Once upon a time there lived a prince, and he had three daughter-brides, and not simple ones, but charmed ones. In the prince’s yard there were three apple trees, and on each of them there was one ruddy apple. Whoever guessed to shoot down an apple with an arrow could become the husband of any of the prince's daughters.
The son of a neighboring prince, a daring fellow, heard about this secretly and came to choose a bride for himself. He pulled his tight bow and shot a singing arrow at one apple. The shot was well aimed and the pierced apple fell. He was picked up by the prince's youngest daughter. The girl was good, but the young man decided to look at her other sisters to see if they would be better? He pulled his bow again and shot a well-aimed arrow. The second apple fell and was picked up by the middle prince's daughter. The young man looked at her and thought: “Well, this one is not bad; let’s see what the third one is like.” He also knocked down the third apple, and the eldest daughter picked it up. The young man admired all three - all beauties. Which one should you choose?
“Tell me,” he says, “what you are capable of.”
“I’m a jack of all trades,” answered the eldest.
“I can do everything too,” answered the middle one.
“And I will give birth to you a son who will be half gold, half silver,” said the youngest.
The prince's son married the youngest. The wedding was rich and fun. Everyone liked the prince's young wife, and her husband even more so: she was a beauty, a jack of all trades, and had an easygoing and kind character.
After some time, the prince got ready to go on a campaign. Before leaving, he called his wife’s older sisters and told them:
“I’m leaving for a long time, I’m entrusting my wife and your younger sister to your care, and most of all, take care of your son, who should be born half gold, half silver.”
“Be calm, our dear son-in-law, we will take care of your sister and save your son,” answered the older sisters.
Soon after the prince's departure, his wife gave birth to a boy. It was indeed half gold, half silver. Black envy of the younger sister crept into the hearts of the older sisters, and they decided to discredit her in the face of the prince. They threw the newborn into a boiling cauldron and cooked it, and poured the broth into the yard. They told the mother that she had a puppy.
“You disgraced us,” they reproached her. - May you be struck by lightning for giving birth to a puppy.
The younger sister began to cry, but what to do, you know, grief cannot be helped by grief. She began to wait for her husband.
The prince returned from the campaign and asked the older sisters:
- How is my wife? Who did she give birth to?
“She’s healthy, she’s healthy, but it would be better if she died,” the older sisters said, feigning a sigh.
- What is it? - the prince was alarmed.
“She disgraced you, prince.” Instead of a half-gold, half-silver son, she gave birth to a puppy.
The prince became angry and ordered his wife to be locked in the stable. He didn't even see her. The poor woman lived in a stable, abandoned by everyone, hungry, and sad.
Time passed, and an aspen tree grew in the yard, in the place where the broth from the boiled child was poured. The prince cut it down and made it into a support for the house. One day, the wife secretly came out of the stable, collected chips from a felled aspen tree and brought it to her in the hem. She threw wood chips into the fire to warm herself from the cold. Suddenly one ember shot out and rolled to her feet. At that very moment it turned into a gold coin. The woman was surprised. She picked up the coin and hid it in the chest. After a while he hears a child’s cry coming from the chest:
- Mom, mom, take me!
The woman opened the chest and saw in it a child, half gold, half silver. She took it in her hands.
- Whose child are you, how did you get here? - asked the surprised woman.
- I am your son. When I was born, your sisters and my aunts boiled me in a cauldron and poured the broth into the yard. An aspen tree grew from that brew, my father cut it down and propped up the house with it, you collected the chips, threw them into the fire, and I was in the chips. When the wood chip caught fire, I turned into an ember and jumped out of the fire in the form of a gold coin. And then in the chest I turned into myself again. That's how I came back to you.
There were tears and joy here. Having calmed down a little, the mother told her son about her misadventures.
- Don't be sad, mom. Let's go to father and tell him about the act of the evil aunts. Let's go!
The boy took his mother to his father and told him everything. The prince was delighted with what he found out and was indignant at his wife’s older sisters. He called them and said:
- So you fulfilled my order to take care of your wife and child! Get out of my sight so I don't see you!
And their son-in-law drove them away. The sisters came to their father's house, but the old prince-father did not accept his daughters: he ordered them to be driven out of his principality. They left, burning with shame wherever they looked. That’s what insidious people should do, let them know: whoever digs a hole for someone else ends up in it themselves. And the old princes, on the occasion of the appearance of their extraordinary grandson, who was half gold, half silver, and the return of the prince’s wife, arranged such a feast and fun that the sky was hot. And I was at that feast, soaking my mustache in wine. Try it, it's still wet.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru