In one country - I forgot its name - there was an angry and grumpy old man as king. One day a merchant came to his palace, brought fresh fish in a basket and said:
- Buy this fish from me, king. You won't regret it.
The king glanced sideways at the fish:
“I have never seen such a fish in my kingdom.” Poisonous, or what?
- What you! - the merchant was frightened. - Order this fish to be fried, eat it - and you will immediately begin to understand the conversation of all the animals, fish and birds. Even the smallest bug will squeak something, and you will already know what it wants. You will become the smartest king on earth.
The king liked it. He bought fish from a merchant and, although he was stingy and greedy, he didn’t even haggle and paid what she asked. “Now,” the king thought and rubbed his bony hands, “I will be the smartest in the world and conquer the whole world. It’s amazing! Now my enemies will cry.”
The king called his servant, young Irzhik, and ordered him to fry fish for dinner.
- But only without cheating! - King Irzhik said. “If you eat even one piece of this fish, I will cut off your head.” Irzhik brought the fish to the kitchen, looked at it and was even more surprised: he had never seen such a fish. Each fish scale glowed with multi-colored fire, like a rainbow. It was a pity to clean and fry such fish. But you can’t go against the royal order. Irzhik fries fish and can’t figure out whether it’s ready or not. The fish does not brown or become crusty, but becomes transparent.
“Who knows, she was fried or not,” thought Irzhik. “We must try.”
I took a piece, chewed it and swallowed it, as if it was ready. He chews and hears thin squeaky voices:
- And a piece for us too! And a piece for us too! F-f-fried fish!
Irzhik looked around. There is no one. Only flies fly over the dish with fish.
- Yeah! - said Irzhik. - Now I am beginning to understand something about this fish.
He took the dish with the fish and put it on the window, in the draft wind, so that the fish cooled. And outside the window, geese are walking through the yard and cackling quietly. Irzhik listened and heard one goose ask:
-Where are we going? Where shall we go?
And the other one answers:
- To the miller in the barley field! To the miller in the barley field!
- Yeah! “Irzhik said again and grinned: “Now I understand what kind of fish this is.” Perhaps one piece is not enough for me.
Irzhik ate the second piece of fish, then beautifully laid out the fish on a silver dish, sprinkled it with parsley and dill, and took the dish to the king.
From then on, Irzhik began to understand everything that the animals were talking about with each other. He learned that the life of animals is not as easy as people think - animals have sorrows and worries. From that time on, Irzhik began to feel sorry for the animals and tried to help every smallest animal if it was in trouble.
After lunch, the king ordered two riding horses and went for a walk with Irzhik. The king rode in front, and Irzhik followed him. Irzhik’s hot horse kept rushing forward. Irzhik could hardly restrain him. The horse neighed, and Irzhik immediately understood his words.
- Igo-go! — the horse neighed. “Come on, brother, let’s gallop and move over this mountain in one fell swoop.”
“It would be good,” the king’s horse answered him, “but this old fool is sitting on me.” He will also fall and break his neck. It won’t turn out well, after all, but he’s still a king.
“Well, let him break his neck,” said Irzhik’s horse. “Then you will carry the young king, and not this wreck.”
Irzhik laughed quietly. But the king also understood the conversation of the horses, looked back at Irzhik, poked his horse in the side with his boot and asked Irzhik:
- Why are you laughing, you impudent one?
“I remembered, Your Royal Grace, how today in the kitchen two cooks were pulling each other’s hair.”
- Look at me! - the king said threateningly.
He, of course, did not believe Irzhik, angrily turned his horse and galloped to his palace. In the palace, he ordered Irzhik to pour himself a glass of wine.
- But look, if you don’t add enough or overfill, I’ll order you to cut off your head!
Irzhik took a jug of wine and began to carefully pour wine into a heavy glass. And at this time two sparrows flew into the open window. They fly around the room and fight as they fly. One sparrow holds three golden hairs in its beak, and the other tries to take them away.
- Give it back! Give it back! They are mine! Thief!
- I won’t give it! I caught them when the beauty was combing her golden braids. No one in the world has hair like this. I won't! Whoever she marries will be the happiest.
- Give it back! Beat the thief!
The sparrows became ruffled and, clutching themselves, flew out of the window. But one golden hair fell out of the beak, fell on the stone floor and rang like a bell. Irzhik looked back and... spilled the wine.
- Yeah! - shouted the king. - Now say goodbye to life, Irzhik!
The king was glad that Irzhik spilled the wine and it would be possible to get rid of him. The king alone wanted to be the smartest in the world. Who knows, maybe this young and cheerful servant managed to try fried fish. Then he will be a dangerous rival for the king. But then the king came up with a good idea. He picked up a golden hair from the floor, handed it to Irzhik and said:
- So be it. I will probably have mercy on you if you find the girl who lost this golden hair and bring her to me as my wife. Take this hair and go. Search!
What was Irzhik to do? He took the hair, got ready for the journey and rode out of the city on horseback. And he doesn’t know where to go. He let go of the reins, and the horse trudged along the most deserted road. It's all overgrown with grass. Apparently it hasn't been driven for a long time. The road reached a high, dark forest. Irzhik sees: a fire is blazing at the edge of the forest, a dry bush is burning. The shepherds threw the fire, did not flood it, did not trample it, and the fire set the bush on fire. And under the bush there is an anthill. Ants run, fuss, drag their stuff from the anthill - ant eggs, dry bugs, caterpillars and various tasty grains. Irzhik hears the ants shouting to him:
- Help, Irzhik! Save! We're on fire!
Irzhik jumped off his horse, cut down a bush and extinguished the flame. The ants surrounded him with a ring, moved their antennae, bowed and thanked him:
- Thank you, Irzhik. We will never forget your kindness! And if you need help, rely on us. We will repay the good.
Irzhik drove into the dark forest. He hears someone squeaking pitifully. He looked around and saw: two little crows were lying under a tall spruce tree - they had fallen out of the nest - and squeaking:
- Help, Irzhik! Feed us! We are dying of hunger! Mother and father flew away, but we still don’t know how to fly.
The king deliberately gave Irzhik an old, sick horse - a real nag. The horse is standing, his legs are shaking, and it is clear that this trip is one torment for him. Irzhik jumped off his horse, thought, stabbed him and left the horse carcass for the crows - let them feed.
- Kar-r, Ir-rzhik! Ka-r-r! - the crows shouted cheerfully. - We will help you for this!
Irzhik went further on foot. I walked through the dense forest for a long time, then the forest began to make more and more noise, more and more loudly, the wind was already bending the tops of the trees. And then the splash of waves added to the noise of the peaks, and Irzhik went out to the sea. Two fishermen were arguing on the sandy shore. One got a golden fish in the net, and the other demanded this fish for himself.
“My net,” one fisherman shouted, “mine and the fish!”
- Whose boat is it? - answered the other fisherman. “You wouldn’t have cast the net without my boat!”
The fishermen shouted more and more loudly, then they rolled up their sleeves, and the matter would have ended in a fight if Irzhik had not intervened.
- Stop making noise! - he said to the fishermen. - Sell me this fish, and divide the money among yourselves. And that's the end of it.
Irzhik gave the fishermen all the money he received from the king for the journey, took the golden fish and threw it into the sea. The fish wagged its tail, stuck its head out of the water and said:
— Service for service. When you need my help, call me. I'll come.
Irzhik sat down on the shore to rest. The fishermen ask him:
-Where are you going, good man?
- Yes, I’m looking for a bride for my old king. He ordered to get him a beauty with golden hair as his wife. Where can you find it?
The fishermen looked at each other and sat down on the sand next to Irzhik.
“Well,” they say, “you reconciled us, and we remember the good.” We'll help you. There is only one beauty with golden hair in the whole world. This is our king's daughter. You see an island on the sea, and on the island there is a crystal palace? That's where she lives, in this palace. Every day at dawn she combs her hair. Then such a golden dawn rises over the sea that we wake up from it in our hut and know that it’s time for us to go fishing. We will take you to the island. It’s almost impossible to recognize the beauty.
- Why is this? - asks Irzhik.
- Because the king has twelve daughters, and the golden-haired one. And all twelve queens are dressed the same. And everyone has the same veil on their heads. The hair underneath is not visible. So your job, Irzhik, is difficult.
The fishermen transported Irzhik to the island. Irzhik went straight to the crystal palace to the king, bowed to him and told him why he came to the island.
- OK! - said the king. “I am not a stubborn person.” I will give my daughter in marriage to your king. But for this you must complete my tasks for three days. Is it coming?
- It's coming! - Irzhik agreed.
- Go and get some sleep from the road. Rest. My tasks are intricate. You can't solve them right away.
Irzhik slept well! The sea wind blew through the windows all night, the surf roared, and occasionally even small splashes flew onto the bed.
Irzhik got up in the morning and came to the king. The king thought and said:
- Here's your first task. My golden-haired daughter wore a pearl necklace around her neck. The thread broke and all the pearls scattered in the thick grass. Collect them all.
Irzhik went to the lawn where the princess scattered pearls. The grass is waist-deep, and so thick that the ground beneath it is not visible.
“Eh,” sighed Irzhik, “if only my ant friends were here, they would help me!”
Suddenly he hears a squeak in the grass, as if hundreds of tiny people were fidgeting around his feet.
- We're here! We're here! How can I help you, Irzhik? Collect pearls? Wait, we'll do it in a jiffy!
Ants ran in, waved their antennae and began to pull pearl after pearl to Irzhik’s feet. Irzhik barely had time to string them on a harsh thread. He collected the entire necklace and took it to the king. The king counted the pearls for a long time, got lost, and counted again.
- That's right! Well, okay, tomorrow I’ll give you a more difficult task.
Irzhik comes to the king the next day. The king looked at him slyly and said:
- What a problem! My golden-haired daughter was swimming and dropped a gold ring into the sea. I give you a day to get it.
Irzhik went to the sea, sat down on the shore and almost cried. The sea in front of him lies warm, clean and so deep that it’s even scary to think about.
“Eh,” says Irzhik, “if only there were a golden fish here, it would help me out!”
Suddenly, something flashed on the dark water in the sea, and a golden fish surfaced from the depths.
- Don't be sad! - she said to Irzhik. “I just saw a pike with a gold ring on its fin.” “Be calm, I’ll get it.”
Irzhik waited for a long time until a golden fish with a gold ring on its fin finally swam out.
Irzhik carefully removed the ring from the fin so that the fish would not be hurt, thanked it and went to the palace.
“Well,” said the king, “you are obviously a clever man.” Come back tomorrow for the last task.
And the last task was the most difficult: to bring the king living and dead water. Where can I get it? Irzhik went wherever his eyes looked, reached the great forest, stopped and thought: “If only my little crows were here, they would...”
Before he had time to think about it, he hears the whistling of wings and croaking overhead, and sees familiar crows flying towards him. Irzhik told them his grief.
The crows flew away, they were gone for a long time, and then they rustled their wings again and brought Irzhik in their beaks two containers with living and dead water.
- Carr, carr, berry and be happy! Carr!
Irzhik took the bags and went to the crystal palace. He went out to the edge of the forest and stopped: between two trees a black spider wove a web, caught a fly in it, killed it and sits sucking the fly’s blood.
Irzhik splashed dead water on the spider. The spider died immediately - folded its legs and fell to the ground. Then Irzhik sprinkled the fly with living water. She came to life, beat her wings, buzzed, tore the web and flew away. And as she flew away, she said to Irzhik:
- Luckily for you, you revived me. I'll help you recognize Goldilocks.
Irzhik came to the king with living and dead water. The king even gasped, did not believe it for a long time, but tried dead water on an old mouse that was running through the palace room, and living water on a dried flower in the garden and was delighted. I believed it. He took Irzhik by the hand and led him into a white hall with a golden ceiling. In the middle of the hall there was a round crystal table, and behind it, on crystal chairs, sat twelve beauties, so similar to one another that Irzhik only waved his hand and lowered his eyes - how can you tell which one is Goldilocks! They all wear the same long dresses and the same white blankets on their heads. Not a hair is visible from underneath them.
“Well, choose,” says the king. “You guessed it - your happiness!” If not, you will leave here alone, just as you came.
Irzhik raised his eyes and suddenly heard someone buzzing right next to his ear:
- J-i-i-i, go around the table. I'll give you a hint.
Irzhik looked: a small fly was flying above him. Irzhik slowly walked around the table, and the princesses sat with their eyes downcast. And everyone’s cheeks flushed equally. And the fly buzzes and buzzes:
- Not that one! Not that one! Not that one! But this one, the golden-haired one!
Irzhik stopped, pretended to still have doubts, then said:
- Here is the golden-haired princess!
- Your happiness! - shouted the king.
The princess quickly left the table, threw off the white coverlet, and her golden hair spilled over her shoulders. And immediately the whole hall sparkled with such shine from this hair that it seemed as if the sun had given all its light to the princess’s hair.
The princess looked straight at Irzhik and averted her eyes - she had never seen such a handsome and stately young man. The princess’s heart was beating heavily, but her father’s word was law. She will have to marry the old, evil king!
Irzhik took his bride to his master. He took care of her all the way, making sure that her horse did not stumble, so that a cold drop of rain did not fall on her shoulders. It was a sad return. Because Irzhik also fell in love with the golden-haired princess, but could not tell her about it.
The old, grumpy king chuckled with joy when he saw the beauty and ordered the wedding to be quickly prepared. And Irzhik said:
“I wanted to hang you on a dry branch for disobedience, so that the crows would eat your corpse.” But because you found me a bride, I declare royal favor to you. I will not hang you, but I will order your head to be cut off and buried with honor.
The next morning they cut off Irzhik’s head on the block. The golden-haired beauty began to sob and asked the king to give her the headless body and head of Irzhik. The king frowned, but did not dare to refuse the bride.
Goldilocks put her head to her body, sprinkled it with living water - the head grew back, not even a trace remained. She sprayed Irzhik a second time - and he jumped up alive, young and even more beautiful than he was before the execution. And he asked Goldilocks:
- Why did I fall asleep so soundly?
“You would have fallen asleep forever,” Goldilocks answered him, “if I had not saved you, dear.”
The king saw Irzhik and was dumbfounded: how did he come to life, and even become so beautiful. The king was a cunning old man and immediately decided to take advantage of this incident. He called the executioner and ordered:
- Cut off my head! And then let Goldilocks sprinkle some wonderful water on me. And I will come to life young and beautiful.
The executioner eagerly cut off the old king's head. But it was not possible to resurrect him. It was in vain that they poured all the living water on him. There must have been so much anger in the king that no amount of living water could help. The king was buried without tears, to the beat of drums. And since the country needed an intelligent and kind ruler, the people chose Irzhik as ruler - it was not for nothing that he was the wisest man in the world. And Goldilocks became Irzhik’s wife, and they lived a long and happy life.
And so ended this fairy tale about how the animals returned good for good, and how the king lost his head.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru