Yellow Lily, as usual, brought something to eat, and after they had eaten, she, for the first time, turned upon the prince a sorrowful face.
"I am sorry father gave you this task to do; but we must submit to what cannot be helped," she said. "Alas! dear prince, you must kill me."
"Kill you!" he cried in horror. "Never! I would rather lose my head a thousand times."
"But, if you are careful, I shall come to life again," persisted the girl. "My fairy godmother will care for me. You will find it easy to strip off my flesh, for you have only to say, 'Yellow Lily of Loch Lein.' Say it again and my bones will all separate. You will find that my bones will stick to this tree like little steps. On the ladder of bones you can climb to the top of the tree. Get the egg and climb down carefully, each time pulling one of my bones from the tree until you have reached the earth. Then pile the bones in a heap upon my flesh and say, 'Come back, Yellow Lily of Loch Lein,' and lo! I will be myself again. But be careful—be careful not to leave one of my bones on the tree."
For a long time the prince refused to obey her request until Yellow Lily grew vexed and said:
"Then I will tell father that I have been helping you, and he will kill us both. Make haste, for the time is short."
"Yellow Lily of Loch Lein!" shouted the prince, without looking at her. "Yellow Lily of Loch Lein!" he shouted again.
Then he looked down and saw at his feet a stack of little white bones. He gathered them up and, climbing slowly, made a little ladder by sticking them against the tree. He soon reached the crow's nest, found the egg, placed it in his pocket, and climbed down again, plucking the bones from the tree as he went. Then he piled them upon the flesh and garments of the girl and, with tears in his eyes, shouted:
"Come back, Yellow Lily of Loch Lein."
And immediately Yellow Lily stood before him, but no longer smiling.