One king had three sons. The king grew old and no longer saw or heard anything. One day he dreamed that somewhere in the world there was a city, and in that city there was a well.
If you swim in the water from that well -
You will immediately become younger, you will see and hear again. As soon as day broke, the king woke up, gathered his sons, told them his dream and added:
- Kids! Spare no effort or money, get me that water. I am ready to give my entire kingdom for her!
The eldest son says:
- Give me money and a ship with sailors, I will go in search of this water.
The king gave him everything he needed, blessed him and released him. The prince boarded the ship, sailed for a long time and arrived at an unknown city. They landed on the shore, and the king of that land immediately sent his entourage to bring the owner of the ship to him. He went with the messengers. The king enters and asks:
- Who are you? Where? Where are you heading?
And the guest discourteously replies that he is a prince and no one can ask him questions. The king was angry and ordered the daring man to be shackled and thrown into prison. His people suffered the same fate, and the king took the ship into his treasury.
A year passed without a word from the prince. Then the second son says to his father:
“Since my brother hasn’t returned for so long, give me money and a ship with sailors, now I’ll go look for wonderful water.”
His father equipped him, like his eldest son, gave him his blessing and released him. The prince went out to sea on a ship. He swam, swam and sailed to the very city where his brother was sitting in prison. When the ship landed, the king of that land immediately sent his entourage to bring the owner of the ship to him. The prince entered, and the king asked:
- Who are you? Where? Where are you heading?
And the guest discourteously replies that he is a prince and no one can ask him questions. The king was angry and ordered the daring man to be shackled and thrown into prison.
Another year passed, and there was also no word about the second son. Then the youngest son says to his father:
- What should we do? Give me money and a ship with sailors, it’s my turn to go in search of wonderful water.
His father equipped him, like the older two, and sent him away with his blessing. The prince sailed and sailed on a ship and sailed to the city where his brothers were languishing in prison. As soon as they landed on the shore, the king of that land sent people to call the owner of the ship. He comes to the king, and he asks:
- Who are you? Where? Where are you heading?
The prince sadly began to tell everything in order: how his old father went blind and deaf, how he had a dream that water from a well dug in an unknown city could restore his sight and hearing, how two older brothers went to look for that water and never returned. The king listened to him and said:
- If so, son, have a happy journey! When you return, be careful not to drive past. After all, I am many years old, and if, God willing, you find wonderful water, I, too, would not mind swimming in it and becoming younger.
The king released the prince on good terms, and he moved on. He swam for a long time and finally came to a large mountain. The ship landed, the prince went ashore, mounted his horse and rode overland, leaving everyone on the ship to wait for his return. He drove off a little, and met an old hermit.
- God help you! - said the prince and asked if he knew where such and such a city was located. The hermit replied that he had not heard, but added:
- Climb the mountain. A hunter lives there; he can talk to birds. Maybe he heard about such a city from them.
The prince climbed the mountain and soon saw the hunter.
“I heard, brother,” he said, “that you can talk to birds.” But birds fly everywhere. Have you heard from them where such and such a city is?
“I’ve never heard of it, but we’ll ask them now.”
The bird hunter called and asked:
-Have any of you seen such and such a city?
The birds unanimously answered “no”, but added:
“There is a sick eagle here, he is no longer able to fly and therefore remained in the forest. Maybe he knows something about this city.
The prince went with the hunter to the eagle and asked him.
“Only once in my life have I flown over it,” answered the eagle. - The path is difficult. We need to supply twelve rams, two brooms and a rope. Twelve lions sit at the gates and guard the city. They attack anyone who dares to approach there. And if you throw a sheep at each one, you will shut their mouths. When you enter the city, you will see two girls collecting garbage on the streets with their hands. They can scratch out a person's eyes. You need to give them a broom and they will calm down. The third girl waters the whole city alone, and carries the water in her hair. You need to give her a rope - she will fall behind. And you need to get into the city exactly at noon. At this time the queen always sleeps. We need to do everything as quickly as possible and run.
The prince put the eagle on his horse and rode back to the ship. We swam further. On the way, the prince fed the eagle well so that it would become healthier and stronger. So they sailed to the mountain again. Eagle says:
“I’ll fly myself first and see what’s going on there.”
He soared under the clouds, flew over the city, looked out for everything and returned.
“We need to leave at first light tomorrow so we can get to the city by noon,” he said.
As soon as dawn broke, they got up and hit the road. At exactly noon we arrived at the city itself. The prince is in front, the servants are behind him. As soon as they approached the city gates, twelve terrible lions rushed at them. But the servants threw them twelve roasted rams, and the lions began to eat. We entered the city, and there were two girls collecting garbage on the streets with their hands. They saw people and attacked them. But they threw two brooms at them, and they calmed down. We walked a little more and saw a well, and at the well a girl was carrying water with her hair. She also rushed at them, but they threw her a rope, and she fell behind. The servants took water from the well and carried it to the ship, and the prince went to the palace to look at the queen. She was sleeping. He slowly approached, kissed her, took the ring from her right hand and the shoe from her left foot, marked her knee and returned to the ship. They immediately set sail and set off on their way back.
The queen woke up when they were already far away. She immediately realized what had happened, ran out of the palace, and shouted at the girl who was watering the city:
- Oh, you worthless thing! For how many years she served me faithfully, and now she has changed!
And the girl responded:
“I have served you for so many years, and you have never given me a rope.” And this young man came and immediately gave it.
The queen went to those girls who were cleaning the city with their hands and began shouting at them:
- Oh, you are worthless! For how many years they served me faithfully, and now they have changed!
And the girls began to make excuses:
“We’ve been serving you for so many years, and you’ve never given us a broom.” And when he arrived, he gave each of them a broom.
Finally the queen came to the lions and said:
- Oh, you are so-and-so! What have you done? For how many years they served me faithfully, and now they have changed me!
And the lions answer:
- How many years have we served you, and you have never fed us enough? And when he arrived, he gave each one a ram.
The queen remained silent - she realized that she was to blame for everything.
And the prince, after a long journey, again came to the city where his brothers were languishing in prison. The king, as soon as he learned of his arrival, came out to meet him, greeted him friendly and asked:
- Well, son, did you find what you were looking for?
“Yes, thank God, I found it,” the prince answers.
The king was very happy and said:
- Let's check if this water really has miraculous powers.
The king bathed in this water and came out of it healthy and young, as if he were twenty years old.
“Since you have pleased me so much,” he said to the prince, “then I will please you too.” Your brothers are alive, and I have both of them. They didn’t behave as smartly as you, they began to be insolent to me. So I punished them. And now I give them both to you.
The king ordered the princes to be brought, handed them over to his brother, and he rejoiced when he saw them. The king returned their ships and people, and in addition rewarded them and provided them with everything they needed for the journey. Each prince boarded his own ship, and they sailed home.
On the way, the older brothers began to think about how to take water from the younger one in order to please their father. They bribed his people, they poured wonderful water into their jugs, and poured sea water into the younger’s jugs.
The father was looking forward to their return.
- Welcome, kids! Well, have you found wonderful water? - he asked his sons.
- We found it, thank God. Let the younger brother show his water first, and then we’ll show ours,” said the eldest.
The servants immediately poured water out of the younger brother’s jugs, the king bathed in it, but the water did not help. He says to his older brothers:
- Well, now let's see what kind of water you have.
They brought water, the king bathed in it and immediately became younger, began to see and hear like a young man. He became angry with his youngest son:
“You couldn’t find anything.” Brought wonderful water! Now go wherever your eyes look and your feet carry you, since you deceived me.
The king drove his youngest son out of the courtyard. He went to wander around the world and hired a man to guard sheep.
And the queen, who owned the wonderful water, carried the prince and gave birth to a son in due time. When he turned one year old, he asked his mother:
- Mom! Where is my father?
“We will find him, son,” the mother answers.
The queen got ready to set off, boarded a ship with her son and sailed across the sea. After a long journey, she arrived at the city where the prince lived. The ship docked, the queen went ashore, pitched her tent and immediately wrote a letter to the king:
- Send me the man who took the water from me.
The king sent his eldest son. He mounted his horse and rode up to the queen’s tent. She greeted him cordially and asked:
-Did you take the water from me?
- I.
-Did you take anything else?
- No, nothing.
The queen swung and hit him in the face. She hit me lightly and immediately knocked out two teeth. Then the queen sent him to his father with the words:
“Go and tell your father, let him send the one who took the water from me.”
The eldest son returned and told his father everything that happened.
He sent his second son to the queen. She greeted him warmly and asked:
-Did you take the water from me?
- I.
- And what else?
- Nothing.
The queen hit him in the face too, so that two of his teeth fell out.
- You know what? - said the queen. “Bow to your father and tell him: if he does not send me the man who took the water from me, then I will ruin his entire kingdom.” Wait, I'll give you something that will help you find that person.
She sat down, drew her son’s face on a silk scarf and said:
“As this boy is, so is that man.”
The middle brother returned to his father and told him everything in order. And the king, as soon as he looked at the scarf, immediately recognized his youngest son. He ordered that with this scarf they go from city to city, from village to village, and look for the third son.
So they reached the village where the prince served as a shepherd. First they showed the scarf to the headman. He unfolded it, looked and saw that his shepherd was drawn. He says to the prince:
- But it’s you!
At first the prince did not want to admit who he was, but when he realized that he had to go to his father, he told them everything, got ready and went home. His father hugged him and said:
- Where have you been, son? After all, the kingdom is dying!
- Who is to blame? Give me a horse, I will go to the queen.
The king collected him and sent him. The queen saw him. admitted it immediately. The son also found out and let’s shout:
- This is my father! Here's my father!
The prince entered the tent, the queen asked him:
-Did you take the water from me?
- I.
- And what else?
He took out a ring and a shoe and said:
- This is it. Besides, you have a mark on your knee.
Then they hugged and kissed, and then went to the city and got married. During his lifetime, the father handed over the kingdom to his son, but drove out his older sons. So the youngest son became the king of two kingdoms.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru