The prince and the princess in the forest

e went to the bank and sat down again; and by-and-by, as the day was hot, the princess fell asleep. As the prince watched her he suddenly saw something shining on her neck. It was a little golden lamp that gave out a bright light, and it hung from a golden chain. The prince thought he would like to examine it more closely, so he unfastened the chain, but as he did so the lamp fell to the ground. Before he could pick it up a hawk flew in, snatched up the little lamp and flew away again with it. The prince set off in pursuit, and ran on and on without being able to catch the bird, until at length he had lost his way. Trying to find it, he wandered on, up and down, until he came to the forest where he had found the princess.
Meantime, the princess woke up, and finding herself alone she set out to look for him. In the end she also lost her way, and as she was walking about, not knowing what to do, the robbers captured her and took her back to the cave from which the prince had rescued her. So there they were after all their trouble — no better off than before !
The prince wandered on, trying to find his way back to Arabia, until he chanced one day to meet twelve youths, walking gaily through the forest, singing and laughing. `Where are you going ?` he asked. And they told him they were looking for work.
`I`ll join you, if I may,` said the prince. And they answered: `The more the merrier.`
Then the prince went with them, and they all journeyed on until they met an old troll.
`Where are you going, my masters ?` asked the troll.
`To seek service,` they told him.
`Then come and serve me,` he said; `there will be plenty to eat and drink, and not much work to do, and if, at the end of a year, you can answer three questions, I`ll give you each a sack of gold. Otherwise you must be turned into beasts.`
The youths thought this sounded easy enough, so they went home with the troll to his castle.
`You will find all that you want here,` he said; `and all you need do is to take care of the house, for I am going away, and shall only return when the year is over.`
Then he went away, and the young men, left to themselves, had a fine time of it; for they did no work, and only amused themselves with singing and drinking. Every day they found the table laid with good things to eat and drink, and when they had finished, the plates and dishes were cleared away by invisible hands. Only the prince, who was sad for his lost princess, ate and drank sparingly, and worked hard keeping the house in order.
One day, as he sat in his own room, he heard the voice of the old troll beneath his window talking to another troll.
`To-morrow,` said he, `the year is up.`
`And what questions will you ask ?` inquired the other.
`First I shall ask how long they have been here — they don`t know, the young fools ! Secondly I shall ask what shines on the roof of the castle.`
`And what is that ?`
`The lamp that was stolen by me from the princess as she slept in the garden.`
`And what is the third question ?`
`I shall ask where the food and drink they consume every day come from. I steal it from the king`s table; but they don`t know that.`
The day after, the troll entered.
`Now I shall ask my questions,` said he. `To begin with: How long have you been here ?`
The young men had been so busy drinking and making merry that they had forgotten all about the agreement, so they remained silent.
`One week,` said one, at last.
`Two months,` guessed another. But the prince answered, `One year.`
`Right,` replied the troll. But the second question was more difficult.
`What is it that shines on the roof ?`
The young men guessed and guessed. `The sun — the moon.` But none of them really knew.
`May I answer ?` asked the prince.
`Yes, certainly,` replied the troll; and the prince spoke.
`The lamp that you stole from the princess whilst she was asleep in the garden.` And again the troll nodded.
The third question was harder still.
`Where does the meat and drink you have had here come from ?`
None of the young men could guess.
`May I say ?` asked the prince.
`Yes, if you can,` replied the troll.
`It comes from the king`s table,` said the prince.
And that was all. Now they might take the sacks of gold and go, and the young men went off in such a hurry that the prince was left behind. Presently, they met an old man who asked for money.
`No, we haven`t any,` they answered.
So they hurried on, and by-and-by up came the prince.
`Has your lordship a piece of money for a poor man ?` asked the old fellow.
`Yes,` said the prince, and gave him his whole sackful.
`I don`t want it,` said the old man, who was really the troll they had just left in disguise. `But since you`re so generous, here is the princess`s lamp, and the princess herself is in the cave where you found her; but how you`re going to save her again without the magic sword I don`t know.`
When he heard that, the prince knew where she was; and that was the beginning of her rescue. So he disguised himself to look like a pedlar and travelled on until he reached his own city, where his mother, the queen, and the robber-chief were living. Then he went in to a goldsmith`s shop and ordered a great number of kitchen pots to be made out of pure gold. That was not an order the goldsmith had every day, but the things were ready at last, saucepans and kettles and gridirons all of pure gold. Then the prince put them in his basket and went up to the palace, and asked to see the queen.
Directly she heard about the wonderful gold pots and pans she came out at once, and began unpacking the basket and admiring the things. She was so absorbed in them that the prince soon found an opportunity to steal into the bedroom and take the sword and shirt which were hung there, and go back again without his mother having noticed his absence.
`The things are all beautiful !` she said. `How much would you take for them ?`
`Name your own price, your majesty,` answered the prince.
`I really don`t know what to say,` said the queen. `Wait till my husband comes back — men understand such things better; and then, as you are a stranger, he would like to chat with you a little.` The prince bowed, and waited silently in a corner.
Soon after the robber returned.
`Come and see all these lovely gold saucepans !` cried the queen.
But, as the robber entered the room, the prince touched him with the magic sword, and he fell to the ground.
`Perhaps, now you know me, mother,` the prince said, taking off his disguise, `you had better repent for all the `wrong you have done me, or your life will be short.`
`Oh, have mercy !` she cried, `I could not help it. I was so frightened.`
The prince had mercy. He ordered the wicked king to be stripped of his fine clothes, and to be driven into the forest, where the wild beasts tore him to pieces. The queen he sent to her own country. Then he set off for the cave where the princess was sitting chained as before, and with the help of the magic sword he rescued her again without any difficulty. They soon reached the port and set sail for Arabia, where they were married; and till they died, a long while after, they reigned happily over bothcountries.