The Apple and the Peel

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife, very important nobles. They wanted to have a son, but, as if cursed, no son came. One day, the nobleman met a wizard on the street:

"Signor wizard, what should we do? We so desire a son!"

The wizard handed him an apple and said:

"Give this apple to your wife, and exactly nine months later, she will give birth to a wonderful boy."

The husband returned home and gave the apple to his wife.

"Eat this apple, and we will have a beautiful boy. That's what the wizard said."

The wife rejoiced, immediately called her maid, and ordered her to peel the apple. The maid peeled it, took the peel for herself, and ate it.

On the very same day, both the noblewoman and the maid gave birth to sons: the maid's son was rosy, like the apple peel, and the noblewoman's son was fair-skinned, like the peeled apple. The nobleman loved both Apple and Peel as if they were both his sons. The boys grew up together, went to school together, and loved each other like brothers.

Time passed, and Apple and Peel became adults.

One day, they heard that a wizard had a daughter, beautiful as the sun, but no one could see her: she never left the house or even looked out the window.

Apple and Peel ordered a large bronze horse to be cast, hollow inside, and hid inside it, taking a trumpet and a violin with them.

The horse had wheels at its feet. The young men began to turn them from the inside and rode to the wizard's palace. As they approached, they played the trumpet and the violin. The wizard saw the musical bronze horse from the window and let it into the palace to entertain his daughter. And she indeed liked the marvelous horse very much. But as soon as the girl was left alone, Apple and Peel jumped out of the horse. She was frightened at first, but Apple and Peel calmed her:

"Don't be afraid. We came to admire your beauty! If you order us to, we will leave right away. But if you like our music, we will stay and play some more. Then we will hide in the horse again, and no one will know that anyone was here."

Apple and Peel entertained the wizard's daughter for a long time, and she did not want to let them go.

"Come with us! Be my wife!" Apple blurted out.

The girl agreed; all three hid in the marvelous horse, and—farewell, wizard's castle!

The old wizard called for his daughter, but she did not answer. He searched for her—she was nowhere to be found. And the gatekeeper knew nothing... Then the wizard realized he had been deceived and became terribly angry. He ran out onto the balcony and shouted three curses after the runaway:

"May my daughter meet three horses: a gray, a bay, and a black one! May she like the gray horse, for in that horse she will find her doom!"

"May she meet three puppies—a white, a red, and a black one! May she like the black one—she will take it in her arms, and death will befall her!"

"May she die on her wedding night, when a huge snake crawls into her bedroom!"

At that moment, three old women, three fairies, were passing under the balcony and heard everything. Tired from their journey, they decided to stop at an inn. They entered, and one said:

"So that's where the wizard's daughter is! If she knew about the three curses her father threw after her, she wouldn't be sleeping so soundly."

Meanwhile, the wizard's daughter, Apple, and Peel were peacefully sleeping right there on the bench. But Peel was not sleeping soundly: perhaps sleep eluded him, or perhaps he knew that in such cases it was better to sleep with one eye open. In any case, he heard one fairy say:

"The wizard cursed his daughter and wished for her to meet three horses—a gray, a bay, and a black one. She will mount the gray one, and it will destroy her."

"But," another objected, "if someone manages to cut off that horse's head, nothing will happen."

"And whoever learns of the wizard's predictions and tells another person will turn into a marble statue."

"The wizard also wished for her to meet three puppies—a white, a red, and a black one," continued the first fairy. "The wizard's daughter will take the black puppy in her arms. And death will befall her."

"But," the second fairy objected, "if someone manages to cut off the puppy's head—nothing will happen."

"And whoever learns of these predictions and tells another person will turn into a marble statue."

"And he also said that on her wedding night, a huge snake will crawl into the bedroom, and the wizard's daughter will die."

"But if someone cuts off the snake's head—nothing will happen."

"And whoever learns of this and tells another person will turn into a marble statue."

Thus, Peel learned three terrible secrets and could not reveal them to anyone, or else he would turn to stone.

The next day, the young men and the wizard's daughter arrived at a post station, where three horses—a gray, a bay, and a black one—were already waiting. They had been sent by Apple's father.

The girl immediately mounted the gray horse.

But Peel drew his sword and cut off the horse's head.

"Have you gone mad? Why did you do that?"

"Forgive me, but I cannot speak of it."

"Apple, Peel has a cruel heart. I will not travel further with him."

But Peel said he himself did not know why he had cut off the horse's head. It was just something that came over him. And the wizard's daughter forgave him.

The travelers approached the house, and three puppies—a white, a red, and a black one—ran out to meet them. The girl wanted to take the black one in her arms, but Peel drew his sword and cut off its head.

"Leave at once, you cruel man!" she cried.

At that moment, Apple's parents approached and warmly welcomed their son and his bride. When they learned of her quarrel with Peel, they pleaded so earnestly for him that the girl forgave him again and made peace with him. During the feast, everyone was merry—only Peel sat apart from the festive table. He was worried and thoughtful. But no one ever learned why he was sad.

"No! Nothing happened," he replied to everyone, and he was the first to go to bed. But instead of his own room, he went to the newlyweds' bedroom and hid under the bed.

Soon, the newlyweds lay down and fell asleep. But Peel did not sleep, and suddenly he heard glass shatter. He saw a huge snake crawling through the window. With a swing of his sword, Peel cut off its head. The noise woke the bride. She saw Peel standing by the bed with his sword drawn, and the snake had disappeared.

"Murderer! Seize him! Peel wants to kill us! I forgave him twice, but this time he will pay with his life."

Peel was seized and thrown into a dungeon, and three days later, he was led to the gallows.

"Nothing to be done... I must die anyway," said Peel and asked for one last wish. He wanted to say a few words to Apple's wife before his death.

"Remember," Peel began, "how we stopped at the inn?"

"Yes, I remember," replied Apple's wife.

"When you were both asleep, three fairies entered. From one, I heard that the wizard had thrown three curses after his daughter. He predicted you would meet three horses, and the gray one, if you mounted it, would destroy you. But another fairy said that the horse's head must be cut off—then nothing would happen. And a third fairy said that whoever learns of the wizard's predictions and tells another person will turn into a marble statue."

At these words, poor Peel's legs turned to stone.

"Enough, enough," cried the young woman. She understood everything. "Tell me no more!"

"I must die anyway!" Peel retorted. "So know this. The three fairies said you would meet three puppies." And he told of the wizard's second prediction and turned to stone up to his neck.

"I understand everything! Poor Peel, forgive me! Do not say another word," the young woman pleaded.

But with a weakening voice, as his neck turned to stone and his jaw began to turn to marble, he told of the wizard's last terrible curse—the snake.

"But... whoever tells of this... will turn into a marble statue," and he fell silent, turned to stone from head to toe.

"What have I done," the wife of Apple wept in despair. "Now this faithful soul is doomed... But perhaps... Yes, only my father can save him!"

She took paper, pen, and ink and wrote a letter, begging her father to visit her.

The wizard loved his child more than anything in the world. He immediately got into a carriage and raced to his daughter at full speed.

"Father, dear," said the daughter, embracing the wizard. "I beg you for mercy! Do you see this poor marble youth? He saved me from your three curses and turned to stone. Bring him back to life!"

"For the love I bear my daughter," sighed the wizard, "I forgive him." He took a vial of balm from his pocket, sprinkled it on the marble statue, and Peel came back to life, rosy and healthy as before, and he was led home with music and singing. And the people cheered:

"Long live Peel! Long live Peel!"

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The Apple and the Peel

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