Natasha Dol "Three fairy tales"

– But we won’t tell her, – it dawned on the prince.

– Well, first we will find out if the girl loves you, and then I myself will settle with my wife.

And the next day, waking up before everyone else inВ the palace, they went together toВ the house ofВ the beauty.

– I won’t go there, I’ll stand behind the trees, I’ll watch, and you yourself talk to her. She will be ashamed of me, – said the king and dismounted, tying his horse to a branch. – And you, son, go, then you will tell me everything.

So they decided.

The prince knocked on the window. His lover appeared at the knock. She saw the prince and threw up her hands inВ surprise, was delighted and rushed headlong toВ open the door.

– Prince, are you back? – and for joy did not know what to say.

He took her hand and asked:

– From the first time we met, I thought about you all the time. And now I came to ask: will you marry me?

The girl lowered her eyes, flushed with embarrassment and did not answer. He pressed her hands toВ his chest, his heart pounding with excitement. He pulled her hands away fromВ him.

– Well, why are you silent… Or do you not like me? Or is there someone else in your heart?

She got scared and shook her head.

– No, no! – she exclaimed, – I have no one.

– Then why don’t you answer?

She lowered her eyes again and took aВ deep breath.

– Well, I’m not equal to you, I’m a commoner.

The prince was hopeful and again happily grabbed her hand:

– What you? You are more valuable to me than any princess. Yes, I can’t live without you! – exclaimed in the hearts. – Say yes!

– Yes, – she breathed out, barely audible, and clung to his chest.

He gently hugged her at that moment, the king appeared from behind the trees. The girl saw him, got scared and jumped back:

– Oh, – she held out her hand. – There is a merchant coming. Yesterday he wooed me for his nephew.

The prince stood with his back toВ the forest, turned around and smiled when he saw his father, and then frowned:

So this is my father? Daddy, I’m asking for an explanation. To what kind of nephew were you going to give my fiancee?

Papa slowly approached, giggling guiltily and shrugging his shoulders:

– He-he, well, you know, son, I should have checked your chosen one. Is she worthy of you, is she not greedy for gold. What if for her clothes and jewelry are more valuable than you?

Here the girl pouted her lips. And the king continued:

– And now I see that you deserve each other.

The couple immediately cheered up and exhaled easily. The prince grabbed the bride’s hand, approaching his father, and both knelt down. The son asked his father:

– Bless us, father.

The King touched their foreheads with aВ satisfied smile and said:

– I bless you, my children, for a long and happy life together.

Her parents arrived from the market. She kindly greeted them, laid aВ tablecloth on the table for them all. The king and the prince were delighted and immediately wooed the girl, saying that she would marry him. Parents and daughter agreed toВ have aВ wedding inВ the palace. And the king nevertheless decided toВ tell his wife that he had decided toВ marry his son toВ aВ village girl. And upon returning toВ the palace, he went straight toВ her.

– How?! – furrowing her brows and pursing her lips, the queen murmured: – Well, I already found a bride for him, it doesn’t happen more beautifully, just look. Royal bloodlines. Why do we need a rustic? Here, look, her portrait. Check out what a beauty!

The king looked and thought:

– God, it doesn’t get any worse. Does my son deserve better? – and said aloud: – Do not worry, my love. This village girl will not be more beautiful than you anyway. You should only see her: neither your grace, nor sophistication. She doesn’t even know how to wear royal outfits. Where does she reach for you? That’s why I chose the country one, so as not to overshadow you.

– Yes?! – her face smoothed out, she raised her head high and said with mock pride: – You’re right, dear, there is some truth in this.

Her cutesy manner seemed toВ make her head and shoulders taller. And the king embraced his wife, kissed her on the forehead, that the woman blossomed.

At the imminent wedding, the queen was sitting on the throne, she was surrounded by ladies-in-waiting, preening her, bringing a mirror to check if any curl had fallen. The ceremony was already in full swing, the feast was a mountain, the music was playing. A sea of distinguished guests gathered. The queen did not even look in the direction of her daughter-in-law – she did not care what kind of ugly girl was brought to the palace. She just admired herself in the mirror, saying:

– What a beauty I am, you can’t find such a beauty in the whole wide world, – and as if in time with her speeches, she heard the whisper of the crowd: – Oh, what a beauty!

The queen turned up her nose: yes, IВ am! But then she heard aВ continuation ofВ the speech:

– What a lovely couple. What a beautiful bride, and you can’t say that she’s not a princess.

– Bride?! What bride? – the queen raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned towards the newlyweds and, seeing her daughter-in-law, was stunned: an unwritten beauty stood next to her son.

– Who is it? Who dragged her? Changed! Was there a villager there? – and with her eyes she began to look for her husband, expecting an explanation from him. Not finding him nearby, she turned to the maid of honor, deciding that she was mistaken: – And how exquisite she is in a wedding dress. And a diamond necklace suits her. I have never seen such a princess?

Involuntarily admiring her, she forgot. The maid ofВ honor just batted her eyelashes stupidly, not daring toВ comment on anything. And then the queen started up, as if waking up from aВ dream:

– So this is that redneck? – If that doesn’t happen, I’ll think of something! Only I alone will be the most beautiful in this kingdom. I’ll take it out, and I’ll find another for my son, – she threw the mirror on the floor with anger, jumped up. And convulsively fanning her face, she passed through the crowd, nervously pushing the courtiers aside. – My feet won’t be here, – she hissed angrily under her breath, rushing to her chambers.

The bride and groom were so intoxicated with love and did not take their eyes off each other that they did not notice the absence ofВ the queen. Everyone was dancing, lightly circling around the hall. The hall was full ofВ colorful outfits. The king noticed how his wife quickly left the guests, and, apologizing toВ noble persons, followedВ her.

– What happened, dear, why did you leave the ceremony? Let’s go, everyone is waiting for us.

– I’m not going anywhere, go alone. I got a headache.

– Are you sure you weren’t offended by anything? – He gently lifted her chin and slyly looked into her eyes.

– No, really, just a headache from the noise. I’ll be back later, don’t leave the guests, – she was cunning, pretending to be tired.

– Well, dear, take care of yourself, rest, – and, kissing his wife on the cheek, he left.

Left alone, the queen began biting her lips as she concocted aВ plan toВ get rid ofВ her daughter-in-law.

– Oh, – how indignant the queen was, she was crying, twitching her upper lip and biting closer: – how can I exterminate my daughter-in-law?

The girl’s parents went home after the feast, and the prince and his wife were so happy and loved each other that they did not part for a minute. Even a short separation caused them pain. But the main affairs of the father pushed love into the background.

One day, the prince and the king went on business toВ aВ neighboring state toВ sign peace agreements. They were gone for aВ week. The Queen, seizing the moment, rubbed her hands and said smugly, smiling:

– Now is the right time, I should not miss this chance.

She called the servants and ordered toВ secretly steal the daughter-in-law from her chambers at night, so that no one would see and take her toВ an abandoned castle, which was located far beyond the forest inВ the swamp. And imprison her there like aВ prison. Together with the servant girl, she sent aВ chest ofВ jewelry there, sarcastically remarking that it was not appropriate for aВ noble lady toВ look bad there:

– A lady must be a lady even in a swamp. And this lady only belongs there, next to the frogs and mosquitoes.

She ordered everyone toВ be silent, otherwise they would lose their lives. Here, from fear for their lives, the servants involved inВ this were silent.

InВ the morning the whole palace was raised toВ its feet: the daughter-in-law was gone! What? How? The guards rushed toВ the queen and fell at her feet:

– We ask for mercy, empress, you did not order us to be executed. We have not seen who and how kidnapped your daughter-in-law.

– Oh, trouble! What will I say to the poor son? – the queen made a sour face and looked up from the mirror, br ushed away an artificial tear from her eyes with a satin handkerchief: – You are not to blame. I have already been informed that this scoundrel ran away at night to her lover and even took jewelry with her.

Soon, the sad news ofВ treason spread throughout the state. The king and his son rushed inВ and, not seeing the girl, rushed toВ ask the queen if people were really saying where she had gone. And she answers:

– Yes, she had already married another during this time, she could not wait. Apparently she did not love you, your redneck, my beloved son.

The son did not believe his mother, but did not say anything to her. He yearned for his wife day and night, grew thin – did not eat anything. He sits at the table, they bring him food, and the food gets stuck in his throat – only his beloved wife was before his eyes. He could not believe that such sincere love was a game, that his beloved had betrayed him. She was so humble, with a pure heart. There was no way she could do this to him.

Something else, something bad happened toВ her. We need toВ go look forВ her.

And then the mother decided toВ console her son, brought him aВ bride, aВ princess, but so terrible, crooked, pockmarked, demolished like potatoes, with little eyes. She smiled at the prince, and her teeth sticking out inВ different directions were also fastened with braces. The prince was frightened, grabbed his hat and cloak on the move and ran headlong away. He ran away from the palace, saddling aВ horse, and rode wherever his eyes looked.

How long, how short, did our prince ride and his horse came across the house ofВ that sorceress woman who cured his wife inВ childhood. The horse stopped, neighed, shaking its head. The guy jumped toВ the ground, dusted himself off. Just as he was about toВ knock, the door was opened and an elderly woman appeared on the threshold:

– Hello king’s son, where are you going? – What did you come with? looked him over carefully.

– Yes, that’s the trouble happened to me. The wife is missing, beautiful. The world is not dear to me without her, and my mother wants to marry me again to a slanting, pockmarked princess. I can’t do this anymore, I’m looking for my beloved wife. But I don’t know who to ask.

And the sorceress answeredВ him:

– Come into the house, rest from the road, taste my jelly with milk, otherwise you have completely lost weight. You need to refresh yourself. And there we will decide how to help your grief.

The prince obeyed and entered the room, not even paying attention toВ how the woman recognized him as aВ prince. And there on the bench another woman sits and shakes the ball. Different fragrant herbs hang inВ the corners. Their scent intoxicated him. Even he was drawn toВ sleep.

– And this is my sister, – she introduced the guest to the woman. – Sit down, don’t be shy.

– Oh, prince, we have been waiting for you for a long time. Come in, my dear, you will be a dear guest.

– How do you know me? – only now he was surprised.

Both chuckled and looked at each other.

– Yes, we are such unusual grannies. We, my dear, know a lot of things.

– I need to hurry, look for my wife. I feel like she’s in trouble.

– We know, we know. But still, don’t rush, first gain strength. Taste our food, sleep, and in the morning we will pick you up and show you the way.

The prince was delighted, cheeredВ up: