Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/95

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a distant kingdom, near the World's End, lived a king and queen who had an only son, named Prince Nekita. When this prince had arrived at the age of fourteen, he went to "look up" a favourite groom of his. Now this groom had been in the habit of always telling Prince Nekita (when quite a child) some very pretty fairy tales, which the young prince had greatly enjoyed, but since the prince had come into his "teens," he had had other things to do, and had not had time to listen to these stories; but on this particular day it so happened that he had a half-holiday, and thought it would be rather a good idea to go and spend it in the stables. Away he went, and this is what the groom had to say:—

"I have something far more important than a fairy tale to tell you to-day, Prince Nekita," said the groom gravely, "and am right glad that you have come to me, for you are in great danger. Listen—the queen, your mother, will soon have a daughter, but by no means a good one; the child will grow into a dreadful old witch, and will kill your father and mother and all the grand people at court, and if you stay in the palace, she will kill you, too; so if you