While San Lang languished on the rocky ground of a gloomy and inaccessible island, the princess spent her days in her luxurious bedroom, shedding tears... in the arms of Lady Cuttlefish! With almost maternal sympathy, she consoled the girl and promised her, without really believing it, better days. Suddenly they reported about a soldier sent with a message from the king. He demanded that Cuttlefish escort the princess to the throne room, where an extremely important message awaited her. The girl appeared there, all trembling, and her father said the following, trying to soften his voice, which still sounded angry: “My daughter, I am very dissatisfied with your behavior. However, I am a good father and agree to forget everything if you do the same. And for this I will fulfill your wish, since you are in such a hurry to get married. I have chosen a husband for you who is after my heart: he will be my dear friend, the dragon Nan Jihan
Hearing this name, the princess almost fainted. Mrs. Cuttlefish had to take her back to the bedroom and console the poor thing.
Having come to her senses, the girl began to sob even more bitterly. This Nan Zihan, whom they wanted to marry her to, was an extremely repulsive creature. Ugly and ugly, he by no means made up for this with his spiritual qualities: his boasting and cowardice became proverbial. Constantly ranting about his supposed exploits, he ran for cover at the slightest hint of danger. And his ferocious cruelty was reflected in his barbaric behavior: he lived exclusively on cuttlefish and goldfish, which, as everyone knows, is simply disgusting. The very thought that she would have to live for several centuries with such a disgusting creature made the princess sick. Besides, her heart belonged to San Lan and she had no intention of changing her allegiances.
Lady Cuttlefish also did not approve of this marriage. She hated Nan Zihan, who was destroying the noble tribe of cuttlefish to satisfy his bestial appetite. Therefore, after waiting until her mistress fell asleep, she slipped out of the palace. She swam for a long time and arrived in the land of cuttlefish. Having gathered them all, she told them what had happened, concluding:
“My sisters, we must act. We cannot allow the vile Nan Zihan to establish himself in this kingdom. The hour of revenge has come for us!” The cuttlefish tribe warmly approved of this speech. The smartest of them diligently developed a plan of attack until late.
After some time, Nan Zihan, accompanied by a magnificent retinue, arrived at the glass palace with great pomp. He was accompanied by huge crabs, armed to the jaws, for he was a coward and was afraid of attack. But at that moment, when he was about to enter the palace, from all the cracks, from the crevices in the rocks, from the underwater thickets, many cuttlefish swam out and surrounded his army. Suddenly and simultaneously they opened their ink sacs, their favorite means of defense. A thick twilight fell on the sea, enveloping Nan Zihan, his guards, the crystal palace and the entire surrounding area.
While the dragon and his soldiers wandered in the darkness, Lady Cuttlefish made her way to the princess's bedroom. She hugged her tightly and, taking advantage of the turmoil and darkness, sailed with her to a distant coral island known to her alone. Leaving the princess there, she went for San Lan, whom she brought there. The meeting of the lovers was exciting, but rather laconic, since the musician’s horn was still sewn up. In addition, there was one more unpleasant circumstance: how to live on an island where nothing grew?
The inventive Mrs. Cuttlefish found a way out of this situation. She carefully pulled out a hair from the dragon's beard, which was used to sew up the flute player's mouth. She did not hurt him, and he was immediately able to talk to his beauty and play his favorite instrument. Not wanting to interfere with their love, Cuttlefish swam to the nearby mainland, where she got hold of a wooden trough. In front of the surprised young people, she filled it with salt water and threw in a hair from the dragon's beard. The water began to bubble, became covered with foam, and then became transparent again. Hundreds of goldfish swam in it.
“This is how you will earn a living,” said Mrs. Cuttlefish. “I will get San Lang a boat, and he will ride it to the city to sell these lucky fish. The sea is enough for me.”
San Lan married the princess, and they made a good living by selling goldfish. They had children whom Cuttlefish raised like a real nanny. It is said that, like their parents, they became excellent musicians.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru