“Oh, as you are going that far you must give me time, and if a few months do not prove my words true, you may cut the head off me.”
The princess was then taken to the top of the king’s castle, where no one could see her but her maid. There she remained till she gave birth to a son with a golden spot on his poll, and a silver spot on his forehead. He was so beautiful that if sunshine and breeze ever rested on a child, they would rest on him; and what of him did not grow in the day grew at night. He grew so quickly that soon he was as large as the king’s sons, his uncles, and rose out to be a great champion.
One day when the two sons of the king were hunting, there was snow on the ground, and they killed a hare. Some of the hare’s blood fell on the snow, and they said that that was a beautiful meeting of colors. They were wondering could any woman be found with such colors on her face, white shining through the red. When they came home in the evening, they asked the old druid could a woman of that sort be found. He answered that if she could itself, little good would it do them; they could find wives good enough for them near home. They said that that was no matter, but to tell them where was the woman they had asked for.
“That woman,” said the druid, “is the daughter of the King of the kingdom of the White Strand. Hundreds of champions have lost their heads for her; and if you go, you will lose your heads too.”
The elder son said, “We do not mind that; we will go.”
The brothers had no vessel to take them to the kingdom of the White Strand; and the elder said he would build one. He took tools one morning, and started for the seashore. When just outside the castle, he heard a voice, asking, “Where are you going, king’s son?”
“I am going to make a turkey-pen,” answered the young man. “May you prosper in justice and truth,” said the voice.
The king’s son began to build the ship that day; and in the evening what had he built but a turkey-pen? When he came home, they asked what had he made.
“Nothing; I made only a turkey-pen.”