There
there was a damsel in a white dress, girt with a silver girdle, with a
crown of pearls on her head; she was the most beautiful of all, but was
sad and pale, as if she had risen from the grave. The prince stood long
before the picture, as if he had made a discovery, and as he thus
gazed, his heart pained him, and he cried, "This one will I have, and no
other." As he said the words the damsel bowed her head, blushed like a
rose, and that instant all the pictures disappeared.
When he went down and related to his father what he had seen and which
damsel he had selected, the old king became sad, bethought himself, and
said: "You have done ill, my son, in uncovering what was curtained over,
and have placed yourself in great danger on account of those words. That
damsel is in the power of a wicked wizard, and kept captive in an iron
castle; of all who have attempted to set her free, not one has hitherto
returned. But what's done cannot be undone; the plighted word is a law.
Go! try your luck, and return home safe and sound!"
The prince took leave of his father, mounted his horse, and rode away in
search of his bride. It came to pass that he rode through a vast forest,
and through the forest he rode on and on till he lost the road. And as
he was wandering with his horse in thickets and amongst rocks and
morasses, not knowing which way to turn, he heard somebody shout behind
him, "Hi! stop!" The prince looked round, and saw a tall man hastening
after him.
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