She demanded her return, which her fairy Majesty granted, but threatened her with destruction, should she ever reveal to mortal what she had seen.
Princess Ilse returned to the friendly light of day and rejoiced in the fidelity of her lover.
But he threatened her with the loss of his love if she did not tell him where she had been so long a time, and what she had seen.
The two lovers seated themselves on the soft moss. Ilse laid her lovely head upon Ralf's breast, and gazed up into his face with her wonderful and faithful eyes; Ralf laid his hand upon her shoulder, and beautiful Ilse began her tale.
With caresses she betrayed the secrets entrusted to her, and described the magnificence of the Fairy Queen.
The new moon rose and the stars appeared one after another in the dark-blue heavens; fair Ilse chatted on, related the legends of the Harz—of the giants and dwarfs.
Ralf listened at first in silent astonishment, and hung enraptured on the tales from her beautiful lips, then he began to dream and fancy, and at last fell asleep.
In the grey of the morning, as he awoke, he heard still the murmuring tones of the Princess, and as he turned to salute the princely maiden, he saw, instead of Ilse, a crystal-clear bubbling spring illuminated with the dawn.
The water sprang gaily out of the soft moss, and murmured ever in a thousand leaps and tiny waterfalls over the moss-grown rocks adown the vale.
Deepest despair seized Ralf's spirit; he knew now what he had done, and what had become of Ilse through her betrayed secret, a clear pure stream doomed for ever to ripple and murmur through the mountains.