Well, they fought long and fiercely, but the King was not able to overcome the dwarf because he was protected by two enormous giants, who stood one on each side of him.
Suddenly the Desert Fairy stepped forward, and on her head was a wreath of big, curling snakes. Raising her lance, she struck the Princess such a blow that All-fair sank fainting into her mother's arms.
"Revenge!" shouted the King of the Golden Mines, and he rushed to the aid of his love, as a brave man would, of course.
But, alas! he was too late, for the dwarf had torn her from her mother's arms, lifted her on to his Spanish cat, and the next minute they were flying through the air beyond his reach.
The poor King was so surprised that all he could do was to gaze up toward the clouds and wonder what would happen next. Suddenly a mist gathered before his eyes, and he felt himself being carried up into the air also.
Now you must know that the ugly old Desert Fairy had fallen madly in love with the King of the Golden Mines, and she had made up her mind that he should never marry All-fair; so she carried him off to secure him for herself.
Up into the air they went until they reached a gloomy cave. Then the fairy set him down, and restored his sight by means of her magic arts.
"He is sure to fall in love with me," she cried to herself, "now that All-fair is safely out of the way!"
But it was not a bit of use, for she was so ugly that the King only looked the other way the whole time, and this made her very angry indeed.
So the fairy tried another plan. She took the form of a beautiful maiden, and placed the King in a splendid chariot, drawn by two snow-white swans.