The Golden Dragoon
Once upon a time, in the castle of Lamothe, there lived a count and countess, immensely wealthy and equally generous. These kind-hearted people had only one son, as beautiful as the sun, as reliable as gold, and as strong and brave as Samson. And then came the day when the young count kissed his father and mother and leaped onto his mighty winged horse."Farewell, my father, farewell, my mother. Today I have turned twenty. I am going to war to serve the King of France."
"Farewell, dear one. May the Lord and the Holy Virgin Mary protect you!"
The winged horse soared like lightning into the clouds.
For three years, the young count served the King of France. He commanded the regiment of the Golden Dragoons in the war, and when peace was made, he went to seek the king at the Louvre.
"Greetings, King of France."
"Greetings, Golden Dragoon. What do you have to say?"
"King of France, peace has been made. I wish to return to my father and mother at the castle of Lamothe. If you need me again, call for me. I will not keep you waiting."
"Golden Dragoon, go home to the castle of Lamothe. Return to your parents and give them my regards."
"Thank you, King of France. I will do as you say."
The Golden Dragoon left the Louvre and mounted his mighty flying horse, which sped like lightning through the clouds.
By midnight, the rider saw the castle of Lamothe in the distance, bathed in moonlight.
The Golden Dragoon tightened the reins, and the winged horse, like an eagle, began to circle slowly over the bridge across the Loz stream, between Lectoure and the castle of Lamothe.
"My good father and mother will be so happy when I wake them!"
At that moment, the Golden Dragoon heard groans below:
"Oh, my God! My God!"
By the roadside, all alone, sat a girl in a white dress, weeping bitter tears.
"Fair maiden, what are you doing here alone by the road, and why are you weeping such bitter tears?"
"Golden Dragoon, I am not weeping in vain. I have been promised against my will to the Spirit of the Night. That is why I fled from my father's castle. But from sunset to sunrise, the Spirit of the Night holds great power on Earth. And he will take me before dawn."
The Golden Dragoon dismounted.
"Fair maiden, do not weep so. I have served the King of France in war for three years and have never met a man stronger or braver than I. We will ride now to my father's castle. No one will harm you there. Fair maiden, I will free you from this marriage to the Spirit of the Night. Wait here and fear nothing. I will only water my horse in the Loz stream."
"Golden Dragoon, I will wait for you."
The Golden Dragoon descended to the stream and watered his winged horse. When the horse and rider rose above the road again, the girl was gone.
"Holy Mother! The Spirit of the Night has taken the fair maiden from me. Holy Mother, where is she?"
Then the mighty winged horse spoke:
"Golden Dragoon, do you love me?"
"Yes, my good horse, I love you. You have served me well and saved me from trouble more than once in war."
"Golden Dragoon, if you love me, lie down under this oak and sleep, and I will guard you. Sleep until I wake you. Then you will know where your fair maiden and the Spirit of the Night are."
The Golden Dragoon lay down under the oak and fell asleep. The horse stood over him like a sentinel. And in the branches of the oak, owls and nightjars held their revelry and chattered among themselves:
"Whoo! Whoo! Shh, shh, shh!"
The horse understood the language of these birds, who know all that happens at night. He lay on the ground, pretended to sleep, and pricked up his ears.
At the top of the oak, the owls and nightjars continued to chatter:
"Whoo! Whoo! Shh, shh, shh! The Spirit of the Night has caught his bride. Whoo! Whoo! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of the Night has locked his bride in a house in the middle of the Ramier Forest, near the Wolf's Spring. Whoo! Whoo! Shh! Shh! Shh!"
The winged horse woke his master.
"Enough sleep, Golden Dragoon. Quickly, mount my back. I know where your fair maiden and the Spirit of the Night are."
The mighty horse flapped its wings and in an instant carried its master to the Ramier Forest, to the house near the Wolf's Spring.
The Golden Dragoon drew his saber from its sheath and, without fear or hesitation, knocked on the door. Knock! Knock!
No one answered.
Then the Golden Dragoon kicked the door open with a powerful blow.
"Greetings, Spirit of the Night. Give me back my bride at once."
— Golden Dragoon, she will not be yours. Do you wish to fight me?
The Spirit of the Night grasped his saber, and they began to duel. Finally, the Golden Dragoon threw his opponent to the ground.
— Golden Dragoon, you are stronger than I am. Yet you cannot kill me. I am fated to live until the Day of Judgment, then die and never rise again. Listen. Place the girl on your horse, sit in front of her, and ride away with her. Until dawn, I have the power to torment both of you. If you utter even a single word or turn to look at your beloved, I will take her away, and you will never see her again, never!
— Spirit of the Night, so be it.
The Golden Dragoon seated the beauty behind him, and the mighty horse flew like lightning across the earth. But the Spirit of the Night sat behind the poor girl. He bit her until she bled and shook her terribly.
— Golden Dragoon, I’m falling! I’m falling!
— Do not fear, my beauty. Hold onto the strap of my saber with both hands.
— Golden Dragoon, I’m falling! I’m falling! The Golden Dragoon turned around.
— Mother of God! The Spirit of the Night has taken my beloved. Mother of God, where is she?
Then the winged horse spoke again:
— Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
— Yes, my mighty steed, I do. You have served me well, and many times you have saved me from danger in battle.
— Golden Dragoon, if you love me, swear by the salvation of your soul that you will never trade me for any other horse. Swear that you will never sell me for gold or silver.
— My winged steed, I swear this to you by my soul.
— Golden Dragoon, now that you have sworn, dismount and lie beneath this oak tree. Sleep, and I will guard you. Sleep until I wake you. Then you will know where your beauty and the Spirit of the Night are.
The Golden Dragoon lay beneath the oak and fell asleep. The mighty horse stood guard. In the branches of the oak, owls and nightjars held their nocturnal gathering, whispering to one another, for the night was not yet over.
— Hoot! Hoot! Shh, shh, shh!
The winged horse understood the language of these birds, who knew all that happened in the night. He lay on the ground, pretending to sleep, and pricked up his ears.
At the top of the oak, the owls and nightjars held their gathering and chattered, for the night was not yet over.
— Hoot! Hoot! Shh, shh, shh! The Spirit of the Night has taken his bride again. Hoot! Hoot! Shh, shh, shh! The Spirit of the Night has locked his bride in a tower, a tower of gold and silver, atop a cliff in the middle of a vast, vast sea. Hoot! Hoot! Shh, shh, shh!
Then the horse woke his master.
— Enough sleep, Golden Dragoon. Quickly, mount my back. I know where your beloved and the Spirit of the Night are.
The next day, at the first strike of the clock announcing midnight, the Golden Dragoon stood before the gates of the tower of gold and silver, perched atop a cliff in the middle of a distant sea.
The Golden Dragoon drew his saber from its sheath and, without hesitation or fear, knocked on the gates. Knock! Knock!
No one answered.
Then the Golden Dragoon kicked the gates open with a powerful blow.
— Greetings, Spirit of the Night. Return my bride to me at once.
— Golden Dragoon, you shall not have your bride! Let us test our strength!
The Spirit of the Night drew his saber, and they began to duel. Finally, the Golden Dragoon threw his opponent to the ground.
— Golden Dragoon, you are stronger than I am. But you cannot kill me. I will die only on the Day of Judgment, and I am not destined to rise again. Listen. Place the girl on your horse behind you and ride away with her. Until dawn, I have the power to torment you. If you utter even a single word, if you turn to look at your beloved, I will take her away, and you will never find her again, never!
— Spirit of the Night, so be it.
The Golden Dragoon seated the girl on his horse behind him, and the mighty steed flew like lightning through the clouds. The Spirit of the Night sat behind the poor girl. He bit her until she bled and shook her terribly. But she did not cry out once.
The Spirit of the Night realized he was wasting time. He grasped his saber to strike the Golden Dragoon in the back.
— Golden Dragoon, — the girl cried out, — Golden Dragoon, beware!
The Golden Dragoon turned around.
— Mother of God! The Spirit of the Night has taken my beloved again! Mother of God, where is she?
Then the mighty winged horse spoke:
— Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
— I do, my winged steed. You have served me well, and many times you have saved me from danger in battle. I swore I would never trade you for another horse. I swore by my soul that I would never sell you for silver or gold.
— Golden Dragoon, lie beneath this oak tree and sleep, and I will guard you. Sleep until I wake you. Then you will know where your beloved and the Spirit of the Night are.
The Golden Dragoon lay down under an oak tree and fell asleep. Meanwhile, his mighty horse stood guard. In the branches of the oak, owls and night owls were holding their nocturnal gathering, chattering among themselves:
— Hoo! Hoo! Shh! Shh! Shh!
The horse understood the language of these birds, who knew everything that happened at night. He lay down on the ground, pretending to sleep, and pricked up his ears.
At the top of the oak, the owls and night owls were holding their gathering and chattering, for the night was not yet over:
— Hoo! Hoo! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of Night has taken his bride again. Hoo! Hoo! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of Night is holding his bride captive, far, very far away, at the farthest edge of the star in the middle of the constellation of the Three Maidens. He keeps her locked in a tower of iron and steel. Hoo! Hoo! Shh! Shh!
At this, the winged horse woke the Golden Dragoon.
— Golden Dragoon, enough sleep. Quickly, mount my back. I know where your beloved and the Spirit of Night are.
At sunrise, the Golden Dragoon dismounted at the gates of an inn in Bordeaux. Then the horse spoke:
— Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
— Yes, I love you, my winged horse. You have served me well and saved me from trouble many times in battle. I swore that I would never trade you for another horse nor sell you for gold or silver.
— Golden Dragoon, swear to me that until the day I die, no matter how much I eat, I will always have plenty of bran and oats.
— My mighty horse, I swear it with my soul.
— Good. Now, Golden Dragoon, order the stable hands to bring me seven sacks of oats and keep as much water ready as I need. In an hour, we will set off on a long journey. While I fill my belly, you run to town, buy a pound of resin from the cobbler, a golden needle from the jeweler, and hurry back as fast as you can.
No sooner said than done. And so, an hour later, the winged horse soared like lightning into the clouds.
When midnight struck, the Golden Dragoon was already at the farthest edge of the star in the constellation of the Three Maidens. He found himself at the gates of a tower made of iron and steel.
Then he drew his saber and knocked without hesitation or fear.
Knock! Knock! No one answered.
With a powerful kick, the Golden Dragoon broke down the gates.
— Greetings, Spirit of Night. Return my beloved to me.
— Golden Dragoon, she will not be yours. Let us fight! Both grabbed their sabers and engaged in battle. Finally, the Golden Dragoon threw his opponent to the ground.
— Golden Dragoon, you are stronger than I. But you cannot kill me. I will only die on the Day of Judgment, and I am not destined to rise again. Listen. Take the girl behind you and ride away on your horse. Until dawn, I have the power to torment you. Say but a word or turn to your beloved—and I will take her, and you will never see her again!
— Spirit of Night, so be it. Then the winged horse spoke:
— Golden Dragoon, give the girl the pound of resin and the golden needle.
— My mighty horse, I have done so.
— Good. Fair maiden, take the resin and seal the Golden Dragoon's ears well.
— It is done, winged horse!
— Good. Now, fair maiden, pluck a hair from my tail. Thread it through the needle and sew the Golden Dragoon's mouth shut.
— It is done, winged horse!
— Good. Now, quickly, let us go. Let the Spirit of Night come now!
The Golden Dragoon placed the girl behind him, and the mighty horse flew like lightning through the clouds. The Spirit of Night sat behind the poor girl. He bit her until she bled and shook her terribly. But the girl did not cry out.
Then the Spirit of Night realized he was wasting his time and drew his saber to strike the Golden Dragoon in the back. But the girl did not scream this time either.
The Spirit of Night saw that he was wasting his time and called for the help of all the devils of hell.
— Golden Dragoon, — cried the girl, — Golden Dragoon, beware!
She could scream as much as she wanted. The Golden Dragoon's ears were sealed with resin, and his mouth was sewn shut. So, until sunrise, he fought the Spirit of Night and all the devils of hell without turning back. But with the first ray of dawn, the evil spirits vanished, scattering like mist, and the mighty horse stopped at the gates of the castle of Lamothe. The girl quickly removed the resin from her beloved's ears and cut the hair that had sewn his mouth shut. The Golden Dragoon took her by the hand and led her to her parents.
— Greetings, father and mother. Here is the one I wish to marry. If you say no, I will go to the Holy Land and become a monk. You will never see me again, never.
— My dear, we do not want you to become a monk and leave for the Holy Land. Marry your bride, and live happily with us.
They were wed that very morning, and they lived long and happily.
The Golden Dragoon did not forget the oath he had sworn to his mighty horse: he never agreed to trade him for another or sell him for gold and silver. And until the horse's dying day, he always had plenty of bran, hay, and oats.
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