Then he carried away the King’s daughter, and
gave out that it was he who had killed the dragon, but that he lied I
prove with the tongues, the handkerchief, and the necklace.” And then
he related how his animals had healed him by means of a wonderful root,
and how he had travelled about with them for one year, and had at
length again come there and had learnt the treachery of the marshal by
the inn-keeper’s story. Then the King asked his daughter, “Is it true
that this man killed the dragon?” And she answered, “Yes, it is true. Now can I reveal the wicked deed of the marshal, as it has come to
light without my connivance, for he wrung from me a promise to be
silent. For this reason, however, did I make the condition that the
marriage should not be solemnized for a year and a day.” Then the King
bade twelve councillors be summoned who were to pronounce judgment on
the marshal, and they sentenced him to be torn to pieces by four bulls. The marshal was therefore executed, but the King gave his daughter to
the huntsman, and named him his viceroy over the whole kingdom. The
wedding was celebrated with great joy, and the young King caused his
father and his foster-father to be brought, and loaded them with
treasures. Neither did he forget the inn-keeper, but sent for him and
said, “Behold, sir host, I have married the King’s daughter, and your
house and yard are mine.” The host said, “Yes, according to justice it
is so.” But the young King said, “It shall be done according to mercy,”
and told him that he should keep his house and yard, and gave him the
thousand pieces of gold as well. And now the young King and Queen were thoroughly happy, and lived in
gladness together. He often went out hunting because it was a delight
to him, and the faithful animals had to accompany him. In the
neighborhood, however, there was a forest of which it was reported that
it was haunted, and that whosoever did but enter it did not easily get
out again. The young King, however, had a great inclination to hunt in
it, and let the old King have no peace until he allowed him to do so. So he rode forth with a great following, and when he came to the
forest, he saw a snow-white hart and said to his people, “Wait here
until I return, I want to chase that beautiful creature,” and he rode
into the forest after it, followed only by his animals. The attendants
halted and waited until evening, but he did not return, so they rode
home, and told the young Queen that the young King had followed a white
hart into the enchanted forest, and had not come back again. Then she
was in the greatest concern about him. He, however, had still continued
to ride on and on after the beautiful wild animal, and had never been
able to overtake it; when he thought he was near enough to aim, he
instantly saw it bound away into the far distance, and at length it
vanished altogether. And now he perceived that he had penetrated deep
into the forest, and blew his horn but he received no answer, for his
attendants could not hear it. And as night, too, was falling, he saw
that he could not get home that day, so he dismounted from his horse,
lighted himself a fire near a tree, and resolved to spend the night by
it. While he was sitting by the fire, and his animals also were lying
down beside him, it seemed to him that he heard a human voice. He
looked round, but could perceived nothing. Soon afterwards, he again
heard a groan as if from above, and then he looked up, and saw an old
woman sitting in the tree, who wailed unceasingly, “Oh, oh, oh, how
cold I am!” Said he, “Come down, and warm thyself if thou art cold.”
But she said, “No, thy animals will bite me.” He answered, “They will
do thee no harm, old mother, do come down.” She, however, was a witch,
and said, “I will throw down a wand from the tree, and if thou strikest
them on the back with it, they will do me no harm.” Then she threw him
a small wand, and he struck them with it, and instantly they lay still
and were turned into stone. And when the witch was safe from the
animals, she leapt down and touched him also with a wand, and changed
him to stone. Thereupon she laughed, and dragged him and the animals
into a vault, where many more such stones already lay. As, however, the young King did not come back at all, the Queen’s
anguish and care grew constantly greater. And it so happened that at
this very time the other brother who had turned to the east when they
separated, came into the kingdom. He had sought a situation, and had
found none, and had then travelled about here and there, and had made
his animals dance. Then it came into his mind that he would just go and
look at the knife that they had thrust in the trunk of a tree at their
parting, that he might learn how his brother was. When he got there his
brother’s side of the knife was half rusted, and half bright. Then he
was alarmed and thought, “A great misfortune must have befallen my
brother, but perhaps I can still save him, for half the knife is still
bright.” He and his animals travelled towards the west, and when he
entered the gate of the town, the guard came to meet him, and asked if
he was to announce him to his consort the young Queen, who had for a
couple of days been in the greatest sorrow about his staying away, and
was afraid he had been killed in the enchanted forest? The sentries,
indeed, thought no otherwise than that he was the young King himself,
for he looked so like him, and had wild animals running behind him. Then he saw that they were speaking of his brother, and thought, “It
will be better if I pass myself off for him, and then I can rescue him
more easily.” So he allowed himself to be escorted into the castle by
the guard, and was received with the greatest joy. The young Queen
indeed thought that he was her husband, and asked him why he had stayed
away so long. He answered, “I had lost myself in a forest, and could
not find my way out again any sooner.” At night he was taken to the
royal bed, but he laid a two-edged sword between him and the young
Queen; she did not know what that could mean, but did not venture to
ask. He remained in the palace a couple of days, and in the meantime
inquired into everything which related to the enchanted forest, and at
last he said, “I must hunt there once more.” The King and the young
Queen wanted to persuade him not to do it, but he stood out against
them, and went forth with a larger following. When he had got into the
forest, it fared with him as with his brother; he saw a white hart and
said to his people, “Stay here, and wait until I return, I want to
chase the lovely wild beast,” and then he rode into the forest and his
animals ran after him. But he could not overtake the hart, and got so
deep into the forest that he was forced to pass the night there. And
when he had lighted a fire, he heard some one wailing above him, “Oh,
oh, oh, how cold I am!” Then he looked up, and the self-same witch was
sitting in the tree.