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THE BLUE BIRD. |
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Fiordelisa's father, fell ill and died, and all the people rebelled against the queen and Turritella and came in a body to the palace demanding Fiordelisa.
The queen came out upon the balcony with threats and haughty words, so that at last they lost their patience and broke open the doors of the palace, one of which fell back upon the queen and killed her. Turritella fled to the fairy Mazilla, and all the nobles of the kingdom fetched the Princess Fiordelisa from her prison in the tower and made her queen. Very soon, with all the care and attention they bestowed upon her, she recovered from the effects of her long captivity and looked more beautiful than ever, and was able to take counsel with her courtiers and arrange for the governing of her kingdom during her absence. And then, taking a bagful of jewels, she set out all alone to look for the blue bird, without telling any one where she was going.
Meanwhile the enchanter was taking care of King Charming, but as his power was not great enough to counteract the fairy Mazilla's, he at last resolved to go and see if he could make any kind of terms with her for his friend; for you see fairies and enchanters are cousins in a sort of way, after all; and after knowing one another for five or six hundred years, and falling out and making it up again pretty often, they understand one another well enough. So the fairy Mazilla received him graciously.
"And what may you be wanting, gossip?" said she.
"You can do a good turn for me if you will," he answered. "A king, who is a friend of mine, was unlucky enough to offend you-----"
"Aha! I know who you mean," interrupted the fairy. "I am sorry not to oblige you, gossip, but he need expect no mercy from me unless he will marry my goddaughter, whom you see yonder looking so pretty and charming. Let him think over what I say."
The enchanter hadn't a word to say, for he thought Turritella really frightful, but he could not go away without making one more effort for his friend the king, who was really in great danger as long as he lived in a cage. Indeed, already he had met with several alarming accidents. Once the nail on which his cage was hung had given way, and his feathered majesty had suffered much from the fall, while Madam Puss, who happened to be in |
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