Hardly had the first note pealed forth from the bells when everything breathed and lived—the men, the beasts, everything, in short, which had been turned to stone. Then all the people broke out into the cry, “God save our Liberator, now and evermore!”
The first thing was to celebrate a magnificent wedding, when the pop united the pair forever in the presence of the whole assembled people. Every one rejoiced, eating and drinking as if they never meant to leave off.
The young couple lived for several years in joy and happiness, until at last the King was overcome with an ardent longing to see his dear mother. He confided this wish to his wife, whereupon she led him into the royal stables and presented him with four horses, saying:
“Here, I give you these four horses. You must know that they are Vilas, and they will take you to your home, for you have no idea how far away it is. But if any one there asks you where you have been and what you have been doing all this time, beware of telling them the truth, for if you relate your adventures the Vilas will vanish, and you will never be able to come back to me again.”
He promised her everything that she asked and set out for home. When he arrived he found his dear mother no longer living. His heart was wrung with sorrow, for there he stood alone in the world, brotherless, sisterless, without a single relative.
The people questioned him incessantly, until at last in a moment of weakness he yielded to their importunities and told them his story. But the words had hardly passed his lips when the horses vanished. He was inconsolable for their loss, for he loved his wife more than his own soul.
He therefore determined to seek her out, even if it cost him his head. So he travelled on and on and on until he came to the Moon. There was no one at home but the Moon-mother, for the Moon had just gone out. When the Moon-mother saw the young man she was full of pity for him, and said:
“Do you not know, unhappy one, that my son will tear you in pieces as soon as he gets home? But come, I will hide you!” And she hid him in a chest.
When at last the Moon came home, tired and cross, he called out in a thundering voice, “Woman, there is a Christian soul staying here! Out with him!”
His mother besought her son to spare the young man’s life, and finally she succeeded in mollifying him.