Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 06 (4 page)

The mermaid noticed that the lower floor was full of water.
'Why,' cried she, ' that is just the place for us, for we can't
live quite out of water.' So saying, she and her brother swam in
and took up a position in the bathroom, the princess and her
governess seating themselves on the steps which ran round the
room.

'No doubt, madam,' said the mermaid, 'you have given up living on
land so as to escape from crowds of lovers; but I fear that even
here you cannot avoid them, for my brother is already dying of
love for you, and I am sure that once you are seen in our city he
will have many rivals.'

She then went on to explain how grieved her brother was not to be
able to make himself understood, adding: 'I interpret for him,
having been taught several languages by a fairy.'

'Oh, then, you have fairies, too?' asked Graziella, with a sigh.

'Yes, we have,' replied the mermaid; 'but if I am not mistaken
you have suffered from the fairies on earth.'

The princess, on this, told her entire history to the mermaid,
who assured her how sorry she felt for her, but begged her not to
lose courage; adding, as she took her leave: Perhaps, some day,
you may find a way out of your difficulties.'

The princess was delighted with this visit and with the hopes the
mermaid held out. It was something to meet someone fresh to talk
to.

'We will make acquaintance with several of these people,' she
said to her governess, 'and I dare say they are not all as
hideous as the first one we saw. Anyhow, we shan't be so
dreadfully lonely.'

'Dear me,' said Bonnetta, ' how hopeful young people are to be
sure! As for me I feel afraid of these folk. But what do you
think of the lover you have captivated?'

'Oh, I could never love him,' cried the princess; 'I can't bear
him. But, perhaps, as his sister says they are related to the
fairy Marina, they may be of some use to us.'

The mermaid often returned, and each time she talked of her
brother's love, and each time Graziella talked of her longing to
escape from her prison, till at length the mermaid promised to
bring the fairy Marina to see her, in hopes she might suggest
something.

Next day the fairy came with the mermaid, and the princess
received her with delight. After a little talk she begged
Graziella to show her the inside of the tower and let her see the
garden on the top, for with the help of crutches she could manage
to move about, and being a fairy could live out of water for a
long time, provided she wetted her forehead now and then.

Graziella gladly consented, and Bonnetta stayed below with the
mermaid.

When they were in the garden the fairy said: 'Let us lose no
time, but tell me how I can be of use to you.' Graziella then
told all her story and Marina replied: 'My dear princess, I can
do nothing for you as regards dry land, for my power does not
reach beyond my own element. I can only say that if you will
honour my cousin by accepting his hand, you could then come and
live amongst us. I could teach you in a moment to swim and dive
with the best of us. I can harden your skin without spoiling its
colour. My cousin is one of the best matches in the sea, and I
will bestow so many gifts on him that you will be quite happy.'

The fairy talked so well and so long that the princess was rather
impressed, and promised to think the matter over.

Just as they were going to leave the garden they saw a ship
sailing nearer the tower than any other had done before. On the
deck lay a young man under a splendid awning, gazing at the tower
through a spy-glass; but before they could see anything clearly
the ship moved away, and the two ladies parted, the fairy
promising to return shortly.

As soon as she was gone Graziella told her governess what she had
said. Bonnetta was not at all pleased at the turn matters were
taking, for she did not fancy being turned into a mermaid in her
old age. She thought the matter well over, and this was what she
did. She was a very clever artist, and next morning she began to
paint a picture of a handsome young man, with beautiful curly
hair, a fine complexion, and lovely blue eyes. When it was
finished she showed it to Graziella, hoping it would show her the
difference there was between a fine young man and her marine
suitor.

The princess was much struck by the picture, and asked anxiously
whether there could be any man so good looking in the world.
Bonnetta assured her that there were plenty of them; indeed, many
far handsomer.

'I can hardly believe that,' cried the princess; 'but, alas! If
there are, I don't suppose I shall ever see them or they me, so
what is the use? Oh, dear, how unhappy I am!'

She spent the rest of the day gazing at the picture, which
certainly had the effect of spoiling all the merman's hopes or
prospects.

After some days, the fairy Marina came back to hear what was
decided; but Graziella hardly paid any attention to her, and
showed such dislike to the idea of the proposed marriage that the
fairy went off in a regular huff.

Without knowing it, the princess had made another conquest. On
board the ship which had sailed so near was the handsomest prince
in the world. He had heard of the enchanted tower, and determined
to get as near it as he could. He had strong glasses on board,
and whilst looking through them he saw the princess quite
clearly, and fell desperately in love with her at once. He wanted
to steer straight for the tower and to row off to it in a small
boat, but his entire crew fell at his feet and begged him not to
run such a risk. The captain, too, urged him not to attempt it.
'You will only lead us all to certain death,' he said. 'Pray
anchor nearer land, and I will then seek a kind fairy I know, who
has always been most obliging to me, and who will, I am sure, try
to help your Highness.'

The prince rather unwillingly listened to reason. He landed at
the nearest point, and sent off the captain in all haste to beg
the fairy's advice and help. Meantime he had a tent pitched on
the shore, and spent all his time gazing at the tower and looking
for the princess through his spyglass.

After a few days the captain came back, bringing the fairy with
him. The prince was delighted to see her, and paid her great
attention. 'I have heard about this matter,' she said; 'and, to
lose no time, I am going to send off a trusty pigeon to test the
enchantment. If there is any weak spot he is sure to find it out
and get in. I shall bid him bring a flower back as a sign of
success; and if he does so I quite hope to get you in too.'

'But,' asked the prince, 'could I not send a line by the pigeon
to tell the princess of my love?'

'Certainly,' replied the fairy, 'it would be a very good plan.'

So the prince wrote as follows:—

'Lovely Princess,—I adore you, and beg you to accept my heart,
and to believe there is nothing I will not do to end your
misfortunes.—BLONDEL.

This note was tied round the pigeon's neck, and he flew off with
it at once. He flew fast till he got near the tower, when a
fierce wind blew so hard against him that he could not get on.
But he was not to be beaten, but flew carefully round the top of
the tower till he came to one spot which, by some mistake, had
not been enchanted like the rest. He quickly slipped into the
arbour and waited for the princess.

Before long Graziella appeared alone, and the pigeon at once
fluttered to meet her, and seemed so tame that she stopped to
caress the pretty creature. As she did so she saw it had a pink
ribbon round its neck, and tied to the ribbon was a letter. She
read it over several times and then wrote this answer:—

'You say you love me; but I cannot promise to love you without
seeing you. Send me your portrait by this faithful messenger. If
I return it to you, you must give up hope; but if I keep it you
will know that to help me will be to help yourself.—GRAZIELA.

Before flying back the pigeon remembered about the flower, so,
seeing one in the princess's dress, he stole it and flew away.

The prince was wild with joy at the pigeon's return with the
note. After an hour's rest the trusty little bird was sent back
again, carrying a miniature of the prince, which by good luck he
had with him.

On reaching the tower the pigeon found the princess in the
garden. She hastened to untie the ribbon, and on opening the
miniature case what was her surprise and delight to find it very
like the picture her governess had painted for her. She hastened
to send the pigeon back, and you can fancy the prince's joy when
he found she had kept his portrait.

'Now,' said the fairy, 'let us lose no more time. I can only make
you happy by changing you into a bird, but I will take care to
give you back your proper shape at the right time.'

The prince was eager to start, so the fairy, touching him with
her wand, turned him into the loveliest humming-bird you ever
saw, at the same time letting him keep the power of speech. The
pigeon was told to show him the way.

Graziella was much surprised to see a perfectly strange bird, and
still more so when it flew to her saying, 'Good-morning, sweet
princess.'

She was delighted with the pretty creature, and let him perch on
her finger, when he said, 'Kiss, kiss, little birdie,' which she
gladly did, petting and stroking him at the same time.

After a time the princess, who had been up very early, grew
tired, and as the sun was hot she went to lie down on a mossy
bank in the shade of the arbour. She held the pretty bird near
her breast, and was just falling asleep, when the fairy contrived
to restore the prince to his own shape, so that as Graziella
opened her eyes she found herself in the arms of a lover whom she
loved in return!

At the same moment her enchantment came to an end. The tower
began to rock and to split. Bonnetta hurried up to the top so
that she might at least perish with her dear princess. Just as
she reached the garden, the kind fairy who had helped the prince
arrived with the fairy Placida, in a car of Venetian glass drawn
by six eagles.

'Come away quickly,' they cried, 'the tower is about to sink!'
The prince, princess, and Bonnetta lost no time in stepping into
the car, which rose in the air just as, with a terrible crash,
the tower sank into the depths of the sea, for the fairy Marina
and the mermen had destroyed its foundations to avenge themselves
on Graziella. Luckily their wicked plans were defeated, and the
good fairies took their way to the kingdom of Graziella's
parents.

They found that Queen Mutinosa had died some years ago, but her
kind husband lived on peaceably, ruling his country well and
happily. He received his daughter with great delight, and there
were universal rejoicings at the return of the lovely princess.

The wedding took place the very next day, and, for many days
after, balls, dinners, tournaments, concerts and all sorts of
amusements went on all day and all night.

All the fairies were carefully invited, and they came in great
state, and promised the young couple their protection and all
sorts of good gifts. Prince Blondel and Princess Graziella lived
to a good old age, beloved by every one, and loving each other
more and more as time went on.

There was once a man whose name was Dschemil, and he had a cousin
who was called Dschemila. They had been betrothed by their
parents when they were children, and now Dschemil thought that
the time had come for them to be married, and he went two or
three days' journey, to the nearest big town, to buy furniture
for the new house.

While he was away, Dschemila and her friends set off to the
neighbouring woods to pick up sticks, and as she gathered them
she found an iron mortar lying on the ground. She placed it on
her bundle of sticks, but the mortar would not stay still, and
whenever she raised the bundle to put it on her shoulders it
slipped off sideways. At length she saw the only way to carry the
mortar was to tie it in the very middle of her bundle, and had
just unfastened her sticks, when she heard her companions'
voices.

'Dschemila, what are you doing? it is almost dark, and if you
mean to come with us you must be quick!'

But Dschemila only replied, 'You had better go back without me,
for I am not going to leave my mortar behind, if I stay here till
midnight.'

'Do as you like,' said the girls, and started on their walk home.

The night soon fell, and at the last ray of light the mortar
suddenly became an ogre, who threw Dschemila on his back, and
carried her off into a desert place, distant a whole month's
journey from her native town. Here he shut her into a castle, and
told her not to fear, as her life was safe. Then he went back to
his wife, leaving Dschemila weeping over the fate that she had
brought upon herself.

Meanwhile the other girls had reached home, and Dschemila's
mother came out to look for her daughter.

'What have you done with her?' she asked anxiously.

'We had to leave her in the wood,' they replied, 'for she had
picked up an iron mortar, and could not manage to carry it.'

So the old woman set off at once for the forest, calling to her
daughter as she hurried along.

'Do go home,' cried the townspeople, as they heard her; 'we will
go and look for your daughter; you are only a woman, and it is a
task that needs strong men.'

But she answered, 'Yes, go; but I will go with you! Perhaps it
will be only her corpse that we shall find after all. She has
most likely been stung by asps, or eaten by wild beasts.'

The men, seeing her heart was bent on it, said no more, but told
one of the girls she must come with them, and show them the place
where they had left Dschemila. They found the bundle of wood
lying where she had dropped it, but the maiden was nowhere to be
seen.