It was in those years
When chickens grew horns.
Once upon a time there lived an old coal miner. He had already celebrated twenty-five christenings in his life, but he could not find a godfather for his twenty-sixth child. And I found my godmother. When he went to look for his godfather, he met a luxurious chariot in which the king himself was sitting. The coal miner took off his hat and fell to his knees in the middle of the road. The king saw him, got out of his chariot and gave him a piece of gold.
“Forgive me, your honor,” the coal miner said to the king, “but I am not looking for alms, but a godfather for my last child, who has just been born, I am looking for and cannot find.”
- Why is that so? - asked the king.
- Yes, because, your honor, I have already celebrated twenty-five christenings, and all my neighbors were already my godparents. And I found someone!
“Well,” said the king. - Come home, come to church with your child and godmother, and I will be your godfather.
And the old coal miner returned to his hut, beaming with happiness.
They let the godmother know, took the child and went to church. The king was already waiting for them there.
When the christening was over, the godfather gave the father a thousand crowns for the upbringing and teaching of his godson. He also gave him half a castle, which the child would have to return when he turned eighteen. And then the king left.
The child was named Charles.
When Charles was seven years old, he was sent to school, and there he learned everything he wanted. As soon as he reached the age of eighteen, his father gave him half of the castle and Belel went to Paris to the court of the French king, his godfather. The young man rode on a beautiful horse with half a castle in his pocket. It was a pleasure to look at him! On a narrow, well-trodden path, he met a little old woman, and she told him that a little further, at the source, he would see a man who would offer him a drink.
“But you follow your path, son, and don’t drink, no matter how much he asks you.”
“Okay, grandma, I won’t drink water from that source,” said Charles.
When he arrived at the source, he saw a traveler sitting in the shadows, as if he was resting. The traveler told him:
- Beautiful young man, try this water.
“Thank you, I’m not thirsty,” Charles replied.
- Drink at least a drop. You have never drunk such tasty water in your life!
He insisted so much that Charles came up to him to try the water. But kneeling down next to him to drink water from the source together, the traveler pulled half of the lock from Charles’ pocket, jumped on his horse and rushed off like an arrow. Charles ran after him, but to no avail! He could not catch up with him and soon lost sight of both the stranger and the horse.
“Woe is me,” he thought. “I didn’t listen to the old lady’s advice.” What to do now? Anyway, I'll walk. Sooner or later, I will come to Paris, and then we’ll see.”
And he walked along the road.
When the thief whom Charles met at the spring arrived in Paris, he immediately demanded to be admitted to the king, and showed him half of the castle. We connected both halves and saw that they fit one another exactly. And so the scoundrel turned out to be a welcome guest at court and the king accepted him as his godson. For whole days the thief did nothing but eat, drink, feast and walk.
A little later Charles arrived there too. He was taken to the palace as a shepherd. The imaginary godson saw Charles, got scared and began to figure out how to get rid of him and destroy him. One day he said to the king:
- If you knew, godfather, what the shepherd said!
- What did he say? - asked the king.
- What did he say? He said that he could go to the Sun and ask him why it was so red in the morning when he got up.
- Well, this can’t be, he’s probably lost his mind!
“Honestly, godfather, he said this, and I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to send him there.”
And the shepherd was called to the king:
“Is it true, young shepherd, that you said that you could go to the Sun and ask him why it is so red in the morning when it rises?”
“Did I say that, king?” How could I say such a thing!
“You said it, so my godson assures me; You need to do what you boasted about so much, otherwise you will die! Leave tomorrow morning.
Poor Charles is at a dead end, you can believe me. He didn't sleep a wink the whole night.
The next morning, before setting off, he crossed himself and said: “With God’s help!”
He headed east. Soon he met an old man with a white beard who asked him:
“Where are you going, son, and why are you so sad?”
“Really, grandfather, I myself don’t know where I’m going, but I’m sad for a reason.” The king ordered me to ask the Sun why it is so red in the morning when it rises.
“Nothing, son, do as I tell you, and you will do everything.” Here is a wooden horse, sit on it, and it will take you to the land of the rising sun. You will find yourself at the foot of a high mountain, get off your horse, leave him at the foot, and rise to the top. There you will see a beautiful castle. This is the Castle of the Sun. All you have to do is enter and carry out the order.
- Thank you, grandfather.
Charles sat on a wooden horse, the horse flew into the air, and soon they found themselves at the foot of a high mountain.
Charles climbed to the top alone. There he saw the Palace of the Sun, entered there without interference and asked:
- Is the Sun at home?
“No,” answered the old woman, who must be the mother of the Sun. - What do you want from him?
- I need to talk to him, grandma!
“Well, if you can wait a little, the Sun will return soon.” But, my poor boy, my son will be very hungry when he comes and will want to eat you. Still, stay, I like your face, and I won’t let you be offended.
Soon the Sun came and shouted:
“I want to eat, I’m dying of hunger, mother!”
“Okay, sit down, my son, I’ll feed you now,” the old woman told him.
“It smells like a man here, Mother, and I want to eat him!” - The Sun screamed again.
- Well, yes, if you think that I will let you eat this boy, then you are very mistaken. Look how handsome he is!
- What do you want here? - the Sun asked Charles.
“I was sent to you, dear Sun, to ask why you are so red in the morning when you get up?”
“Well, I won’t harm you, because I like your face, and I’ll even tell you what you want to know.” Princess Troncolin lives here in a nearby castle, and every morning when I pass by her home, I have to shine with all my might so that she does not overshadow me with her beauty.
The next day the Sun rose very early and began his usual walk, and Charles left immediately after him. He went down the mountain and found his wooden horse. The horse was waiting for him at the foot, Charles jumped on the horse and soon found himself at the very place where he met the old man. The old man was still there and waiting for him.
- How are you, son? he asked. - Did your idea succeed?
“It was a success, grandfather,” replied Charles, “God bless you!”
“Okay, whenever you need me, call me.”
Then the old man immediately disappeared, before Charles had time to look back.
When Charles returned to the king's palace, everyone was very surprised to see that he was happy and cheerful.
“Well,” the king asked him, “will you tell me now why the Sun is so red in the morning when it rises?”
- Yes, Your Majesty, I will tell you this.
- So why?
- Because not far from the Castle of the Sun there is the castle of Princess Tronkolen. And so every morning the Sun has to shine with all its might as it passes by the princess’s castle so that she does not overshadow it with her beauty.
“Okay,” answered the king and sent the shepherd to his sheep.
Soon after this, the imaginary godson again says to the king:
- If you knew, godfather, what the shepherd said!
- What else did he say?
- What did he say? He said that he could bring Princess Troncolen to you so that you could marry her.
- Is it true? Tell him to come to me now. Poor Charles went to the king, very alarmed.
“Well, young shepherd, you said that you could bring Princess Troncolen to me to become my wife?”
- How could I say such a thing, Mister King? You'd have to be completely out of your mind to say something like that!
- You boasted about it; Now you have to do it, otherwise you will die!
The next morning Charles set off on his journey, sad and thoughtful. “I wish I could meet that old man again,” he repeated to himself. Before he had time to think this, the old man was already walking towards him.
- Hello, son! - he said.
- Hello you too, grandfather!
-Where are you going, son?
- Really, grandfather, I don’t know myself. The king ordered me to bring Princess Troncolen to his palace, but I don’t know how to take on this.
- Nothing, boy. Take this white stick first. Return to the king and tell him that you need three ships, one loaded with porridge, another with lard, and the third with corned beef. You will give the porridge to the ant king, who lives on an island in the middle of the sea. When you arrive on this island, you will ask: “Isn’t this where the ant king lives?” “Here,” they will answer you. “So, I brought him gifts,” you say and point to the ship with porridge. Then all the ants will crawl from the island and instantly clean the ship. “May my blessing be with you! - the ant king will answer you. “And if you ever need me, call the ant king, and he will immediately appear before you.” Next you will come across another island where the king of lions lives. As you approach the island, you will again ask: “Isn’t this where the lion king lives?” “Yes,” they will answer you, “here.” And you will say: “I have a gift for him,” and you will point to the ship with lard. Then you will see how lions will come running from all sides of the island and instantly clean the ship. And the king of lions will also say to you: “May my blessing be with you! If you ever need me, all you have to do is call me and I’ll be right there.” Finally you will get to the third island, where the hawk king lives. As you approach the island, you will ask: “Isn’t this where the hawk king lives?” “Yes,” they will answer you, “here.” “Okay,” you say, “I brought him a gift,” and you point to the ship with corned beef. Immediately the hawk king will appear, surrounded by his subjects, and in an instant the ship will be cleansed. “May my blessing be with you! - the hawk king will also say. “If you ever need me, all you have to do is call the Hawk King and I’ll be right there.” The king, your godfather, will give you three ships loaded with porridge, lard and corned beef. Before setting sail, draw a cross on the coastal sand with a white stick, and immediately a favorable wind will blow to lead you to the desired place. Look, do everything exactly as I told you, and you will achieve success!
“Thank you, and God bless you, grandfather,” said Charles.
And he moved on.
Now Charles is already at sea with his three ships. He came to the first island, where the ant king lives, and asked:
“Isn’t this where the ant king lives?”
“Yes, here,” they answered him.
- Well, I brought him a gift. Tell him that I ask him to come and accept the offering.
They let the ant king know, and he immediately appeared, accompanied by countless hordes of ants. Instantly the ship was cleared, and then the ant king said:
“May my blessing be with you, Charles, godson of the French king.” You saved us, because the lack of food was ravaging my kingdom, and we were literally dying of hunger. If you ever need me, all you have to do is click on the ant king and I'll be right there.
In short, Charles swam and swam and sailed to the island where the lion king lived, and then to the one where the hawk king lived. He did everything exactly as the old man advised him, and they promised him help and protection if necessary. Before leaving Hawk Island, he asked their king:
— How far is it from here to the palace of Princess Troncolen?
“You still have a long way to go,” they answered him, “but you will arrive there safe and sound.” There you will see the princess at the fountain: she will comb her blond hair with a golden comb and an ivory comb. Try not to let her notice you before you notice her, otherwise she will bewitch you. She will stand under the orange tree growing near the fountain. Sneak up very quietly, climb a tree, pick an orange and quickly throw it into the fountain. Then Princess Troncolen will raise her head, smile at you and ask you to take you to her palace. You can follow her without fear.
“Thank you,” Charles said to the hawk king and moved on.
Soon he came to a palace, a magnificent palace. He saw the princess under the orange tree by the fountain: she was combing her blond hair with a golden comb and an ivory comb. He climbed the tree without her noticing, picked an orange and threw it into the spring. Immediately the princess raised her head and saw Charles on the tree.
“Oh,” she said, “Charles, godson of the French king, so it’s you!” Be a welcome guest. Get down and take me to my palace. After all, I won’t do anything bad to you. Quite the opposite.
Charles followed her to the palace. He had never seen such beauty in his life!
For two weeks now, Charles had been living in pleasure and merriment, and one day he asked if the princess would agree to follow him to the palace of the French king.
“Willingly,” she replied, “if you carry out my three orders.”
“I’ll try,” he replied.
The next morning the princess led him to the barn, where there was a heap of seeds of all varieties. Seeds of clover, flax, hemp, turnips and cabbage were mixed there. The princess told him that before sunset he must arrange the seeds into piles so that each one contains the same seeds. Then the princess left.
Poor Charles was left alone and began to cry, because he thought that no one in the whole world could complete such a task. Then he remembered the ant king. “The king told me,” thought Charles, “that if I ever need him and his people, I only have to call on them and they will come to my aid. Now it’s as if I really need the ants. Let’s see if their king told me the truth.”
- Ant King, come to my aid, I really need you!
And immediately the ant king appeared.
“How can I serve you, Charles, godson of the French king?” he asked.
Charles complained to him about his misfortune.
“Well, if that’s all it is, don’t worry, everything will be done in no time.”
Then the king called his subjects, and immediately so many ants crawled from all sides that the entire floor of the barn was covered with them. The king showed them what had to be done, and everyone immediately set to work. When it was all over, the ant king said to Charles:
- It's done.
Charles thanked him, and the king disappeared along with all his ants.
When the princess arrived at sunset, she saw Charles sitting quietly and waiting for her.
— Is my order completed? she asked.
“Yes, princess, everything is done,” replied Charles.
- Well, let's see.
And she began to look at all the piles. She took a handful of seeds from each pile and brought it to her eyes. She didn’t find different seeds in any of them, they were all one to one, everything was in its place. She was very surprised by this.
“Well done,” she said. “Now let’s go have dinner.”
The next day she ordered Charles to cut down a long avenue of huge oak trees and gave him a wooden ax, a wooden saw and wooden wedges for this. All trees had to be cut down before sunset that day.
Here our fellow was again at a dead end.
“Unless the king of lions comes to my aid,” he thought, “I will never cope with this matter.”
And he called to the king of lions:
- Lion King, come to my aid, I really need you!
And the king of lions immediately appeared.
“How can I serve you, Charles, godson of the French king?” he asked.
Charles told him about his trouble.
- That's all? Don't worry then, everything will be done in no time.
Then the king roared in a terrible voice, and immediately the entire alley was filled with lions.
“Well, my children,” the king told them, “uproot these trees for me and cut them down, and quickly!”
Then they immediately got to work and let one work harder than the other. Everything was done before sunset.
When the princess arrived, she was very surprised to see that all the oaks had been uprooted and cut down, and Charles was lying on his back and sleeping or pretending to be asleep.
“What a man!” - she thought. She quietly tiptoed up to Charles and kissed him twice. Charles woke up.
“The work is done, as far as I can see,” said the princess.
- Yes, princess, everything is done.
- Okay, let's go have dinner. You must be hungry.
The next day she told him to blow up and level a large, large mountain, higher than Mount Bre. He was given a wheelbarrow and a wooden shovel. The work had to be finished before sunset.
Approaching the foot of the mountain, Charles looked at it and said to himself: •
How can this be? I'll never get over this. But the hawk king hasn't done anything for me yet. I have to call him - he’s my only hope.”
- Hawk King, come to my aid, I really need you!
And immediately the hawk king came down to him.
“How can I serve you, Charles, godson of the French king?” he asked.
“Princess Troncolen told me that I need to blow up and level this high mountain before sunset, and if you don’t help me, I really don’t know how to deal with it.”
“If that’s the case, don’t worry, it’ll all be over before sunset.”
Then the hawk king screamed in a terrible voice, and immediately the hawks flew in such a huge cloud that they obscured the light of the sun.
- What should we do, king? - they asked.
- Move this mountain so that a smooth place remains from it, but be quick, my children!
And let the hawks tear the mountain apart with their claws and carry clods of earth into the sea. They worked so hard that everything was finished long before sunset, and no one would have said that there was a mountain in that place in the morning.
When the princess arrived at sunset, she saw Charles sleeping under a tree, and again kissed him twice. He immediately woke up and said:
- Well, princess, the job is done - look, there is no more mountain. Now, I hope that you will go with me to the palace of the French king.
“Willingly,” she answered. - Let's go now.
And they headed towards the sea. Charles's ships were still there. They boarded the ship, sailed and arrived in France without interference. On the way they visited the old man, and he said to Charles:
- Well, son, was your idea a success?
- It was a success, grandfather, God bless you!
- Fine! Now go to your godfather; your trials and tribulations are over, and you no longer need me.
When Charles arrived at the king's palace, and Princess Troncolin with him, everyone began to marvel at her beauty. The old king simply lost his head and wanted to marry her right away, although the queen, his wife, was still alive.
“No,” the princess told him, “I didn’t come to marry you.” I won’t go for you or the devil, what’s the matter with you.
- Is the devil here? Where is he? - cried the king.
“The one you take for your godson is the devil, but here is your real godson,” said the princess, pointing to Charles.
- He endured all the torment, and he should be rewarded; he will be my husband.
- But how to drive away the devil? - asked the king.
— First, find a young woman who has recently gotten married and is pregnant with her first child. When you find it, light the stove red-hot and throw the devil in it. He will rage and scream with rage and will do everything he can to get out of the oven! But the young woman will hold him there, threatening him with her wedding ring.
They found a young woman pregnant with her first child, lit the stove red-hot and threw the devil into it. He raged and screamed terribly, so that the whole palace shook. But when he tried to jump out of the fire, the young woman brought a wedding ring to the opening of the stove and forced the devil to retreat. So finally he said:
“If I could hold out here for another year, I would bring the kingdom to ruin.”
But he had to die in the oven.
Then Charles married Princess Troncolin. The old coal miner with his wife and all their children were also invited to the wedding. Well, there was a feast there! And noise, and din, and rejoicing! The bells were ringing, the flags were fluttering, and the violins were singing!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru