Once upon a time there lived a king who was as reliable as gold, brave and strong as Samson. Every morning after mass, he generously distributed alms and carried out just justice on the poor and rich alike.
Unfortunately, the queen was not at all like her husband. No one in the world has ever seen or will see such a stingy and evil woman like her.
The king and queen had one and only son. Until he was twenty-one years old, the king carefully monitored his upbringing. Having learned about the slightest offense of the prince, he immediately called him to himself.
“Listen, son,” he told him, “when I die, you will rule the country in my place.” Then there will be no one left to teach you. But while I'm alive, this is my duty.
The king took a stick and hit his son with all his might. Having beaten him, he sent him to prison, where the prince slept on the bare floor, ate only black bread and drank only water. That is why he soon became such a prudent and modest young man that everyone said:
- Son and father deserve each other. When the king dies, there will be someone to maintain peace and justice in our country.
One evening, at the end of dinner, the king said to his son:
“My son, I love you because you are fair, modest, courageous and strong in spirit. Tomorrow you will be twenty-one years old. I am already old and will soon give up the throne to you. Take all my horses, all my dogs and as much money as you need. Go hunting, go to temple festivals, have fun. But in six months I want to see you married. Choose a good girl who suits your taste. I will not be calm until I see your wife as the mistress of the castle.
- Thank you, father. God bless you! The Queen listened in silence. And I thought to myself:
“That's it! So, in six months I will no longer be the mistress of the castle? Let's see!"
After dinner, she called her son aside:
- That's it, son. Go hunting, attend temple festivals and have fun. But it’s too early for you to get married, you’re too young. Get yourself a sweetheart. We have as many beautiful girls as we like.
The son lowered his head and did not answer.
The next morning he left to hunt at dawn and returned only at nightfall. And from then on I spent every day like this. The king was dissatisfied and often said:
“My son, every evening you return laden with hares and partridges.” But when will you bring us live prey - a glorious, beautiful daughter-in-law?
- Wait, father. There's no rush.
Eventually the king lost patience.
“So,” he thought, “don’t you want to choose a wife for yourself? Well, then I’ll choose it for you myself.”
And a week later, guests arrived at the castle - the king of a neighboring country and his daughter. The princess was as beautiful as a clear day, and as pure in soul as a saint. She knew many different songs and sang like a siren.
The king's son gave up hunting. From morning to evening he sat next to the beauty:
- Sing, princess! Sing some more!
And the girl sang so sweetly, so tenderly that, looking at her, the prince repeated to himself:
“She, only she will be my wife! If not, I’ll do God knows what!”
Finally the guests went home. And the young man became very sad. But the old king was as cheerful as ever.
“So they left,” he said that evening at dinner. - Good luck to them, and God grant that they don’t come again for a long time.
The prince turned pale as death.
- Father, please don’t say this! I can’t even tell you how I fell in love with the princess. If you don't let me marry her, I'll do who knows what.
- Stupid boy! You are already engaged to her. Didn't you guess? Tomorrow evening we all go to your bride's castle. And in a week I want to see her as the mistress here.
- Thank you, father. God bless you!
The Queen listened without saying a word. After dinner she went out and returned a minute later. Father and son clinked glasses. Both were very cheerful.
- Let's drink, my friend, to the health of your dear.
“King,” said the queen, “why don’t you drink to my health?”
- To your health, wife!
- For your health, mother!
- Thank you! Let's have another drink!
All three drained their glasses. Five minutes passed, and the king turned green as grass.
- What's wrong with you, father?
The king fell to the floor. He was dead.
The next day he was buried. The son distributed a lot of gold and silver to the poor and the priests. Returning from the cemetery, he said to the servants:
“Prepare a bed for me in my poor father’s chambers.”
- King, your order will be carried out. The new king locked himself in his late father's bedroom.
Here he prayed for a long time on his knees. Then, dressed as he was, he threw himself on the bed and fell asleep. He was awakened by the first stroke of the clock striking midnight. The ghost of the dead king was looking at him.
The ghost took his son by the hand and led him in the darkness to the other end of the castle. Then he opened the hiding place and pointed his finger at the bottle, already half empty:
- Your mother poisoned me. You are the king. Avenge me.
The dead man closed the cache and left. The young king broke out in a sweat with fear. But he was a brave and strong-willed man. Slowly he went downstairs to the stable, saddled his best horse and galloped off into the black darkness of the night.
With the first glimmer of dawn, he quietly knocked on the house of his best friend.
- Friend, misfortune has befallen me. I'm going wherever my eyes lead me. Go tomorrow to my bride in her father’s castle and say this: “Misfortune has befallen your groom. He left unknown where. You can't be his wife. But he will not forget you and will never look at any girl again. Retire to the monastery. Take monastic vows and pray for your friend until the day you are taken to the cemetery!”
“King, your will will be carried out.” The king galloped off into the black darkness of the night.
The next day he arrived in a city that was seven times larger than Toulouse. Here he sold his sword, rich outfit and horse, gave the money to the poor and went on as a beggar, with a staff in his hand and a knapsack over his shoulders. He walked until he came to a high mountain, so high that only eagles could reach its top. The king built himself a hut on this mountain. When he was thirsty, he drank water from mountain springs. When he felt hungry, he satisfied his hunger with herbs and wild fruits, which were abundant around him.
One evening the king prayed in his hut for a long, long time until he fell asleep. When he woke up, the stars showed midnight. The ghost of his dead father looked at him:
- Your mother poisoned me. You are the king. Avenge me.
The dead man disappeared. The king broke out in a sweat with fear. But he was brave and strong in spirit. And so he set off in the middle of the night. At dawn he was already at the foot of the mountain. The poor king walked for a whole year, walked forward and forward, asking no one for directions, and finally came to his kingdom. In the evening, hiding from people, he knocked on the door of his best friend.
- Hello, friend. Don't you recognize me?
- You are our king!
- Yes, I am the king. Tell me, how is my dear life?
- Your sweetheart died in the monastery.
- Tell me, what is my mother doing?
“Your mother is still in her castle and reigns over the whole country.”
- Now I know everything I wanted. Take me to some room. I'm tired and want to sleep. And tomorrow wake me up before dawn.
“My king, everything will be fulfilled.” The king lay down and fell asleep.
He woke up when it struck midnight. A ghost looked at him:
- Your mother poisoned me. You are the king. Avenge me.
- Father, I will fulfill your will.
The dead man disappeared. The king broke out in a sweat with fear. But he was a brave and strong-willed man. At dawn his friend came to him.
- Listen, friend! Tonight I will leave my country forever. This is the decree by which I appoint you king. Now bring me a sword, a robe fit for a king, and saddle a good horse in the stable.
The king galloped away. At sunset he knocked on the gates of his castle.
- Hello, mother, dear mother!
- Hello, my son. Where are you from? Why don't you answer? I want to know where you've been.
“Mother, dear mother, I’ll tell you this at dinner.” I'll tell you this when we're alone at the table. I'm hungry.
Mother and son sat down at the table. When they were alone, the king said:
- Mother, dear mother, do you want to know where I was? I toured my kingdom. I married my sweetheart, she will be here tomorrow.
The Queen listened in silence, without a single word. She left and returned minutes later.
- Will your wife arrive tomorrow? So much the better, let's drink to her health.
The king pulled the sword out of its sheath and laid it on the table.
“My mother, my poor mother, you wanted to poison me.” I forgive you for this. But my father doesn't want to forgive you. Three times he came to me from the other world and said: “Your mother poisoned me. You are the king. Avenge me." And yesterday I answered him: “Father, I will fulfill your will.” Mother, my poor mother, pray to God to have mercy on your soul. Look at this sword. Take a good look at her. I will give you just enough time to say the prayer, and after that I will cut off your head if you do not drink the poison that you poured for me first. Drink, drink to the dregs, my mother, my poor mother!
The Queen drank her glass to the bottom. Five minutes later she was as green as grass.
- Forgive me, mother, poor mother!
- No, I don’t forgive.
And the queen fell to the floor. She was dead.
Then the king knelt down and prayed to God. Then he quietly went down to the stable, jumped on his horse and rushed off at full speed into the darkness of the night. No one ever saw him again.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru