The prince had learned many things on his journey, and among the lessons he had learned was this one: “Always rescue a fair maiden in distress.” He immediately asked what he could do to rescue the beautiful captive princess.
“You can never succeed in rescuing me, I fear,” replied the princess. “At the door of this palace there is a giant on guard who never sleeps.”
“Never mind,” replied the prince. “I’ll put him to sleep.”
Just at that moment the giant himself strode into the dungeon. He had heard voices there. “Sing, my little bird, sing,” commanded the prince to his singing bird.
At the first burst of melody the giant went to sleep there in the dungeon, though he had never before taken a wink of sleep in all his life.
“This beetle of mine has gnawed an entrance through the great wall which surrounds the land of the giants,” said the prince to the captive princess. “To escape we’ll not have to climb the high wall.”
“What of the guard who stands on top of the wall with his head reaching up to the clouds?” asked the princess. “Will he not spy us?”
“My singing bird has put him to sleep, too,” replied the prince. “If we hurry out he will not yet be awake.”
“I have been confined here in this dungeon so long that I fear I have forgotten how to walk,” said the princess.
“Never mind,” replied the prince. “My butterfly will bear you upon his wings.”