Desire heard a loud rumbling voice from around him. “Baker, take the stranger and throw him in the oven.”
The old woman leaning over the oven shook her head.
“This boy has given me a brush to clean this oven. You have never given me anything. I will not listen to you and hurt him.”
“Rope, strangle this stranger!” The voice cried again.
“No!” The rope that the boy had straightened spoke. “You left me to rot. This boy has stretched me. I will not do anything to him."
Similarly, the dog was happy with the prince because the prince had given him oat cake and refused to jump at the prince’s throat. Finally, the iron gate of the castle was happy with the prince for oiling its hinges and for this reason, the iron gate also did not hurt the prince.
Once the prince was out of the castle, he put the oranges in the bag hanging from his saddle and rode outside into the forest.
He rode on for hours and hours but he could not find a single water source - fountain or stream.
By mid-day the sun scorched through the skies. He was terribly thirsty and he still could not find anything to drink.
The prince soon could not ride anymore and he got off his horse and lay on the ground and his throat was burning with thirst.
That was when he saw the oranges from the bag.
Adapted from Andrew Lang’s Red Fairy Book
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