Tears flowed down Lavender’s face; she wept softly, but through her tears she answered:
“Go away, Fairy, and do not come back again, because you will not get the Girdle.”
When Relya saw and heard this, his princely blood, his noble blood, was roused within him, but to a good purpose.
He was filled with pity for these two poor orphans in the midst of the grisly Mount Kitesh, defending themselves all alone against monsters and temptations, death and destruction. “Great Heavens!” thought he, “the princess trusted in her armed warriors and her strongholds to defend her lands, and the lands were lost; but these babes are left alone in the world, they have fallen among Fairies and Dragons, yet neither Fairies nor Dragons can rob them of what their mother gave them.” All Relya’s face changed as his heart went out with pity to the children. Thus changed, he turned towards the Votaress.
The Votaress looked at Relya. Why did he raise his sword? Was it to cut down those insolent children? No; Relya raised the sword aloft and threatened the wicked Fairy with it.
“Fairy, avaunt! as if you had never been! If you had not been my guide across the Mountain, I would strike your fair head from off your shoulders. I was not born a prince, nor did I forge this mighty sword that I might roam the world a spoiler of the fatherless!”
The poor Votaress was quite frightened. She started, and then fled to the hills. And Relya shouted after her:
“Go, Fairy! call your fairies and monsters! Prince Relya does not fear them!”
When the Fairy had run off to the hills, Relya crossed the furrow and went towards the children on the island.
How happy was Lavender when she saw a human being coming towards them and looking at them kindly! She sprang to her feet and stretched out both her arms, as a captive bird spreads its wings when you open your hand and let it go free.