A prince was once riding through a meadow. At that time he heard someone sobbing.
He saw a ditch on the far side of the meadow. He got off his horse and looked inside the ditch. He was stunned to find an old woman inside the ditch.
“Please let me out!” The woman called out from inside the ditch
The prince helped the woman out of the ditch.
The old woman was grateful to the prince.
“What happened? How did you end up in this place?” The prince looked questioningly at her.
“I had gone to the neighbouring town to sell my eggs but I lost my way in the dark. I fell into this ditch. I would have remained there forever if you had not come and saved me.”
The prince then saw that the old woman had hurt herself when she had fallen into the ditch
The Prince lifted her and put her on his horse.
They reached the woman's hut.
The woman then turned to the prince. “Wait here. I will be back!”
The old woman then came back in a short time. “You are a very kind man and your kindness deserves to be rewarded. Do you want to have the most beautiful woman in the world as your wife?”
The Prince was surprised with the question but he nodded.
The old woman smiled at the prince. “The flower queen’s daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world. However the flower queen’s daughter has been kidnapped by a dragon. If you want to marry her you have to free her from the clutches of the dragon first.”
The woman pulled out something from her cloak. It was a bell. “Take this with you. If you ring the bell once, the king of the Eagles will come before you. If you ring it twice the king of the foxes will come to you and if you ring the bell three times the king of the fishes will come to your side. They will help you in your quest.”
Adapted from European Fairy Tales (Bukovina)
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