"Out into the courtyard!" cried the King; "a castle is no chicken house," and the little prince found himself unceremoniously thrown under the big pine tree.
"Have pity!" cried the little princess. "Is there no pity for a little orphan princess?"
"Enough," answered the King, with a stamp of his foot. "Go to your room, else you may find yourself also changed into a bird, or a tree, or a pretty butterfly."
So the unhappy little princess went up the stairs, crying bitterly, to her own chamber. Closing the door, she leaned out of the window and sobbed as if her heart would break.
For a moment she did not notice that the topmost branch of the pine tree was close to her casement. In fact, she would not have noticed it for some time probably, as her face was buried in her hands, had not the branch brushed against her fingers.
As she withdrew her hands from her face she heard the giant's voice, very much subdued, speaking to her.
"Ned says not to despair, for he feels sure that his little friend, the bluebird, will yet find a way to liberate us all."