|
Once upon
a time...
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who, though it
is a very long while since they died, were much the same in their
tastes and pursuits as people nowadays. The King, who was called
Cloverleaf, liked hunting better than anything else; but he
nevertheless bestowed as much care upon his kingdom as he felt equal
to--that is to say, he never made an end of folding and unfolding
the State documents. As to the Queen, she had once been very pretty,
and she liked to believe that she was so still, which is, of course,
always made quite easy for queens. Her name was Frivola, and her one
occupation in life was the pursuit of amusement. Balls, masquerades,
and picnics followed one another in rapid succession, as fast as she
could arrange them, and you may imagine that under these
circumstances the kingdom was somewhat neglected. As a matter of
fact, if anyone had a fancy for a town, or a province, he helped
himself to it; but as long as the King had his horses and dogs, and
the Queen her musicians and her actors, they did not trouble
themselves about the matter. King Cloverleaf and Queen Frivola had
but one child, and this Princess had from her very babyhood been so
beautiful, that by the time she was four years old the Queen was
desperately jealous of her, and so fearful that when she was grown
up she would be more admired than herself, that she resolved to keep
her hidden away out of sight. To this end she caused a little house
to be built not far beyond the Palace gardens, on the bank of a
river. This was surrounded by a high wall, and in it the charming
Potentilla was imprisoned. Her nurse, who was dumb, took care of
her, and the necessaries of life were conveyed to her through a
little window in the wall, while guards were always pacing to and
fro outside, with orders to cut off the head of anyone who tried to
approach, which they would certainly have done without thinking
twice about it. The Queen told everyone, with much pretended sorrow,
that the Princess was so ugly, and so troublesome, and altogether so
impossible to love, that to keep her out of sight was the only thing
that could be done for her. And this tale she repeated so often,
that at last the whole court believed it. Things were in this state,
and the Princess was about fifteen years old, when Prince Narcissus,
attracted by the report of Queen Frivola's gay doings, presented
himself at the court. He was not much older than the Princess, and
was as handsome a Prince as you would see in a day's journey, and
really, for his age, not so very scatter- brained. His parents were
a King and Queen, whose story you will perhaps read some day. They
died almost at the same time, leaving their kingdom to the eldest of
their children, and commending their youngest son, Prince Narcissus,
to the care of the Fairy Melinette. In this they did very well for
him, for the Fairy was as kind as she was powerful, and she spared
no pains in teaching the little Prince everything it was good for
him to know, and even imparted to him some of her own Fairy lore.
But as soon as he was grown up she sent him out to see the world for
himself, though all the time she was secretly keeping watch over
him, ready to help in any time of need. Before he started she gave
him a ring which would render him invisible when he put it on his
finger. These rings seem to be quite common; you must often have
heard of them, even if you have never seen one. It was in the course
of the Prince's wanderings, in search of experience of men and
things, that he came to the court of Queen Frivola, where he was
extremely well received. The Queen was delighted with him, so were
all her ladies; and the King was very polite to him, though he did
not quite see why the whole court was making such a fuss over him.
Prince Narcissus enjoyed all that went on, and found the time pass
very pleasantly. Before long, of course, he heard the story about
the Princess Potentilla, and, as it had by that time been repeated
many times, and had been added to here and there, she was
represented as such a monster of ugliness that he was really quite
curious to see her, and resolved to avail himself of the magic power
of his ring to accomplish his design. So he made himself invisible,
and passed the guard without their so much as suspecting that anyone
was near. Climbing the wall was rather a difficulty, but when he at
length found himself inside it he was charmed with the peaceful
beauty of the little domain it enclosed, and still more delighted
when he perceived a slender, lovely maiden wandering among the
flowers. It was not until he had sought vainly for the imaginary
monster that he realised that this was the Princess herself, and by
that time he was deeply in love with her, for indeed it would have
been hard to find anyone prettier than Potentilla, as she sat by the
brook, weaving a garland of blue forget-me-nots to crown her waving
golden locks, or to imagine anything more gentle than the way she
tended all the birds and beasts who inhabited her small kingdom, and
who all loved and followed her. Prince Narcissus watched her every
movement, and hovered near her in a dream of delight, not daring as
yet to appear to her, so humble had he suddenly become in her
presence. And when evening came, and the nurse fetched the Princess
into her little house, he felt obliged to go back to Frivola's
palace, for fear his absence should be noticed and someone should
discover his new treasure. But he forgot that to go back absent, and
dreamy, and indifferent, when he had before been gay and ardent
about everything, was the surest way of awakening suspicion; and
when, in response to the jesting questions which were put to him
upon the subject, he only blushed and returned evasive answers, all
the ladies were certain that he had lost his heart, and did their
utmost to discover who was the happy possessor of it. As to the
Prince, he was becoming day by day more attached to Potentilla, and
his one thought was to attend her, always invisible, and help her in
everything she did, and provide her with everything that could
possibly amuse or please her. And the Princess, who had learnt to
find diversion in very small things in her quiet life, was in a
continual state of delight over the treasures which the Prince
constantly laid where she must find them. Then Narcissus implored
his faithful friend Melinette to send the Princess such dreams of
him as should make her recognise him as a friend when he actually
appeared before her eyes; and this device was so successful that the
Princess quite dreaded the cessation of these amusing dreams, in
which a certain Prince Narcissus was such a delightful lover and
companion. After that he went a step further and began to have long
talks with the Princess--still, however, keeping himself invisible,
until she begged him so earnestly to appear to her that he could no
longer resist, and after making her promise that, no matter what he
was like, she would still love him, he drew the ring from his
finger, and the Princess saw with delight that he was as handsome as
he was agreeable. Now, indeed, they were perfectly happy, and they
passed the whole long summer day in Potentilla's favourite place by
the brook, and when at last Prince Narcissus had to leave her it
seemed to them both that the hours had gone by with the most amazing
swiftness. The Princess stayed where she was, dreaming of her
delightful Prince, and nothing could have been further from her
thoughts than any trouble or misfortune, when suddenly, in a cloud
of dust and shavings, by came the enchanter Grumedan, and unluckily
he chanced to catch sight of Potentilla. Down he came straightway
and alighted at her feet, and one look at her charming blue eyes and
smiling lips quite decided him that he must appear to her at once,
though he was rather annoyed to remember that he had on only his
second-best cloak. The Princess sprang to her feet with a cry of
terror at this sudden apparition, for really the Enchanter was no
beauty. To begin with, he was very big and clumsy, then he had but
one eye, and his teeth were long, and he stammered badly;
nevertheless, he had an excellent opinion of himself, and mistook
the Princess's cry of terror for an exclamation of delighted
surprise. After pausing a moment to give her time to admire him, the
Enchanter made her the most complimentary speech he could invent,
which, however, did not please her at all, though he was extremely
delighted with it himself. Poor Potentilla only shuddered and cried:
'Oh! where is my Narcissus?'
To which he replied with a self-satisfied chuckle: 'You want a
narcissus, madam? Well, they are not rare; you shall have as many as
you like.'
Whereupon he waved his wand, and the Princess found herself
surrounded and half buried in the fragrant flowers. She would
certainly have betrayed that this was not the kind of narcissus she
wanted, but for the Fairy Melinette, who had been anxiously watching
the inter, and now thought it quite time to interfere. Assuming the
Prince's voice, she whispered in Potentilla's ear:
'We are menaced by a great danger, but my only fear is for you, my
Princess. Therefore I beg you to hide what you really feel, and we
will hope that some way out of the difficulty may present itself.'
The Princess was much agitated by this speech, and feared lest the
Enchanter should have overheard it; but he had been loudly calling
her attention to the flowers, and chuckling over his own smartness
in getting them for her; and it was rather a blow to him when she
said very coldly that they were not the sort she preferred, and she
would be glad if he would send them all away. This he did, but
afterwards wished to kiss the Princess's hand as a reward for having
been so obliging; but the Fairy Melinette was not going to allow
anything of that kind. She appeared suddenly, in all her splendour,
and cried:
'Stay, Grumedan; this Princess is under my protection, and the
smallest impertinence will cost you a thousand years of captivity.
If you can win Potentilla's heart by the ordinary methods I cannot
oppose you, but I warn you that I will not put up with any of your
usual tricks.'
This declaration was not at all to the Enchanter's taste; but he
knew that there was no help for it, and that he would have to behave
well, and pay the Princess all the delicate attentions he could
think of; though they were not at all the sort of thing he was used
to. However, he decided that to win such a beauty it was quite worth
while; and Melinette, feeling that she could now leave the Princess
in safety, hurried off to tell Prince Narcissus what was going
forward. Of course, at the very mention of the Enchanter as a rival
he was furious, and I don't know what foolish things he would not
have done if Melinette had not been there to calm him down. She
represented to him what a powerful enchanter Grumedan was, and how,
if he were provoked, he might avenge himself upon the Princess,
since he was the most unjust and churlish of all the enchanters, and
had often before had to be punished by the Fairy Queen for some of
his ill-deeds. Once he had been imprisoned in a tree, and was only
released when it was blown down by a furious wind; another time he
was condemned to stay under a big stone at the bottom of a river,
until by some chance the stone should be turned over; but nothing
could ever really improve him. The Fairy finally made Narcissus
promise that he would remain invisible when he was with the
Princess, since she felt sure that this would make things easier for
all of them. Then began a struggle between Grumedan and the Prince,
the latter under the name of Melinette, as to which could best
delight and divert the Princess and win her approbation. Prince
Narcissus first made friends with all the birds in Potentilla's
little domain, and taught them to sing her name and her praises,
with all their sweetest trills and most touching melodies, and all
day long to tell her how dearly he loved her. Grumedan, thereupon,
declared that there was nothing new about that, since the birds had
sung since the world began, and all lovers had imagined that they
sang for them alone. Therefore he said he would himself write an
opera that should be absolutely a novelty and something worth
hearing. When the time came for the performance (which lasted five
weary hours) the Princess found to her dismay that the 'opera'
consisted of this more than indifferent verse, chanted with all
their might by ten thousand frogs:
'Admirable Potentilla, Do you think it kind or wise In this sudden
way to kill a Poor Enchanter with your eyes?'
Really, if Narcissus had not been there to whisper in her ear and
divert her attention, I don't know what would have become of poor
Potentilla, for though the first repetition of this absurdity amused
her faintly, she nearly died of weariness before the time was over.
Luckily Grumedan did not perceive this, as he was too much occupied
in whipping up the frogs, many of whom perished miserably from
fatigue, since he did not allow them to rest for a moment. The
Prince's next idea for Potentilla's amusement was to cause a fleet
of boats exactly like those of Cleopatra, of which you have
doubtless read in history, to come up the little river, and upon the
most gorgeously decorated of these reclined the great Queen herself,
who, as soon as she reached the place where Potentilla sat in rapt
attention, stepped majestically on shore and presented the Princess
with that celebrated pearl of which you have heard so much, saying:
'You are more beautiful than I ever was. Let my example warn you to
make a better use of your beauty!'
And then the little fleet sailed on, until it was lost to in the
windings of the river. Grumedan was also looking on at the
spectacle, and said very contemptuously:
'I cannot say I think these marionettes amusing. What a to-do to
make over a single pearl! But if you like pearls, madam, why, I will
soon gratify you.'
So saying, he drew a whistle from his pocket, and no sooner had he
blown it than the Princess saw the water of the river bubble and
grow muddy, and in another instant up came hundreds of thousands of
great oysters, who climbed slowly and laboriously towards her and
laid at her feet all the pearls they contained.
'Those are what I call pearls,' cried Grumedan in high glee. And
truly there were enough of them to pave every path in Potentilla's
garden and leave some to spare! The next day Prince Narcissus had
prepared for the Princess's pleasure a charming arbour of leafy
branches, with couches of moss and grassy floor and garlands
everywhere, with her name written in different coloured blossoms.
Here he caused a dainty little banquet to be set forth, while hidden
musicians played softly, and the silvery fountains plashed down into
their marble basins, and when presently the music stopped a single
nightingale broke the stillness with his delicious chant.
'Ah!' cried the Princess, recognizing the voice of one of her
favourites, 'Philomel, my sweet one, who taught you that new song?'
And he answered: 'Love, my Princess.'
Meanwhile the Enchanter was very ill-pleased with the entertainment,
which he declared was dulness itself.
'You don't seem to have any idea in these parts beyond little
squeaking birds!' said he. 'And fancy giving a banquet without so
much as an ounce of plate!'
So the next day, when the Princess went out into her garden, there
stood a summer-house built of solid gold, decorated within and
without with her initials and the Enchanter's combined. And in it
was spread an enormous repast, while the table so glittered with
golden cups and plates, flagons and dishes, candlesticks and a
hundred other things beside, that it was hardly possible to look
steadily at it. The Enchanter ate like six ogres, but the Princess
could not touch a morsel. Presently Grumedan remarked with a grin:
'I have provided neither musicians nor singers; but as you seem fond
of music I will sing to you myself.'
Whereupon he began, with a voice like a screech-owl's, to chant the
words of his 'opera,' only this time happily not at such a length,
and without the frog accompaniment. After this the Prince again
asked the aid of his friends the birds, and when they had assembled
from all the country round he tied about the neck of each one a tiny
lamp of some brilliant colour, and when darkness fell he made them
go through a hundred pretty tricks before the delighted Potentilla,
who clapped her little hands with delight when she saw her own name
traced in points of light against the dark trees, or when the whole
flock of sparks grouped themselves into bouquets of different
colours, like living flowers. Grumedan leaning back in his
arm-chair, with one knee crossed over the other and his nose in the
air, looked on disdainfully.
'Oh! if you like fireworks, Princess,' said he; and the next night
all the will-o'-the-wisps in the country came and danced on the
plain, which could be seen from the Princess's windows, and as she
was looking out, and rather enjoying the sight, up sprang a
frightful volcano, pouring out smoke and flames which terrified her
greatly, to the intense amusement of the Enchanter, who laughed like
a pack of wolves quarrelling. After this, as many of the
will-o'-the-wisps as could get in crowded into Potentilla's garden,
and by their light the tall yew-trees danced minuets until the
Princess was weary and begged to be excused from looking at anything
more that night. But, in spite of Potentilla's efforts to behave
politely to the tiresome old Enchanter, whom she detested, he could
not help seeing that he failed to please her, and then he began to
suspect very strongly that she must love someone else, and that
somebody besides Melinette was responsible for all the festivities
he had witnessed. So after much consideration he devised a plan for
finding out the truth. He went to the Princess suddenly, and
announced that he was most unwillingly forced to leave her, and had
come to bid her farewell. Potentilla could scarcely hide her delight
when she heard this, and his back was hardly turned before she was
entreating Prince Narcissus to make himself visible once more. The
poor Prince had been getting quite thin with anxiety and annoyance,
and was only too delighted to comply with her request. They greeted
one another rapturously, and were just sitting down to talk over
everything cosily, and enjoy the Enchanter's discomfiture together,
when out he burst in a fury from behind a bush. With his huge club
he aimed a terrific blow at Narcissus, which must certainly have
killed him but for the adroitness of the Fairy Melinette, who
arrived upon the scene just in time to snatch him up and carry him
off at lightning speed to her castle in the air. Poor Potentilla,
however, had not the comfort of knowing this, for at the sight of
the Enchanter threatening her beloved Prince she had given one
shriek and fallen back insensible. When she recovered her senses she
was more than ever convinced that he was dead, since even Melinette
was no longer near her, and no one was left to defend her from the
odious old Enchanter.
To make matters worse, he seemed to be in a very bad temper, and
came blustering and raging at the poor Princess.
'I tell you what it is, madam,' said he: 'whether you love this
whipper-snapper Prince or not doesn't matter in the least. You are
going to marry me, so you may as well make up your mind to it; and I
am going away this very minute to make all the arrangements. But in
case you should get into mischief in my absence, I think I had
better put you to sleep.'
So saying, he waved his wand over her, and in spite of her utmost
efforts to keep awake she sank into a profound and dreamless
slumber.
As he wished to make what he considered a suitable entry into the
King's palace, he stepped outside the Princess's little domain, and
mounted upon an immense chariot with great solid wheels, and shafts
like the trunk of an oak-tree, but all of solid gold. This was drawn
with great difficulty by forty-eight strong oxen; and the Enchanter
reclined at his ease, leaning upon his huge club, and holding
carelessly upon his knee a tawny African lion, as if it had been a
little lapdog. It was about seven o'clock in the morning when this
extraordinary chariot reached the palace gates; the King was already
astir, and about to set off on a hunting expedition; as for the
Queen, she had only just gone off into her first sleep, and it would
have been a bold person indeed who ventured to wake her.
The King was greatly annoyed at having to stay and see a visitor at
such a time, and pulled off his hunting boots again with many
grimaces. Meantime the Enchanter was stumping about in the hall,
crying:
'Where is this King? Let him be told that I must see him and his
wife also.'
The King, who was listening at the top of the staircase, thought
this was not very polite; however, he took counsel with his
favourite huntsman, and, following his advice, presently went down
to see what was wanted of him. He was struck with astonishment at
the sight of the chariot, and was gazing at it, when the Enchanter
strode up to him, exclaiming:
'Shake hands, Cloverleaf, old fellow! Don't you know me?'
'No, I can't say I do,' replied the King, somewhat embarrassed.
'Why, I am Grumedan, the Enchanter,' said he, 'and I am come to make
your fortune. Let us come in and talk things over a bit.'
Thereupon he ordered the oxen to go about their business, and they
bounded off like stags, and were out of sight in a moment. Then,
with one blow of his club, he changed the massive chariot into a
perfect mountain of gold pieces.
'Those are for your lackeys,' said he to the King, 'that they may
drink my health.'
Naturally a great scramble ensued, and at last the laughter and
shouting awoke the Queen, who rang for her maids to ask the reason
of such an unwonted hurry-burly. When they said that a visitor was
asking for her, and then proceeded each one to tell breathlessly a
different tale of wonder, in which she could only distinguish the
words, 'oxen,' 'gold,' 'club,' 'giant,' 'lion,' she thought they
were all out of their minds. Meanwhile the King was asking the
Enchanter to what he was indebted for the honour of this visit, and
on his replying that he would not say until the Queen was also
present, messenger after messenger was dispatched to her to beg her
immediate attendance. But Frivola was in a very bad humour at having
been so unceremoniously awakened, and declared that she had a pain
in her little finger, and that nothing should induce her to come.
When the Enchanter heard this he insisted that she must come.
'Take my club to her Majesty,' said he, 'and tell her that if she
smells the end of it she will find it wonderfully reviving.'
So four of the King's strongest men-at-arms staggered off with it;
and after some persuasion the Queen consented to try this novel
remedy. She had hardly smelt it for an instant when she declared
herself to be perfectly restored; but whether that was due to the
scent of the wood or to the fact that as soon as she touched it out
fell a perfect shower of magnificent jewels, I leave you to decide.
At any rate, she was now all eagerness to see the mysterious
stranger, and hastily throwing on her royal mantle, popped her
second-best diamond crown over her night-cap, put a liberal dab of
rouge upon each cheek, and holding up her largest fan before her
nose--for she was not used to appearing in broad daylight--she went
mincing into the great hall. The Enchanter waited until the King and
Queen had seated themselves upon their throne, and then, taking his
place between them, he began solemnly:
'My name is Grumedan. I am an extremely well-connected Enchanter; my
power is immense. In spite of all this, the charms of your daughter
Potentilla have so fascinated me that I cannot live without her. She
fancies that she loves a certain contemptible puppy called
Narcissus; but I have made very short work with him. I really do not
care whether you consent to my marriage with your daughter or not,
but I am bound to ask your consent, on account of a certain meddling
Fairy called Melinette, with whom I have reason for wishing to keep
on good terms.'
The King and Queen were somewhat embarrassed to know what answer to
make to this terrible suitor, but at last they asked for time to
talk over the matter: since, they said, their subjects might think
that the heir to the throne should not be married with as little
consideration as a dairymaid.
'Oh! take a day or two if you like,' said the Enchanter; 'but in the
meantime, I am going to send for your daughter. Perhaps you will be
able to induce her to be reasonable.'
So saying, he drew out his favourite whistle, and blew one ear-
piercing note--whereupon the great lion, who had been dozing in the
sunny courtyard, come bounding in on his soft, heavy feet. 'Orion,'
said the Enchanter, 'go and fetch me the Princess, and bring her
here at once. Be gentle now!'
At these words Orion went off at a great pace, and was soon at the
other end of the King's gardens. Scattering the guards right and
left, he cleared the wall at a bound, and seizing the sleeping
Princess, he threw her on to his back, where he kept her by holding
her robe in his teeth. Then he trotted gently back, and in less than
five minutes stood in the great hall before the astonished King and
Queen.
The Enchanter held his club close to the Princess's charming little
nose, whereupon she woke up and shrieked with terror at finding
herself in a strange place with the detested Grumedan. Frivola, who
had stood by, stiff with displeasure at the sight of the lovely
Princess, now stepped forward, and with much pretended concern
proposed to carry off Potentilla to her own apartments that she
might enjoy the quiet she seemed to need. Really her one idea was to
let the Princess be seen by as few people as possible; so, throwing
a veil over her head, she led her away and locked her up securely.
All this time Prince Narcissus, gloomy and despairing, was kept a
prisoner by Melinette in her castle in the air, and in spite of all
the splendour by which he was surrounded, and all the pleasures
which he might have enjoyed, his one thought was to get back to
Potentilla. The Fairy, however, left him there, promising to do her
very best for him, and commanding all her swallows and butterflies
to wait upon him and do his bidding. One day, as he paced sadly to
and fro, he thought he heard a voice he knew calling to him, and
sure enough there was the faithful Philomel, Potentilla's favourite,
who told him all that had passed, and how the sleeping Princess had
been carried off by the Lion to the great grief of all her
four-footed and feathered subjects, and how, not knowing what to do,
he had wandered about until he heard the swallows telling one
another of the Prince who was in their airy castle and had come to
see if it could be Narcissus. The Prince was more distracted than
ever, and tried vainly to escape from the castle, by leaping from
the roof into the clouds; but every time they caught him, and
rolling softly up, brought him back to the place from which he
started, so at last he gave up the attempt and waited with desperate
patience for the return of Melinette. Meanwhile matters were
advancing rapidly in the court of King Cloverleaf, for the Queen
quite made up her mind that such a beauty as Potentilla must be got
out of the way as quickly as possible. So she sent for the Enchanter
secretly, and after making him promise that he would never turn
herself and King Cloverleaf out of their kingdom, and that he would
take Potentilla far away, so that never again might she set eyes
upon her, she arranged the wedding for the next day but one.
You may imagine how Potentilla lamented her sad fate, and entreated
to be spared. All the comfort she could get out of Frivola was, that
if she preferred a cup of poison to a rich husband she would
certainly provide her with one.
When, then, the fatal day came the unhappy Potentilla was led into
the great hall between the King and Queen, the latter wild with envy
at the murmurs of admiration which rose on all sides at the
loveliness of the Princess. An instant later in came Grumedan by the
opposite door. His hair stood on end, and he wore a huge bag- purse
and a cravat tied in a bow, his mantle was made of a shower of
silver coins with a lining of rose colour, and his delight in his
own appearance knew no bounds. That any Princess could prefer a cup
of poison to himself never for an instant occurred to him.
Nevertheless, that was what did happen, for when Queen Frivola in
jest held out the fatal cup to the Princess, she took it eagerly,
crying:
'Ah! beloved Narcissus, I come to thee!' and was just raising it to
her lips when the window of the great hall burst open, and the Fairy
Melinette floated in upon a glowing sunset cloud, followed by the
Prince himself:
All the court looked on in dazzled surprise, while Potentilla,
catching sight of her lover, dropped the cup and ran joyfully to
meet him.
The Enchanter's first thought was to defend himself when he saw
Melinette appear, but she slipped round his blind side, and catching
him by the eyelashes dragged him off to the ceiling of the hall,
where she held him kicking for a while just to give him a lesson,
and then touching him with her wand she imprisoned him for a
thousand years in a crystal ball which hung from the roof. 'Let this
teach you to mind what I tell you another time,' she remarked
severely. Then turning to the King and Queen, she begged them to
proceed with the wedding, since she had provided a much more
suitable bridegroom. She also deprived them of their kingdom, for
they had really shown themselves unfit to manage it, and bestowed it
upon the Prince and Princess, who, though they were unwilling to
take it, had no choice but to obey the Fairy. However, they took
care that the King and Queen were always supplied with everything
they could wish for.
Prince Narcissus and Princess Potentilla lived long and happily,
beloved by all their subjects. As for the Enchanter, I don't believe
he has been let out yet.
Prince Narcissus and the
Princess Potentilla
from the Green Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
