Cold, Hunger, and Drought

Once upon a time, there lived a king, and no one could approach his princess.

Then, a prince from a distant land appeared. He set out on a journey, walking and walking, when suddenly he saw a man lying on the road. The sun was shining brightly, but the man was wrapped in a fur coat and shouting that he was freezing.

- Who are you, man?
- I am Cold.
- Would you like to work for me?
- Why not?
- Then let's go.
- Alright!

So, they went together. Soon, they saw another man lying on the road with loaves of bread beside him, yet he was screaming that he was dying of hunger. The prince asked him:

- Who are you?
- I am Hunger.
- Would you like to work for me?
- Sure, I’ll join you.

Now, the prince had two companions. They walked on, and soon they saw a man by the river, crying out:

- Good people, don’t let me die of thirst!
- Who are you?
- I am Drought.
- Why are you shouting when you’re lying by the river?

He replied:

- Oh, this is not enough for me! I could drink the whole river in one gulp, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
The prince said:
- Work for me!
- I’ll join you.

Now, the prince had three companions. They walked and walked until they finally reached the distant land ruled by the king. They informed the king that a prince had come to seek his princess. The king said:

- Alright, bring him here.

The prince was invited in, and the king began to entertain him, realizing he was indeed a prince. The king asked:

- What do you want?
- I have come to court your princess.
The king replied:
- Very well, I will give her to you if you complete three tasks I set for you. Do you agree?
- I agree.
- If you fail, you will be put to death.
- And if I succeed, what will I receive?
- You will take my princess.

They feasted as was customary, and then the king ordered his servants to slaughter a hundred oxen for the prince’s meal. The servants quickly prepared the feast, baking three hundred large loaves of bread and fetching a hundred barrels of water. When everything was ready, they called the prince:

- Go ahead, if you can eat all this, you may take my princess.
The prince asked:
- Is everything ready, is everything in order?
The king confirmed it was. The prince looked at the feast, dismayed, and said to Hunger:
- What shall we do? Who can eat all this?
- Heh! Heh! This won’t even be enough for one meal for me. There’s not even enough to lick my lips!

And so, Hunger began to eat, devouring everything down to the last crumb, and then demanded more. They went to the king.

- Your Majesty! He ate everything, leaving only bones, and now demands more.
- Give him something to drink, and then he may take my princess.

The prince was deeply troubled.

- Don’t worry, - said Drought, - I’ll suck it all up with my mouth, even the barrel hoops will fall off! I’ll drain it all in one go!

Drought drank barrel after barrel and then cried out:

- Bring more water, or I’ll die of thirst!
They went to the king:
- Your Majesty, he drank a hundred barrels of water so quickly that the hoops fell off, and they dried up.
The king said:
- If he drank that much, he could drink the whole sea!
Then the king ordered his servants:
- I have an iron stove. Heat it until it glows red, so sparks fly everywhere. Let them spend the night there, and they will burn to ashes.

The prince was deeply saddened.

- Well, - he said to his companions, - this is the end for us.
- Here is your bed, lie down and sleep.

The prince and his two companions were very worried, not knowing what would happen to them. Then Cold said:

- Don’t be sad, prince. I’ll blow such cold that you’ll need to cover up, or you’ll freeze.

And as Cold blew, the entire stove became covered in frost. The four of them climbed into the stove and cried out:

- Save us!! Don’t let us freeze, or we’ll perish!

The king was terrified. He realized there was nothing he could do to them, as he had agreed that if the prince completed the three tasks, he would win the princess.

The king said to the prince:

- Prince! You have already won my princess, but if you complete one more task for me, I will give you my entire kingdom.
The prince asked:
- What is the task?
The king replied:
- I have a castle where no one can spend the night. If you can stay there for three nights, I will grant you my kingdom.

- Very well, I agree, - said the prince.

They agreed on the terms, and the king led the prince to the castle, where he was to spend three nights. The castle was haunted by a hundred cursed Vila spirits, who danced and played at midnight. The prince entered the castle, bringing four candles and four new caps. As soon as he lit the candles, he covered them with the caps to keep them from going out.

At midnight, he heard a commotion as the Vila spirits arrived, shaking the castle as if it were on water. They entered the castle, and the prince, sitting at a table, was terrified. The Vila spirits asked him:

- Who are you, and why have you come to our domain?
He replied:
- I will build a new palace from this castle. You have no business here.

Then Cold blew, and the Vila spirits began to chatter their teeth. They invited the prince to dance and dine, but he refused, sitting quietly with his candle burning. Cold walked around, freezing everything so much that it was unbearable to stand. The Vila spirits said:

- Noble prince! Whatever you ask of us, we will do, just don’t drive us from this castle.
- No, nothing can save you now. I will destroy you all.

Then a hundred devils attacked him, but the prince, with the help of Hunger and Drought, began to fight them. Only fifty remained. At the stroke of midnight, those fifty disappeared.

The next night, even more Vila spirits appeared, making a great noise with their dancing and singing. Among them was a lame Vila, who gave the prince a cane.

- Take this, but don’t hit me. They torment me because I am their servant. If you strike them with this cane, they will all submit to you.

The prince sat quietly.
As the Vila spirits crowded into the castle, planning to kill him, he grabbed the cane and began to strike them. He beat them so fiercely that no one was left to fight.

- Noble prince! Whatever you ask, we will do, just don’t take our castle!
- No, nothing can save you now. I must take it and build a new palace.

They extinguished one candle, and the prince removed the cap from another, leaving only two candles burning. The devils surrounded him, and the lame Vila begged:

- Noble prince! Don’t hit me, and I will help you. I will do whatever you ask. Don’t be afraid, I won’t harm you. You can drive the others away.

On the third night, an even larger crowd of Vila spirits arrived. They sat on the roof, unable to agree. The lame Vila gave the prince a whip that could split anyone it struck in two. The Vila spirits flew in and said:

- Prince, we will give you anything—silver, gold, diamonds—just leave this castle. They say there is a princess beyond the Red Sea so beautiful that you could search the whole world and never find her equal. If you wish, we will bring her to you.
The prince agreed:
- I will leave you in peace if she pleases me. My current princess does not.

So, they brought the princess to him. She had golden hair, golden feet, and pearls fell from her eyes when she cried. The prince was overjoyed and said to the Vila spirits:

- Since you have done this for me, I will willingly leave the castle to you.

The lame Vila said again:

- There is a sword here that can cut down as many soldiers as you can see. Do not leave until they give it to you.

The Vila spirits gathered, and the prince said:

- I will leave the castle to you, but give me the sword hidden here.

They refused, so he took the whip and began to strike them. The lame Vila said:

- There is a barrel of powerful water here. When they weaken, drinking it gives them such strength that they can conquer the world.

The prince went to the barrel and drank. The first sip made him stronger, the second even stronger, and the third stronger still. The Vila said:

- There is water here that, when you sprinkle it behind you, will create soldiers. I have done everything for you, as they torment me.

The prince stood by the barrel and began to sprinkle the water, creating an endless army of soldiers with all the weapons needed for war.

He surrounded the castle with his army and began to drive out the cursed Vila spirits, leaving only the lame Vila. The lame Vila said:

- If you ever perish, I will come to your aid and revive you.

The prince wrote to the king who had set him the tasks, challenging him to battle the next morning at seven o’clock.

- What a fool! - said the king. - What can he do to me? I have an army, I have everything, and he’s stuck in that castle. Who knows if he’ll even survive? And yet he writes like this! - The king replied that he was ready to fight immediately.

The king arrived at the appointed time with his great army. The prince appeared and began to sprinkle the water behind him, creating an endless army dressed in red uniforms. Seeing this, the king was terrified. The prince’s army quickly surrounded the king, showing no mercy: “You tried to kill me three times, but I will defeat you once.”

The prince no longer wanted the princess. He conquered the kingdom and began to rule from the castle.

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Cold, Hunger, and Drought

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