merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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the servants lived. Outside she noticed a youth who was handsomer than
any prince she had ever seen, and in a moment she knew him to be the
little boy she had once played with.

'Tell me your secret and I will marry you,' she said to him; but the boy
only gave her the beating he had promised her long ago, when she asked
him the same question. The girl was very angry, besides being hurt, and
ran home to complain to her father.

'If he had a thousand souls, I would kill them all,' swore the king.

That very day a gallows was built outside the town, and all the people
crowded round to see the execution of the young man who had dared to
beat the king's daughter. The prisoner, with his hands tied behind
his back, was brought out by the hangman, and amidst dead silence his
sentence was being read by the judge when suddenly the sword clanked
against his side. Instantly a great noise was heard and a golden coach
rumbled over the stones, with a white flag waving out of the window.
It stopped underneath the gallows, and from it stepped the king of the
Magyars, who begged that the life of the boy might be spared.

'Sir, he has beaten my daughter, who only asked him to tell her his
secret. I cannot pardon that,' answered the princess's father.

'Give him to me, I'm sure he will tell me the secret; or, if not, I have
a daughter who is like the Morning Star, and he is sure to tell it to
her.'

The sword clanked for the third time, and the king said angrily: 'Well,
if you want him so much you can have him; only never let me see his face
again.' And he made a sign to the hangman. The bandage was removed from
the young man's eyes, and the cords from his wrists, and he took his
seat in the golden coach beside the king of the Magyars. Then the
coachman whipped up his horses, and they set out for Buda.

The king talked very pleasantly for a few miles, and when he thought
that his new companion was quite at ease with him, he asked him what was
the secret which had brought him into such trouble. 'That I cannot tell
you,' answered the youth, 'until it comes true.'

'You will tell my daughter,' said the king, smiling.

'I will tell nobody,' replied the youth, and as he spoke the sword
clanked loudly. The king said no more, but trusted to his daughter's
beauty to get the secret from him.

The journey to Buda was long, and it was several days before they
arrived there. The beautiful princess happened to be picking roses in
the garden, when her father's coach drove up.

'Oh, what a handsome youth! Have you brought him from fairyland?' cried
she, when they all stood upon the marble steps in front of the castle.

'I have brought him from the gallows,' answered the king; rather vexed
at his daughter's words, as never before had she consented to speak to
any man.

'I don't care where you brought him from,' said the spoilt girl. 'I will
marry him and nobody else, and we will live together till we die.'

'You will tell another tale,' replied the king, 'when you ask him his
secret. After all he is no better than a servant.'

'That is nothing to me,' said the princess, 'for I love him. He will
tell his secret to me, and will find a place in the middle of my heart.'

But the king shook his head, and gave orders that the lad was to be
lodged in the summer-house.

One day, about a week later, the princess put on her finest dress, and
went to pay him a visit. She looked so beautiful that, at the sight of
her, the book dropped from his hand, and he stood up speechless. 'Tell
me,' she said, coaxingly, 'what is this wonderful secret? Just whisper
it in my ear, and I will give you a kiss.'

'My angel,' he answered, 'be wise, and ask no questions, if you wish to
get safely back to your father's palace; I have kept my secret all these
years, and do not mean to tell it now.'

However, the girl would not listen, and went on pressing him, till at
last he slapped her face so hard that her nose bled. She shrieked with
pain and rage, and ran screaming back to the palace, where her father
was waiting to hear if she had succeeded. 'I will starve you to death,
you son of a dragon,' cried he, when he saw her dress streaming with
blood; and he ordered all the masons and bricklayers in the town to come
before him.

'Build me a tower as fast as you can,' he said, 'and see that there is
room for a stool and a small table, and for nothing else. The men set
to work, and in two hours the tower was built, and they proceeded to the
palace to inform the king that his commands were fulfilled. On the way
they met the princess, who began to talk to one of the masons, and when
the rest were out of hearing she asked if he could manage to make a hole
in the tower, which nobody could see, large enough for a bottle of wine
and some food to pass through.

'To be sure I can,' said the mason, turning back, and in a few minutes
the hole was bored.

At sunset a large crowd assembled to watch the youth being led to the

the servants lived. Outside she noticed a youth who was handsomer than

any prince she had ever seen, and in a moment she knew him to be the

little boy she had once played with.

'Tell me your secret and I will marry you,' she said to him; but the boy

only gave her the beating he had promised her long ago, when she asked

him the same question. The girl was very angry, besides being hurt, and

ran home to complain to her father.

'If he had a thousand souls, I would kill them all,' swore the king.

That very day a gallows was built outside the town, and all the people

crowded round to see the execution of the young man who had dared to

beat the king's daughter. The prisoner, with his hands tied behind

his back, was brought out by the hangman, and amidst dead silence his

sentence was being read by the judge when suddenly the sword clanked

against his side. Instantly a great noise was heard and a golden coach

rumbled over the stones, with a white flag waving out of the window.

It stopped underneath the gallows, and from it stepped the king of the

Magyars, who begged that the life of the boy might be spared.

'Sir, he has beaten my daughter, who only asked him to tell her his

secret. I cannot pardon that,' answered the princess's father.

'Give him to me, I'm sure he will tell me the secret; or, if not, I have

a daughter who is like the Morning Star, and he is sure to tell it to

her.'

The sword clanked for the third time, and the king said angrily: 'Well,

if you want him so much you can have him; only never let me see his face

again.' And he made a sign to the hangman. The bandage was removed from

the young man's eyes, and the cords from his wrists, and he took his

seat in the golden coach beside the king of the Magyars. Then the

coachman whipped up his horses, and they set out for Buda.

The king talked very pleasantly for a few miles, and when he thought

that his new companion was quite at ease with him, he asked him what was

the secret which had brought him into such trouble. 'That I cannot tell

you,' answered the youth, 'until it comes true.'

'You will tell my daughter,' said the king, smiling.

'I will tell nobody,' replied the youth, and as he spoke the sword

clanked loudly. The king said no more, but trusted to his daughter's

beauty to get the secret from him.

The journey to Buda was long, and it was several days before they

arrived there. The beautiful princess happened to be picking roses in

the garden, when her father's coach drove up.

'Oh, what a handsome youth! Have you brought him from fairyland?' cried

she, when they all stood upon the marble steps in front of the castle.

'I have brought him from the gallows,' answered the king; rather vexed

at his daughter's words, as never before had she consented to speak to

any man.

'I don't care where you brought him from,' said the spoilt girl. 'I will

marry him and nobody else, and we will live together till we die.'

'You will tell another tale,' replied the king, 'when you ask him his

secret. After all he is no better than a servant.'

'That is nothing to me,' said the princess, 'for I love him. He will

tell his secret to me, and will find a place in the middle of my heart.'

But the king shook his head, and gave orders that the lad was to be

lodged in the summer-house.

One day, about a week later, the princess put on her finest dress, and

went to pay him a visit. She looked so beautiful that, at the sight of

her, the book dropped from his hand, and he stood up speechless. 'Tell

me,' she said, coaxingly, 'what is this wonderful secret? Just whisper

it in my ear, and I will give you a kiss.'

'My angel,' he answered, 'be wise, and ask no questions, if you wish to

get safely back to your father's palace; I have kept my secret all these

years, and do not mean to tell it now.'

However, the girl would not listen, and went on pressing him, till at

last he slapped her face so hard that her nose bled. She shrieked with

pain and rage, and ran screaming back to the palace, where her father

was waiting to hear if she had succeeded. 'I will starve you to death,

you son of a dragon,' cried he, when he saw her dress streaming with

blood; and he ordered all the masons and bricklayers in the town to come

before him.

'Build me a tower as fast as you can,' he said, 'and see that there is

room for a stool and a small table, and for nothing else. The men set

to work, and in two hours the tower was built, and they proceeded to the

palace to inform the king that his commands were fulfilled. On the way

they met the princess, who began to talk to one of the masons, and when

the rest were out of hearing she asked if he could manage to make a hole

in the tower, which nobody could see, large enough for a bottle of wine

and some food to pass through.

'To be sure I can,' said the mason, turning back, and in a few minutes

the hole was bored.

At sunset a large crowd assembled to watch the youth being led to the