Two boys, handsome princes with golden hair and a golden star on their foreheads, so exactly alike that no one who saw them could help knowing that they were twin brothers.
The children grew very rapidly. Every day enough for a year, and every night enough for another year, but in the dawn of morning when the stars paled in the sky, enough for three years in a single moment. Besides, they grew as no other children ever had grown, three times as fast in age, strength, and wisdom. When three days and nights had passed, they were twelve years in age, twenty-four in strength, and thirty-six in wisdom.
"Now let us go to our father," said one of the princes to the fisherman.
The fisherman dressed the lads in beautiful clothing, and made each a lambskin cap, which the boys drew low over their faces, that no one might see their golden hair and the golden star on their foreheads, and then took the princes to the imperial palace.
It was broad daylight when they arrived.
"We want to speak to the emperor," said one of the princes to the guard, who stood armed at the door of the palace.
"That can't be done, he's at table," replied the soldier.
"Just because he is at table," said the second prince, passing through the door.
The guards ran up and tried to drive the boys out of the court-yard, but the boys slipped through their fingers like quicksilver. Three paces forward, three up, and they were standing before the great hall, where the emperor was dining with all his court.
"We want to come in," said one of the princes sharply, to the servants who stood at the door.