In some kingdom, in no state, there was a village not far from the kingdom. And in this village there lived an old man. And this old man, of course, was still in his prime. Only they didn’t have any children. He was still hunting. He set up a stronghold there, caught birds and fed from it. And then one day they had a son. And he began to grow up and learned to read and write, although a little. Then, when the son grew up, about twelve years old, he said to his father:
- Dad, take me to hunt, or at least I’ll look at the forests.
He says:
- Well, son, let's go.
They went into the forest. He is dear to him and says:
- That's it, son, when we go to look for strength, you should also put strength into your happiness, at least one thing; maybe something would happen.
When they came to the forest, his father showed him how to set up the power. And he put one force on his happiness. So they all walked away and went home. They got a lot of birds.
The old man, when they came home, sold this bird. And they, of course, lived on this alone, and fed on this. They sat there for a day or two, and then walked again.
“But let’s go and find out what we’ve got now.”
They walk, look like each other, and watch the tamotki. Before his strength had reached him yet, the father said to his son:
- Look, your strength is on fire.
He looks. Yes, the fire is burning. We came closer, the fire became clearer and clearer. When they came closer, grandfather said:
- Listen, son, the firebird has fallen into your power.
And he wants to get closer to her. So the old man came up, wants to take it, but the bird does not give up on him, burns him, scorches him with fire, but surrenders to his hands. Then he said to his son:
- But, as you set it, now take it out as you want.
And he pushed his son closer to the force. When he pushed him closer, this boy takes her. She was given to him. He unraveled it and put it in his wallet. They moved on, the rest of them did their best to follow. While they were looking alike, they were drawn in for a long time, it had already become dark. When it became dark, despite the fact that the firebird was in the bag, it illuminated their path as if it were day. And they came home. When they came home, the old man sold it, kept it for himself and said to the old woman:
– Where do we put this firebird? Of course, we won’t keep it for ourselves, but sell it to someone else. Maybe they'll give you more for it.
Then the old lady agreed:
“Yes, old man, we need to take it to the city and hand it over to the merchant there or take it directly to the king.” Perhaps take it straight to the guy, maybe he’ll buy it.
This old man put the bird in a bag, his son helped him, and went to the city and took the bird straight to the king. He comes to the royal palace courtyard. The courtiers immediately asked him:
- Grandfather, where are you going? Grandfather answers:
“And I’m going straight to the king personally and I want to offer him the firebird, maybe he’ll buy it from me.”
Then the courtiers took him to the king. He came and bowed:
- Hello, Your Majesty. Then the king says:
- Well, what do you say, grandfather, why did you come? He answers him:
“Perhaps, Your Majesty, you would like to buy a bird from me; She fell into my power.
- Well, then show me.
The old man begins to shake the bag. When he shook it out, everything was so illuminated that the whole kingdom was changed by this light.
Then the king said:
“Well, grandpa, whatever you need for this bird, that’s what I’ll give you.” I don’t know, Your Majesty, but whatever you give, as your Grace wills, I’ll take it.
He says:
- Well, grandfather, I’ll give you two ankirs of gold and a stone house; will it be enough?
Grandfather answers:
- Thank you very much, Your Majesty, give me as much as you can - I will be pleased.
Immediately the king ordered the minister to open the cellar, give the grandfather gold and a horse, and transport the gold and the house. This was all done. The minister led him, and when he received everything, he arrived, laid out the house and ran to his old woman (we’ll calm the old man down first, and then we’ll move on), he comes to the old woman and says:
- Well, now we, old lady, are rich. Come on, leave this house, son, and go to a new one. For our lifetime, there will be enough bread and everything - now we will live without need.
So they come, of course, to the stone palace, they go in there. The old man and the old woman lived to a ripe old age. The son later got married. Now this part is over. Let's leave them and move on to the king's son.
When this king received the bird, he gave it a special room and began to feed it himself, whatever she wanted and whatever he ate. And I didn’t trust the keys to this room to anyone, so that no one would let her out. One day he says to his wife:
- But, wife, I will now go to all states and gather a feast. At the feast I will show this firebird. Let everyone estimate how much it will cost. No one has seen her. - And he adds: - Here, wife, I trust you with the keys to this room. And don’t give them to anyone, so that the bird is safe.
And he himself went to all countries to spread the word about this bird and gather people for the ball. Let them look, and he will show it. He left, and he had a son. His name was Vanyusha. He kept running and playing in the street. And he happened to see this firebird through the window. When he saw it, the firebird spoke in a human voice:
“Well, Ivan Tsarevich, let me out of here, I’ll be useful to you.” I will repay you for this in whatever way you wish. He says; - Look, firebird, how can I let you go: I don’t have the keys, and I don’t know where they are. I probably won’t let you go.
- So listen, Ivan Tsarevich, if you want to let me go, then I will teach you how to do it. Now go to your mother and ask her to search your head. A. at this time, unfasten the key. You go into the room, open the window, and I will fly away. And then ask him to look in his head again, and you will bind the key in place.
So he immediately comes to his mother. And since he was the only son, she always amused him. He came up and said:
“Mom, something is itching in my head today, look in my head.”
- So, lie down on your knees, I’ll look for it.
And while she was looking, he untied the keys. Here she is finished. And he immediately went to this room. He comes, opens the lock, opens the door and opens the window.
“Now fly, firebird, don’t be offended by me for not letting you go.”
She sat on the window, stretched her wings and said:
“But, Ivan Tsarevich, leave the window open for six hours: if I cannot rise high, I will fly here again in six hours, and then you close the window.” And if I don’t arrive, close it too.
He arrives six hours later, and she has already flown back.
- But, Ivan Tsarevich, I could only climb the third part. Hold me for three more days, and then you will release me.
He closed the room and came to the uterus. She searched his head again and he tied the keys. And three days passed. Again he approaches his mother:
“Look, Mom, something’s itching in my head again.” But she did not know her son’s trick and says:
- Well, okay, son, lie down.
And she began to search. And at this time he again untied the keys. And as soon as she finished, he left. Comes to this room and opens the room and window. The Firebird says to him:
- Well, Ivan Tsarevich, now hold the window for eight hours, if I don’t arrive in eight hours, then I can get up and catch it.
When he let go, he went home and left the window open. I came eight hours later, she was already sitting in the room and said: - Well, Ivan Tsarevich, today I have already risen more than half, and I need to rise to hide the whole earth, then only I can fly to my kingdom. Now you keep me for six days and feed me.
She lived for another six days, and he tied the keys to her mother. Six days passed, he again came to his mother:
“But, mom, look in my head again, it’s clear that something has started up again, and only then I won’t force you.”
Now she has finished searching. He took the keys, went and opened the window. She tells him:
- But, Ivan Tsarevich, if I don’t arrive in nine hours, then I’ve flown away. And there, when you need it, remember me.
Nine hours have passed and there is no firebird. He now closed the window and mortgaged this room. He came to his mother himself:
- Well, mom, look again.
She looked, and at that time tied the key in place. Not long later the king arrives. And kings and also kings, princes and boyars began to gather from different states. When they had just gathered, the king came into this room where the firebird was. It’s gone, only one small feather remains. Then he comes and says; . “But, wife, tell me who was in the room and released the bird, otherwise I’ll execute you now.” I have kings and kings and boyars gathered from all over the world, but I have nothing to show - it’s as if I deceived them. The wife answers:
“Well, husband, do whatever you want to me, but I don’t call you, where did she go?” I visited her myself only once a day and did not give the keys to anyone.
Then the son came up. He sees his tear-stained mother. He felt sorry.
- Father, this is all my fault. I released the firebird, do with me what you want, but don’t bother my mother in vain!
Then he says to him:
- Listen, son, how dare you let go; and you, wife, how dare you give him the keys?
- No, dad, she didn’t give me the keys, but I took the keys myself; How I managed it is my business, but my mother didn’t give me the keys. When the firebird began to ask, she taught me how to untie my mother’s keys, and I did just that: I asked to look in my head and at that time I untied the keys and released the bird. And in the same manner he tied it back into place, she didn’t even know about it. Now do whatever you want with me.
- Well, if so, you committed such a crime, I will execute you.
The mother began to cry even more. Then the king said:
- Well, okay, go to a discussion with all the couples and kings, they will tell you the punishment.
Let's go, and he took this feather with him. When he brought and said:
“Here, comrades, is my son, and he committed such a crime: he released the firebird, only a feather remained from it.” And he laid this pen on the table.
- I want to execute him. What judgment do you give him? They answer him:
“Your Majesty, as you yourself know, the royal family is not executed or hanged, but can only be sent to all four directions, but not deprived of the royal title - this is just our decision.” Then he said to his son:
“Well, son, leave the kingdom right now, where you know, and you won’t have any allotment.” Leave with what you're wearing.
The mother cried a lot, a lot, she felt so sorry for her son. And she spoke:
“Listen, how are you a father to your son, so where will he go now without a footman and without a horse?” Still, at first he would not have gone alone.
Then the king ordered to find the thinnest horse in the stable and gave him a footman. This footman's name was also Ivan.
And so they set off on horseback: Ivan Tsarevich and lackey Ivan. This king stayed with his kings and kings, and the only way they believed him was that he had a feather from this firebird. And when their feast ended, they all went to their own countries.
Now let's go after Ivan. This Ivan Tsarevich ends up with his lackey. Whether it’s far or close, everyone goes and goes. So they rode and rode, and then their horse got tired and fell on the road, and they had to abandon it and walk on foot. They walked along the road for a long time. Well, since the prince is young, he can’t walk as fast as a footman, but he’s still supported. So they walked and walked, then they came to the well. Ivan Tsarevich says:
– But let’s stop, have a snack and rest.
The well was very deep, and Ivan Tsarevich was thirsty. And he says to the servant:
- Come on, servant, go down to the well and get me some water. And this servant spoke:
“Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, if I go down, you won’t be able to get me out, but it’s better if you go down, it will be easier for us.”
And so, of course, he did not change his words. The servant tied the belt to him and lowered him into the well. When he got drunk and said:
- Well, then, Vanyusha, now take me back, I’m drunk, and he says to him in response:
“No, Ivan Tsarevich, I won’t send you back.” If you give me the royal clothes, and you will serve as my lackey Ivan, and I will be Ivan the Tsarevich, then I will pull you out, otherwise, stay in the well. He then said:
“Well, I’ll serve you as a footman and give you the royal clothes.”
And he swears to him with everything in the world. And that's how he pulled it out. Ivan Tsarevich did not change his words, but immediately began to undress and gave him his clothes, and he himself put on a lackey’s dress. And so they moved on. And they go and go, and not long later they come to one kingdom. When they first arrived in the kingdom, they immediately went to the king’s palace. There they see that someone’s prince is coming, and they greet him with joy. They asked the prince what his name was.
And he told them everything: that he was Ivan Tsarevich of such and such a state. Then the king says:
- Well, Ivan Tsarevich, where will you order your lackey to be placed, in what position, or what will you do with him? He answers:
“Your Majesty, isn’t there some kind of work for him, maybe herding chickens, or maybe being some kind of shepherd?” I agree to this so that he doesn’t bother with nothing to do here. The king answers him; “Tell you what, Ivan Tsarevich, we don’t have anything to do with herding chickens or anything else, but we have three hundred hares, so can he graze them without losing them?” And they need to be grazed for three years. And when he is shepherding, within three years he loses at least one, he will be punished for this.
- Well, he can graze.
So, they gave him a room. On the second day we handed over these hares. He counted them, of course, and drove them out to graze for the first time (each pasture is a year, he must bring everyone to the year). He drove them out of the city and into the forest. And as soon as I drove them into the forest, the hares saw the bushes and ran away in all directions. He ran all day, chasing after him and could not even catch a single one. By evening he thinks: “Now I’m facing death.”
He saw a big stone, fell on it and cried. And he cried so much that his face was swollen from tears. Then I remembered: “Oh, if only the firebird could help me!” And this happened at night. And suddenly he raises his eyes and looks: the sun is setting. And this sun became closer and closer. And not the sun, but a firebird flew to him. She arrived and said:
- Why are you crying, Ivan Tsarevich, sit on me and let’s fly to me. All your hares will be calm, just sit on me.
She put him on herself and flew away. And she rose so high that he could barely even see the ground. And suddenly he flies to a high mountain. The mountain split into two parts, and they flew into this mountain. Ivan Tsarevich looks, and there is a large kingdom and so rich that there is only gold and silver all around. They entered the house. The Firebird sat him down at the table.
“Now I won’t ask you anything, Ivan Tsarevich, until you drink and eat.”
And she left on her own. Not long later the king comes:
- Well, hello, Ivan Tsarevich, I got what I wanted. I am not a firebird, but I am the king of this state. You know how fate drew me to your state: I was at war in the neighborhood of your kingdom and became completely exhausted and fell into power. And as soon as you recovered to my previous position, and because you fed me and released me, I will take revenge on you whatever you want. Now stay with me for six days, then I’ll take you to my older sister. And you will stay there, you will spend eleven months as if it were one day, and you will forget all your sorrows and sorrows.
So he lived for six days. It seemed to him six hours. Six days were completed, then the king called him to his elder sister. He brought him to his sister and said:
“Here, sister, treat Ivan Tsarevich to whatever he wants, and ask him what he wants from you.” Keep him for eleven months, and then present him to me.
She gladly accepted him, Ivan Tsarevich, and began to drink and feed him, treat him and please him. And he went on to such a happy life that these eleven months seemed like eleven days. And in the eleventh month she began to ask him (she didn’t ask anything earlier), when she dressed in the most expensive clothes, and asked him:
- Well, Ivan Tsarevich, tell me how to take revenge, to repay For my brother, just say what you want, I give you everything: take, Ivan Tsarevich, gold, as much as you need, take silver, take pearls, semi-precious stones, take only what you need.
But he refused everything:
- I don’t need anything.
- Well, if you refuse everything, then take at least a bread-salting tablecloth from me, as you live poorly under the kingdom, don’t refuse, you will need it.
He takes this bread-salting tablecloth, and she also told him:
“When you come home, put it on the table for her, and you’ll have as much as you need.” Don't think that it will go away, it will be forever.
And right after that she introduced him to her brother. When she introduced him to his brother, she said:
“Nothing, brother, Tsarevich Ivan doesn’t take a ransom for you, I just gave him one tablecloth-bread-slicer, I didn’t take anything else.”
Well, okay, thank you for that, sister,” the king answered her.
After that, she said goodbye and left. So this king says:
“Ivan Tsarevich, tomorrow will be a year since you’ve been living with us.” (What a great time it was!)
“Yes, Ivan Tsarevich, now I’ll give you the accordion and take it to the city.” Play this accordion, and your hares will all be found as one; just let them think - don’t think about anything.
Now he turned into a firebird, put him on his back and stood up. He rose so high that he hid the entire earth. And he soon introduced him to this kingdom. He himself flew away, and Ivan Tsarevich went to the city with this accordion. He just approached the city and played the accordion. He looks, and from all sides these hares are running one after another, just count them. They opened the gates and started counting. When they counted, all the hares were there. And how good these hares were, they reported to the king that they came out so smooth and good. When the king came, he looked and said:
“Well, this shepherd needs to be given the best food, the kind that we ourselves eat,” and then he added: “Now you can walk and rest for three days, and then you’ll drive again.”
And suddenly this Ivan comes - Ivan the Tsarevich’s lackey, like Ivan the Tsarevich, and says:
– What kind of food is good for him? Give him bread and water, he doesn't need anything else.
Then Ivan Tsarevich, of course, said nothing and came to his room. They brought him bread and water. He took the bread and gave it to the beggars, poured the water into the washbasin, and unwrapped the bread-salting tablecloth. Well, here, of course, he had something to drink and eat. So I started eating. He ate and pulled out his harmonica, and began to play so much that all the courtiers gathered to watch. The Tsar’s daughter also heard and said to her nannies:
- Nannies, mothers, who plays so well? Come on, I need to look. I have never heard such a game in our state.
Those. Of course, they couldn’t refuse, so they went with her. They walked across the yard, towards this accordion, and came to the hut where Ivan Tsarevich was sitting and playing. She ordered the maids to open the door, and they all went into this hut together. Ivanushko sat and played the accordion, and in front of him stood a bread-salting tablecloth. That's when she came and said hello:
- Hello, shepherd, how long have you been herding hares with us?
He says:
- Another year will come soon. That's it, Your Highness, would you like to sit down with me at the table with your nanny?
But she could not refuse, because even in the kingdom they did not have what was on his table. Then they sat down at the table, and Ivanushko began to play the harmonica. And she listened to him so much that she thought, only two hours had passed, and yet two days had already passed, and she was still sitting at the table with her nanny.
And these nannies began to say:
“Listen, beautiful princess, isn’t it time for us to go away, because there’s probably too much time.” Then she stood up.
- Yes, let's go, I guess.
We said goodbye to Ivanushko and went to the palace. She didn’t tell her father anything about it and didn’t tell the nannies to talk about it, she forbade it. She thinks to herself: “If I manage to go again, I won’t take the nannies with me. He'll probably tell me who he is; certainly not a simple title, if he has such things behind him,” she began to guess.
Three days have passed, Ivan needs to drive his hares into the forest again. He closed the room, came to the gate, counted the birds and drove off. I took the accordion with me. He drove them only to the forest, he looked, the hares, one by one, began to get lost, and they were all lost, he no longer saw any. It's already evening. He comes to this stone and thinks: “Well, okay, now I’ll play the accordion, probably my hares will be found.”
I started playing the harmonica. But all his efforts were in vain. No matter how much he plays, he doesn’t see a single hare anymore. He played and played, then lay down on this stone and cried bitterly: “What should I do now?” He cried a little, looked away, and saw that the sun was melting; he himself thinks: “No, this is not the sun, nothing more than this firebird.” And he sees; closer and closer, and finally she flew to him.
- Well, Ivan Tsarevich, are you crying? Are you probably in a bad situation? Sit on me!
- Why, how could I not cry, I lost all the birds with one stone. And I played and played the harmonica, but I didn’t see a single one.
- Yes, you won’t even see it, it’s better to sit on me and fly to my kingdom.
And so he sat on the firebird and flew away. At first they flew so high that the ground disappeared. Then they flew to her kingdom. Again the mountain split into two parts, and they flew there. He took him into his house, gave him something to drink, fed him and said:
“Here, Ivan Tsarevich, live with me for a day, and then I will take you to my middle sister.” And you will also live with her for eleven months. And she will give you whatever you want for releasing me.
So he did. On the second day, I took him to the middle sister and explained everything, just like the first time.
- Hello, sister, I brought you Ivan Tsarevich. Sing him, feed him, you know why, and do whatever he wants.
And he left. Yes, here he lives, and he lives so cheerfully that he himself did not know how eleven months passed, like eleven days.
Now, after eleven months, this sister also dressed in the most expensive clothes, and she was even more beautiful than the first, and asks him:
- Well, tell me now, Ivan Tsarevich, what do you want to save your brother? Tell the truth, you are still young, your thoughts can go to anything.
She didn't say anything further. He says:
- Listen, beautiful, I don’t need anything.
- Well, take a bag of gold, take some silver or pearls.
- No, I don’t need anything. My first sister is already a lot of gifts.
- Well, look, I have nothing else to give.
Then he goes into one room and brings a whip.
- Here, Ivan Tsarevich, this will be useful to you first of all. When you come to the palace and you don’t have any Hares, as soon as you arrive, hit the road three times crosswise and you will see what happens: they will run one after another, just shout for the gates to be opened and to be counted. Now let's go to my brother, you've already lived with me for eleven months.
She took him by the hand and led him to his brother. She brought her to her brother and said:
- Well, brother, Ivan Tsarevich did not take any gift from me, I just gave him a whip; I know that he will need this thing when he collects hares.
- Well, okay, sister, at least you thought of giving him this too.
Then she said goodbye to Tsarevich Ivan and went home. After this he told him:
“Well, Ivan Tsarevich, tomorrow I’ll take you to your old place, and tonight you’ll spend another night and listen to what I tell you: this time I won’t give you anything.” If I give you heroic strength, it will be hard for me to carry you. And this time I won’t show you where the hero’s horse and armor and treasure sword are - I’ll tell you all about it when you’re with me for the third time. Still, you can’t avoid visiting me a third time.
When he slept through the night, they got up in the morning, and he again turned into a firebird and carried him away. He flew to the kingdom, lowered it and said:
- Well, your sister gave you a whip and told you how to handle it, so do it.
And he flew away.
He came to the city itself and began to hit it with a whip. He hit it crosswise three times and looked: the hares were running like they were twisting a rabbit. He shouted:
- Open the gate, consider it a hare!
Now they opened the gates and started counting. All the rabbits were there. And they were as plump as they were, and they almost doubled in size. And in a row they reported to the king. How the king came, looked at the hare and said:
- Well, I’ve never had such shepherds. We need to give this shepherd the kind of good food that we eat ourselves. Now, Ivan the Shepherd, I’ll give you four days of rest: go for a walk!
The day has increased this time. At this time, Tsarevich Ivan comes out and says:
“My shepherd Ivan doesn’t need anything, just to give him a piece of bread and water.
Here again they brought him bread and water. He gave the bread to the poor and poured the water into the washbasin. He unwrapped the bread-salting tablecloth, had a bite and took and pulled out the accordion. He played so hard that he made the whole kingdom laugh. When Princess Oleksandra heard, she did not say anything to her nannies, but ran straight to her shepherd Vanyushka. He comes running and opens the door. He says in a row:
- Well, beautiful princess, sit down to eat with me!
She now sat down at the table with him. The second time is okay, brother, and bolder, but she came alone enough, okay!
- Tell me, my dear Vanya, perhaps you are not of a simple family? Tell the whole truth, open up, maybe then you will be happy. He says:
- Yes, beautiful princess, I would like to know what your name is?
- My name, Vanya, is Princess Alexandra.
- Thank you for telling me.
Then he pours a cup of honey and says:
“Here, beautiful princess Alexandra, drink this cup, then I’ll tell you, but before that I won’t tell you anything.” She happily took the cup in her hands and said: “Come on, Vanya, let’s have a drink, although I haven’t had a drink, well, if I listen, I’ll have a drink.”
They drank and drank.
“Well, I’ll tell you now, Princess Alexandra, but don’t tell anyone until this time is all over.” Yes, and listen: I am, of course, true, Ivan Tsarevich is, and he is my servant, lackey. When I went down to the well to drink, he did not want to send me back, and in this manner I gave him my royal clothes and took his place, and he took mine. And now I have been herding a hare in your kingdom for the second year. And I’ll also tell you why I was expelled from my kingdom: I was expelled because I released my father’s firebird. And now the firebird is helping me through this and giving me whatever I want. But just don’t say anything about this to anyone, so that my lackey, and your named Ivan the Tsarevich, does not know about this. Now she tells him:
- Well, okay, Ivan Tsarevich, I won’t marry him anyway, but I’ll marry you.
He takes the ring off his hand and gives it to him:
- Here is my ring - take it and consider me yours.
Three days have already passed, and she still sits with him, and he plays the harmonica and consoles her.
- Well, now, beautiful Princess Alexandra, you need to do it, but tomorrow I need to drive it to graze.
And so, when she went home, she began to think more and more about Ivan Tsarevich, but, of course, she was silent and hid it to herself. On the fourth day, he goes out in the same manner and begins to count the hares, and when he counted them, he chased them off. And as soon as he drove them out to the forest, the hares all ran away, and he didn’t even see them (it’s bad to graze a hare!). At first he raced, raced and then said:
- Why should I chase, I also have a whip.
He spent time until the evening and began to hit the road crosswise with this whip. But no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t see it. So he got offended, sat down on a pebble and cried: “Well, if the firebird doesn’t help me for the last time, now I’ll collapse.”
And so he cried a little, looked as if a light was burning from afar. “Well, this is probably nothing more than a firebird flying to help me.” The light is getting closer and closer. And so she flew to him and said:
- Stop crying, Vanya, sit on me, let's fly!
And so he sat on it, and they rose and flew. The mountain parted again, and they flew into the kingdom. He took him into the house, sat him down at the table, gave him something to drink, fed him, and said to him:
- Well, Vanya, live with me for a day. And I will give you everything that I promised, and then I will take you to my younger sister.
He stayed with him for a day, and on the second day he took him to his younger sister. He brought it when and said:
“Here, sister, I brought you Ivan Tsarevich, treat him.” Give him everything he wants. You know yourself, he is young, and give as much as you can.
She is leaving now and dressed in such expensive clothes and comes. Those two sisters were beautiful, and this one is even more beautiful. Ivan liked her immediately. When she arrived, she sat down next to Ivan and began to say:
- Well, tell me, Ivan Tsarevich, tell me, what do you want for the deliverance of my brother? Do you need gold, silver, in a word, whatever you want? I will give everything to you, I will not regret anything!
He kept sitting, silent and looking at her. He, of course, refused gold and silver and said:
- I don’t need anything. “You probably know yourself, beautiful, what I need,” he finally said.
She immediately realized it.
- Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, you are young, maybe you want to shadow, I can find for you the bride you want.
She immediately remembered her brother’s words. Now he looked at her. His heart was so happy. “What if I marry her?” But he doesn’t tell her any of this, he still only thinks to himself. And then he remembered Princess Alexandra, who had been promised to him and from whom he had a ring, and said to her:
“No, beautiful princess, I’m still young and it’s too early for me to get married, but maybe you can help me with something else?”
Then she thought a little:
- What will I give you, such a dear guest?
Then she went into another room. She brings clothes and said:
- Well, here, Ivan Tsarevich, take off your clothes and put on these, and then put on yours again and don’t show these clothes to anyone. No one has clothes like this. I shepherded her for my husband, but now take the credit for saving my brother, it still didn’t work out for me (it doesn’t reveal itself to him directly, but gives hints).
Ivan immediately undressed, put on these clothes, and put his own clothes on top. At this time, eleven months have already passed. Then she says to him:
- Well, Ivan Tsarevich, let's go to my brother, he will give you gifts there.
She took his hand, kissed him and said:
“Well, I couldn’t live with you, since I refused,” she repented to him. She brought her to her brother and said:
“I brought you Ivan Tsarevich, but he doesn’t take any gifts from me.” Only I gave him the clothes that you yourself know.
- Well, okay, thank you, sister.
She said goodbye and left. And then the king approached.
- Well, tell me, Ivan Tsarevich, were you bored? You flew to us three times and lived with us for three years, tell the truth.
He says:
- No, Your Majesty, life was not boring for me. These entire three years of the People's Republic may have seemed like three days.
- OK then. I wanted to give everything dear to you, but you refused. Of course, you won’t be able to live without it, but since nothing worked out, we won’t talk about it.
The sister made all the concessions, but you yourself refused (he wanted to marry him to his sister, but it didn’t work out), well, now, what was promised, I will say, listen, Ivan Tsarevich. Here, Ivan Tsarevich, when you come home, the king will give you five days of rest. On the sixth day, misfortune will befall the king - a serpent will emerge from the lake and ask a man every day to be eaten, and then the king’s daughter will be ordered to lead to him. The first serpent will be six-headed, and there are three of them: six-headed, nine-headed, and the last one - twelve-headed. Six and nine - you can easily cope with them, but with a twelve-headed one it will be difficult for you. You will easily take off the first ten heads, but the last two heads will come very difficult. You two will fight with him for 24 hours. And on the second day, remember me. When the sun sets, you hide to him: Look, you damned monster, your house is on fire!" He will look around, and only then will you cut off his last two heads. Look, don’t wait until the third day, otherwise he will kill you. - Now he says: - Here are two bottles for you, Ivan Tsarevich: drink a glass from one, two from the other. Just don’t drink now. Drink when you need it. And Here you are, on which the stone was lying, crying, remember this stone?
- I remember.
- So, under this stone there is a heroic horse and armor, and a treasure sword. As soon as you drink from the bottles, you will easily turn away this stone. And suddenly he brings him a horn.
- Here, Ivan Tsarevich, this horn is for you, when you play it, all these hares will gather. Now sit on me and I will carry you away. We will say goodbye and you will never see me again. Just don't forget what I told you.
Then he put him on his back and they flew off. He brought him to this kingdom, once again gave him his hand and said:
- Remember my words!
After that he disappeared. This, of course, comes to the kingdom itself. He played this horn once, twice, and looked, and the hares were running, as if the water was pouring.
- Open the gate, consider it a hare!
They opened it in a row and began to count. They counted and said:
“But, Ivanushko, that means you’ve finished your work!”
Then they reported to the king that the hares were all there, healthy and healthy.
“We have never seen such a shepherd, but we have been living in our kingdom for a long time.”
That's when the king looked at his hare and said:
“But, well done, Ivanushko, you finished your work well, now we need to feed you the best food and I’ll give you five days of rest.”
But again this named Ivan Tsarevich comes out and says:
“You don’t need to give him anything except bread and water; he only ate that at home.”
Well, he doesn’t need, he doesn’t need their food. Here he goes into his room, and they brought water and bread. He again gives the bread to the beggar and pours the water into the washbasin. Then he washed, stripped off his clothes, sat down at the table and picked up the accordion. When the princess heard this game, her heart trembled, and she ran straight to Ivan Tsarevich. How she came to the hut, how she saw Ivan Tsarevich, in a completely different form. And how handsome and ruddy he became and how completely changed. It is known that if you dress a stupa in good clothes, they will be good, otherwise you are a man, and even quite young. And the clothes he’s wearing are impossible to even assess. She had never seen anything like this in her state. She could not stand it and threw herself on his neck.
- Dear Ivan Tsarevich, do with me whatever you want, but I agree to everything!
And so, of course, he hugged her, pressed her to him and said:
- Well, so be it, beautiful princess, we will live as long as we can.
And they went to bed, there was no time to play the harmonica this time, and she lived with him for two whole days. He tells her:
“Listen, beautiful princess, now it’s time for you to go, otherwise if anyone finds out whether it’s the king or one of the servants that you’re here, then it will be bad for me, although I’m not afraid, and it’s not good for you either.”
She was very sorry, but she had to go. When she came home, the maids asked:
“Where do you go, your highness,” your father asked you.
She knows the answer to say, there is no need to teach who will do what, okay!
“I was visiting a princess, my friend, and was invited to a banquet, and I spent a very long time there.
That was the end of it. A day has passed. She’s impatient, she needs to run and see Ivan Tsarevich again. And she ran away. He comes to the door and knocks. He opens doors, he already knows. And she immediately threw herself on his neck and started kissing him. She lived with him again for a day, and he said to her:
“Now you go home, beautiful Oleksandra.” We won’t see each other soon, because there will be misfortune in the city, but still you will be mine, as we have said, so it will be.
She came home, and on the fifth day an ambassador came from the lake and demanded a person every day to be eaten by the six-headed snake, otherwise the king’s daughter would marry him. And he threatened that if he himself came, he would ruin the entire kingdom. The king thought deeply:
- What if he devours a person a day, then he will devour the whole kingdom and still take his daughter.
And they decided it was better to give the daughter away in marriage right away. Then the king writes the following report:
“If anyone is found who saves my daughter, she will be given to him in marriage and half the kingdom, and subsequently he will be installed as king.”
Then this Ivan Tsarevich, who was with them, comes up.
- Your Majesty, allow me to tell you a word.
- Well, speak up, Ivan Tsarevich.
“Here, Your Majesty, I want to save your daughter and marry her, just give me a horse and all the supplies.”
The king liked it very much. And all this was equipped in one day. He had a horse and armor, and the princess was put in a black carriage, and they set off side by side to the lake. But Ivan Tsarevich heard and knew the whole thing. He takes these two bottles and goes to this stone. He came, opened these bottles and drank a glass from one, two from the other. And I felt such extraordinary strength in myself that I was surprised. And as he approached, he took off this stone, as if jokingly. He turned it away and went down there. And there stands a black horse, and all the harness is hanging: armor hanging and a sword. He is now leading the horse out, saddled it, and, of course, bridled it. He put on his heroic armor, girded his sword and jumped onto his horse. He drives and sees that Ivan Tsarevich is also riding, but he didn’t say anything to him, rushed past him like lightning and overtook the princess as well. He drove up to the lake and drove around. And as soon as this princess arrived, the water immediately caught her up to six times. The seventh time the snake jumps out and says:
- Fu-fu, what a merciful Tsar, I was waiting for one princess, and he gives it to me along with Ivan Tsarevich, so I’ll have lunch. And Ivan Tsarevich answered him:
- Don’t brag, you filthy monster, you might choke on your lunch, try it first, and then brag! And he says:
“But rather than argue, let’s go to war.”
Just when they came together for the first time, Ivan Tsarevich cut off three of his heads. Another time they got together - he cut off the snake and the other three heads, then cut off the tongues, put them in his pocket and came to the princess. But the princess did not recognize him and began to ask:
“Tell me, good knight, who you are, even if I recognize you later.”
“So, Princess Alexandra, you soon began to forget, just as you didn’t recognize Ivan Tsarevich.”
She ran straight to him, hugged him and began to cry.
- Well, don’t cry, beautiful princess, I have to go. Don’t tell anyone about me, I still have to save you two more times.
He himself jumped on a horse and rode off into the forest to that named Ivan Tsarevich. And he hid in the forest so that at least the snake would not eat him. - Savior too!
As soon as he saw that this hero was coming, he began asking questions in a row and found out that he was Ivan Tsarevich. So he began to say:
- Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, stay a minute, I’ll talk to you. Give me, Ivan Tsarevich, the tongues, and take from me how much money you need or what you want. He tells him:
“You know yourself that they are not corrupt, but corrupt.”
- What kind of advice?
“But if you give me a toe and a finger from my hand, I’ll cut them out, then take them.”
He agreed, gave him his hand, he cut off his finger and toe with a knife; I gave him the tongues and left. And the named Ivan Tsarevich came to the princess and said:
- Listen, if you say that I didn’t kill the snake, then now I’ll kill you myself!
She tells him:
“Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, I agree to be your wife and I won’t tell anyone that you weren’t the one who killed the snake.”
So they went to the kingdom. Meanwhile, Ivan Tsarevich arrived at that stone. As soon as he arrived, he jumped off the horse, took off the bridle and saddle, and the horse spoke:
“Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, don’t let me go under the stone, but I’d rather pinch the herbs and, when necessary, shout, and I will serve you faithfully.” And put the harness and sword under the stone.
He then:
- But, okay, if that’s the case, I’ll let you down, won’t you dodge it?
- No, Ivan Tsarevich.
And he lowered the harness and all the ammunition under the stone. Then he comes home and falls asleep. And so he slept for three days without waking. And on the fourth day the king again received alarm from the nine-headed serpent. This one is even more threatening than the first. Then the tsar approaches the said Ivan Tsarevich again.
“Well, Ivan Tsarevich, if you’ve decided to save the princess, then get ready!”
Again they drove off in the same manner, and Ivan Tsarevich followed him to the same stone. Comes to the stone. He took out all his armor and began to shout for his horse. As soon as he shouted, the horse rushed like lightning and stood in front of him, rooted to the spot. He bridled him, saddled him, put on his heroic armor and galloped off. He galloped down the hill, and the princess was there. And this impostor was hiding in the forest. The water begins to rise. She stood out up to nine times, and on the tenth the snake appeared.
“Fu-fu,” he says, “you killed my brother, you won’t kill me - I’m twice as strong as him.” I’ll take one down, slam the other one, and all that’s left is dirt and water! He says:
“Well, don’t brag, you filthy monster, you’re going into the field.” Instead of arguing, let's fight instead!
And then the wallpaper came apart. The first time they came together, Tsarevich Ivan cut off three heads of the snake. The second time they came together, again he cut off three heads, and the third time, three too. Now he’s coming down, cut off the tongues, put them in his pocket and drove away. Drives up to the princess. Taya happily rushes to hug him, and he says to her:
- Let me go, beautiful princess.
He himself mounted his horse and rode off. And at this time that Ivan Tsarevich was waiting for him on the road and said:
- Well, listen, Ivan Tsarevich, sell me your tongues or take whatever.
– You know that they are the same. Let me cut out one finger and cut a belt from your back.
And he agreed to this.
In a row, Ivan Tsarevich cut off one of his fingers and cut the belt from his back. And this prince galloped to the princess.
“If you say that I didn’t kill the snake, then I’ll kill you now!”
“No, Ivan Tsarevich, I didn’t tell you the first time, and I won’t tell you the second time, but I will be your wife.”
After that they went to the city. And Ivan Tsarevich to his stone. He removed the armor and harness, and let the horse go free and went and fell asleep. He slept all day. Six days have passed, and the ambassador comes and again asks the king’s daughter to marry the twelve-headed serpent. The Tsar read the letter, got scared, immediately came to Ivan Tsarevich and said:
“But, Ivan Tsarevich, save me again, and then we’ll have the wedding.”
And straight away he began to get ready. Her father and mother came out to see her off and were crying. And she also cries and says:
“Perhaps, who knows, I won’t return, the twelve-headed serpent, and it will be difficult for Ivan Tsarevich to deal with him!”
Just guess who she said about! They went. And Ivan Tsarevich goes to this stone. He took out his harness and armor and shouted to his horse. The horse ran to him and stood rooted to the spot. And so he put on a saddle, a bridle, and on himself - heroic armor and galloped to the lake. I galloped to the lake - there was no snake yet. The princess gets out of the carriage and says:
“Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, let’s sit down and sit until the snakes come up.”
He descended to the ground from his horse and was struck by a deep, heroic sleep. She began to wake him up. Hugs, kisses, but cannot wake you up. And now the water in the lake began to rise, but it could not wake him up. Both are about to die. The horse was nibbling the grass and looking. Then he comes running and hits him on the head with a hoof, and he wakes up. I had only just managed to jump onto the horse when, for the thirteenth time, the water surged and a snake emerged. He stood up and said:
- Well, it’s lucky that I managed to jump onto the horse, otherwise I would have killed both of them by now.
And at that time the princess ran into the tent.
- Well, okay, since you killed one of my brothers and another, you won’t kill me, I’m stronger than them!
- Well, even if you are stronger than them, just don’t brag when you go into the field, but brag when you go out of the field. The snake answers him:
“Well, rather than argue, Ivan Tsarevich, it’s better, apparently, to measure our strengths, and then we’ll see whose will win!”
And they parted. Ivan Tsarevich cut off three of his heads the first time. The second time they came together, he also cut off three heads. The third time, he also cut off three heads. Three more heads left. They've been through for a day now, and he can't cut off a single head anymore. But no one wants to give up, even though they have become very tired. On the second day he cut off his tenth head, one. And they carried on like this for almost two days. But there is no way the snake can knock him off his horse. The sun is starting to rise, and they are both already exhausted to the last degree. Then Ivan Tsarevich gathered his last strength, rode up to him and hid:
- Look, you filthy monster, your house is on fire!
And as soon as he turned away, he cut off the other two heads. And this monster rolled towards him, but he managed to jump to the side with the horse. And just when the monster rolled to the ground, it slightly touched and scratched his right hand, and the horse’s right leg. Then Ivan Tsarevich got off his horse, cut off the tongues, collected them in his pocket and rode up to the princess, and at that time she saw everything that it was very difficult for Ivan Tsarevich, but still he defeated him, and she was happy. When he arrived and jumped off the horse, she threw herself into his arms. She hugged him, of course, caressed him, and then he says to her:
“Listen, dear, first of all, wrap my arm, it’s wounded, and the horse’s leg is also wounded.”
She now tears off her scarf, tore it in half and tied his hand with one half, and tied the horse’s leg with the other so that sand would not get in and the wound would not become infected.
“Now I’m going to go to bed.” I’ll probably sleep for nine days, and you do your job. You know what to do.
He said goodbye to her, got on his horse and rode off. As soon as he reached the forest, that Ivan Tsarevich was standing there, waiting for him with a bow again.
- Well, Ivan Tsarevich, do such a good thing, give me these tongues, either take it from me or sell it.
- After all, you yourself know that they are not corrupt with me.
- But, okay, so what's your advice?
- Oh, yes, I don’t even know what to take from you, and you’re all cut up. Yes, so be it, give me one more finger from your hands, from your toes, and I’ll also cut out the belt.
He agreed. He began to undress. He cut off a finger from both hands, and then cut out the belt, wrapped it in a scarf and drove off. And this one immediately mounted a horse and rode to the princess. He stopped the horse and asked:
- Well, beautiful princess, if you say that I killed the snake, that’s fine, but if you decide to deceive, then you will not live.
She tells him, almost through tears:
- Listen, Ivan Tsarevich, I don’t expect to lie, even if you want, we’ll start playing the wedding tomorrow, I’m completely ready.
And then he calmed down, and we went to the kingdom. And this Ivan Tsarevich comes to the stone, grabs the stone and removes all the equipment, and says to the horse - Now you go for a walk, Voronushko, until you are free, until you are needed.
The horse bowed to him and said: - Thank you, Ivan Tsarevich, I will rest now, and when necessary, I will appear at the first call.
After this, Ivan Tsarevich walked home. And as soon as he reached the apartment, he immediately fell into bed with all his clothes on.
When the princess arrived and the king learned that his future son-in-law had killed the last snake, he was very happy. And when three days had passed, the guests gradually began to gather for the wedding feast. And this lasted them six days, when the guests were completely gathered. And Ivan Tsarevich slept all this time. On the seventh day, the princess came out with her Ivan Tsarevich to the wedding table. All the guests are sitting there. And she stood up and said:
- Father, let me say a word, will it be possible?
He tells her:
- Speak, daughter; Why can’t you, everything is allowed to you.
She spoke:
“That’s what, father, at our wedding I wish that everyone would be a groom, cooks, cooks, Cossacks, shepherds, and I also wish that the shepherd who herded the hare would be at the wedding, as I heard that he herded better than anyone else, and he should also be invited.”
And he already knows what kind of shepherd he is. Father tells her:
- Okay, daughter, I will fulfill your wish. Everything is already here, and there is only one shepherd missing, and you are right in saying that he should be called, since I am very pleased with him, that he has not lost a single herd in three years and has fed them very well. You definitely need to call him.
His son-in-law answers:
“Listen, father, you don’t need to call this shepherd, because he is my lackey.”
- No, Ivan Tsarevich, we will definitely call him.
And they continually send for this Ivan, the hare shepherd. The ambassador comes to this hut. He opened the door and saw that this shepherd was sleeping in a deep, undisturbed sleep. No matter how much he woke him up, he couldn’t wake him up, he just noticed his hand was tied. Blood was seeping from his hand. And they come back with an answer to the king.
“I, Your Majesty, visited the shepherd, but he is sleeping.” And he sleeps so soundly that, no matter how much I woke him up, I could not wake him up, I only noticed that his right hand was tied and blood was coming out of his hand.
And she already knows. She left the table, went up to her father and said quietly to him, alone:
- Dad, let's go see the shepherd. I'll show you what kind of shepherd he is. I won't say anything more for now. You'll see for yourself.
They walked in a row. And she already knows where Pastukhov’s hut is. When they left, the king said to the audience:
- That's it, comrades, you wait a little, and I'll go for one need.
They come to the hut, open the door, and Ivan Tsarevich, of course, is sleeping.
“So, dad, I’ll explain to you who this shepherd is: this shepherd is Ivan Tsarevich, and Ivan Tsarevich, who we have there, is his lackey.” I knew this for a long time, but I didn’t tell anyone. It was he who went out all three times and killed the kites. And look, the last time he was robbed, and I bandaged his hand with my name scarf there, on the spot, and also the leg of his horse. And so the last time he left, he told me that he gave the tongues to that named Ivan Tsarevich, then he took some ransom from him for them, but I don’t know what.
“So, daughter, why didn’t he announce himself earlier?”
“The reason he didn’t announce it was because he knew everything in advance, that he would go to save me.” That's what, father, he has such rarities that we don't even have them in the kingdom. But when he becomes, he will show it himself, I will not say anything more.
- Well, then, daughter, try to wake him up so that he comes with us to the feast.
She fell on his chest and said:
- Stand up, Ivan Tsarevich, stand up, my dear friend, my savior. You saved me and our kingdom from all snakes.
Finally, he rolls his eyes. He sat down on a chair and said:
“Listen, your Majesty and beautiful princess, go and do everything as it was, and let Tsarevich Ivan sit in his place, and when I come, I’ll find out everything there.” When I come to the feast and ask to speak, allow me to say so.
- Fine.
They went to the feast and began to continue the treat. And Ivan Tsarevich stood up, washed, bandaged his hand and got dressed. He put on the clothes that the princess, the firebird’s sister, gave him underneath, and his own on top and went to the feast. And he sat down at the lower end of the table. But, of course, the king already sees him and now knows who came. They began to enchant. And they also bring a charm to Ivan. He drinks and gets to his feet.
- Your Majesty, do not order execution, but order the word to be spoken.
- Speak, shepherd boy, say what you want.
- So, I want to ask you: why does your son-in-law Ivan Tsarevich sit at the table and eat in gloves?
He didn't ask further. The king says in a row:
- Why, Ivan Tsarevich, you see that all the people are sitting without gloves, and you have them in your hands; but, take it off!
When he took off both gloves, six fingers were missing from both hands. The king begins to ask:
- Well, tell me, Ivan Tsarevich, why don’t you have fingers? It's like you had them before? He begins to say:
“Here, Your Majesty, these fingers were all bitten off by the snake in battles.”
Then Ivan the Shepherd stood up and unfolded his handkerchief:
“Your Majesty, where did these fingers come from? Can you tell me if they’ll fit?” He personally gave these fingers to me for taking snake tongues from me. Then the king said:
- Well, whatever you want with him, do it now. And Ivan Tsarevich answers:
“Your Majesty, not only does he have no fingers on his hands, he also let me cut the belt out of his back so that I would just give him tongues.” He himself did not kill a single snake.
It’s true, she still comes out. Then he puts the rest of the things on the table and shows it to the king and all the guests. And he sat motionless and said nothing. And then Ivan Tsarevich explained who he was.
“I am, indeed, the royal son Ivan Tsarevich, and because I released my father’s firebird, that’s why I was exiled to a free settlement, and he is my lackey.” Then the king said:
“Well, son-in-law Ivan Tsarevich, deal with him as you wish, now it’s your will,” and take his place yourself, “take everything I promised.”
Then Ivan Tsarevich captured Ivan the lackey and said: - Come and see, guests, what I will do with him.
And he pulled him out into the open. Then he picked it up and hit it so hard on the stone floor that all that was left was a wet spot, nothing else was left. And then he came into the room and said:
- That's it, guests, just give me five minutes to change clothes and I'll come.
He went to the washroom himself. In a row, the princess also followed him. So he washed himself, threw off his outer dress and became handsome. After that they came and sat down with the princess at the table. We sat down at the table. And all the guests and the king, everyone was amazed that he was so handsome, and all glittered like gold. There was enough food, and they drank and ate what they wanted, and he said:
- Father, let me bring two things; a bread-salting tablecloth and an accordion, and I will treat you from my side.
He ran for a tablecloth, set the table, and such rare dishes were placed on the table that they had never been seen in the kingdom. All the guests drank, ate, rejoiced and praised Ivan Tsarevich. Then he took the harmonica in his hands and began to play. When Ivan plays the harmonica, the guests sit and think that they have been sitting for one day, but they have been sitting for six days. They thought it was one. When he finished playing the harmonica, the guests began to thank him and leave.
“We must have sat there for a long time.”
The guests dispersed, but they remained sitting with the king. Then Alexandra the Beautiful takes him by the hands and leads him to her bedroom. Then the king endowed him with everything and subsequently installed him as king.
And they began to live and lived to a ripe old age.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru