Once upon a time there lived a king, and he had three daughters. One day he received a message to go to war. And he was old. So he sat down and cried, and thought about what he should do. The eldest daughter came to the king and asked:
- What’s wrong with you, father, why are you crying?
- It’s not your concern, it’s not for you to know about it.
- No, father, tell me, otherwise I won’t leave you alone!
- What should I tell you, poor thing? I received a message to go to war, but I can’t.
- Oh, what grief, war and trouble, but I was hoping that you were going to marry me off!
So the middle daughter comes and asks:
- What’s wrong with you, father, why are you crying?
- It’s not your concern, it’s not for you to know about it.
- No, tell me what happened.
“I won’t tell you, otherwise you’ll answer like your sister.”
- No, father, I won’t answer you like a sister.
“Listen, dove, I received a message to go to war, but I’m old and can’t.”
- Oh, what grief, war and trouble, but I thought that you were going to marry me off!
Finally the youngest daughter comes to the king and asks:
- What’s wrong with you, father, why are you crying?
- It’s not your concern, it’s not for you to know about it.
- Tell me, father, tell me, dear.
“Have it your way, but make sure you don’t answer like your older sisters.” This is what happened, daughter: I received a message to go to war, but I can’t, because I’m old.
- Stop shedding tears, is this grief, father?! Give me a man's dress and a good horse - I'll go to war!
“It’s no good for a girl to be involved in war, daughter.”
- Don’t worry, father, I’ll go, I’ll fight - I’ll win the war!
-Have it your way, baby!
He gave her a man's dress and a good horse. The princess went to war and won.
A prince from a neighboring kingdom happened to fight there. So they set off on their way back and stopped at an inn. The prince guessed that the girl was with them and said to his mother:
- Mother, this girl went to war!
“You’re talking nonsense, have you ever seen girls go to war?”
“I’m telling you, mother, it’s like the girl fought!”
- Well, let's see what this warrior is like. When it’s evening, invite him to spend the night in the field, and choose a grassy place for the night. At sunset you will fall asleep, at dawn you will wake up. Then look at the grass: if the grass is greener under you, then it’s a girl, if not, then it’s a guy.
As his mother said, so he did. They went out into the field and went to bed. The prince fell asleep, and the girl got up, walked away and lay down there; at dawn she returned to her original place. When we got up in the morning, the prince looked - the grass was greener under the princess. Then he went to his mother and said:
“Under me, mother, the grass is withered, but under the warrior it is fresh and green.”
- What did I say? You see now, it's a guy!
“No,” the stubborn man answers, “it’s a girl.” Let's return home - I'll go match her!
The prince returned home from the war, put on simple clothes, took spindles, threads and beads and went to the city where the princess lives. He stopped at the palace windows and shouted:
- Some threads, some beads, some spindles!
The maids heard him and ran to the princess:
- Do you hear, madam, what the stranger is selling?
- Let him scream.
“Are we really not going to buy anything?”
- Yes, buy what you want.
The maids chose beads, they want to give the money, but he doesn’t take it:
“I don’t need gold coins, give me a bowl of millet as payment!”
The girls were delighted and brought him a bowl of millet. And he, the cunning one, pours the millet into the bag with one hand, and scatters it on the ground with the other. He sat down and collected millet grain by grain before it got dark. The maids came and asked:
- Why don’t you ask for another bowl, why are you sitting and collecting grains?
“I don’t want anything else,” he answers, “they paid me with this millet, that’s what I need!” But let me spend the night, let me go to some little closet!
The girls let him spend the night in a little room, and he waited until nightfall, crept up to the princess’s window and threw sleepy grass at her, and when she fell sound asleep, he grabbed her in his arms and brought her home.
The princess woke up and saw that the places were all unfamiliar. Then she guessed who that merchant was, she was annoyed, and she pretended to be dumb.
A year passes, three pass - the girl remains silent. And every year, the mother scolds her son even more:
“Are you crazy, or something, you got a good bride - dumb and deaf!” Leave her this very hour and find another matchmaker!
There was nothing to do, the prince had to woo a new bride. They got engaged, and the wedding day arrived. The guests gathered, led the newlyweds down the aisle, gave the bride a candle in her hand, and gave the mute one. The mute woman's wax is leaking and burning her hand, but she doesn't throw away the candle, she holds it even tighter. Then they started telling her:
- Hey, dumb one, if you burn your hand, throw away the candle!
And she doesn’t seem to hear. The groom came up and said:
- Hey, dumb one, if you burn your hand, throw away the candle!
The princess didn’t even raise an eyebrow. The bride in her wedding dress is also suitable:
- Hey, dumb one, if you burn your hand, throw away the candle!
When the princess heard this, she became angry:
- Where did you come from to order me!
The prince heard these words and understood everything. Here he left his new bride and took the princess as his wife. It was a fun wedding, and they lived their lives in happiness and harmony. Maybe they still live today.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru