If thou dost not promise me to teach him
everything that he ought to know, and to be his foster-father, I cannot
close my eyes in peace.” Then answered Faithful John, “I will not
forsake him, and will serve him with fidelity, even if it should cost
me my life.” On this, the old King said, “Now I die in comfort and
peace.” Then he added, “After my death, thou shalt show him the whole
castle: all the chambers, halls, and vaults, and all the treasures
which lie therein, but the last chamber in the long gallery, in which
is the picture of the princess of the Golden Dwelling, shalt thou not
show. If he sees that picture, he will fall violently in love with her,
and will drop down in a swoon, and go through great danger for her
sake, therefore thou must preserve him from that.” And when Faithful
John had once more given his promise to the old King about this, the
King said no more, but laid his head on his pillow, and died. When the old King had been carried to his grave, Faithful John told the
young King all that he had promised his father on his deathbed, and
said, “This will I assuredly perform, and will be faithful to thee as I
have been faithful to him, even if it should cost me my life.” When the
mourning was over, Faithful John said to him, “It is now time that thou
shouldst see thine inheritance. I will show thee thy father’s palace.”
Then he took him about everywhere, up and down, and let him see all the
riches, and the magnificent apartments, only there was one room which
he did not open, that in which hung the dangerous picture. The picture
was, however, so placed that when the door was opened you looked
straight on it, and it was so admirably painted that it seemed to
breathe and live, and there was nothing more charming or more beautiful
in the whole world. The young King, however, plainly remarked that
Faithful John always walked past this one door, and said, “Why dost
thou never open this one for me?” “There is something within it,” he
replied, “which would terrify thee.” But the King answered, “I have
seen all the palace, and I will know what is in this room also,” and he
went and tried to break open the door by force. Then Faithful John held
him back and said, “I promised thy father before his death that thou
shouldst not see that which is in this chamber, it might bring the
greatest misfortune on thee and on me.” “Ah, no,” replied the young
King, “if I do not go in, it will be my certain destruction. I should
have no rest day or night until I had seen it with my own eyes. I shall
not leave the place now until thou hast unlocked the door.”

Then Faithful John saw that there was no help for it now, and with a
heavy heart and many sighs, sought out the key from the great bunch. When he had opened the door, he went in first, and thought by standing
before him he could hide the portrait so that the King should not see
it in front of him, but what availed that? The King stood on tip-toe
and saw it over his shoulder. And when he saw the portrait of the
maiden, which was so magnificent and shone with gold and precious
stones, he fell fainting to the ground. Faithful John took him up,
carried him to his bed, and sorrowfully thought, “The misfortune has
befallen us, Lord God, what will be the end of it?” Then he
strengthened him with wine, until he came to himself again. The first
words the King said were, “Ah, the beautiful portrait! whose it it?”
“That is the princess of the Golden Dwelling,” answered Faithful John. Then the King continued, “My love for her is so great, that if all the
leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it. I will
give my life to win her. Thou art my most Faithful John, thou must help
me.”

The faithful servant considered within himself for a long time how to
set about the matter, for it was difficult even to obtain a sight of
the King’s daughter. At length he thought of a way, and said to the
King, “Everything which she has about her is of gold—tables, chairs,
dishes, glasses, bowls, and household furniture. Among thy treasures
are five tons of gold; let one of the goldsmiths of the Kingdom work
these up into all manner of vessels and utensils, into all kinds of
birds, wild beasts and strange animals, such as may please her, and we
will go there with them and try our luck.”

The King ordered all the goldsmiths to be brought to him, and they had
to work night and day until at last the most splendid things were
prepared. When everything was stowed on board a ship, Faithful John put
on the dress of a merchant, and the King was forced to do the same in
order to make himself quite unrecognizable. Then they sailed across the
sea, and sailed on until they came to the town wherein dwelt the
princess of the Golden Dwelling. Faithful John bade the King stay behind on the ship, and wait for him. “Perhaps I shall bring the princess with me,” said he, “therefore see
that everything is in order; have the golden vessels set out and the
whole ship decorated.” Then he gathered together in his apron all kinds
of gold things, went on shore and walked straight to the royal palace. When he entered the courtyard of the palace, a beautiful girl was
standing there by the well with two golden buckets in her hand, drawing
water with them. And when she was just turning round to carry away the
sparkling water she saw the stranger, and asked who he was. So he
answered, “I am a merchant,” and opened his apron, and let her look in. Then she cried, “Oh, what beautiful gold things!” and put her pails
down and looked at the golden wares one after the other. Then said the
girl, “The princess must see these, she has such great pleasure in
golden things, that she will buy all you have.” She took him by the
hand and led him upstairs, for she was the waiting-maid. When the
King’s daughter saw the wares, she was quite delighted and said, “They
are so beautifully worked, that I will buy them all of thee.” But
Faithful John said, “I am only the servant of a rich merchant. The
things I have here are not to be compared with those my master has in
his ship. They are the most beautiful and valuable things that have
ever been made in gold.” She wanted to have everything brought to her
there, but he said, “There are so many of them that it would take a
great many days to do that, and so many rooms would be required to
exhibit them, that your house is not big enough.” Then her curiosity
and longing were still more excited, until at last she said, “Conduct
me to the ship, I will go there myself, and behold the treasures of
thine master.”

On this Faithful John was quite delighted, and led her to the ship, and
when the King saw her, he perceived that her beauty was even greater
than the picture had represented it to be, and thought no other than
that his heart would burst in twain. Then she got into the ship, and
the King led her within.