Following the silver ball, Ivan Tsarevich came to a golden castle. The castle glowed like fire. Just like the copper castle and the silver castle, this castle also had a golden entrance with golden snakes and a golden well and bucket nearby.
After calming the golden snakes with the water from the golden well, a girl came out of the castle. She was Yelena the Beautiful.
“Who are you?” Yelena asked the young man.
Ivan told the girl everything including how his search for his mother had led him to this place. “Do you know where my mother is?”
Yelena nodded eagerly. “She lives close by. Whirlwind visits her once a week and Whirlwind comes to my palace once a month.”
This time, Yelena gave a golden ball to Ivan Tsarevich. She asked Ivan to follow the ball and that would lead him to his mother. Yelena also gave a golden ring to Ivan that represented the entire golden kingdom and she asked him to save her after Ivan had defeated Whirlwind.
Ivan Tsarevich followed the golden ball and came upon a castle that was almost blazing with diamonds and precious stones.
At the gate of this castle too, there were six-headed serpents. Ivan Tsarevich gave the serpents water to drink.
The serpents let Ivan Tsarevich pass.
Ivan walked through great chambers and came to another huge room and in the centre, his mother sat on a lavish throne.
Ivan’s mother was thrilled to see him. “How did you come here?”
“I have come here for you, mother.”
Ivan’s mother sighed. “It will not be easy. In the mountains, the evil Whirlwind is powerful and all the spirits here obey him.” Ivan’s mother studied him. “If however, you have to fight Whirlwind then I can help you.”
Adapted from Russian Folktales
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