The Shepherd at the Court

Once upon a time, a boy was tending a flock of sheep. One lamb fell into a deep water-filled ditch and drowned.

The boy's parents did not love him, and when he returned home, they beat and scolded him, then kicked him out of the house, even though it was already dark. The boy wandered weeping through the mountains for a long time. Eventually, he found a crevice in a rock and gathered some leaves to make a bed. He was freezing from the cold but tried in vain to warm himself with the leaves and fell asleep.

Deep in the night, a man approached his shelter and said:

"You've taken my bed, you insolent one! What are you doing here at this hour?"

Terrified, the boy explained how he had been thrown out of his home and begged to be allowed to stay the night.

"You've brought dry leaves here," the man said, "something I never thought of... Fine, stay." And he lay down beside the boy.

The boy curled up so as not to disturb the stranger and lay still, not moving a muscle. He pretended to sleep but kept his eyes open, watching his companion. The man also stayed awake, muttering to himself, thinking the boy was asleep.

"What should I give this boy? He brought dry leaves to my crevice and now lies quietly so as not to bother me. I'll give him a tablecloth. Just spread it out, and as much food as you desire will appear on it... And I'll give him a box. Every time you open it, a gold coin will appear inside... And perhaps a harmonica. Play it, and everyone will start dancing..."

The boy fell asleep to this muttering. At dawn, he woke up. At first, he thought it had all been a dream. But beside him, he found the tablecloth, the box, and the harmonica. The stranger was gone, and the boy couldn't even remember his face!

After a long journey, the boy arrived in a city where preparations were underway for a grand tournament. The king had promised the winner the hand of his daughter and all the riches of the kingdom.

"Now is the time to test my box," thought the shepherd. "If it really produces money, I'll join the tournament."

He began opening and closing the box. Every time he opened it, a shiny coin appeared inside. The shepherd bought horses, rich armor, princely clothes, hired squires and servants, and spread the rumor that he was the son of the Portuguese king. He won all the competitions, and the king had to declare him the fiancé of his daughter.

However, the boy had grown up among sheep, and the court immediately noticed: he ate with his hands, wiped them on the tablecloth, and familiarly patted countesses on the shoulder. This aroused the king's suspicions. He sent messengers to Portugal. Soon, they returned with news: the Portuguese prince had never left his palace, as he was ill with dropsy. The king then ordered the impostor to be thrown into prison. The royal prison was located directly beneath the banquet hall. As soon as the prison doors slammed shut behind the shepherd, nineteen prisoners greeted him with a chorus of mockery. They had already heard about the princess's fiancé, but the shepherd paid them no attention.

At noon, the jailer brought the prisoners a bowl of bean soup. The young man ran to the bowl, kicked it over, and spilled all the soup on the ground.

"Madman! What will we eat now? You'll pay dearly for this!"

He replied:

"Be quiet and watch." He pulled the tablecloth from his pocket and said, "For twenty people!" and unfolded it.

In an instant, a magnificent feast for twenty appeared on the tablecloth: soup, roast, sweets, and fine wine. Everyone was delighted.

Every day, the prisoners overturned the bowl of beans, yet they were well-fed and happier than ever. The jailer told the king everything. The king, curious, descended into the prison and asked what was happening.

The shepherd stepped forward:

"Know this, Your Majesty, it is I who feed and entertain my comrades! They eat better than you at the royal table. With your permission, I invite Your Royal Majesty to dine with us, and I am sure you will be satisfied."

"Fine!" agreed the king. The shepherd unfolded the tablecloth and said:

"For twenty-one, and royally!" A feast appeared, more luxurious than anyone had ever seen. The king's eyes widened, then he sat at the table with the criminals and ate with great pleasure. When the meal ended, the king said:

"Sell me this tablecloth!"

"Why not, Your Majesty?" replied the shepherd. "But on one condition: you allow me to spend one night with your daughter, my fiancée."

"Why not, prisoner?" replied the king. "But on the condition that you lie silently and motionless on the edge of the bed all night, in the presence of eight guards, with open windows and lit candles. If that suits you, fine; if not, farewell."

"Why not, Your Majesty? Deal!" Thus, the king got the tablecloth, and the young man spent the night with the princess without touching her or saying a word. In the morning, he was back in prison.

When the prisoners saw him return, they laughed loudly:

"Look at the Prince of Portugal! Do you know, donkey, that now we'll be back to eating empty bean soup? Quite a deal you made with the king, I must say!"

"Can't we buy whatever we want with money?" he replied, as if nothing had happened.

"Money? Who among us has money?"

"Calm down," said the shepherd, and he began pulling gold coins from the box. From that day on, the prisoners ordered delicious meals from a nearby tavern, and the bean soup was still poured on the ground.

The jailer told the king everything again. The king descended into the dungeon, learned the secret of the box, and wanted to buy it.

"Will you sell me the box?" he asked.

"Why not, Your Majesty?" And the shepherd again offered the same conditions, and the king agreed again.

So the shepherd gave away his box and spent the night with the princess, without touching her or saying a word.

When the prisoners saw him, they mocked him again:

"Now we'll never escape the beans. This will be fun!"

"Fun should be constant. If there's nothing to eat, we'll dance."

"How do you mean?"

The young man pulled the harmonica from his pocket and began to play. All the prisoners started dancing around him, their chains clanking. Minuets, gavottes, waltzes... They couldn't stop. The jailer came running at the noise but, hearing the music, also started dancing, jingling his keys.

Meanwhile, the king and his guests had sat down to eat. But as soon as the sounds of the harmonica reached them from the dungeon, everyone jumped up and started dancing. They danced like mad: ladies with servants, gentlemen with cooks. Even the furniture danced, glasses clashed with plates and shattered, and roasted chickens spread their wings and flew away. It was impossible to tell who among the dancers was bumping their head against the wall or jumping and hitting the ceiling. The king, dancing, shouted for everyone to stop immediately. Suddenly, the young man stopped playing, and the dancers collapsed to the floor. Everyone's head was spinning, and their legs were trembling.

The out-of-breath king descended into the dungeon.

"Who is this jester?" he shouted angrily.

"It is I, Your Majesty," the shepherd stepped forward. "Would you like to see for yourself?" As soon as he started playing, the king lifted his foot to take the first step.

"Stop, stop," the king begged. "Better sell me the harmonica."

"Why not, Your Majesty? But on what terms?"

"The same as before."

"Hmm, Your Majesty. A new agreement is needed here, or I'll start playing again!"

"No! No! Tell me what you want?"

"Allow me to talk to the princess at night."

The king thought and agreed.

"But I'll double the guard," he said, "and order two chandeliers to be lit."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." That evening, the king called his daughter and whispered secretly:

"Remember well—to all this scoundrel's questions, you must answer only 'no.' And don't say anything else but 'no.'"

The princess promised.

It was time to go to bed. The shepherd, as before, entered the brightly lit, guard-filled bedroom of the princess and stretched out on the edge of the bed at a respectful distance from his bride.

"My wife," he said, "do you like that in such cold weather we must sleep with open windows?"

"No," she replied.

"Guards, did you hear?" shouted the young man. "At the princess's request, close the windows immediately!"

And the guards closed the windows.

Not even a quarter of an hour passed before the young man spoke again:

"My wife, do you like that we lie in bed surrounded by guards?"

"No," she replied.

"Guards! Did you hear? At the princess's request, get out and don't show yourselves here again!"

The guards, not believing their ears, left the princess's bedroom and went to sleep.

Another quarter of an hour later:

"My wife, do you like lying in bed like this with both chandeliers lit?"

"No..."

Then he extinguished the chandeliers, and it became pitch dark. He lay, as before, on the edge of the bed and said:

"My dear, we are lawful spouses, yet we are as distant from each other as if separated by a thorny hedge. Do you like this?"

"No," replied the princess.

Then he embraced her and kissed her. When morning came and the king entered the princess's room, she said:

"I did everything as you ordered, but what happened, happened—this young man has become my husband. Forgive us..."

The king had no choice but to arrange a lavish wedding with a ball and tournaments. Thus, the shepherd found happiness: he first became the king's heir and then the king himself.

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The Shepherd at the Court

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