Beautiful Jeanneton

Once upon a time, there lived a French king and queen, and they had a son as beautiful as the sun. Every morning, at the break of dawn, the young man would go hunting, accompanied by a hundred huntsmen and seven hundred dogs. And he always returned before sunset.

But one evening, the horse of the king's son returned alone: its master had become separated from his servants and gotten lost in the forest. The night was dark, and the wolves howled.

The son of the French king climbed to the top of a huge oak tree and began to watch the four winds of the heavens. Not a thing could be seen.

Then the son of the French king descended from the top of the huge oak, lay down on the ground, and fell asleep with his sword drawn in his hand. When he woke up, the sun was already rising, and the birds were singing.

All day long, the son of the French king wandered through the dense forest. He drank from a stream and ate grasses and wild fruits. Then the dark night fell again. The wolves howled.

The son of the French king climbed to the top of the huge oak tree once more and watched the four winds of the heavens. Still, nothing could be seen.

Then he descended from the oak, lay down on the ground, and slept with his sword drawn. When he woke up, the sun was rising, and the birds were singing.

All day long, the son of the French king wandered through the forest. He drank from a stream, ate grasses, and picked wild fruits. Then the dark night fell again. The wolves howled.

Once more, the son of the French king climbed to the top of the huge oak tree and watched the four winds of the heavens. Finally, far to the north, he spotted a tiny flicker of light.

Then the son of the French king descended from the oak and walked for a long, long time toward the north. An hour before midnight, he knocked on the door of a castle hidden deep in the forest.

"Knock, knock!"

A girl as beautiful as the sun opened the door.

"Greetings, fair maiden! I am the son of the French king. For three days and three nights, I have been wandering in the forest, dying of hunger and thirst. My legs can no longer carry me. Feed me, fair maiden, and shelter me until morning."

"Son of the French king, come in, eat quickly, and then flee. This is the castle of my parents, the Ogre and the Ogress. They are both very fond of human flesh. They are out walking in the forest now, but they will return as soon as the clock strikes midnight. I do not want them to eat you alive. Son of the French king, come in, eat quickly, and flee."

"Fair maiden, my legs can no longer carry me."

"Very well, son of the French king, come in, eat quickly, and hide under the tub."

No sooner said than done. The Ogre and the Ogress returned as soon as the clock struck midnight. They were giants, as tall as towers and as black as soot. Ogres and ogresses are unbaptized, after all.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, I smell baptized flesh."

"No, Father! No, Mother! There is no baptized flesh here. Search and see that I am not lying."

The Ogre and the Ogress searched everywhere but found nothing.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, I smell baptized flesh. Go to bed. Tomorrow we will search better. If you have lied to us, we will eat you alive."

The Ogre and the Ogress went to bed. But Beautiful Jeanneton was in no hurry to go to sleep. From a handful of ashes and a glass of her own blood, she fashioned a little cake—a cake endowed with the magical power to speak for her until dawn.

After making the cake, Beautiful Jeanneton took the Ogre and Ogress's staff and seven-league boots. Then she quietly lifted the tub:

"Son of the French king, let's flee from here quickly. Something terrible is being prepared for us."

And the two of them sped away faster than the wind. But the Ogre and the Ogress did not trust Beautiful Jeanneton and only pretended to be asleep.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, go to bed."

The cake made of ashes and blood replied:

"I'm coming, I'm coming, just let me take off my bonnet."

The Ogre and the Ogress dozed off for a moment.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, go to bed."

The cake replied:

"I'm coming, I'm coming, just let me take off my jacket."

The Ogre and the Ogress dozed off again.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, go to bed."

The cake replied:

"I'm coming, I'm coming, just let me take off my skirt."

The Ogre and the Ogress dozed off once more.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, go to bed."

The cake replied:

"I'm coming, I'm coming, just let me comb my hair for the night."

The Ogre and the Ogress dozed off again.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, go to bed."

The cake replied:

"I'm coming, I'm coming, just let me take off my shoes."

The Ogre and the Ogress dozed off once more.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Beautiful Jeanneton, go to bed."

But dawn had already arrived. The cake made of ashes and blood lost its magical power and could no longer answer for Beautiful Jeanneton.

Then the Ogress jumped out of bed.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! A thousand devils! Ten thousand devils! Beautiful Jeanneton and the baptized flesh have fled with the staff and seven-league boots. Quickly, husband, chase them! You must catch them within an hour. We will eat them alive."

The Ogre took another staff and hundred-league boots and flew after the fugitives faster than lightning, so that Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king nearly got caught.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!" shouted the Ogre. "Wait, you scoundrels! Wait, you villains!"

But Beautiful Jeanneton could get out of any trouble. By the power of her magic, she and the son of the French king instantly turned into birds singing in the bushes by the road:

"Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

The Ogre stopped and questioned them:

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Little bird, I await your answer: Are the boy and girl not here?"

"Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

The Ogre got nothing more from them and returned to his castle. Meanwhile, Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king raced on like the wind.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Well, husband," asked the Ogress, "did you catch Beautiful Jeanneton and the baptized flesh?"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! I found only two little birds singing in the bushes by the road. I questioned them. They only answered, 'Chirp, chirp, chirp!' I got nothing more from them."

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, you fool, that was them! Run after them quickly, husband. You must catch them within an hour. We will eat them alive."

The Ogre raced faster than lightning, so that Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king nearly got caught.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!" shouted the Ogre. "Wait, you scoundrels! Wait, you villains!"

But Beautiful Jeanneton could get out of any trouble. By the power of her magic, she and the son of the French king instantly turned into a drake and a duck, splashing and quacking in a ditch by the road:

"Quack, quack, quack!"

The Ogre stopped and questioned them:

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Drake and duck, I await your answer: Are the boy and girl not here?"

"Quack, quack, quack!"

The Ogre got nothing more from them and returned to his castle. Meanwhile, Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king raced on like the wind.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Well, husband," asked the Ogress, "did you catch Beautiful Jeanneton and the baptized flesh?"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! I found only a drake and a duck splashing and quacking in a ditch by the road. I questioned them. They only answered, 'Quack, quack, quack!' I got nothing more from them."

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, you fool, that was them! Run after them quickly, husband. You must catch them within an hour. We will eat them alive."

The Ogre raced faster than lightning, so that Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king nearly got caught.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!" shouted the Ogre. "Wait, you scoundrels! Wait, you villains!"

But Beautiful Jeanneton could get out of any trouble. By the power of her magic, she and the son of the French king instantly turned into a shepherdess as beautiful as the sun, shepherdess Bernadette, tending her flock by the road.

"Baa, baa, baa!"

The Ogre stopped and questioned her and the sheep:

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Little sun, shepherdess Bernadette! White sheep, I await your answer: Are the boy and girl not here?"

"Baa, baa, baa!"

The Ogre got nothing more from them and returned to his castle. Meanwhile, Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king raced on like the wind.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Well, husband," asked the Ogress, "did you catch Beautiful Jeanneton and the baptized flesh?"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! I found only a shepherdess as beautiful as the sun, shepherdess Bernadette, tending her flock by the road. I questioned them. They only answered, 'Baa, baa, baa!' I got nothing more from them."

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! You fool, that was them! Run after them quickly, husband. You must catch them within an hour. We will eat them alive."

The Ogre raced faster than lightning, but this time Beautiful Jeanneton and the son of the French king had gotten so far ahead that he could no longer catch them.

A week later, they arrived at the Louvre, the court of the French king.

"Greetings, dear parents!"

"Greetings, our dear son, we mourned you as if you were dead."

"Dear parents, I fell into the hands of the Ogre and Ogress, who crave baptized flesh. I would have been lost without this beauty, without Beautiful Jeanneton. Dear parents, I love her so much that words cannot describe it. Allow me to marry her, or I will go to the ends of the earth and never, ever return."

"Our dear son, you will not go to the ends of the earth. Marry Beautiful Jeanneton."

No sooner said than done. And for a long, long time, the son of the French king and Beautiful Jeanneton lived happily and prosperously.

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Beautiful Jeanneton

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