"Indeed I was," replied the King of the Golden Mines. "The maiden you saw was the wicked Desert Fairy. She carried me off to an island, and there I should be now, if a kind mermaid had not set me free."
Then the King cast himself at her feet; but, unfortunately, he managed to drop the magic sword over the balcony.
Out popped the ugly Yellow Dwarf from behind a big cabbage, where he was hiding, and he snapped up the sword in a trice.
The Princess gave a loud shriek when she set eyes on the dwarf, but the little man, who knew well what a treasure the sword was, just uttered two magic words, with the weapon in his hand, and there appeared two terrible giants, who at once bound the King in chains in spite of his struggles.
"Now," chuckled the Yellow Dwarf, "your lover is in my power. If he will consent to your becoming my bride, I will set him free at once."
"Never!" cried the King of the Golden Mines.
"Then take that," replied the Yellow Dwarf, and he buried the magic sword in the heart of the King.
The poor Princess was filled with sorrow at the loss of her lover, and she cried loudly:
"Hideous dwarf, you have gained nothing by slaying my lover, for I will never marry you. Since he is dead, I will die too."
Then she seized the sword and plunged it into her own heart.