Here our Miklos, in the midst of bitter tear-shedding, took farewell of his dear brothers. They held on their way homeward, and arrived there in health. Great was the rejoicing in the kingdom that the poor man’s sons, as their father had bequeathed them on his death-bed, brought home the bright moon and the shining sun. Therefore the king assembled all that were in his dominions of dukes, counts, barons, lords, lord’s sons, chosen gypsies, and broad-brimmed, country-dressed Slovaks; of these he sought council and asked, “What do brothers deserve who have brought home the bright moon and the shining sun?”
To this question then they answered, “Our high lord, the one who has brought back the steed of the sun, and on it the bright shining sun, deserves to be king of the country, and he who has brought home the steed of the bright moon, and on it the fair moon, to be viceroy; and each one of them should receive as wife a daughter of thy Highness.”
So it was done. The poor man’s eldest son became king, and the second son viceroy; and each one of them got a maiden princess as wife. Then they let out the steed of the bright moon and the steed of the shining sun on the highway of the heavens, but both the moon and the sun shone sadly. For this reason they shone sadly: that he was without merited reward who had really freed them from the dragons, for Kiss Miklos was now in never-ending slavery to the Lead Friend.
Once the Lead Friend called Miklos and found this to tell him: “Well, Miklos, if thou wilt bring me the Green Daughter of the Green King, I will let thee go free, and I will strike from thee the three-hundred-pound ring and the twelve-hundred-pound chain. Therefore, good friend Miklos, I advise thee to start in the morning with the bright shining sun, and bring to me my heart’s desire.”
Now our Miklos moved on the road again, and a long one too; whether there will be an end to it, only the good God knows. And as he travelled and journeyed across forty-nine kingdoms, and beyond that, and still farther, at the foot of a great mountain was a little hill, and as a shot arrow, as the swiftest whirlwind, ran towards him a man who was always crying, “Out of my way! out of my way!” This was Swift Runner, who stood still in a moment, like a pillar, before Miklos, and asked, “Whither, whither, Kiss Miklos? for in my world-beautiful life I have ever heard thy fame.”
“Haho! Swift Runner, better thou hadst not asked. I am going for the Green Daughter of the Green King. Hast thou ever heard of her?”
“I have not heard. I speak not of that, but of this: take me with thee, for thou wilt get good of me somewhere.”
“Well, come on thy own legs, if it please thee.”
They travelled and journeyed after that, two of them, till they came to the sea-shore, and saw a man who was drinking the sea to the last drop, just as I would drink a cup of water; and then he cried out unceasingly: “Oh, I’m thirsty! Oh, I’m thirsty!” This was Great Drinker who, when he saw Miklos, went to him and said: “God’s good-day, famous Kiss Miklos; for in my world-beautiful life I have ever heard thy fame.”
“God keep thee, Great Drinker!”