| Share page |
|
20 |
FAIRY TELL TRUE. |
||
|
plain ; however, the king loved her too well to believe a word of evil against her.
In another year the queen had a second son born, and again the good fairy appeared to her and said, in If thou wilt now confess that thou hast opened the forbidden door, I will restore to thee thy child and set thy tongue at liberty, but if thou will persist in thy denial, thou shalt still remain dumb, and I will take away from thee thy second baby also." But the queen again replied, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." Then the fairy took up the second child and carried it away to her palace in the clouds. The next morning when the second child also was missing, the people were loud in their complaints against the queen; they even said that they believed she was an ogress, and had eaten it. The king's counsellors also demanded that she should be brought to justice. But the king's love for her was so great that he believed nothing, and even threatened the counsellors, who, at the peril of their lives, did not dare to say a word against her.
But in the third year a little baby girl was born to the queen, and the good fairy came a third time and said to her, " Follow me." Then she took her by the hand and carried her to the palace in the clouds. She led her in and showed her two beautiful boys, who were laughing and playing beyond the stars in the glorious sunlight. Great was the queen's joy at seeing her children, and the good fairy said to her, " Is thy heart not yet softened ? Even now, if thou wilt confess that thou hast opened the forbidden door, I will restore to thee both thy two little sons."
But the queen answered for the third time,—
" No, I did not open the forbidden door."
Then the good fairy allowed her to sink down again to earth, and took away from her the new-born daughter.
When the people discovered the next morning that the third child was missing, they became very angry, and said, "Our queen is really an ogress, she has eaten her children, she must be condemned to die." This time the king could not silence his counsellors. The queen was brought before the tribunal, and as she would not answer nor defend herself, she was condemned to be burnt alive. The funeral pile was formed, and she was fastened to the stake, but when the flames began to spread around, her pride was melted from her heart, and she repented; the thought |
|||