One king had three sons. One was named Jean, and the other two were Pompom Blue and Pompom Green. One day the king tells them:
- You are already adults. Whoever of you gets the most beautiful horse in the world will be the king after me.
The sons quickly got ready and hit the road. They come to a fork in the road, and Green Pompon says:
- I will go further along this road.
Blue says:
- I’ll go along this one.
Little Jean also says:
-And I’m on that one.
In parting we decided:
“We’ll meet here and on the way back.” My Little Jean walked and walked and reached the end of his road. He sees a small path going into the forest - he followed it. Approaches the thatched hut; There is a well near the hut, and at the well a large white cat is drawing water into a barrel. A barrel is on a cart, and there are four toads in the harness.
Little Jean sat down and watched what would happen next. The cat poured water into the barrel, unharnessed the toads - “meow-meow” - and dived into the barrel. And suddenly a beautiful princess emerges from the barrel, Little Jean has never seen anything like this in his life. And the princess asks:
-What are you looking for here?
“I’m looking for a horse,” says Jean, “our father, the king, has three brothers, and whoever brings home the most beautiful horse in the world will be the king.”
The princess tells him:
“Tomorrow morning I will be a big white cat again.” Then come to my stable and take the most beautiful of my toads. Take her to her father, harness her there - and the next day she will become the most beautiful horse.
No sooner said than done. In the morning Little Jean takes himself a toad, sits astride it and, go-la-la, off he goes.
At a fork in the road he meets brothers, both on beautiful horses. They looked at Jean with his toad and said:
“It’s better not to show it to your father, otherwise you’ll be in trouble.”
But he didn’t say anything, he goes after them and, go-la-la, chases the toad with a rod.
“Leave us alone,” say the brothers, “what a shame this is for us!” And he responded:
- No problem, let's go.
They arrived home late in the evening and put their horses in stalls.
Little Jean took a comb and began to scratch his toad - trrr, trrr.
“You’ll break your father’s comb,” the brothers say. And he told them:
- Why can’t my father have another? The next morning Pompom Blue and Pompom Green get up and lead their horses to show their father.
-Where is Jean? - asks the king.
-Jean? And he brought a toad.
-Toad? We need to watch it. Here Jean comes up to pick up his brothers. He doesn’t have a toad, but a beautiful horse, the likes of which the whole world has never seen, with a silver mane and golden horseshoes.
- Jean won! - the king shouts. - His horse is the most beautiful! Only the king has three tests for you. Whoever brings me the most beautiful homespun cloth in the world will be the king.
All three ride out again, each on his own horse. At the fork in the road, Pompom Blue says:
“I’ll go my own way again.” Pompon Green also goes his own way.
“I’ll go my way too,” says Little Jean.
No sooner said than done.
Jean drives and drives, from the road to the path, and there is a hut with a thatched roof. Again the big white cat draws water into a barrel, and she has three toads in her harness.
Little Jean sat down and looked. As the barrel was filled, the big white cat - “meow-meow” - dived into the barrel, and came out as a beautiful princess and said:
- What are you looking for this time, Little Jean? He answers:
“I’m looking for a beautiful homespun fabric, the likes of which my father has never seen in his entire life.”
“Tomorrow morning,” the princess answers, “I will be a big white cat again.” Look in my cabinets and drawers, you will see nuts there, take the most inconspicuous one and put it in your pocket. When you get to your father, crack the nut with a knife. There you will find thirty arshins of the most beautiful linen in the world.
Here Pompom Blue and Pompom Green are coming together at a fork in the road. It’s a miracle what kind of canvas they have! But Jean has nothing, just a nut, and that’s in his pocket. One brother asks:
- Are you empty-handed, Little Jean?
And he answers:
“Your canvas is enough for my father.”
They come home, and the next morning they get up and go to show their canvas to their father. Both have a wonderful canvas, and Pompon Green is simply a sight for sore eyes.
“But Little Jean apparently didn’t bring anything,” the brothers say to their father. Then Jean appeared. He gives his father his nut and says:
- Chop with a knife.
The king did so. He looks and there are thirty arshins of linen in the walnut, such as the world has never seen before.
“Little Jean has won again,” says the father. - Yes, only I, the king, have three tests. Two down, one left.
- What kind of test? - the sons ask.
“And whoever brings with him the most beautiful maiden, to him I will give my crown.” This is the end of the tests.
The brothers set off again, two on horses, and Little Jean on his toad. Pom Pom Blue says:
- I'm on my way again.
Pompon Green says:
- Me too, in my own way.
And Little Jean says:
- And I have my own way.
The road is dear; Little Jean drives up to the thatched hut and sees: again the big white cat with her toads is working at the well. Suddenly - “meow-meow” - she dived into a barrel of water and came out as a beautiful princess.
Little Jean looked at her beauty and fell to the ground.
-Tell me, Jean, what are you looking for here for the third time? Jean answers:
“But my father the king has three tests.” He said: whoever brings with him the most beautiful maiden in the world will be the king. And I don’t know anyone more beautiful than you in the world.
Wonder Girl says:
- I'm bewitched. Now, if only the king’s son takes me as his bride, then I will remain a beautiful princess.
“I’ll take it,” Jean told her.
- Then listen. Tomorrow morning I will be a big white cat again. Harness my toads to the carriage and then take me with you.
The next morning, Little Jean gets up and sees: again there is a big white cat in front of him. He harnessed the toads to the carriage, sat down and seated the cat. They ride, and she rubs against him, climbs on his knees and touches his cheek with her cheek: “meow-meow.”
His brothers arrive at a fork in the road, and their princesses are just a sight for sore eyes.
The brothers looked at Jean with a cat on his lap and four toads in a harness.
“Well,” they say, “it’s not going to be good for Zhan.” And we ourselves are happy:
- With such a carriage and with toads - what kind of hindrance is he to us?
“Let's go, let's go,” Jean answers, and he whips the toads with a whip, and the cat rubs against his cheek: “meow” to itself and “meow.” The sons drive up to their father’s house, Jean leads the white cat to his place, and the four toads begin to scratch and scratch. Comb-trrr, trrr...
- Jean, you’ll break your father’s comb like that!
- Why shouldn’t my father have another? In the morning, the king meets Green Pompon and Blue Pompon and sees that their girls are truly beautiful.
- And Little Jean? - asks.
- Jean? - the sons answer. - Yes, he has a big white cat. I brought the cat.
“Even if it’s a cat, I just need to take a look.”
Here Little Jean enters arm in arm with his princess. What do you say? The king had never seen such a beauty in his entire life. And Jean also has a carriage of unprecedented beauty and four wonderful horses.
The brothers married their girls, Jean married the princess.
“I give my crown to Jean,” says the king. - Jean won.
He takes the crown off his head and - bang! and put it on Jean.
This is such a fairy tale... I was at their wedding myself. I don’t know how they live now; I haven’t seen anyone since then.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru