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the heavens were a stainless blue, and the moon shone out of them arrayed in silvery garments. one by one the sky’s matchless jewels, the stars, peeped out, studding that great ceiling with flashing diamond-points, until the whole dome was a glittering mass of blue and silver. the ocean below seemed a big mirror, made to catch and reflect the bewildering beauty above, for, shimmering softly, he carried in his shining depths all those myriad lights.
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calm and majestic the moon glided over her star-studded pathway; but, in spite of her glorious beauty and brilliancy, she was really sad and sick at heart. ethelda, her best beloved, the youngest and dearest of her children, had just made a request the granting of which caused her that night bitterest sorrow.
there was an old custom among the moon maidens that on her marriage each one of them might ask whatever she most desired, and the thing which she asked could not be denied her. now, ethelda of the starry eyes and the shining spun-gold hair had asked a fearful gift at her mother’s hands. she was betrothed to the sun prince dorion, a handsome youth, strong of limb, and a goodly sight to look upon, and he had long loved her. he had seen this dainty maiden in all her varying moods, so he knew her well. sometimes, with her moon maidens merrily engaged at play, she romped happy as a child; or later, with the stately tread of a young princess, she came and went in her big white palace. she often wore a pale blue gown with silver trimmings, and a crown of flashing stars upon her head, and then it was the brilliantly beautiful girl looked the daughter of the skies.
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prince dorion had watched the slender maiden until every strand of her glittering hair was dear to his heart. later his father’s golden chariot brought him daily to her palace.
how ethelda loved to watch him as he drove the fiery steeds with a master’s hands, guiding them surely and steadily to her palace gates! he was the finest of the sun god’s sons, and ethelda’s heart beat proudly as she looked upon her chosen one. the moon mother was happy too, in her daughter’s choice, and all would have been well in the wedding festivities save for ethelda’s unheard-of request. how the moon hated to grant it! but she had reasoned with ethelda long and patiently without effect. for the wilful little princess was bent upon this mad whim. “alas! no good can come of it,” sighed the moon heavily, and she gazed down sadly upon the earth as she spoke. “no good can come of it,” she repeated. “what could have possessed the child to want it?”
for ethelda had asked no less than this: to visit the earth and spend her honeymoon there!
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the young sun prince, though at first reluctant to take his beautiful bride upon such a wild trip, had finally yielded to her persuasions, and now, being won by her tender pleadings, was as anxious to go as she.
but the moon mother had no such faith in the foolish journey. her mind misgave her, and as she swung around the great circle in celestial glory, her heart grew tremulous with fear for her daughter’s safety. the request must be granted: that she knew; but she was devoutly thankful for a wise law requiring a moon maiden to revisit her own home yearly. at most, then, they could stay but a twelvemonth upon the earth. reason as she would, however, the queen mother’s heart was heavy, for with the daughter upon the earth the mother’s happiness would be gone. but the maiden’s joy at the consent consoled her somewhat, and with an unselfish mother’s love the queen determined to hide her own grief and make the wedding trip a brilliant and a joyous one.
prince dorion came with a great retinue of knights, all dressed in shining gold wrought in the sun’s fiery furnace, and bringing wonderful jewels to his bride. the moon queen, not to be outdone in magnificence, showered silver in plenty upon them both, and bade one hundred of her loveliest maidens accompany the bridal pair upon their journey.
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the wedding was so brilliant that the skies grew bright as day, and the splendor was reflected for many miles across the heavens. when the ceremony was over, the bride, in shining white and silver garments, came forth from the circle of her bridesmaids to bid her mother farewell.
long-limbed and graceful was this daughter of the skies. her finely cut features showed her high-bred race. her blond hair hung in yellow masses to her knees, while her tender blue eyes, looking smilingly upon her mother’s face, were radiant with happiness. gliding swiftly forward she reached the throne, and there, sinking on her knees, she begged her mother’s blessing.
very tenderly the queen watched her graceful child approach and kneel, and then leaning forward she raised her to her breast and showered caresses upon her.
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“ethelda, best beloved,” she began, “stay not beyond your allotted time upon the earth. my heart misgives me when i think of your departure, and will be heavy until you return. but see, my daughter, i have provided for your safety as best i can, and you may come back to me whenever you choose.” so saying, she drew the bride gently toward the window of her white palace, and there, looking down, ethelda saw a wonderful sight indeed. a beautiful shimmering ladder of moonlight stretched in infinite splendor down to the earth. whichever way she looked, the majestic sweep of that brilliant ladder was before her. it reached the ocean, whose gigantic waves of foaming white rose to meet it, and it quivered in dazzling glory upon the green-clad forests of the land.
ethelda was amazed and delighted at the wonderful sight, and throwing her arms around her mother’s neck, she poured forth her gratitude in loving words. “we will return soon, sweet mother,” she whispered tenderly; “those shining steps will lead us safely back to you.” then, as her husband joined them, she stepped forward smilingly to greet him, saying she was ready.
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one hundred of the sun prince’s knights, in trappings of gold made by the sun himself, and with bright shades of crimson trimmings, joined them as she spoke. ethelda’s maidens, in their glittering dresses of whitest silver, followed; and joining hands with the knights, began their magnificent wedding march to the earth.
never was there a more kingly sight. preceding the bride and bridegroom, the gay cavalcade descended the glorious ladder of silver beams. step by step they wandered down the moonglade toward the earth, and the moon, smiling lovingly at them, sighed again heavily as she spread her bright pathway of silver before them.
now, the earth knew of their coming, and she determined to give them a welcome befitting their high and mighty rank. she already owed a great debt to the sun king, for it was his shining rays that warmed and nourished her and made her fruitful. most of her splendid fertility was due to the warmth of the sun. so she invited the whole world to meet the bridal party, giving a grand ball in their honor.
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her invitations were taken by the winds and swiftly carried to the four corners of the globe. hundreds of noble personages were asked to meet the distinguished strangers, and all came to do them honor, bringing cordial greetings and invitations to visit the different parts of the world.
the night of the ball had come. the earth, resplendent in jewels, awaited the arrival of her guests. the forest back of them was aglitter with lights, for all the glow-worms and fireflies had been summoned for the occasion, and for days they had been decorating the trees. an orchestra of birds sang delicious music, and overhead the sky was spangled with twinkling stars gazing in silent wonderment upon the earth’s splendor.
by the side of the earth queen stood prince dorion. his suit of pure gold shone like the sun himself, and next to him was his beautiful bride, the moon princess. she was dressed in white garments embroidered in silver, and she was certainly a charming vision. her gleaming yellow hair was caught back from her forehead with a crown of flashing stars. her clear blue eyes, with their deep sky tints, were dancing in lights as brilliant as her star crown itself.
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first came the earth’s eldest son, the ocean king, to greet them. the sea was a mass of fire with gleaming phosphorus, and king ocean and his mermaid daughters seemed to be floating in red flames as they approached. the maidens’ long and wonderfully beautiful hair floated behind them as they swam, and they sang the most entrancing songs. they bore an invitation to prince dorion and his bride to visit them in their marine home. and this invitation was at once accepted by the strangers. another invitation, accepted at once, came from prince dorion’s only sister, princess kuldah, who lived upon the earth with her husband. many more charming invitations were given them, but of course it was impossible to accept them all.
at last one distinguished-looking person strode forward, small of stature and ugly to look upon. his body was dwarfed, and he had a big hump on his back. his face was dark and glowering, and he wore a suit of yellow leaves. all the guests moved aside to let him pass, as though they feared him. he lived in the vast depths of the forest, amidst huge mountains; his daily work, with his thousands of imps, was to build those mountains big and high. stone by stone he raised them, bleak and barren, to the clouds. he limped as he walked, and he glared angrily at the shrinking faces avoiding him; but he gave his invitation to the fair guests, as the others had done, and bowed low before them as he gave it.
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an involuntary shudder ran through the lovely princess as she heard his words, and she clung suddenly to her husband in terror, as the black dwarf’s eyes dwelt admiringly upon her. she felt a cold thrill of fear at his bold glance.
but prince dorion, reassuring her with a tender smile, turned to the ugly creature, and to the astonishment of the earth queen and her court, replied: “sir dwarf, we accept your invitation, and will gladly ride forth with you whenever our hostess wills. the sun king, my father, and her majesty the queen of the moon, have each sent the earth a gift as a glad token of our visit here, and we must place our precious gold and silver deep within the bosom of your great mountains. there will it best thrive and grow, increasing and benefiting the world.”
the moon princess turned very pale when she heard her husband’s reply, but the black dwarf limped away with a gratified smile upon his ugly face.
