Natasha Dol "Three fairy tales"

The girl blushed all over:

– Oh, how embarrassing. I have nothing worthy to treat you with. There is only our peasant.

– I don’t mind, – the prince was delighted and sat down at the table.

The girl shyly lowered her gaze.

– There are no gourmet dishes, but I can treat you to milk with blueberry pie. I baked myself.

The prince nodded happily. He liked the girl so much that he was ready toВ eat anything from her hands.

Having taken her treats, he licked his lips:

– Ah, I have never tasted anything better in my life! – Such a pleasure!

The hostess blushed again and from under her brow looked embarrassedly at the guest, smiling at him. The prince got up, brushed off his camisole and asked where the horse could get water toВ drink, if they had aВ well here. And then only he noticed beautiful multi-colored bouquets on the walls, all made ofВ beads, as if alive. And different animals. All these embroidered canvases made the hut brighter and more beautiful. They were so beautiful that the prince could not resist and came close toВ them, began toВ look at them, touch them with his hand, stroke them, marveling at the craftsmanship, love and grace with which they were made.

– And how do you like it?

– Of course, it’s amazing! I don’t even have words! I can’t even believe it was made by human hands. Is it embroidered by you?

– Yes, I did them. I really like to embroider. And my mother sells them at the market.

The guy lowered his hands, went toВ the buckets and asked:

– Take me to the well.

The girl retorted:

– Oh, what are you? How can you yourself? I will bring water to the horse, – and I wanted to take away the bucket from him.

– What are you? You are doing such delicate work, how can you lift such a heavy bucket? Leave it to the man.

– No, that’s not right. And I have a papa… that’s how it is with us.

– It won’t be like that from now on. I will send my servant to help you. It is not good for such a beautiful girl to spoil her white hands.

– What are you, the right is not worth it, – the girl still tried to resist, although her rosy cheeks betrayed the pleasure that she was very pleased with such attention and care for her. – Daddy will misunderstand. And the neighbors will judge…

– Nothing, I will come again and ask permission from your parents, if you will let me.

– Well, you are always welcome here, you are welcome, – and her face lit up with a wide smile, from which the prince spread warmth over his chest.

He, satisfied, began to water the horse, forgetting about everything in the world, and about his incident with his mother, and about their misunderstanding – a disagreement in the upcoming marriage. And the girl rushed headlong to her secret box, in which she put a bag for coins, specially embroidered by her with mother-of-pearl-pink beads for her future chosen one.

The prince came toВ say goodbye, and she, looking down, handed him her modest gift:

– Accept a gift from me, a bag for coins.

The prince took her hand with the bag and pressed it toВ his heart:

– Thank you, girl, thank you, beautiful. I really like your gift.

Kissing her hand, he took out gold coins from his pocket and put them inВ aВ new bag. Throwing it into the air, he caught it on the fly, listening toВ the sound ofВ coins, slyly narrowed his eyes:

– It will definitely come in handy for me, – and plugged it into the belt.

The girl explained toВ him how toВ get toВ the nearest village, and from there straight toВ the palace. Saying goodbye, he jumped on his horse and rode off. She waved her hand atВ him.

All the way the prince thought about the beautiful girl, remembering with regret that he even forgot toВ ask her name.

She didn’t stop thinking about him either. When her parents came home, she told about the noble guest, and they were delighted with this, immediately remembering the healer’s prophecy. What if their daughter really becomes the wife of a prince?

As soon as the prince returned home, he already heard rumors from the servants that the mother was going to organize her son’s wedding. The guy hit himself on the sides:

– Eh, mother, mother, your plans will not come true. I will marry the one I want, – and hastened to tell his father about what had happened.

– Papa, I want to tell you something important, – he shouted from the threshold: – Mama wants to marry me against my will!

– Well, son, the time has already come, so she is looking for a bride for you, – the king shrugged.

– Daddy, you don’t know, she’s looking for the most terrible bride for me, so that her beauty won’t be overshadowed. And I already found a girl for my heart. And I think that I would marry her. She is so sweet, as her figure is thin and stately, and her sonorous voice rings like a stream. And how beautifully it embroiders with beads, you cannot even imagine. And she bakes pies that even our chef could not come up with.

The king was surprised:

– What is it, son? When did you have time to eat pies? Where were you and where did you find her? Did you go to her house?

– Father,» the prince hurried to explain, – you misunderstood everything. I’ll tell you everything now.

And he began toВ tell how he was offended byВ his mother and galloped aimlessly, got lost and came across aВ hut. How he came inВ toВ ask for water, and left his heart there.

– Daddy, it seems I can’t live without her, – and he handed his father a gift. The king looked, turned it over in his hands, shaking his head in surprise:

– What fine work. She is indeed a craftswoman.

As soon as the king found out about the beautiful girl, the needlewoman, he did not believe that she was disinterested and he decided, secretly from his son, toВ check if she was really aВ good girl. He loaded aВ whole wagon ofВ precious goods, sable furs, spoiled outfits, silver and gold, and went with his servants toВ see her, dressed as merchants. He found aВ handsome serf toВ pass him off as aВ noble lord, dressed him up and arrived at the house where the needlewoman lived.

Hearing noise in the street, the girl’s parents ran out into the yard. And there, on a huge, full of all sorts of good cart, covered with a carpet, sits a burly merchant and next to him is a handsome, prominent guy. There are two more on horseback in the back.

– Peace to your home. We are visiting merchants. We heard, you have a marriageable bride, so we came to woo her. And we already have a handsome fellow, but not empty-handed, – the king pointed to his fellow traveler and to the cargo.

The husband and wife were surprised and invited toВ enter the house. They sat down on benches covered with linen bedspreads. They poured them kvass from the road, pulled it out ofВ the cellar and put pork jelly with garlic, pickled cucumbers, and crispy mushrooms on the table, cut the bread into slices. They wanted toВ add more treats, but the king stopped them:

– Enough for the meal already, the food is already enough. Now I’ll treat you too, – he waved his hand and the servants brought in baskets full of smoked sturgeon, dried venison, honey, sweets and spices.

The woman threw up her hands. With a bow and a smile, she and her husband accepted the merchant’s gifts. The guests looked around and the king asked:

– And where, in fact, is your beauty? Why doesn’t she welcome guests?

The owner hastened toВ answer:

– She went to the pasture to milk the goat. Now she will bring fresh milk.

– Oh, she milks your goat too?

– Of course, – said Mother proudly. – She is a master of all trades. From morning till night she works around the house, but she embroiders such canvases, and I sell them, – she pointed to the walls.

– Oh, what a beauty! – the king sincerely admired, and thought: the son, it seems, knowingly fell in love with her. If she is also as beautiful as the craftswoman, then the son was not mistaken. But we will check this.

And then the girl appeared at the door with aВ jug ofВ milk inВ her hands. The guy who pretended toВ be the groom stood up. The king gestured for him toВ sit down. The girl stood on the threshold as if rooted toВ the spot. And her parents rushed toВ explain toВ her that the matchmakers had arrived. Silently she put the pot on the table and does not say aВ word. And the king himself stood up and bowed slightly:

– And here is our handsome groom, nice to meet you. You are a perfect match. Both are beautiful and stately.

The girl immediately blushed with embarrassment, covering her face with aВ handkerchief. She wanted toВ say something, but the king interruptedВ her:

– We are not interested in the dowry, we have enough of our own good. Hey, assistants, – he shouted to the servants, – bring in here.

And after aВ couple ofВ minutes, chests with jewels, rolls ofВ silk, gold brocade, caskets with pearls and sapphires were brought into the upper room and placed on the floor. The astonished parents, with their mouths open, their eyes wide, did not know what toВ say. And the king watched the girl all this time, but did not see greed and special delight inВ her eyes. He thought about it and decided toВ askВ her:

– Aren’t you happy about all this, girl? Or did they bring you little, or do you not want to get married?

– I want to get married, – the girl murmured softly, «but there is already someone who is dearer to me than anyone else in the world.

The king was delighted with such speeches and continued toВ test the girl:

– And who is this lucky man who is better than my nephew?

And as soon as she opened her mouth to say that this was a prince, when her parents stood up and interrupted her so that she would not blurt out and make the people laugh. The mother tugged at her daughter’s sleeve and answered herself, fearing that they would be laughed at if they told the truth:

– Yes, we have one hard-working guy here in the village…

– Hmm, we were late, that means, – the king patted the serf on the shoulder. – Well, then we ask you to excuse us, God help you.

The servants loaded all the precious gifts back into the cart, bowed and left home. All the way the king thought:

– Hmm, it’s a pity if she really has someone, and why not. What a worker, smart, beautiful, she will be better than secular ladies. It’s a pity to lose such a daughter-in-law, – he twisted his mustache in thought.

Returning to the palace, he went straight to his son’s chambers. Caught him looking at a present.

– Here, son. I thought I was here and I want to ask you.

– Yes, father, ask.

– You’ve fallen in love and intend to marry, but what about the girl? What other feeling did you take for her love? Or maybe she already has someone else?

The prince jumped up inВ fright:

– Can not be! Is that possible?! Daddy, we must urgently go there and ask her.

– So it is so, but what will your mother say? She probably won’t be happy.