'Now that we are in power,' said the king and his brother as soon as
they could converse in private, 'we must release our sister from the
tower in which she has languished so long.' They had only to cross the
garden to reach the tower, which was built in a corner. It had been
reared as high as possible, for it had been the intention of the late
king and queen that their daughter should remain in it for life. Rosette was busy with embroidery when her brothers entered, but on
catching sight of them she rose and left the frame at which she was
working. Taking the king's hand, she said: 'Good-morrow, Sire; you are
king to-day, and I am your humble servant. I implore you to release me
from the tower in which I have been languishing so long.' And with these
words she burst into tears. The king embraced her and told her not to weep, for he had come to take
her from the tower and establish her in a beautiful castle. The prince,
who had brought a pocketful of sweets to give to Rosette, added his
word. 'Come,' he said, 'let us leave this hateful tower, and do not be
unhappy any longer. Very soon the king will find a husband for you.' When Rosette saw the beautiful garden, with all its flowers and fruit
and its many fountains, she was overcome with amazement and could not
speak a word. She had never before seen anything of the kind. She looked
about her on all sides, and then ran hither and thither, picking the
fruit from the trees and the flowers from the beds, while her little dog
Frillikin (who was as green as a parrot, had only one ear, and could
dance deliciously) capered in front of her, yapping his loudest, and
amusing everybody present by his absurd gambols. [Illustration: _Princess Rosette_]

Presently Frillikin dashed into a little copse, and the princess
followed. Never was any one so struck with wonder as she, to behold
there a great peacock with tail outspread. So beautiful, so exquisitely
and perfectly beautiful did it seem to her that she could not take away
her eyes. When the king and the prince joined her they asked what it
was that had so taken her fancy. She pointed to the peacock and asked
what it was, to which they replied that it was a bird that was sometimes
served at table. 'What?' she cried; 'a bird so beautiful as that to be killed and eaten? I tell you, I will marry no one but the King of the Peacocks, and when I
am queen no one shall ever eat such a dish again!' No words can express the astonishment of the king. 'My dear sister,' he
said, 'where do you suppose that we are to find the King of the
Peacocks?' 'Wherever you please, Sire,' was the answer; 'but I will marry none but
him!' After having announced this decision she allowed her brothers to escort
her to their castle. But so great was the fancy she had taken to the
peacock that she insisted on its being brought and placed in her
apartment. All the ladies of the Court, by whom Rosette had never yet been seen,
now hastened to pay their dutiful respects. Gifts of every kind were
proffered to her--sweetmeats and sugar, gay ribbons, and dresses of
cloth-of-gold, dolls, slippers richly embroidered, with many pearls and
diamonds. All did their best to show her attention, and she displayed
such charming manners, kissing hands and curtseying so graciously when
any gift was offered to her, that not a gentleman or lady of the Court
but left her presence loud in her praise. While the princess was being thus entertained, the king and the prince
were taking counsel as to how they could find the King of the Peacocks,
supposing such a person did really exist. In pursuit of the plan which
they formed a portrait was painted of the Princess Rosette, and so
cunningly wrought was this picture that only speech seemed wanting to
make it live. Then they said to their sister:

'Since you will marry none but the King of the Peacocks, we are setting
forth together in quest of him through the wide world. If we find him we
shall be well rewarded. Wait for our return, and take care of our
kingdom while we are away.' Rosette thanked them for the trouble they were taking, and promised to
govern the kingdom well. She declared that while they were away her only
pleasures would be to admire the beautiful peacock and make Frillikin
dance. Their adieux were said with many tears. Behold, then, the royal pair upon their travels, asking of all whom they
met: 'Do you know the King of the Peacocks?' The reply from all was 'No,
we do not.' Then the travellers would pass on and go further, journeying
in this way so far, far away that no one had ever been so far before. At last they reached the kingdom of the Cockchafers, and the latter in
their myriads made so loud a buzzing that the king thought he would go
deaf. He asked one who seemed more intelligent than the rest if he knew
whereabouts the King of the Peacocks was to be found. 'Sire,' said the cockchafer, 'his kingdom is thirty thousand leagues
away; you have taken the longest road to get there.' 'How do you know that?' asked the king. 'Because we know you well,' replied the cockchafer; 'every year we spend
two or three months in your garden!' The king and his brother embraced the cockchafer warmly, and struck up
a great friendship. Arm in arm they all went off to dinner, over which
the visitors expressed their astonishment at the remarkable features of
this country, where the smallest leaf from a tree was worth a gold
piece. Presently they set off for their destination, and as they now
knew the road they were not long in reaching it. They observed that all
the trees were full of peacocks; indeed the place held so many of them
that their screaming as they talked could be heard two leagues away. 'If the King of the Peacocks is himself a peacock,' said the king to his
brother, 'how can our sister dream of marrying him? It would be folly to
sanction it. A nice set of relatives she would present to us--a lot of
little peacocks for nephews!' The prince was equally uneasy in his mind. 'It was an unfortunate notion to come into her head,' he declared; 'I
cannot imagine how she ever came to think that such a person as the King
of the Peacocks existed.' When they reached the city they found it peopled with men and women, but
the latter all wore garments fashioned out of peacocks' feathers; and
from the profusion in which these objects were everywhere to be seen it
was plain that they were regarded with an intense admiration. They
encountered the King of the Peacocks, who was out for a drive in a
splendid little chariot of gold, studded with diamonds, drawn by a dozen
galloping peacocks. The King of the Peacocks, fair of complexion, with a crown of peacocks'
feathers surmounting his long and curly yellow locks, was so extremely
handsome that the king and prince were delighted with his appearance. He
guessed from their clothes, so different from those of the natives,
that they were strangers; but to make sure he caused his carriage to
stop and summoned them to him.