gone two or three

days he always ran away from his master, hurried off home, and

sat down in the chimney corner to grub among the ashes again.

One day, however, a sea captain came and asked Halvor if he

hadn’t a fancy to come with him and go to sea, and behold foreign

lands. And Halvor had a fancy for that, so he was not long in

getting ready.

How long they sailed I have no idea, but after a long, long time

there was a terrible storm, and when it was over and all had become

calm again, they knew not where they were, for they had been

driven away to a strange coast of which none of them had any

knowledge.

As there was no wind at all they lay there becalmed, and Halvor

asked the skipper to give him leave to go on shore to look about

him, for he would much rather do that than lie there and sleep.

`Dost thou think that thou art fit to go where people can see

thee?’ said the skipper; `thou hast no clothes but those rags thou

art going about in!’

Halvor still begged for leave, and at last got it, but he was to

come back at once if the wind began to rise.

So he went on shore, and it was a delightful country;

whithersoever he went there were wide plains with fields and meadows,

but as for people, there were none to be seen. The wind began to

rise, but Halvor thought that he had not seen enough yet, and that

he would like to walk about a little longer, to try if he could not

meet somebody. So after a while he came to a great highway, which

was so smooth that an egg might have been rolled along it without

breaking. Halvor followed this, and when evening drew near he

saw a big castle far away in the distance, and there were lights in

it. So as he had now been walking the whole day and had not

brought anything to eat away with him, he was frightfully hungry.

Nevertheless, the nearer he came to the castle the more afraid

he was.

A fire was burning in the castle, and Halvor went into the kitchen,

which was more magnificent than any kitchen he had ever yet beheld.

There were vessels of gold and silver, but not one human

being was to be seen. When Halvor had stood there for some time,

and no one had come out, he went in and opened a door, and inside

a Princess was sitting at her wheel spinning.

`Nay!’ she cried, `can Christian folk dare to come hither? But

the best thing that you can do is to go away again, for if not the

Troll will devour you. A Troll with three heads lives here.’

`I should have been just as well pleased if he had had four heads

more, for I should have enjoyed seeing the fellow,’ said the youth;

`and I won’t go away, for I have done no harm, but you must give

me something to eat, for I am frightfully hungry.’

When Halvor had eaten his fill, the Princess told him to try if

he could wield the sword which was hanging on the wall, but he

could not wield it, nor could he even lift it up.

`Well, then, you must take a drink out of that bottle which is

hanging by its side, for that’s what the Troll does whenever he goes

out and wants to use the sword,’ said the Princess.

Halvor took a draught, and in a moment he was able to swing

the sword about with perfect ease. And now he thought it was

high time for the Troll to make his appearance, and at that very

moment he came, panting for breath.

Halvor got behind the door.

`Hutetu!’ said the Troll as he put his head in at the door. `It

smells just as if there were Christian man’s blood here!’

`Yes, you shall learn that there is!’ said Halvor, and cut off all

his heads.

The Princess was so rejoiced to be free that she danced and sang,

but then she remembered her sisters, and said: `If my sisters were

but free too!’

`Where are they?’ asked Halvor.

So she told him where they were. One of them had been taken

away by a Troll to his castle, which was six miles off, and the other

had been carried off to a castle which was nine miles farther off still

`But now,’ said she, `you must first help me to get this dead

body away from here.’

Halvor was so strong that he cleared everything away, and made

all clean and tidy very quickly. So then they ate and drank, and

were happy, and next morning he set off in the grey light of dawn.

He gave himself no rest, but walked or ran the livelong day.

When he came in sight of the castle he was again just a little afraid.

It was much more splendid than the other, but here too there was

not a human being to be seen. So Halvor went into the kitchen,

and did not linger there either, but went straight in.

`Nay! do Christian folk dare to come here?’ cried the second

Princess. `I know not how long it is since I myself came, but during

all that time I have never seen a Christian man. It will be better for

you to depart at once, for a Troll lives here who has six heads.’

`No, I shall not go,’ said Halvor; `even if he had six more I

would not.’

`He will swallow you up alive,’ said the Princess.

But she spoke to no purpose, for Halvor would not go; he was

not afraid of the Troll, but he wanted some meat and drink, for he

was hungry after his journey. So she gave him as much as he

would have, and then she once more tried to make him go away.

`No,’ said Halvor, `I will not go, for I have not done anything

wrong, and I have no reason to be afraid.’

`He won’t ask any questions about that,’ said the Princess, `for

he will take you without leave or right; but as you will not go, try

if you can wield that sword which the Troll uses in battle.’

He could not brandish the sword; so the Princess said that he

was to take a draught from the flask which hung by its side, and

when he had done that he could wield the sword.

Soon afterwards the Troll came, and he was so large and stout

that he was forced to go sideways to get through the door. When

the Troll got his first head in he cried: `Hutetu! It smells of a

Christian man’s blood here!’

With that Halvor cut off the first head, and so on with all the

rest. The Princess was now exceedingly delighted, but then she

remembered her sisters, and wished that they too were free. Halvor

thought that might be managed, and wanted to set off immediately;

but first he had to help the Princess to remove the Troll’s body, so

it was not until morning that he set forth on his way.

It was a long way to the castle, and he both walked and ran to

get there in time. Late in the evening he caught sight of it, and it

was very much more magnificent than either of the others. And

this time he was not in the least afraid, but went into the kitchen,

and then straight on inside the castle. There a Princess was sitting,

who was so beautiful that there was never anyone to equal her. She