The Prince and the Horse Bayard
Once upon a time, there was a king who had a son. One day, the king said to the prince:"My son, I will be away for about two weeks. I leave you all the keys to the castle, but I forbid you to enter this one room."
"Very well, father," replied the prince. As soon as the king left, the prince immediately ran to that room and saw a beautiful golden pool. He dipped his finger into it, and at that very moment, his finger turned to gold. The prince tried to remove the gold, but no matter how much he rubbed, nothing helped. He wrapped his finger in a cloth.
That same evening, the king returned.
"Well, my son, did you enter that room?"
"No, father."
"Then what happened to your finger?"
"Nothing, father."
"My son, something is wrong!"
"I hurt my finger while cutting bread for our servants to have with their soup."
"Show me your finger."
The prince had no choice but to obey.
"Whom can I trust," said the king, "if I cannot trust my own son?"
Then he said to the prince:
"I will be away again for two weeks. Here are all my keys, but do not enter the room I forbade you to enter."
"Very well, father. Rest assured."
As soon as the king left, the prince rushed to the golden fountain. He dipped his clothes and head into it, and in an instant, his clothes and hair were covered in gold. Then he went to the stable, where two horses, Moro and Bayard, stood.
"Moro," said the prince, "how many leagues can you cover in one stride?"
"Eighteen."
"And you, Bayard?"
"I can do fifteen, but I am cleverer than Moro. You won't regret choosing me."
The prince mounted Bayard and galloped away at full speed. That same evening, the king returned to the castle. Not seeing his son, he ran to the stable.
"Where is Bayard?" he asked Moro.
"Bayard has fled with your son."
The king mounted Moro and set off in pursuit of the prince. After a while, Bayard said to the young man:
"Ah, prince, we are lost! I sense Moro's breath behind us. Here is a sponge; throw it over your shoulder as high and far as you can."
The prince did as the horse instructed, and where the sponge fell, a dense forest instantly grew. The king on Moro rode through the forest.
"Ah, prince," said Bayard, "we are lost! I sense Moro's breath behind us. Here is a comb; throw it over your shoulder as high and far as you can."
The prince threw the comb, and immediately a wide river appeared between them and the king. The king on Moro swam across the river.
"Ah, prince," said Bayard, "we are lost! I sense Moro's breath behind us. Here is a stone; throw it over your shoulder as high and far as you can."
The prince threw the stone, and behind them rose a high mountain covered with razor-sharp blades. The king tried to ride over it, but Moro injured his legs; halfway up the mountain, they had to turn back.
A little later, the prince met a young farmhand who had just quit his job and was heading home.
"Listen, friend," said the prince, "would you like to swap clothes with me?"
"Ah," replied the lad, "are you mocking me?"
Nevertheless, he gave the prince his clothes. The prince put them on, then bought a bull's bladder and pulled it over his head. In this guise, he went to the castle of the king who ruled that land and asked if they needed a kitchen boy. They said they did. Since he never removed the bladder from his head and avoided showing his hair, everyone in the castle called him "Scabby."
The king had three daughters, and he intended to marry them off. Each princess was to throw a golden apple to her chosen suitor. All the nobles at court lined up before them, and the two eldest princesses threw their golden apples: one to a hunchback, the other to a lame man. Scabby joined the crowd of nobles, and the youngest princess threw her apple to him: she had seen him secretly combing his golden hair and knew who he was.
The king was furious with his daughters' choices.
"A lame man, a hunchback, and a scabby one," he exclaimed. "Fine sons-in-law!"
Some time later, the king fell ill. To cure him, three jugs of water from the Queen of Hungary were needed. The lame man and the hunchback set off to fetch the water. The prince said to his wife:
"Go ask your father if I may also go in search of it."
"Hello, dear father."
"Hello, Lady Scabby."
"Scabby asks if he may go in search of the water."
"As he wishes! Let him take the three-legged horse, let him go, and let him not return."
She went back to her husband.
"Well? What did your father say?"
"My friend, he said you should take the three-legged horse and go." She did not add that the king wished he would not return.
The prince mounted the old horse and rode to the forest where he had left Bayard. Near Bayard, he found three jugs of the Queen of Hungary's water; he took them and mounted the three-legged horse again. Passing by an inn, he saw his two brothers-in-law laughing and drinking wine.
"What is this!" he said to them. "Did you not go to fetch the Queen of Hungary's water?"
"We don't need it," they replied. "Did you find it?"
"Yes."
"Would you sell us all three jugs?"
"You can have them if each of you lets me prick your backside a hundred times with an awl."
"Fine, then."
The lame man and the hunchback brought the king the three jugs of the Queen of Hungary's water.
"Did you see Scabby?" asked the king.
"Truly, we did not, Your Majesty!" they replied.
"Your Scabby is quite something, isn't he!"
Some time later, a war broke out. Scabby said to his wife:
"Go ask your father if I may join the campaign."
"Hello, dear father."
"Hello, Lady Scabby."
"Scabby asks if he may join the campaign."
"As he wishes! Let him take the three-legged horse, let him go, and let him not return."
She went back to her husband.
"Well? What did your father say?"
"My friend, he said you should take the three-legged horse and go." She did not add that the king wished he would not return.
The prince rode the three-legged horse to the forest. Once there, he put on his gilded clothes, mounted Bayard, and fought the enemies. He defeated them all. He was fighting against the army of the king who was his father.
The lame man and the hunchback, who had watched the battle from afar, went to the king and said:
"Ah, Your Majesty, if only you had seen the brave man who won the battle!"
"What a pity," said the king, "that my youngest daughter is already married! I would gladly give her to him as a wife. Did you see Scabby?"
"Truly, we did not, Your Majesty!"
"Your Scabby is quite something, isn't he!"
Another war broke out. The prince sent his wife to ask the king's permission to join the campaign. Then, riding the three-legged horse to the forest, he put on his gilded clothes, mounted Bayard, and, looking even more magnificent than before, entered the battle. He won the fight, and the lame man and the hunchback, watching from afar, kept saying:
"What a handsome man! What a brave man!"
"Ah, Your Majesty," they said to the king, "if only you had seen the brave man who won the battle!"
"What a pity," said the king, "that my youngest daughter is already married! I would gladly give her to him as a wife. Did you see Scabby?"
"Truly, we did not, Your Majesty!"
"Your Scabby is quite something, isn't he!"
Two more jugs of the Queen of Hungary's water were needed to fully heal the king. The prince told his wife to ask the king's permission to fetch the water, and he rode the three-legged horse to the forest. Near Bayard, he found two jugs, took them, and turned back. Passing by the inn, he saw his brothers-in-law laughing and drinking wine.
"What is this!" he said to them. "Did you not go to fetch the Queen of Hungary's water?"
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