"May God bless you, good old man."
"And you, too, my handsome young traveler. Where are you going?"
"To Dède-Vsévède's palace in search of three of his golden hairs."
"Ah, you are the very messenger I have so long waited for. Allow me to take you to my master the King."
On their arrival at the palace, the King said, "I hear you are an ambassador to Dède-Vsévède. We have here a well, the water of which renews itself. So wonderful are its effects that invalids are immediately cured on drinking it, while a few drops sprinkled on a corpse will bring it to life again. For the past twenty years this well has remained dry: if you will ask old Dède-Vsévède how the flow of water may be restored I will reward you royally."
Plavacek promised to do so, and was dismissed with good wishes. He then traveled through deep dark forests, in the midst of which might be seen a large meadow: out of it grew lovely flowers, and in the center stood a castle built of gold. It was the home of Dède-Vsévède. So brilliant with light was it that it seemed to be built of fire. When he entered there was no one there but an old woman spinning.
"Greeting, Plavacek, I am well pleased to see you."
She was his godmother, who had given him shelter in her cottage when he was the bearer of the King's letter.
"Tell me what brings you here from such a distance," she went on.