This they did. The same moment, however, True Steel heard of it, and shouted from afar, ‘Stop, prince! You cannot run away!’ And then the king’s son, seeing True Steel so near him, quickly took out a flint and tinder-box, struck some sparks, and burned all three feathers. Whilst he was doing this, however, True Steel reached him, and, with his sword, cut the prince in two parts. That moment came the King of Dragons, rushing with his whole army of dragons, the King of Falcons, with all his falcons, and the King of Eagles, with his mighty host of eagles, and they all attacked True Steel. Torrents of blood were shed, but after all True Steel caught up the woman and fled away.
Then the three kings gave all their attention to their brother-in-law, and determined to bring him back to life. Thereupon they asked three of the most active dragons which of them could bring them, in the shortest time, some water from the river Jordan.
One said, ‘I could bring it in half an hour.’ The second said, ‘I can go and return in ten minutes.’ The third dragon said, ‘I can bring it in nine seconds.’ Then the three kings said to the last one, ‘Go, dragon; and make haste!’ Then this dragon exhibited all his fiery might, and in nine seconds, as he had promised, he came back with water from the Jordan.
The kings took the water and poured it on the places where the prince was wounded, and, as they did so, the wound closed up, the body joined together, and the king’s son sprang up alive.
Then the three kings counselled him: ‘Now that you are saved from death, go home!’ But the prince answered, he would at all events yet once more try to get his wife back. The kings, his brothers-in-law, again spoke, ‘Do not try again! Indeed, you will be lost if you go, for now you have only one life which God gave you!’
The king’s son, however, would not listen to their advice. So the kings told him, ‘Well then, if you are still determined to go, at least do not take your wife away immediately, but tell her to ask True Steel where his strength lies, and then come and tell us, in order that we may help you to conquer him!’
So the prince went secretly and saw his wife, and told her how she could persuade True Steel to tell her where his strength was. He then left her and went away.
When True Steel came home, the wife of the king’s son asked him, ‘Tell me, now, where is your great strength?’ He answered, ‘My wife, my strength is in my sword!’ Then she began to pray, and turned to his sword. When True Steel saw that, he burst out laughing, and said, ‘O foolish woman! my strength is not in my sword, but in my bow and arrows!’ Then she turned towards the bow and arrows and prayed.
Then True Steel said, ‘I see, my wife, you have a clever teacher who has taught you to find out where my strength lies! I could almost say that your husband is living, and it is he who teaches you!’
But she assured him that no one taught her, for she had no longer any one to do so.