once upon a time there was a king who had three sons and one daughter. he kept the daughter in a cage and guarded her as the eyes in his head.
[5] from "the russian grandmother's wonder tales." copyright, 1906, by charles scribner's sons.
when the maiden was grown up she begged her father one evening to let her go out and take a walk before the castle with her brothers. the father consented, but hardly was she out of the door when suddenly a dragon came swooping down from the sky, seized the maiden from among her brothers, and carried her away with him high into the clouds.
the brothers rushed headlong back to their father, told him of their misfortune, and begged permission to go and seek their stolen sister. the father consented, gave them each a horse and everything needful for a journey, and they set out.
after many wanderings they came across a watch-tower which stood neither on earth nor in heaven. when they reached the place it occurred to them that their sister might be within, and they at once began to take counsel among themselves as to how they should reach it.
after long consultation they decided to kill one of their horses, cut his skin into a long strap, fasten the end to an arrow, and shoot it up into some place in the watch-tower where it would hold securely. then they could easily climb up. the two younger brothers asked the eldest to sacrifice his horse, but he would not; nor would the second brother. so the youngest brother slew his horse, cut the hide into a long strap, bound one end to his arrow, and with his bow shot it up into the tower.
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but now, when it came to climbing up by the strap, the eldest and second brothers declined, whereupon the youngest undertook the adventure. arriving at the tower, he went from room to room, until at last he came to one where he saw his sister sitting, with the dragon's head in her lap, the dragon being fast asleep.
when the sister perceived her brother she was greatly terrified, and softly entreated him to flee before the dragon should awake. this he would not do, but seized his cudgel, struck out boldly, and dealt the dragon a heavy blow upon the head. the dragon, without awaking, put his hand up to the spot, murmuring, "something hit me right here."
as he said this the prince fetched him a second blow upon the head, and again the dragon murmured, "something hit me here." but now, as the brother made ready to strike a third time, the sister made a sign showing the dragon's vulnerable spot; and the brother, giving a powerful blow, killed him as dead as a mouse.
then the princess pushed him from her, flew into her brother's arms, and smothered him with kisses. after this she took him by the hand and began to lead him through all the rooms. first she led him into a room in which a black fox, with a harness of pure silver, was standing before a manger. then she led him into another room, where a white horse, with a harness of pure gold, stood before another manger. finally she led him into a third room, where a brown horse stood before a manger, his harness all studded with diamonds.
when they had gone through these rooms, the sister led her brother into a chamber where a maiden sat before a golden embroidery frame, working with golden threads. from this room she led him into another, where a second maiden was spinning gold thread, and at last into a room where a third maiden was stringing pearls, while at her feet a golden hen, with a brood of chickens, was picking up pearls from a golden basin.
when they had gone through all these rooms and seen all they wanted to see, they went back into the room where the dead
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dragon lay, dragged him out, and threw him head-foremost down to the earth. when the other brothers saw him they were almost convulsed with terror. but now the youngest brother let down to them first their sister and then the three maidens, one after another, each with her work. as he let them down he allotted one to each of his brothers, and when he let down the third, that is, the one with the hen and chickens, he reserved her to himself.
but his brothers, filled with envy because he was the hero who had discovered all these things and rescued their sister, cut the strap to make it impossible for him to return. then they rode away, and coming upon a shepherd boy with his sheep, they dressed him like their brother and brought him home to their father, forbidding their sister and the maidens, with fearful threats, under any circumstances to reveal the secret.
after a time word came to the youngest brother in the tower that his brothers and the shepherd were about to marry those three maidens. on the day appointed for the eldest brother's wedding he mounted the white horse and flew down into the midst of the wedding-guests just as they were leaving the church, and struck his brother lightly upon the back with his club. the brother fell from his horse and the other flew back to his watch-tower.
when the second brother's wedding-day came he again flew down upon his steed, gave the second brother a blow upon the back, so that he fell from his horse, and again flew away. but when he at last heard that the shepherd was about to marry the third maiden he again mounted his steed, flew among the wedding-guests just as they were coming out of the church, and dealt the bridegroom such a blow upon the head with his club that the fellow lay dead upon the spot.
in a trice the prince was surrounded by the wedding-guests, who were determined that he should not escape this time. he made no attempt to do so, however, but remained where he was, made himself known as the king's youngest son, revealed the trick his brothers had played upon him by means of the shepherd,
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and told how they had left him in the watch-tower where he had found his sister and killed the dragon.
his sister and the maidens bore witness to the truth of his story, and when the king heard all this he banished the two elder brothers from his presence, married the youngest to the maiden of his choice, and decreed that he should be heir to the throne after his own decease.
