Page:Segnius Irritant or Eight Primitive Folk-lore Stories.pdf/25

 castle grew green like the periwinkle, on the meadows were plenty of parti-colored flowers; high in air the skylark twittered, and in the rapid river shoals of tiny little fish careered along. Everywhere was life and merriment.

Meanwhile many nobles gathered together to the room where the king’s son was, and they all thanked him for their liberation. But he said: “Me you ought not to thank; if it had not been for my trusty servants, Long, Broad, and Sharp-Eyes, I should have been in the same state you were in yourselves.” And immediately after this he set off on his way home to his father, the old king, he and his bride and his servants, Long and Sharp-Eyes, and all those nobles escorted him. On their way they met Broad and took him with them, too.

The old king wept with joy that his son’s affairs had turned out so prosperously; he thought that he was fated never to return. Soon after this there was a noisy wedding. All the nobles whom the king’s son had set free were invited. When the wedding was over, Long, Broad, and Sharp-Eyes announced to the young king that they were going again into the world to look for work. The young king begged and prayed them to remain at his palace. I will give you everything you may stand in need of till the day of your death.” But to them such a lazy kind of existence was distasteful; they took leave of him and went in spite of everything, and ever since have been tramping it somewhere in the world.