The Enchanted Princess

In a certain kingdom, there was a soldier who served in the king's cavalry guard. He served faithfully and honestly for twenty-five years. For his loyal service, the king ordered that he be honorably discharged and granted the very horse he rode in the regiment, complete with its saddle and all its harness.

The soldier bid farewell to his comrades and set off for his homeland. He rode for a day, then another, and another... A week passed, then another, and yet another—but the soldier's money ran out, and he had nothing to feed himself or his horse. Home was still far, far away! Seeing that things were going very badly and feeling terribly hungry, he began to look around and spotted a large castle in the distance. "Well," he thought, "why not ride over there? Maybe they'll take me into service for a while, and I can earn something."

He turned toward the castle, rode into the courtyard, stabled his horse, and gave it some feed. Then he went into the palace. Inside, a table was set with wine and food—everything one could desire! The soldier ate and drank his fill. "Now," he thought, "I can take a nap!"

Suddenly, a she-bear entered:

"Don't be afraid of me, good lad. You've come to a good place: I am not a fierce bear but an enchanted princess. If you endure and spend three nights here, the spell will be broken—I will become a princess again and marry you."

The soldier agreed. The she-bear left, and he remained alone. A deep melancholy overcame him, so heavy that he wished he could close his eyes to the world, and it only grew worse as time passed.

By the third day, the soldier was so desperate that he decided to abandon everything and flee the castle. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way out. Reluctantly, he had no choice but to stay.

He endured the third night. In the morning, the princess appeared before him, radiant with indescribable beauty. She thanked him for his service and told him to prepare for the wedding. They were married at once and began to live happily together, free from all worries.

After some time, the soldier grew homesick and wanted to visit his native land. The princess tried to dissuade him:

"Stay, my dear, don't go. What do you lack here?"

But she couldn't change his mind. She bid him farewell, gave him a pouch filled to the brim with seeds, and said:

"As you travel, scatter these seeds along both sides of the road. Where they fall, trees will instantly grow. On the trees, precious fruits will appear, birds will sing songs, and foreign cats will tell tales."

The good lad mounted his trusty steed and set off on his journey. Wherever he went, he scattered the seeds, and forests sprang up behind him, rising from the damp earth!

He rode for a day, then another, and another. Then he saw a caravan standing in an open field. Merchants sat on the grass, playing cards, with a cauldron hanging nearby. Though there was no fire beneath it, the stew inside boiled fiercely.

"What a wonder!" thought the soldier. "There's no fire, yet the stew boils in the cauldron. Let me take a closer look." He turned his horse and approached the merchants:

"Greetings, honorable gentlemen!"

Little did he know, these were not merchants but devils in disguise.

"Your trick is impressive: a cauldron boiling without fire! But I have something better."

He took a single seed from his pouch and threw it to the ground. Instantly, an ancient tree grew, adorned with precious fruits, birds singing, and foreign cats telling tales.

At once, the devils recognized him.

"Ah," they whispered among themselves, "this is the one who freed the princess. Let's give him a potion to make him sleep for six months."

They offered him a drink and laced it with a magical potion. The soldier fell to the grass and sank into a deep, unbreakable sleep, while the merchants, the caravan, and the cauldron vanished in an instant.

Not long after, the princess went for a walk in the garden. She noticed the tops of the trees were beginning to wither. "This bodes ill!" she thought. "Something must have happened to my husband. Three months have passed—it's time for him to return, but he's nowhere to be seen!"

She set out to search for him. She followed the road he had taken, where forests grew on both sides, birds sang, and foreign cats purred their tales.

She reached a place where the trees ended, and the road wound through an open field. "Where could he have gone? He couldn't have just disappeared!" Then she spotted a marvelous tree in the distance and beneath it lay her beloved.

She ran to him and tried to shake him awake, but he wouldn't stir. She pinched him, poked him with pins—he felt nothing, lying as if dead. In her frustration, she cursed:

"May you, lazy sleeper, be swept up by a wild wind and carried off to unknown lands!"

No sooner had she spoken than the winds howled and roared. In an instant, a fierce whirlwind snatched the soldier and carried him out of the princess's sight.

Too late, the princess regretted her harsh words. She wept bitter tears, returned home, and lived alone.

Meanwhile, the poor soldier was carried far, far away by the whirlwind, beyond thrice-nine lands, to the thirtieth kingdom. He was dropped on a narrow strip of land between two seas. If he turned to the right or left in his sleep, he would tumble into the sea and be lost forever!

For six months, the good lad slept without stirring. When he finally awoke, he sprang to his feet and looked around. Waves rose on both sides, and the wide sea stretched endlessly. He wondered, "How did I end up here? Who brought me?"

He walked along the strip of land and came to an island. On the island stood a tall, steep mountain that reached the clouds, and at its peak lay a large stone.

As he approached the mountain, he saw three devils fighting, tearing at each other.

"Stop, you wretches! Why are you fighting?"

"Well, you see, our father died three days ago, and he left behind three wondrous things: a flying carpet, seven-league boots, and an invisibility cap. We can't agree on how to divide them."

"Ah, you fools! Fighting over such trifles. Do you want me to divide them for you? Everyone will be satisfied, and no one will be wronged."

"Go on, friend, divide them for us!"

"Very well! Run to the pine forests, gather a hundred poods of resin each, and bring it here."

The devils rushed to the pine forests, gathered three hundred poods of resin, and brought it to the soldier.

"Now fetch the largest cauldron from the depths of hell."

The devils dragged a massive cauldron—large enough to hold forty barrels—and filled it with the resin.

The soldier lit a fire, and once the resin melted, he ordered the devils to carry the cauldron up the mountain and pour it from top to bottom. The devils did so in an instant.

"Now," said the soldier, "push that stone. Let it roll down the mountain, and the three of you chase after it. Whoever catches it first can choose any of the three treasures. The second to catch it can pick from the remaining two, and the last will get what's left."

The devils pushed the stone, and it rolled down the mountain at great speed. All three gave chase. The first devil caught up, grabbed the stone—but it turned and pinned him into the resin. The same happened to the second and third devils. They were stuck fast.

The soldier tucked the seven-league boots and the invisibility cap under his arm, sat on the flying carpet, and flew off to find his kingdom.
Whether it was a long or short time, he finally arrived at a hut. He entered and saw Baba Yaga, the bony-legged old hag, toothless and ancient, sitting inside.

"Hello, granny! Tell me, how can I find my beautiful princess?" he asked.

"I don't know, my dear! I haven't seen her, nor have I heard of her. Go beyond so many seas, beyond so many lands—there lives my middle sister. She knows more than I do; perhaps she can tell you."

The soldier sat on his flying carpet and flew off. He had to wander the wide world for a long time. Whenever he got hungry or thirsty, he would put on his invisibility cap, descend into some town, enter shops, take whatever his heart desired, and then return to his carpet to continue his journey.

He arrived at another hut, entered, and there sat another Baba Yaga, the bony-legged old hag, toothless and ancient.

"Hello, granny! Do you know where I can find my beautiful princess?" he asked.

"No, my dear, I don't know. Travel beyond so many seas, beyond so many lands—there lives my eldest sister. Perhaps she knows."

"Ah, you old hag! You've lived so many years in this world, yet you know nothing useful!"

He sat on his flying carpet and flew to the eldest sister.

He wandered for a long, long time, crossing many lands and seas, until finally, he reached the edge of the world. There stood a hut, and beyond it, there was no path—only pitch-black darkness, nothing to be seen! "Well," he thought, "if I don't find an answer here, there's nowhere else to fly!"

He entered the hut, and there sat Baba Yaga, the bony-legged old hag, gray-haired and toothless.

"Hello, granny! Tell me, where can I find my princess?"

"Wait a moment; I'll summon all my winds and ask them. They blow all over the world, so they must know where she lives now."

The old woman went out to the porch, called out in a loud voice, and whistled a mighty whistle. Suddenly, wild winds rose and blew from all directions, shaking the hut!

"Quiet, quiet!" shouted Baba Yaga. Once the winds had gathered, she began to question them:

"My wild winds, you blow all over the world, have you seen the beautiful princess anywhere?"

"No, we haven't seen her anywhere!" the winds replied in unison.

"Are you all here?"

"All of us, except the south wind." A little later, the south wind arrived. The old woman asked him:

"Where have you been all this time? I could barely wait for you!"

"Forgive me, granny! I went to a new kingdom where the beautiful princess lives. Her husband has gone missing, and now various kings and princes, lords and nobles are courting her."

"How far is it to this new kingdom?"

"Thirty years on foot, ten years by wings; but if I blow, I can get you there in three hours."

The soldier begged the south wind to take him to the new kingdom.

"Very well," said the south wind, "I'll take you, but on the condition that you let me roam freely in your kingdom for three days and three nights."

"Roam for three weeks if you like!"

"Alright then; I'll rest for a couple of days, gather my strength, and then we'll set off."

The south wind rested, gathered his strength, and said to the soldier:

"Well, brother, get ready, we're leaving now. And don't be afraid—you'll be safe!"

Suddenly, a strong whirlwind rose, whistling and roaring. It lifted the soldier into the air and carried him over mountains and seas, right under the clouds. Exactly three hours later, he was in the new kingdom where his beautiful princess lived.

The south wind said to him:

"Farewell, good lad! Out of pity for you, I won't roam in your kingdom."

"Why not?"

"Because if I did, not a single house in the city nor a tree in the gardens would remain standing—I'd turn everything upside down!"

"Farewell then! Thank you!" said the soldier. He put on his invisibility cap and headed to the white-stone palace.

While he had been away, all the trees in the garden had stood with dry tops, but as soon as he appeared, they came to life and began to bloom.

He entered a large hall where various kings and princes, lords and nobles who had come to court the beautiful princess were sitting at a table, enjoying sweet wines. Whenever a suitor poured a glass and raised it to his lips, the soldier would immediately knock it out of his hand with a punch. All the guests were astonished, but the beautiful princess guessed at once. "Surely," she thought, "my beloved has returned!"

She looked out the window—the tops of all the trees in the garden had come to life—and she began to pose a riddle to her guests:

"I had a golden thread with a golden needle. I lost that needle and thought I'd never find it, but now the needle has returned. Whoever solves this riddle, I will marry."

The kings and princes, lords and nobles puzzled over the riddle for a long time but couldn't solve it. The princess said:

"Show yourself, my dear friend!"

The soldier took off his invisibility cap, took the princess by her white hands, and kissed her sweet lips.

"Here is your answer!" said the beautiful princess. "The golden thread is me, and the golden needle is my faithful husband. Where the needle goes, the thread follows."

The suitors had no choice but to turn back. They returned to their own lands, and the princess began to live happily with her husband, prospering and thriving.

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The Enchanted Princess

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