There lived a king on the other side. He was so old, he could barely stand on his feet. He understood that he would not be king for long, so he called his sons to him in the morning and said these words to them:
- Children, my dears! You see for yourself that I have little time to stay with you, but while I’m still alive, go, walk around the world, learn, gain your wits. You cannot live without knowledge and experience. If you return home safely and begin to help me in business, then even after my death it will not be as difficult for you as it once was for me. I will give you as much money as you ask, and also some dun horses.
The sons agreed and began to prepare for the long journey. When everything was ready, they said goodbye to their father and mother and jumped on their horses.
They rode along, at first amicably, and together, and then the two eldest, forgetting that their father had punished them, began to live unreasonably and soon squandered all their money. You can’t go far with an empty bag, they decided to turn home. “Why should we wander around the world,” they think, “it’s better to go back!”
They began to persuade the younger one. But he is not afraid of the long journey; he does not agree to their persuasion. His brothers left him and turned back.
The younger brother, and his name was Vintalko, although he was sad that he was left alone, rode and rode further and further on his dun. By evening he reached the iron forest, and there an iron bridge was thrown across the road.
He took off his sword, rested a little, and then went into the forest and shot a hare for dinner. He came back, roasted the hare, and ate it.
And suddenly the thought occurred to him that his brothers might slander him and tell falsehoods, and the old father would begin to be sad. He took a piece of paper and wrote to his father so that he would not believe his brothers if they began to slander him that he was alive and well. He wrote it, folded it, put it in the horse’s ear and told him to gallop home. The horse obeyed and rushed like an arrow, but only the brothers managed to get ahead. The father asks, where is Vintalko?
- Where is Vintalko? - the brothers answer. - Yes, the wolves killed him in the forest.
But then a horse galloped up covered in soap and rushed straight to the king, shook his head, and the note fell out of his ear. The king was surprised and took the note. I read it and became angry, and having become angry, I ordered my older brothers to be driven out of the country without any pity!
- Let them know how to deceive their father!
Meanwhile, Vintalko went to sleep under the iron bridge. But at midnight the wind suddenly blew in, and there was a terrible noise and crackling sound. Vintalko woke up and grabbed his sword. What's happened? And this winged horse stumbled under the dragon on the bridge. The dragon got angry and began to scold his horse:
“We’ve been jumping across this bridge for seventy years, and this has never happened to you before!” Did you smell who? Or is Vintalko hiding here?
Here Vintalko himself jumps out from under the bridge and shouts:
- I'm here! What do you want?
“It’s good if you’re here,” the dragon answers him. - Let's fight, I've been wanting to measure my strength with you for a long time. How will we fight, with swords or clubs?
- I don’t care, choose what suits you best.
- Well, if I have to choose, take the baton in your hands and start. Vintalko swung his club once, twice, and three of the dragon’s heads flew off his shoulders at once. The dragon got angry, threw his club at him, but missed.
Then Vintalko draws his sword and cuts off the dragon’s heads one by one, like poppies. The dragon began to ask for mercy.
- Leave me life, Vintalko, I will still be useful to you.
Vintalko agreed, put the dragon’s heads back, they immediately grew back.
“Here is my claw for you, if there is danger, think about me and seventy regiments of dragons like me will immediately come to your aid.”
He said, got on his horse and rode on.
And Vintalko climbed under the bridge, rested a little, and when dawn broke, he set off. He walked, walked through the mountains, through the valleys. I remembered my brothers and felt sad, but decided: why bother and started singing a song.
Noon is not far, but our Vintalko doesn’t think about lunch. So he walked until the evening, and the sun began to set, he had already reached the silver bridge, the same one not far from the silver forest.
Vintalko climbed under the bridge, took off his weapon, and lay down to rest. I slept, went into the forest and shot a bunny for dinner, ate, and went to bed. He didn't have to rest for long.
Suddenly a terrible noise was heard and a fierce wind blew. Another person’s hair would stand on end with fear, but our Vintalko is not like that. He didn’t chicken out, he knew that it was a dragon flying, the owner of the silver forest. A winged horse gallops along a silver bridge, but suddenly stumbles, the dragon can barely hold on, gets angry and starts scolding the horse:
- May you fail, lame nag! We’ve been driving here every night for one hundred and seventy years, but this has never happened to you! Maybe he sensed someone or something coming?
“I sensed it,” the horse answers, “Vintalko is hiding here, the same one who defeated your brother last night.”
The dragon shouted:
- Get out, Vintalko, let's measure our strength! The club will decide which of us is braver and stronger!
And Vintalko answered him: “Well, have it your way, I’m not averse!”
He jumps out from under the bridge and throws his heavy club at the dragon. The dragon no longer had three heads. The dragon threw his club at Vintalko, but passed by - the club went deep into the ground.
The dragon became furious, grabbed Vintalko, and is about to tear it apart. But Vintalko, a clever guy, slipped out of his iron embrace, waved his sword, and only one head remained on the dragon’s shoulders.
The dragon realized that Vintalko was not to be trifled with and began to ask for forgiveness. Vintalko forgave him, put all the heads back and they immediately grew back.
The dragon takes out a pipe and hands it to Vintalko.
“Here,” he says, “you have a pipe!” If you get into trouble, think about me and blow the trumpet, seventy regiments of dragons like me will immediately come to your aid.
He jumped on his horse and rode on his way. And Vintalko went to bed again.
I rested and hit the road again. So he walked, poor fellow, hungry and cold until the evening, and when the sun began to set, he saw a golden bridge, and next to it a golden forest. Vintalko was so tired that he didn’t even look at the beautiful forest, but immediately climbed under the bridge to rest. But hunger is no big deal, whether you like it or not, he had to go hunting in the forest to at least get something to eat. After dinner, Vintalko lay down again, but couldn’t sleep. Although he was not offended by his courage, it seemed a little scary to him under the bridge.
At midnight, a fierce wind howled and Vintalko immediately realized that it was a dragon flying - the elder brother of those two dragons. And then the dragon himself appeared on a winged horse and threw his club to the ground. The club crashed on the ground, the ground shook, and the club bounced off the ground into the clouds. A dragon rides across a bridge, and his horse stumbles at every step. The dragon scolds his horse:
- Oh, you slacker! We have been driving here every night for two hundred and seventy years, but this has never happened to you! Or did you smell someone?
- I sensed it, master, I sensed it! Here Vintalko sits under the bridge, the same one who defeated your brothers.
And the dragon roared:
“Come out, Vintalko, let’s fight with clubs, let’s see which of us is the best of the best.”
Vintalko crawled out from under the bridge and threw a club at the dragon: three heads, as if nothing had happened! The dragon also threw his club, but missed. The earth shook, the mountains rumbled.
The dragon became furious, grabbed Vintalko and drove him waist-deep into the ground. Vintalko jumped out, grabbed the dragon and slammed it into the ground up to its shoulders. And then let’s knock his head off with a sword. Heads fly one after another, like poppies. There are already twenty-three heads lying on the ground, the dragon prayed:
- Have mercy, Vintalko! I admit - you are stronger than me and my brothers!
Vintalko forgave him, put his heads back, they grew as if they had never left his shoulders. The dragon was delighted, took out a whistle and handed it to Vintalko:
“Take,” he says, “this whistle!” If you get into trouble and need help, think of me, blow this whistle. A hundred dragon regiments will immediately come to your aid!
The dragon said, climbed onto his horse and rushed off on his way. And Vintalko lay down to rest and slept until dawn.
In the morning, as dawn began to break, Vintalko set out on the road again. He crossed a high mountain and a large plain spread out in front of him. He looks - in the meadow an ancient old man grazes an unprecedented herd: there are geese, and ducks, and cows, and oxen, and even all kinds of living creatures. Vintalko approached the old man, and he saw him and was delighted, because the good fellow Vintalko was this old man’s own grandson.
Grandfather and grandson are happy to meet, telling each other about their lives. And then Vintalko began to ask:
- Whose flock are you tending, grandfather? Isn't it difficult for you to manage these animals?
“It’s hard, son, but what can I do? I can’t get rid of this service, because I have powerful and evil masters.” There lives a king in that castle, the size of an ant, but there is no one stronger than him in the world. They called him the Grosh King, or the Black Ant. And that Grosh’s mother is an evil witch, she comes running here every afternoon, opens her mouth, and I drive this herd down her throat.
“Come on, grandfather,” Vintalko says to grandfather, “drive me and the herd down her throat, I’ll restore order there!”
The old man agreed. The witch came running, opened her mouth, pressed one lip to the ground, the other to the sky, and the old man drove the herd down her throat, and Vintalko entered with the herd.
Vintalko remembered about the dragon with nine heads and about his claw, and immediately seventy dragon regiments appeared and asked:
- What do you want, most illustrious sir? And Vintalko answers:
“Tear this witch apart so that not a trace remains of her.”
The dragons carried out his order, and Vintalko went to his grandfather and began asking about Grosh the King and finding out if it was possible to climb the mountain and see his castle.
“It’s possible,” the old man answered him. “No one is barred from entering there, I just ask you not to get involved with Grosh.” Even though you have powerful assistants, he is still stronger than anyone in the world! As soon as he waves his magic twig, everyone around him falls dead.
But Vintalko didn’t think long, got ready and went to the castle to see King Grosh.
Vintalko is approaching the gate. And the Grosh King returns home from hunting. Our Vintalko burst into laughter: what a mighty king—he’s nothing more than a ugly little ant! Vintalko does not believe that great power is hidden in such a booger. Vintalko got brave, threw a club at him, but missed, Vintalko began to blow the trumpet and whistle, took out a dragon claw and immediately remembered all three dragons: immediately the dragon regiments appeared, attacked the Grosh King, and he just waved his twig once and all the dragons together with Vintalko fell like flies on the ground. And King Grosh, as if nothing had happened, went to his castle.
But Vintalko did not die, he only fell unconscious. He came to his senses and hurried to his grandfather. He doesn’t find a place for himself, he’s sad about his grandson, he saw his Vintalko, he was happy, he’s just wondering what’s wrong with him? Vintalko drags along barely, legs tangled together - barely alive. The grandfather began to ask his grandson:
- Did you still fight with King Grosh, my son?
- He fought, grandfather, he fought, so that he had no bottom, no tire! But he killed us all like flies with his twig.
The old man gave him some medicine to drink and Vintalko came to his senses.
The next day, neither light nor dawn, King Grosh sends a servant to Vintalko and invites him to his castle. Vintalko appeared in his little room, and King Grosh shouted:
- How dare you go against me? After all, I will put you down on the spot. You have only one salvation: bring me the beautiful maiden who lives beyond the distant sea, and I will not touch you. I'll give it one day. Think and come back with an answer.
Vintalko returned to his grandfather, began to complain about the Black Ant, asking for advice on how he could bring the beautiful maiden who lives across the distant sea to the Grosh King.
The old man answers him:
- Go back to the castle and tell Grosh to prepare a ship for you, and one the likes of which have never been seen in the world! So that he would load it with the best goods and give him an army in addition.
Vintalko thanked his grandfather for his good advice and handed the old man over to King Grosh again. He gave the order and everything was immediately carried out.
Vintalko loaded the goods and troops onto the ship and safely crossed to the other side. He parked the ship not far from the fortress where the girl lived, and the next day he began to unload it. Rumors spread throughout the city that a merchant had arrived with red goods.
The same beautiful girl came to the ship to buy herself something.
Vintalko saw her, approached her, and invited her to look at the best product. The girl looked at the goods, and Vintalko gave the sign for the ship to set sail. And now they are rushing across the wide sea in full sail.
Our girl liked the product and bought so many things that she didn’t have enough money.
The girl turned to her maid and told her to run home for the money, the maid just jumped out of the door and immediately fell into the sea.
But Vintalko and the beautiful maiden are not bored. She didn’t even notice how they swam across the sea and stood at the shore. The beauty began to sigh:
- My dear Vintalko, it would be better if I married you than that Black Ant, the Penny King!
There's nothing you can do about it! Vintalko took her out of the ship and gave her to King Grosh. Grosh praised Vintalko, thanked him, and ordered him to come to the castle every day to entertain his bride, so that she would not be bored when he himself went hunting.
The next day, King Grosh went hunting, and Vintalko came to his bride and agreed on everything. He ordered Grosh the King to find out what his strength was.
The Grosh King returned from the hunt, and the bride hovered around him and asked:
- Tell me, darling, what is your great strength?
He doesn’t want to answer, he spins all sorts of tall tales, but she doesn’t believe it, she pesters her so much that the Penny King got angry, stamped his foot, and she immediately fell unconscious.
The next day Vintalko came and the beauty told him everything. Vintalko again orders to find out. King Grosh has returned, and the bride fawns on him even more. Grosh the King really took a liking to the beauty, he couldn’t resist, he opened up to her about everything:
“There and there,” he says, “in such and such a meadow, under such and such a hill, there is a well, lined with precious stones from top to bottom.” I go there every afternoon. A deer comes out to meet me and carries out a jug of drink and a towel on its antlers. I drink the drink, wipe myself with one edge of the towel, and behold, I am the ruler of half the world. And as soon as I wipe off the second edge, I’m already master of the whole world!
Vintalko came, the beauty laid out everything for him, and that’s all Vintalko needed. At exactly noon he rushed to that meadow, to that well. The deer runs towards him and says in a human voice:
- Oh, how good it is, I won’t have to serve that black booger anymore, now the handsome fellow will become my master!
And brings him a drink. Vintalko drank, the deer hands him a towel, Vintalko wipes himself with one end and becomes the ruler of half the world, wipes himself with the other - and becomes the ruler of the whole world.
Vintalko returned home, and the Grosh King is on his way back from hunting. Vintalko stopped him, threw him off his horse, then Grosha and the end came!
Vintalko has now become king. He got married to a beautiful maiden and informed his parents about it.
Vintalko took his old grandfather and father and mother into his castle. They all began to rule the country together. They are probably still sitting next to each other on the throne, if they are still alive.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru