This was in those years when chickens grew horns.
There once lived a king in Spain whose wife died. He loved the queen very much and was so saddened by the loss that he vowed not to marry again unless there was a girl who would resemble the deceased in every way and for whom the queen’s wedding attire would fit perfectly. And the queen was of extraordinary beauty and harmony, and therefore the king was convinced that he would be a widow until the end of his days.
The king had an eighteen-year-old daughter, as beautiful as her mother, and very much like her. One day, to amuse herself, she tried on her mother’s wedding dress—and so what? It turned out that it suited her perfectly and fit just right, as if it had been tailored for her. By chance the king came to see her at that time. He immediately rushed to hug the princess, exclaiming:
- My wife! My wife! I found my wife again!
The princess decided that her father was joking and laughed, but he did not even think of joking. Some people claim that the grief caused to him by the death of his wife clouded his mind. Be that as it may, the next day he told the princess that he intended to marry her, and for a whole week he pursued her with his advances, not giving her a moment of peace. The poor girl was completely confused.
She went for advice to an old woman who lived in a squalid hut in a nearby forest.
The old woman told her:
“Don’t be sad, my child: I will give you advice and arrange it so that your father will be cured of his absurd passion.” Tell him that he must get you a star-colored dress.
The princess went home and, when her father again began to tell her about his love, she announced to him:
“First get me a star-colored dress, and then we’ll see.”
The king first sent messengers throughout the capital, and then throughout the kingdom, to the clothiers and silk merchants, and ordered the most luxurious and beautiful fabrics they could find, at any price, to be delivered. In the end, the star-colored fabric was found. It was immediately delivered to the princess. Here the princess was more confused than before.
She went to the old woman again and told her:
“Alas, they have already managed to find the star-colored fabric for my dress!”
“Well,” answered the old woman, “now tell your father that you also want to have a moon-colored dress in addition.” It will be difficult for him to find such fabric, but during this time he may come to his senses.
The next day, when the king again began to talk about his love, the princess said to him:
“Now, my father, I wish to have a moon-colored dress.”
“You will get it, my daughter,” answered the king, “no matter what it costs me.”
And he again sent messengers in all directions.
They searched and searched and after two weeks they got hold of this fabric, but how expensive it was! The king paid a lot of money and, beaming with joy, brought the cloth to his daughter.
Here the princess was completely at a loss and, as soon as it got dark, she again secretly went for advice to the old woman who lived in the forest.
“Alas,” said the princess, “he also managed to get a moon-colored dress!”
- Really? And as soon as he succeeds! Well, it doesn't matter. Now demand a dress of sunny color, let's see how he gets out of it this time.
Again, messengers were sent in all directions, not only throughout the kingdom, but also beyond its borders, who were ordered to find the sun-colored fabric. A month passed, a second, a third - the messengers still did not return. The king began to get seriously worried. In the end, however, this strange fabric was obtained, and the king, beside himself with joy, ran with it to the princess, exclaiming:
- Here she is! And this fabric was found! Now we will have a wedding immediately!
“Okay, my father,” the princess answered calmly, “you got me everything I asked you for, I must keep my word.”
But as soon as it got dark, she again stealthily left the palace, went into the forest, to that old woman, and said to her:
- Alas, I died! He even managed to get me a sun-colored dress!
- How did he manage to find him? - exclaimed the old woman in amazement. - Now, my poor child, you will have to leave your father's house. Place all three dresses—star, moon, and sun—colored, as well as your mother’s wedding dress, in a small chest, and leave the house at night. Take the chest from
yourself, and dress very modestly, as the daughters of artisans dress, and hire yourself as a maid on a farm somewhere in the village.
The princess followed the old woman's advice and left her father's palace, taking with her a chest in which she put all three magnificent dresses and her mother's wedding dress.
Having learned the next morning that the princess had disappeared, the king cried like a child and sent soldiers to all corners to look for the fugitive. A detachment of horsemen had already overtaken her, but she hid under the span of the bridge, and the horsemen rushed past without noticing her. Soon they drove past her a second time, returning home, and the princess heard them say to each other:
- Why should we continue searching? The princess is indeed much smarter than her father.
Then she left her shelter and moved on. At sunset, in the evening, she found herself at the old castle and asked to be allowed to spend the night. She was so tired that they took pity on her and let her in. The castle belonged to a rich widow who had one and only son.
The next morning the princess asked if they would take her into service. She was hired to herd pigs. She spent the whole day with her pigs in the forest, not far from the castle.
One clear sunny morning she took out a star-colored dress from the chest she never parted with and dressed up in it. The young owner of the castle was hunting in the forest at that time, noticed her from afar and headed towards her. But the princess immediately noticed him, instantly took off her dress and put it in a chest, which she hid in the bushes.
Coming closer and seeing in front of him, instead of the beautiful princess he expected to find, a dirty little woman tending pigs, the young lord, greatly disappointed, waved his hand in annoyance and, without saying a word, returned to the castle.
The next day the princess put on a moon-colored dress. The young lord saw her again and hurried to her. But this time she managed to take off her dress and put it in a chest, which she hid in the bushes, and the lord, deceived in his expectations, again saw in front of him a dirty woman herding pigs.
“Have you just met a beautiful princess in these places?” - he asked her.
“No, your lordship,” she answered, “I haven’t seen anyone.”
And again the young man turned back in great grief, saying to himself:
“Something is wrong here, with this dirty little thing herding the pigs. She's probably not who she says she is. We need to keep an eye on her."
The next day the princess put on a sunny dress. She was so beautiful in it that the birds fluttered and chirped with joy in the branches above her head, and even the piglets grunted in delight: “Oh, oh...”
And the young lord hid near a large stump and spied on the shepherdess; he jumped up and rushed headlong towards her, but tripped and fell into a hole hidden under the heather and thick grass.
This time the girl managed to take off her dress and put it in a chest, which she hastily hid in the bushes. And the senor again saw in front of him a dirty woman grazing pigs. But now he had already guessed who she really was, and on the way to the castle he began to think about how to find out the whole truth.
The lord's mother wanted to marry him; The castle was awaiting the arrival of three noble young maidens, who were supposed to spend several days there. On the eve of their arrival, the lord took his gun earlier than usual and went hunting, in order, as he explained, to shoot game for the guests. In fact, he went to a farm located at the edge of the forest and asked the owner's permission to spend four nights and four days in a poor bed that stood under the stairs in a nook where no light ever penetrated.
- Lord Jesus! - exclaimed the farmer's wife. - But it will be very uncomfortable for you there!
My bedroom has a good bed with a feather bed, I’d better put you there.
“No, no,” answered the senor, “it is under the stairs that I want to live.” Tomorrow morning you will go to the castle, say that you are sheltering a sick beggar woman, and ask for some strong broth for her. If they ask you if you have seen me, you will say no.
And the lord lay down on the bed under the stairs, and the mistress of the farm went to the castle the next day and said to its owner:
“I came, madam, to ask you for some strong broth for the beggar woman I sheltered last night—she became very ill.”
- Of course, I’ll give you some broth; come for him every day while the sick woman is on your farm. Tell me, did you see my son yesterday?
“We see him almost every day, madam, when he goes to or from hunting, but yesterday we didn’t see him.”
“Yesterday morning he, as always, went hunting and did not return, this worries me.” If you meet him, tell him that the girls we were expecting have already arrived, so he should quickly return to the castle.
Having received the broth, the owner of the farm went home, accompanied by one of the three girls: she wanted to visit the sick woman.
-Where is this unfortunate woman? - asked the girl, entering the house.
- Here, on this bed, under the stairs.
- God! How dark it is here! Bring a candle so I can look at it.
“Alas, she is so ill that she cannot stand the light.”
The girl groped closer to the bed and asked:
- How are you feeling, poor thing?
“It’s bad, very bad,” answered someone’s weak, barely audible voice. “Alas, I will probably die, but most of all I suffer when I think that, although I am not married, I had a child whom I killed.”
- Don't let this bother you; I also had a child with my father's gardener, and no one ever guessed it.
She put the gold one on the bed and left.
The next day the hostess again went to the castle for broth. This time she returned accompanied by a second girl, who also wanted to visit the sick woman.
- How are you, poor thing? she asked.
- Bad, very bad! - answered someone’s weak voice. “Alas, I will probably die; and most of all I am tormented by the thought that, although I am not married, I had a child whom I killed.
- This is nothing! We found something to torment ourselves with! I also had two children, although I am not married; they both died and no one ever guessed it.
She put two gold pieces on the bed and left.
“It doesn’t hurt to wrap all this around your head,” thought the young lord.
On the third day, when the mistress again went to the castle to get broth for the imaginary sick woman, she returned accompanied by a third maiden.
- How are you, poor thing? - she asked, like those others.
- Bad, very bad! I'll probably die; and most of all I am tormented by the thought that, although I am not married, I had a child whom I killed.
- How important! It's worth tormenting yourself over such a trifle! I had three children, all three died, and no one ever guessed it.
Placing three gold pieces on the bed, she left.
“I will remember all this for you! And after all, each of them considers me to be their husband!” - thought the young senor.
In the morning he said to the hostess:
- Go to the castle for the last time for broth and ask that they also give you a basket of salad and that the girl who herds the pigs bring it to the farm for you.
The hostess went to the castle for the fourth time and returned from there with the girl who was tending the pigs. This girl also asked permission to visit the patient.
- How are you feeling, poor thing? she asked.
- Bad, very bad! I'll probably die! And most of all, I am tormented by the thought that I had a child whom I killed.
-Are you married?
- Alas, no!
- God! What are you saying? I, the daughter of a Spanish king, disguised myself as a peasant, left my father's palace and went to herd pigs, just to avoid sin! But the Lord is kind and merciful, pray to him with all your heart, I will also pray for you, and he will forgive you.
With these words she left.
“Now I have learned what I needed to know,” the young lord said to himself.
He jumped out of bed and went home in the most cheerful mood. On the way, he shot a partridge and brought it to the castle. When he came home, his mother threw herself on his neck and kissed him; all three girls followed her example. He ordered the partridge to be roasted and told his mother that he wanted to have dinner in his room in the company of those three girls.
When the partridge was served, he divided it into six pieces: he put one piece on a plate for one of the girls, two for another, and three for the third.
“This means,” thought the third, “that he has distinguished me in front of everyone and will take me as his wife!”
After dinner he told them:
- Now, ladies, we must dance!
“Willingly,” the girls answered, “but we have only one gentleman and not a single musician.”
- Here is a musician, to whose violin you will dance, cruel, heartless mothers! - the prince answered them, removing a whip hanging from a nail from the wall.
He swung his hand and began to whip the girls as hard as he could. They let's scream, scream, cry.
- Forgive us! Have mercy! Have mercy! - they shouted.
- Take pity on you? Have you felt sorry for your children's relatives? You destroyed one, you - two, and you - three!
- This is not true! - they shouted.
- How is that not true? But you yourself admitted this to me! Know that I pretended to be the sick beggar to whom you told your secret there on the farm. Get home quickly, to your parents, and never let me see you again!
The scoundrels left, burning with shame and shedding tears.
Then the young lord ordered to call the girl who was tending the pigs.
“Madam,” he said, “now you must tell me the whole truth and reveal to me who you are: I know now that you are not who you say you are.”
- Who am I? - answered the girl. “Poor orphan, who has no one to protect her, and who considered it lucky that you took her here to graze the pigs.”
- Why pretend any longer? You are the daughter of the Spanish king, and I know why you left your father's palace.
- Who told you this?
- You yourself.
- I? But when and where?
- There, on the farm - after all, it was I who pretended to be that beggar woman who was lying in the dark under the stairs.
- My God! Is this really true?
“It’s true, just like the fact that I will marry you and no one else.”
They immediately sent a letter to the Spanish king. He arrived immediately, the wedding was celebrated, and there were many magnificent celebrations and brilliant feasts on this occasion.
I was there myself, I turned the spit; but here’s the problem: I dipped my finger in all the sauce; A big cook passed by there and immediately beat me up very badly, pushed me so hard that I ended up here and told you this glorious fairy tale.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru