East of the Sun and West of the Moon Part 10

"For now," she said, "I shall be able to ride to church. I, too, think of that."

As for _Halvor_, he had no rest, and wanted to be off at once, but the old wife said there was no hurry.

"Lie down on the bench with you and sleep a bit, for we've no bed to offer you, and I'll watch and wake you when the West Wind comes."

So after a while up came the West Wind, roaring and howling along till the walls creaked and groaned again.

Out ran the old wife.

"THOU WEST WIND, THOU WEST WIND! Canst thou tell me the way to _Soria Moria Castle_? Here's one who wants to get thither."

"Yes, I know it very well," said the West Wind, "and now I'm just off thither to dry clothes for the wedding that's to be; if he's swift of foot he can go along with me."

Out ran _Halvor_.

"You'll have to stretch your legs if you mean to keep up," said the West Wind.

So off he set over field and hedge, and hill and fell, and _Halvor_ had hard work to keep up.

"Well," said the West Wind, "now I've no time to stay with you any longer, for I've got to go away yonder and tear down a strip of spruce wood first before I go to the bleaching-ground to dry the clothes; but if you go alongside the hill you'll come to a lot of la.s.sies standing washing clothes, and then you've not far to go to _Soria Moria Castle_."

In a little while _Halvor_ came upon the la.s.sies who stood washing, and they asked if he had seen anything of the West Wind who was to come and dry the clothes for the wedding.

"Aye, aye, that I have," said _Halvor_, "he's only gone to tear down a strip of spruce wood. It'll not be long before he's here," and then he asked them the way to _Soria Moria Castle_.

So they put him into the right way, and when he got to the Castle it was full of folk and horses; so full it made one giddy to look at them. But _Halvor_ was so ragged and torn from having followed the West Wind through bush and brier and bog, that he kept on one side, and wouldn't show himself till the last day when the bridal feast was to be.

So when all, as was then right and fitting, were to drink the bride and bridegroom's health and wish them luck, and when the cupbearer was to drink to them all again, both knights and squires, last of all he came in turn to _Halvor_. He drank their health, but let the ring which the _Princess_ had put upon his finger as he lay by the lake fall into the gla.s.s, and bade the cupbearer go and greet the bride and hand her the gla.s.s.

Then up rose the _Princess_ from the board at once.

"Who is most worthy to have one of us," she said, "he that has set us free, or he that here sits by me as bridegroom?"

Well they all said there could be but one voice and will as to that, and when _Halvor_ heard that he wasn't long in throwing off his beggar's rags, and arraying himself as bridegroom.

"Aye, aye, here is the right one after all," said the youngest _Princess_ as soon as she saw him, and so she tossed the other one out of the window, and held her wedding with _Halvor_.

THE GIANT WHO HAD NO HEART IN HIS BODY

Once on a time there was a _King_ who had _seven sons_, and he loved them so much that he could never bear to be without them all at once, but one must always be with him. Now, when they were grown up, six were to set off to woo, but as for the youngest, his father kept him at home, and the others were to bring back a princess for him to the palace. So the _King_ gave the six the finest clothes you ever set eyes on, so fine that the light gleamed from them a long way off, and each had his horse, which cost many, many hundred pounds, and so they set off. Now, when they had been to many palaces, and seen many princesses, at last they came to a _King_ who had _six daughters_; such lovely king's daughters they had never seen, and so they fell to wooing them, each one, and when they had got them for sweethearts, they set off home again, but they quite forgot that they were to bring back with them a sweetheart for _Boots_, their brother, who stayed at home, for they were over head and ears in love with their own sweethearts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The six brothers riding out to woo.]

But when they had gone a good bit on their way, they pa.s.sed close by a steep hill-side, like a wall, where the _Giant's_ house was, and there the _Giant_ came out, and set his eyes upon them, and turned them all into stone, princes and princesses and all. Now the _King_ waited and waited for his _six sons_, but the more he waited, the longer they stayed away; so he fell into great trouble, and said he should never know what it was to be glad again.

"And if I had not you left," he said to _Boots_, "I would live no longer, so full of sorrow am I for the loss of your brothers."

"Well, but now I've been thinking to ask your leave to set out and find them again; that's what I'm thinking of," said _Boots_.

"Nay, nay!" said his father; "that leave you shall never get, for then you would stay away too."

But _Boots_ had set his heart upon it; go he would; and he begged and prayed so long that the _King_ was forced to let him go. Now, you must know the _King_ had no other horse to give _Boots_ but an old broken-down jade, for his six other sons and their train had carried off all his horses; but _Boots_ did not care a pin for that, he sprang up on his sorry old steed.

"Farewell, father," said he; "I'll come back, never fear, and like enough I shall bring my six brothers back with me;" and with that he rode off.

So, when he had ridden a while, he came to a _Raven_, which lay in the road and flapped its wings, and was not able to get out of the way, it was so starved.

"Oh, dear friend," said the _Raven_, "give me a little food, and I'll help you again at your utmost need."

"I haven't much food," said the _Prince_, "and I don't see how you'll ever be able to help me much; but still I can spare you a little. I see you want it."

So he gave the raven some of the food he had brought with him.

Now, when he had gone a bit further, he came to a brook, and in the brook lay a great _Salmon_, which had got upon a dry place and dashed itself about, and could not get into the water again.

"Oh, dear friend," said the _Salmon_ to the _Prince_; "shove me out into the water again, and I'll help you again at your utmost need."

"Well!" said the _Prince_, "the help you'll give me will not be great, I daresay, but it's a pity you should lie there and choke;" and with that he shot the fish out into the stream again.

After that he went a long, long way, and there met him a _Wolf_ which was so famished that it lay and crawled along the road on its belly.

"Dear friend, do let me have your horse," said the _Wolf_; "I'm so hungry the wind whistles through my ribs; I've had nothing to eat these two years."

"No," said _Boots_, "this will never do; first I came to a raven, and I was forced to give him my food; next I came to a salmon, and him I had to help into the water again; and now you will have my horse. It can't be done, that it can't, for then I should have nothing to ride on."

"Nay, dear friend, but you can help me," said _Graylegs_ the wolf; "you can ride upon my back, and I'll help you again in your utmost need."

"Well! the help I shall get from you will not be great, I'll be bound," said the _Prince_; "but you may take my horse, since you are in such need."

So when the _Wolf_ had eaten the horse, _Boots_ took the bit and put it into the _Wolf's_ jaw, and laid the saddle on his back; and now the _Wolf_ was so strong, after what he had got inside, that he set off with the _Prince_ like nothing. So fast he had never ridden before.

"When we have gone a bit farther," said _Graylegs_, "I'll show you the _Giant's_ house."

So after a while they came to it.

"See, here is the _Giant's_ house," said the _Wolf_; "and see, here are your six brothers, whom the _Giant_ has turned into stone; and see, here are their six brides, and away yonder is the door, and in that door you must go."

"Nay, but I daren't go in," said the _Prince_; "he'll take my life."

"No! no!" said the _Wolf_; "when you get in you'll find a _Princess_, and she'll tell you what to do to make an end of the _Giant_. Only mind and do as she bids you."

Well! _Boots_ went in, but, truth to say, he was very much afraid.

When he came in the _Giant_ was away, but in one of the rooms sat the _Princess_, just as the _Wolf_ had said, and so lovely a princess _Boots_ had never yet set eyes on.