The blacksmith pointed, and then burst into tears again. Sep rode on.
When he got to the palace he asked to see the King. Every one there was crying too, from the footman who opened the door to the King, who was sitting upon his golden throne and looking at his fine collection of butterflies through floods of tears.
‘Oh dear me yes, young man,’ said the King, ‘you may see her and welcome, but it’s no good.’
‘We can but try,’ said Sep. So he was taken to the room where the Princess sat huddled up on her silver throne among the white velvet cushions with her crown all on one side, crying out of her poor blind eyes, so that the tears ran down over her green gown with the red roses on it.
And directly he saw her he knew that she was the only girl, Princess as she was, with a crown and a throne, who could ever be his heart’s lady. He went up to her and kneeled at her side and took her hand and kissed it. The Princess started. She could not see or [p137 hear him, but at the touch of his hand and his lips she knew that he was her heart’s lord, and she threw her arms round his neck, and cried more than ever.
He held her in his arms and stroked her hair till she stopped crying, and then he called for bread and milk. This was brought in a silver basin, and he fed her with it as you feed a little child.
The news ran through the city, ‘The Princess has eaten,’ and all the bells were set ringing. Sep said good-night to his Princess and went to bed in the best bedroom of the palace. Early in the grey morning he got up and leaned out of the open window and called to his old friend the wind.
And the wind came bustling in and clapped him on the back, crying, ‘Well, my boy, and what can I do for you? Eh?’
Sep told him all about the Princess.
‘Well,’ said the wind, ‘you’ve not done so badly. At any rate you’ve got her love. And you couldn’t have got that with anybody’s help but your own. Now, of course, the thing to do is to find the wicked Magician.’