The Prince having gone flying by the power of the horse, went to the house of an old mother, who having strung [chaplets or garlands of] flowers gives them at the palace of yet [another] King. While here, having hidden the Wax Horse somewhere, when staying at the flower-mother’s house he asked the flower-mother [about] the whole of the circumstances of the royal house, and got to know them.
Ascertaining them in this way, and after a little time getting to know the chamber, etc., on the floor of the upper story in which the King’s daughter stays, he went during the night time by the Wax Horse to a room in which is the beautiful Princess; and for even several days, without concealing himself having eaten and drunk the food and drink, etc., that had been brought for the Princess, he went away [before she awoke]. And the Princess, perceiving that after she got to sleep some one or other had come to the chamber and gone, on the following day not having slept, remained looking out, it is said.
At that time the Prince having come, when he is partaking of the food and drink, etc., the Princess, taking a sword in one hand and seizing the Prince with one hand, asked, “Who art thou?”[2]
The Prince having informed her that he was a person belonging to a royal family, and while conversing with her having become friendly, he, making a contract to marry her also, began to come during the following days after that.
Well then, there was a custom of weighing this Princess in the morning on all days.[3] During the days after the Prince became [accustomed] to come, the Princess’s weight having by degrees gone on increasing, the King, ascertaining that she was pregnant, and having thought that there will be a friendship of the Minister with the Princess, settled to kill the Minister.
And during the time when the Minister was becoming very sorrowful, when the other daughters of the King having come asked the Minister, “Why are you in much grief?” he gave them information of the whole of the circumstances. The Princesses having assembled together, in order to save the Minister contrived a stratagem thus, that is, having thought that without a fault of the Minister’s indeed, some one or other, a person from outside, by some stratagem or other will be coming near the Princess, they put poison in the bathing scented-water boat, and placed guards at the pool which is at the royal palace gateway.
The Prince having come, when he bathed in the scented water prior to going to the Princess’s chamber the poison burned him, and having gone running, when he sprang into the pool the guards seized him. Having gone [after] causing this Prince to be seized, when they gave the explanation of the affair to the King he freed the Minister, and ordered the Prince to be killed.
At the time when the executioners were taking the Prince, having said “A thing of mine is [there]; I will take it and give it to you,” he climbed a tree, and taking the Wax Horse which at first he had placed and hidden there among the leaves, he flew away.[4] Having gone thus a little far, and stopped, during the night time he came again to the royal palace; and calling the Princess, while they were going [on the flying horse] by the middle of a great forest wilderness, when pain in the body was felt by the Princess they alighted on the ground. Having caused her to halt [there] he went to a village near by, in order to bring medicine and other materials that she needed for it; and having set the Wax Horse near a shop and gone to yet [another] shop, when coming he saw that there having been a fire near the shop the Wax Horse having been melted had gone. After the Wax Horse was lost this Prince was unable to go to the place where the Princess stayed.
And the Princess while in the midst of the forest having borne a son, said, “I don’t want even the son of the base Prince”; and having put the child down she went into the neighbourhood of villages. During the time when this Princess’s father went into the midst of the forest for hunting he met with this child, and having brought it to the royal house he reared it.
The Princess who was this child’s mother, having joined a company of girls,[5] during the time while she was dwelling [there] this boy whom [the King] reared having arrived at maturity went and sought a marriage; and having seen his own mother formed the design to marry her. Having thought thus, when on even three days he set off to go for the marriage contract there having been an unlucky omen while on the road, on even three days having turned he came back.