The Count of Mar's Daughter
On a beautiful summer day, the daughter of Count Mar ran out of the castle into the garden, skipping with joy. There, she ran, frolicked, and occasionally stopped to listen to the birds singing. But then she sat down in the shade of a green oak tree, looked up, and saw a cheerful dove perched high on a branch.“Little dove, little dove,” she called, “come down to me, my dear! I will take you home, put you in a golden cage, and love and cherish you more than anyone in the world!”
No sooner had she spoken these words than the dove flew down from the branch, landed on her shoulder, and nestled against her neck. She smoothed its feathers and carried it home to her room.
The day faded, and night fell. The daughter of Count Mar was about to go to bed when she turned around and saw a handsome young man standing before her. She was very surprised—after all, she had locked her door long ago. But she was a brave girl and asked:
“What do you want here, young man? Why have you come and frightened me? My door has been bolted for hours. How did you get in?”
“Hush, hush!” whispered the young man. “I am the little dove you lured from the tree.”
“Then who are you?” she asked softly. “And how did you turn into a sweet little bird?”
“My name is Florentin,” the young man replied. “My mother is a queen, and more than a queen—she knows magic. I refused to obey her, so she turned me into a dove. But at night, her spells weaken, and I become human again. Today, I flew across the sea, saw you for the first time, and was glad that I was a bird, for it allowed me to approach you. But if you do not love me, I will never know happiness again!”
“And if I do love you, will you not fly away and leave me?” she asked.
“Never, never!” replied the prince. “Marry me, and I will be yours forever. A bird by day and a man by night—I will always be with you.”
And so, they secretly married and lived happily in the castle. No one knew that the little dove turned into Prince Florentin at night. Each year, they had a son, so beautiful that words could not describe him. But as soon as the boy was born, Prince Florentin would carry him on his back across the sea to his mother, the queen, and leave the child with her.
Seven years passed, and then a great misfortune befell them. Count Mar decided to marry his daughter to a nobleman who had proposed to her. Her father pressured her to agree, but she said:
“Dear father, I do not wish to marry. I am happy here with my little dove.”
Enraged, the count swore:
“I swear by my life, I will wring that bird’s neck tomorrow!”
He stamped his foot and left the room.
“Oh, God, I must fly away!” said the dove. And so, he flew up to the windowsill and took off. He flew and flew—across the deep, deep sea, farther and farther, until he reached his mother’s castle. At that very moment, the queen-mother stepped into the garden and saw the dove—it flew over her head and landed on the castle’s fortress wall.
“Quickly, dancers!” called the queen. “Dance a jig! And you, pipers, play merrily on your pipes. My dear Florentin has returned! He has come back to me forever—for this time, he has not brought a beautiful boy with him.”
“Ah, no, mother,” said Florentin, “I do not need dancers or pipers! My beloved wife, the mother of my seven sons, is to be married off tomorrow, and that day will be a day of sorrow for me.”
“How can I help you, my son?” asked the queen. “Tell me, and I will do everything within my magical power.”
“Then, dear mother: you have twenty-four dancers and pipers in your service—turn them all into gray herons. Let my seven sons become seven white swans, and I will turn into a hawk and lead them.”
“Alas, alas, my son! That is impossible!” objected the queen. “It is beyond the power of my spells. But perhaps my mentor, the sorceress Ostri, will know what to do.”
And the queen-mother hurried to Ostri’s cave. Soon, she emerged, pale as death, holding a bundle of burning herbs in her hands. She whispered incantations over the herbs, and suddenly the dove turned into a hawk, surrounded by twenty-four gray herons, while seven young swans soared above them.
Without delay, they all flew across the deep blue sea. The sea churned and groaned beneath them. But they flew on and on until they reached Count Mar’s castle, just as the wedding procession was heading to the church. Armed horsemen led the way, followed by the groom’s friends and Count Mar’s vassals, then the groom himself, and finally the pale and beautiful daughter of Count Mar.
Slowly, to the sound of solemn music, they moved forward until they neared the trees where the birds were perched. Then Florentin the hawk let out a cry, and all the birds rose into the air—the herons flew low, the young swans above them, and the hawk circled highest of all. The wedding guests marveled at the birds, when suddenly—whoosh!—the herons swooped down and scattered the horsemen. The young swans surrounded the bride, and the hawk pounced on the groom, tying him to a tree. Then the herons gathered into a tight flock, and the swans laid their mother on their backs like a soft featherbed. The birds soared into the sky and carried the bride to Prince Florentin’s castle.
And so, the birds disrupted the wedding! Such a wonder had never been seen before. As for the wedding guests? All they could do was watch as the beautiful bride was carried farther and farther away, until the herons, swans, and hawk disappeared from sight.
That very same day, Prince Florentin brought the daughter of Count Mar to his mother’s castle, and the queen lifted the spell from her son. They all lived happily ever after.
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