Take this ring--it will provide you with the means of
seeing the queen, and of speaking with the Lion-Witch, notwithstanding
that she is the most formidable creature in the world.' The king refused to let any one accompany him, and after bestowing
handsome gifts upon the Frog, he set forth. 'Do not lose heart,' she
said to him; 'you will encounter terrible difficulties, but I am
convinced that your desires will meet with success.' He plucked up
courage at these words, and started upon the quest of his dear wife,
though he had only the ring to guide him. Now Moufette's beauty became more and more perfect as she grew older,
and all the monsters of the lake of quicksilver were enamoured of her. Hideous and terrifying to behold, they came and lay at her feet. Although Moufette had seen them ever since she was born, her lovely eyes
could never grow accustomed to them, and she would run away and hide in
her mother's arms. 'Shall we remain here long?' she would ask; 'are we
never to escape from misery?' The queen would answer hopefully, so as to keep up the spirits of the
child, but in her heart hope had died. The absence of the Frog and the
lack of any news from her, together with the long time that had passed
since she had heard anything of the king, filled her with grief and
despair. By now it had become a regular thing for them to go hunting with the
Lion-Witch. The latter liked good things, and enjoyed the game which
they killed for her. The head or the feet of the quarry was all the
share they got, but there was compensation in being allowed to look
again upon the daylight. The Witch would take the shape of a lioness,
and the queen and her daughter would seat themselves on her back. In
this fashion they ranged the forests a-hunting. One day, when the king was resting in a forest to which his ring had
guided him, he saw them shoot by like an arrow from the bow. They did
not perceive him, and when he tried to follow them he lost sight of them
completely. The queen was still as beautiful as of old, despite all that
she had suffered, and she seemed to her husband more attractive than
ever, so that he longed to have her with him again. He felt certain that
the young princess with her was his dear little Moufette, and he
resolved to face death a thousand times rather than abandon his
intention of rescuing her. With the assistance of his ring he penetrated to the gloomy region in
which the queen had been for so many years. His astonishment was great
to find himself descending to the centre of the earth, but with every
new thing that met his eyes his amazement grew greater. The Lion-Witch, from whom nothing was hid, knew well the day and hour of
his destined arrival. Much did she wish that the powers in league with
her could have ordered things otherwise, but she resolved to pit her
strength against his to the full. She built a palace of crystal which floated in the midst of the lake of
quicksilver, rising and falling on its waves. Therein she imprisoned the
queen and her daughter, and assembling the monsters, who were all
admirers of Moufette, she gave them this warning:

'You will lose this beautiful princess if you do not help me to keep her
from a gallant who has come to bear her away.' The monsters vowed that they would do everything in their power, and
forthwith they surrounded the palace of crystal. The less heavy
stationed themselves upon the roofs and walls, others mounted guard at
the doors, while the remainder filled the lake. Following the dictates of his faithful ring, the king went first to the
Witch's cavern. She was waiting for him in the form of a lioness, and
the moment he appeared she sprang upon him. But she was not prepared for
his valiant swordsmanship, and as she put forth a paw to fell him to
the ground, he cut it off at the elbow-joint. She yelped loudly and
fell over, whereupon he went up to her and set his foot upon her throat,
swearing that he would kill her. Notwithstanding her uncontrollable
rage, and the fact that she had nothing to fear from wounds, she felt
cowed by him. 'What do you seek to do to me?' she asked; 'what do you want of me?' 'I intend to punish you,' replied the king with dignity, 'for having
carried away my wife. Deliver her up to me, or I will strangle you on
the spot.' 'Turn your eyes to the lake,' she answered, 'and see if it lies in my
power to do so.' The king followed the direction she indicated, and saw the queen and her
daughter in the palace of crystal, where it floated like a boat without
oars or rudder on the lake of quicksilver. He was like to die of mingled
joy and sorrow. He shouted to them at the top of his voice, and they
heard him. But how was he to reach them? While he pondered a plan for the accomplishment of this, the Lion-Witch
vanished. He ran round and round the lake, but no sooner did the palace
draw near enough, at one point or another, to let him make a spring for
it, than it suddenly receded with menacing speed. As often as his hopes
were raised they were dashed to the ground. Fearing that he would presently tire, the queen cried to him that he
must not lose courage, for the Lion-Witch sought to wear him down, but
that true love could brave all obstacles. She stretched out imploring
hands, and so did Moufette. At sight of this the king felt his courage
renewed within him. Lifting his voice, he declared that he would rather
live the rest of his life in this dismal region than go away without
them. Patience he certainly needed, for no monarch in the world ever spent
such a miserable time. There was only the ground, cumbered with briars
and thorns, for bed, and for food he had only wild fruit more bitter
than gall. In addition, he was under the perpetual necessity of
defending himself from the monsters of the lake. Three years went by in this fashion, and the king could not pretend that
he had gained the least advantage. He was almost in despair, and many a
time was tempted to cast himself into the lake. He would have done so
without hesitation had there been any hope that thereby the sufferings
of the queen and the princess could be alleviated. One day as he was running, after his custom, from one side of the lake
to the other, he was hailed by one of the ugliest of the dragons. 'Swear
by your crown and sceptre, by your kingly robe, by your wife and child,'
said the monster, 'to give me a certain tit-bit to eat for which I have
a fancy, whenever I shall ask for it, and I will take you on my back:
none of the monsters in this lake which are guarding the palace will
prevent us from carrying away the queen and Princess Moufette.' 'Best of dragons!' cried the king; 'I swear to you, and to all of dragon
blood, that you shall have your fill of whatsoever you desire, and I
will be for ever your devoted servant.' 'Promise nothing which you do not mean to fulfil,' replied the dragon;
'for otherwise life-long misfortunes may overwhelm you.'