The Armless Maiden
Long, long ago, many years ago, there lived a brother and sister. The sister was a very sweet, fair-haired girl with a kind heart. She was like a ray of sunshine, and her name was Lusik, which in Armenian means "ray of light."Lusik's brother got married and brought his wife into the house. When the wife saw how everyone admired, respected, and loved Lusik, she harbored resentment toward her. A dark envy settled in her heart. She began to spread all sorts of rumors, lies, and dirty gossip about Lusik, bringing her to tears every day.
Lusik's brother did his best to support his sister. He never came home empty-handed: sometimes he brought Lusik flowers, sometimes he bought her a new dress, or some other gift.
And Lusik would feel better. She would become cheerful and happy again, the beautiful girl everyone admired, respected, and loved. And during those moments, the sister-in-law would simply burn with envy and malice.
She decided to get rid of Lusik. One day, when her husband went to work, she turned all the furniture in the house upside down, broke all the dishes and kitchenware she could, and then stood by the front door, crossed her arms, and waited for her husband to return.
When she saw him coming, she wrung her hands in despair and began to scream:
"Woe, woe to us! Everything we had—your beloved little sister turned it all upside down and broke all the dishes!"
"Don't cry so bitterly, my dear wife. We can buy all these things again. So what if a plate broke? We'll get another one. But if we break Lusik's heart, we'll never find another one like her."
The wife realized that her evil plan had failed. The next day, when her husband went to work, she took his beloved horse and led it to the distant meadows. There she abandoned the horse and returned home, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, waiting for her husband to return.
"Woe, woe to us! Your darling sister took your beloved horse to graze and lost it in the distant meadows. She just wants to ruin our home!"
"That's no trouble," replied the husband. "It's just a horse. If it's lost, I'll work even harder, earn money, and buy another one. But can you buy another sister?"
When the wicked wife realized that this plan had also failed, she was overcome with indescribable rage. Anger consumed her, and she committed a terrible crime. One night, she killed her own child, who was sleeping in the cradle, and hid the bloody knife among Lusik's belongings. Then she began to tear her hair and wail:
"Oh, woe is me! My child, my innocent, beloved child!..."
The brother and sister woke up and saw that the child had been killed in the cradle. Their hearts nearly broke from grief. But who could have committed such a monstrous act?
"Who did this?" screamed the wife. "No one else was in the house. Let's search around, maybe we'll find the murder weapon and figure out who the killer is!"
Everyone agreed and began to search. Finally, they found the bloody knife among Lusik's belongings. It was unbelievable, but it was true!
"Ah! It's your darling sister!" cried the evil wife, tears streaming down her face.
She tore her hair, scratched her face until it bled, and wailed through her tears in a voice not her own:
"Oh, my child, my precious one! Oh, my only child!..."
By morning, the terrible news had spread throughout the area. People were outraged and offended by such a vile crime. In their anger, they demanded punishment for the murderer. The mother of the dead child wept and called for justice. The unfortunate, innocent Lusik was imprisoned.
When the trial took place, the judge's verdict was to cut off both of Lusik's hands. Some time after the sentence was carried out, after her wounds had healed, Lusik was taken to a distant forest and left there.
Lusik began to wander through the dense forest, wandering among the huge trees. Struggling through bushes and fallen branches, she tore her clothes to shreds. Mosquitoes mercilessly bit her, and forest bees stung her painfully—she no longer had hands to swat them away. Finally, she found refuge in the hollow trunk of a large tree.
It so happened that the king's son was hunting in those very woods. His hunting dogs surrounded the tree where Lusik was hiding and began to bark. The prince and his entourage thought the dogs had cornered some wild beast. They began to command the dogs to drive it out.
"Don't set the dogs on me, my lord," cried the girl. "I am a human, not a beast."
"If you are human, then come out," said the prince.
"I cannot, I am completely naked, I am ashamed."
The prince dismounted, took off his cloak, and gave it to one of his servants to bring to the tree.
After putting on the cloak, Lusik emerged from her hiding place. She was so beautiful that any man would forget everything in the world upon seeing such beauty. The prince was enchanted.
"Who are you, fair maiden, and why are you hiding here in the hollow trunk of this tree?"
"I am just an ordinary girl. I am all alone in this world. I used to have a home. I had a brother, but his wife drove me away."
"I won't leave you in such distress," said the prince.
He took Lusik with him and told his parents that he loved her dearly and asked them to prepare everything for the wedding ceremony.
"And if you do not bless us," he said, "I cannot be responsible for myself. I might do something reckless."
"My son," said the queen, "there are so many wonderful girls in the world, daughters of princes, ministers, and ambassadors. They are all rich and beautiful. Why do you want to marry a girl who has no hands, no home, no clothes?"
"Yes, you are right, Mother. But this is the girl I will love for the rest of my life."
The king and queen summoned wise men from all over the kingdom and asked them for advice: could they allow their son to marry this armless girl or not? The wise men answered that love between a man and a woman is born in their hearts:
- It seems to us that your son's love for this girl has ignited their hearts with divine fire. This means that their union is pleasing to God.
Hearing this advice, the king and queen agreed with it. They blessed the wedding of their son and Lusik. The wedding feast lasted seven days and seven nights. The prince and Lusik became husband and wife.
Some time later, the prince had to travel to distant lands. During his absence, Lusik gave birth to a beautiful boy with golden hair. The king and queen were so joyful, as if they had been given the whole world. They wrote a joyful letter and gave it to a messenger to deliver to the prince.
On his journey, the messenger had to spend the night in the village where Lusik's brother and his wife lived. As it happened, he stayed overnight in their house. While talking with the hosts, he told them about the mission he was on to deliver the letter to the prince and how the prince had met his wife. The evil sister-in-law immediately realized who he was talking about.
At midnight, she got up from bed, took the letter from the messenger's pocket, and threw it into the fire. Then she wrote a new one and put it back in his pocket. The letter said: "After you left home, your wife gave birth to a monster. We are disgraced before the people and the whole world. Write to us, what should we do?"
This letter was delivered to the prince by the messenger. When he read it, he was struck as if by lightning. He wrote to his parents: "Perhaps this is my fate. What God gives me is mine. Do not say anything bad to my wife, do not hurt her. Wait for my return." He gave the letter to the messenger and sent him back.
On the way, the messenger had to stop again at the house of Lusik's brother and his wife. The evil sister-in-law, once again at midnight, sneaked to the messenger's belongings, took the reply letter from his pocket, read it, and tore it to pieces. Instead, she put her own letter, which said: "No matter what my wife has given birth to, tie the child to her chest and cast them out. When I return, I do not want to see her in the house. If you do not do as I ask, there will be trouble."
When the king and queen received the letter, they wept. They felt very sorry for Lusik and their grandson, but they felt they had to do as their son asked. Tying the child to his mother's chest, they led Lusik out of the palace, crying as if at a funeral.
The grief-stricken mother began to wander with her child. She walked through forests and wastelands and finally stumbled into a barren desert.
There, she was completely exhausted. She was hungry and thirsty. Suddenly, Lusik saw a well on her path. She approached it and looked in—the water was very close. But as soon as she bent down to drink, her son untied himself and fell into the well. Bitterly, bitterly, Lusik cried out, when suddenly she heard someone behind her say:
- Do not be afraid, little one, do not be afraid, dear one. Get the child out of the well, save him.
Turning around, Lusik saw an old man with a long gray beard reaching to his waist.
- How can I save the baby, father? - Lusik sobbed. - I have no arms!
- You will pull him out! You can do it. Yes! You have arms. Pull him out!
Lusik bent down and—oh, miracle!—with her own hands, she pulled the child out of the well. She turned to thank the old man, but he was gone.
Meanwhile, the prince returned home and learned the truth about what had happened. He refused to enter his father's palace and instead rushed off in search of his wife and son. He asked everyone he met along the way about them. Finally, he met a traveler:
- Good day, - the prince greeted him.
- May the Lord keep you, - the stranger replied.
- Where are you headed?
- I am looking for my sister.
- And I am looking for my wife and our son. Let us search together.
So they began to search for their loved ones together. They wandered through different countries for not one, not two, and not three years. But they could not find those they were looking for. They could not even find a trace of them: there were no news, neither bad nor good.
Once, they stopped at an inn. It was in the area where Lusik's brother's village was located nearby. While the prince rested at the inn, his companion—who was Lusik's brother—went to the village to fetch his wife. They returned with their belongings and settled at the inn, hoping to hear some news from passing travelers.
Meanwhile, a poorly dressed woman with a little boy also stopped at the same inn. This woman knew many different stories. The guests, gathering in the evenings, asked her to tell them something—it made time pass more pleasantly. So the prince said to his companion:
- Let us talk to this woman and her child. Maybe we will learn something.
This idea did not sit well with the prince's companion's wife. She grumbled that the mother and child staying at the inn were taking up too much space. And in general, they were very bothersome and should leave. Nevertheless, the prince insisted, and they invited the woman and her child.
Entering the room, she modestly sat down by the wall. Her little son settled next to her. The prince said:
- We cannot sleep tonight, sister. Perhaps you know some fairy tales or legends. If you like, tell us, and we will gladly listen.
The woman replied:
- I know fairy tales, but I will tell you a true story. This happened in our time, and it is a very instructive tale. If you do not mind, prepare to listen.
- Yes, of course, tell us this story.
And the beggar woman began her tale:
- As I said, this story happened in our time. So, there once lived a brother and sister. The brother got married and brought a wife into the house, who turned out to be a very evil and envious woman.
At that moment, the face of the companion's wife twitched. She jumped up from her seat and exclaimed:
- What nonsense! What kind of ridiculous story is this?
- What's wrong with you? Why are you interrupting the story? – her brother Lusik stopped his wife.
And turning to the storyteller, he continued:
- Please, go on with your story.
The beggar woman continued:
- The sister was a kind girl. Everyone respected and loved her. And her brother, whenever he came home, would always bring her a gift – a bouquet of flowers, fruits, or some new piece of clothing. He was always very kind to her. But the fiancée was consumed by envy. She began to plot, intending to destroy the poor girl.
- What kind of vile things are you telling us? – the companion's wife interrupted the storyteller again.
- What's wrong with you, really? Let's listen to the story until the end. And you, sister, don't pay attention, continue your tale.
The beggar woman continued:
- The wicked sister-in-law was very inventive in her evil deeds. So, one day, she turned the whole house upside down, broke the dishes, and blamed it all on her husband's sister. Another time, she lost her husband's best horse in the distant meadows. And again, she blamed the poor girl. When she realized that her malicious tricks were not working, she resorted to crime. She killed her own child, who was sleeping in the cradle. And she hid the bloody knife among the girl's belongings…
- Shut your mouth, you brazen liar. What kind of tale is this? Who would believe a story about a mother killing her own child? – the woman angrily interrupted the storyteller once again.
- You're interrupting again, – her husband protested. – Let her speak, I really want to know what happened next.
The beggar woman continued her story:
- A trial took place. The innocent girl was sentenced to have her hands cut off. Helpless, she was thrown into the forest far from her home. Grieving and suffering from pain, she wandered through the thick forest. It so happened that the king's son was hunting in those parts. He met this girl in the forest and fell in love with her at first sight. After some time, the prince married her. Soon, due to state affairs, he had to go abroad. Meanwhile, his wife gave birth to a child – a beautiful boy with golden hair. The king and queen wrote a letter to their son, telling him about this joy. The messenger who was supposed to deliver the letter, by chance, stopped for the night at the house of the armless girl's brother. At night, while everyone was asleep, the evil sister-in-law replaced the letter. In the forged letter, it said that the prince's wife had given birth to a monstrous creature…
- Come on, wrap up your story. Enough of this nonsense. Not only do I not want to listen to you anymore, I can't even stand the sight of you! – Lusik's wife shouted angrily.
- Brother, tell your wife to be quiet. Let's listen further – the story is very interesting – the prince requested.
The beggar woman continued:
- The king's son, upon receiving the letter, was heartbroken. He, in turn, wrote a letter to his parents, asking them to wait for his return home and to take care of his wife and child. On his way back, the messenger stopped at the same house again. The evil sister-in-law managed to replace the letter once more. In the forged letter, she wrote: "Whoever my wife has given birth to, tie the child to her chest and cast them out. When I return, I do not want to see her in the house. If you do not do as I ask, there will be trouble." When the prince's parents received this letter, although they loved their daughter-in-law and grandson, they did as their son supposedly instructed. They cast out both the mother and the child.
- What the hell is she doing here? Get out! – the wife screamed.
- Enough! – both the husband and the prince shouted at her. – And you, sister, continue, tell us what happened next. – they turned to the storyteller.
The beggar woman resumed her story:
- When the prince returned home, he learned the whole truth. And he set out to search for his wife and son. During his search, he met the brother of the armless girl, who was also searching for his sister. They began to wander together, but they never found those they were looking for. In the end, they stopped at a large roadside inn…
- You're lying! – the wife screamed.
And her husband and the prince held their breath, waiting for the end of the story.
And the beggar woman concluded her tale:
- Hungry, in rags, the poor girl wandered the world with her golden-haired son. Exhausted and parched with thirst, she approached the door of a large roadside inn. Here, in the inn, her brother and her husband took pity on her. They invited her in and asked her to tell them a story.
Lusik's wife broke into hysterics.
- Lusik, my dear, is that you? – the prince exclaimed, his cheeks flushed.
- Lusik, my little one… – her brother wept.
- Yes, I am Lusik. And you are my brother and my husband. And next to me is my golden-haired boy. And this woman is that evil sister-in-law.
And such joy came over them that it cannot be described. After a long search, they found each other.
And the evil sister-in-law was tied to the tail of an unbroken mare and driven out into the field…
People say that when innocent blood was spilled in those places, thorny bushes and brambles grew. When bitter tears were shed, a lake formed. If you look at it closely, you can sometimes see a child sleeping in a cradle and a knife lying by the pillow in the depths of its waters.
They also say that in those places there is a monastery where a woman kneels and prays and prays endlessly.
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