Once upon a time lived in the castle of Lamothe a count and countess, immensely rich and equally generous. These good people had only one son, beautiful as the sun, reliable as gold, strong and brave like Samson. And then the day came when the young count kissed his father and mother and jumped on his mighty winged horse.
- Farewell, my father, farewell, my mother. Today I turned twenty years old. I'm going to war to serve the King of France.
- Goodbye, my friend. God bless you and the Blessed Virgin Mary!
The winged horse soared under the clouds like lightning.
The young count served the French king for three years. He commanded a regiment of Golden Dragoons in the war, and when peace was concluded, he went to look for the king in the Louvre.
- Hello, King of France.
- Hello, Golden Dragoon. What do you say?
- King of France, peace is concluded. I want to return to my father and mother at Lamothe Castle. If you need me again, call me. I won't keep you waiting.
- Golden Dragoon, go home to Lamothe Castle. Return to your parents and give them my regards.
- Thank you, King of France. I'll do as you said.
The Golden Dragoon came out of the Louvre and jumped on his mighty flying horse, which rushed through the clouds like lightning.
By midnight, the rider, by the light of the moon, saw Lamothe Castle in the distance.
The Golden Dragoon pulled the reins, and the winged horse, like an eagle, began to slowly circle over the bridge over the Loz stream, between Lectoure and the castle of Lamothe.
“My good father and mother will be happy when I wake them up!”
At that moment the Golden Dragoon heard groans below:
- Oh my God! My God!
A girl in a white dress sat by the road, alone, and cried hot tears.
“Beauty, what are you doing here alone by the road and why are you crying bitter tears?”
- Golden Dragoon, it’s not for nothing that I cry burning tears. They promised to give me against my will as a wife to the Spirit of the Night. That's why I fled from my father's castle. But from sunset to sunrise, the Spirit of the Night has great power on earth. And he will pick me up before dawn.
The Golden Dragoon dismounted.
“Beauty, don’t cry like that.” I served the King of France in the war for three years and never met a man stronger and braver than me. We will now go to my father's castle. Nobody will touch you there. Beauty, I undertake to save you from marriage with the Spirit of the Night. Wait for me here and don't be afraid of anything. I'll just water my horse in the Loz stream.
- Golden Dragoon, I will be waiting for you.
The Golden Dragoon went down to the stream and watered his winged horse. When horse and rider rose above the road again, the girl was no longer there.
- Mother of God! The Spirit of the Night stole the beauty from me. Mother of God, where is she?
Then the mighty winged horse spoke:
- Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
- Yes, my good horse, I love you. You have served me more than once and saved me from trouble more than once during the war.
“Golden Dragoon, if you love me, lie down under this oak tree and sleep, and I will watch over you.” Sleep until I wake you. Then you will know where your beauty and the Spirit of the Night are.
The Golden Dragoon lay down under the oak tree and fell asleep. The horse stood over him like a sentry. And in the branches of the oak tree, owls and eagle owls celebrated their Sabbath and chatted among themselves:
- Uh-huh! Yes! Shh, shh, shh!
The horse understood the language of these birds, which know everything that happens at night. He lay down on the ground, pretended to be asleep and pricked his ears.
And on the top of the oak tree the owls and eagle owls were all chatting:
- Uh-huh! Yes! Shh, shh, shh! The Spirit of the Night has caught his bride. Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of the Night locked his bride in a house in the Ramier forest, near the Wolf Spring. Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! Shh!
The winged horse woke up his master.
— Enough sleep, Golden Dragoon. Hurry up and sit on my back. I know where your beauty and the Spirit of the Night are.
The mighty horse flapped its wings and instantly carried its master to the Ramier Forest, to the house near the Wolf Spring.
The Golden Dragoon pulled his saber from its sheath and knocked on the door without fear or hesitation. Knock! Knock!
Nobody responded.
Then the Golden Dragoon kicked the door with a strong kick.
- Hello, Spirit of the Night. Now give me my bride.
- Golden Dragoon, you won’t get it. Do you want us to fight you?
The Night Spirit grabbed his saber and they began to fight. Finally, the Golden Dragoon knocked his opponent to the ground.
- Golden Dragoon, you are stronger than me. And yet you cannot kill me. I am destined to live until the Day of Judgment, then die and not be resurrected. Listen. Put the girl on your horse, sit in front and ride away with her. Until dawn I have the power to torment you both. If you utter even one word or turn to your sweetheart, I will take her away, and you will never, ever see her again!
- Spirit of the Night, so be it.
The Golden Dragoon placed the beauty behind him, and the mighty horse flew over the ground like lightning. But the Spirit of the Night sat down behind the poor girl. He bit her until she bled and shook her terribly.
- Golden Dragoon, I'm falling! I'm falling!
- Don't be afraid, beauty. Hold on to the belt of my saber with both hands.
- Golden Dragoon, I'm falling! I'm falling! The Golden Dragoon turned around.
- Mother of God! The Spirit of the Night took away my darling. Mother of God, where is she?
Then the winged horse spoke again:
- Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
- Yes, my mighty horse, I love you. You have served me more than once; you have helped me out of trouble more than once during the war.
“Golden Dragoon, if you love me, swear with the salvation of your soul that you will never exchange me for any other horse.” Swear that you will never sell me for gold or silver.
“My winged horse, I swear this to you with my soul.”
“Golden Dragoon, now that you have sworn, come down to earth.” Lie down under this oak and sleep, and I will watch over you. Sleep until I wake you. Then you will know where your beauty and the Spirit of the Night are.
The Golden Dragoon lay down under the oak tree and fell asleep. And the mighty horse stood guard. In the branches of the oak tree, owls and eagle owls celebrated their Sabbath and talked among themselves, since the night had not yet passed.
- Yes! Yes! Shh, shh, shh!
The winged horse understood the language of these birds, which know everything that happens at night. He lay down on the ground, pretended to be asleep and pricked up his ears.
At the top of the oak tree, owls and eagle owls celebrated their Sabbath and chatted, since the night had not yet passed.
- Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of the Night took away his bride again. Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of the Night locked his bride in a tower, in a tower of gold and silver, on the top of a cliff, in the middle of a great, great sea. Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! Shh!
Then the horse woke up its owner.
— Enough sleep, Golden Dragoon. Hurry up and sit on my back. I know where your sweetheart and the Spirit of the Night are.
The next day, at the first stroke of the clock, which announced midnight, the Golden Dragoon was at the gate of a tower of gold and silver, which stood on the top of a rock in the middle of the distant sea.
The Golden Dragoon pulled his saber from its sheath and knocked on the gate without hesitation or fear. Knock! Knock!
Nobody responded.
Then the Golden Dragoon kicked the gate with a strong kick.
- Hello, Spirit of the Night. Give me my bride now.
- Golden Dragoon, you won’t see your bride! Let's measure our strength!
The Night Spirit took out his saber and they began to fight. Finally, the Golden Dragoon knocked his opponent to the ground.
- Golden Dragoon, you are stronger than me. But you can't kill me. I will die only on the Day of Judgment, and I will not be resurrected. Listen. Put the girl on the horse behind you and ride away with her. Until dawn, I have the power to torment you. If you say a single word, if you turn to your sweetheart, I will take her away, and you will never find her again, never!
- Spirit of the Night, so be it.
The Golden Dragoon put the girl on a horse behind him, and the mighty horse flew like lightning among the clouds. And the Spirit of the Night sat down behind the poor girl. He bit her until she bled and shook her terribly. But she never cried out.
The Spirit of the Night realized that he was wasting his time. He grabbed his saber to stab the Golden Dragoon in the back.
“Golden Dragoon,” the girl shouted, “Golden Dragoon, beware!”
The Golden Dragoon turned around.
- Mother of God! The Spirit of the Night has taken away my darling again! Mother of God, where is she?
Then the mighty winged horse spoke:
- Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
- I love you, my winged horse. You have served me more than once and saved me from trouble more than once during the war. I swore that I would never trade you for another horse. I swore with my soul that I would never sell you for silver or gold.
“Golden Dragoon, lie down under this oak tree and sleep, and I will watch over you.” Sleep until I wake you. Then you will know where your sweetheart and the Spirit of the Night are.
The Golden Dragoon lay down under the oak tree and fell asleep. And the mighty horse stood guard. In the branches of the oak tree, owls and eagle owls celebrated their Sabbath and chatted among themselves:
- Uh-huh! Yes! Shh! Shh! Shh!
The horse understood the language of these birds, which know everything that happens at night. He lay down on the ground, pretended to be asleep and pricked his ears.
At the top of the oak tree, owls and eagle owls celebrated their Sabbath and chatted, since the night had not yet passed:
- Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of the Night again dragged away his bride. Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh! The Spirit of the Night holds his bride captive, far, very far away, on the farthest edge of the star, which is in the middle of the constellation of the Three Virgos. He keeps her locked up in a tower of iron and steel. Yes! Yes! Shh! Shh!
Then the winged horse woke up the Golden Dragoon.
- Golden Dragoon, enough sleep. Hurry up and sit on my back. I know where your sweetheart and the Spirit of the Night are.
At sunrise, the Golden Dragoon dismounted from his horse at the gates of the inn in Bordeaux. Then the horse spoke:
- Golden Dragoon, do you love me?
- Yes, I love you, my winged horse. You have served me more than once and saved me from trouble more than once during the war. I swore that I would never exchange you for another horse or sell you for either gold or silver.
“Golden Dragoon, swear to me that until my death, no matter how much I eat, I will always have plenty of bran and oats.”
“My mighty horse, I swear to you on this with my soul.”
- Fine. Now, Golden Dragoon, order the grooms to bring seven bags of oats for me and keep as much water ready as I need. In an hour, you and I will set off on a long journey. And while I fill my belly, you run to the city, buy a pound of resin from a shoemaker, a gold needle from a jeweler, and rush back as fast as you can.
No sooner said than done. And an hour later, the winged horse soared under the clouds like lightning.
When midnight struck, the Golden Dragoon was already at the farthest edge of the star in the constellation of the Three Maidens. He found himself at the gates of a tower of iron and steel.
Then he pulled out his saber and knocked without hesitation or fear.
Knock! Knock! Nobody responded.
The Golden Dragoon knocked down the gate with a strong kick.
- Hello, Spirit of the Night. Give me back my darling.
- Golden Dragoon, she will not be yours. Let's fight! Both grabbed their sabers and entered into battle. Finally
The Golden Dragoon knocked his opponent to the ground.
- Golden Dragoon, you are stronger than me. But you can't kill me. I will die only on the Day of Judgment, and I will not be resurrected. Listen. Place the girl behind you and ride off on your horse. Until dawn I have been given the power to torment you. Just say a word or turn to your sweetheart - and I will take her away, and you will never see her again!
- Spirit of the Night, so be it. Then the winged horse spoke:
- Golden Dragoon, give the girl a pound of resin and a golden needle.
- My mighty horse, I did it.
- Fine. Beauty, take the resin and smear the ears of the Golden Dragoon well.
- Done, winged horse!
- Fine. Now, beauty, pluck a hair from my tail. Thread it into a needle and sew up the Golden Dragoon's mouth.
- Done, winged horse!
- Fine. Let's get going. Now let the Night Spirit come!
The Golden Dragoon placed the girl behind him, and the mighty horse flew under the clouds like lightning. The Spirit of the Night sat down behind the poor girl. He bit her until she bled and shook her terribly. But the girl did not scream.
Then the Night Spirit realized that he was wasting his time and pulled out his saber to stab the Golden Dragoon in the back. But the girl didn’t scream even then.
The Spirit of the Night saw that he was wasting his time and called upon all the devils of hell to help.
“Golden Dragoon,” the girl shouted, “Golden Dragoon, beware!”
She could scream to her heart's content. The Golden Dragoon's ears were covered with resin and his mouth was sewn shut. So until sunrise, without turning around, he fought with the Spirit of the Night and all the devils of hell. But with the first ray of dawn, the evil spirits disappeared, dissipated like fog, and the mighty horse stopped at the gates of Lamothe castle. The girl instantly took the resin out of her lover’s ears and cut the hair with which his mouth was sewn up. Golden Dragoon took her hand and led her to her parents.
- Hello, father and mother. This is the one I want to marry. If you say no, I will go to the Holy Land and become a monk. You will never see me again, ever.
- Friend, we don’t want you to become a monk and go to the Holy Land. Marry your bride and live happily with us.
They were married that same morning and lived happily ever after.
The Golden Dragoon did not forget the oath he made to his mighty horse: he never agreed to exchange it for another or sell it for gold and silver. And until his death, the horse always had plenty of bran, hay, and oats.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru