The king in his indignation would have had the master executed, if the boy had not begged for mercy on the culprit. Niels received a handsome reward from the king, and from that day all the work from the palace was intrusted to him. He took his old father to reside with him, and lived in competence and happiness till his death.
When the Swedish Troll had gone back to his place after telling with much self-satisfaction how one of his fellows had befriended the poor apprentice, a Norwegian fairy came forward to tell how three of her companions had similarly served a young princess, and she named her story
The three little Crones, each with Something big
There was once a king’s son and a king’s daughter who dearly loved each other. The young princess was good and fair, and well spoken of by all, but her disposition was more inclined to pleasure and dissipation than to handiworks and domestic occupations. To the old queen this appeared very wrong, and she said she would have no one for a daughter-in-law that was not as skilled in such matters as she herself had been in her youth. She therefore opposed the prince’s marriage in all sorts of ways.
As the queen would not recall her words, the prince went to her and said, it would be well to make a trial whether the princess were not as skilful as the queen herself. This seemed to every one a very rash proposal, seeing that the prince’s mother was a very diligent, laborious person, and span and sewed and wove both night and day, so that no one ever saw her like. The prince, however, carried his point; the fair princess was sent into the maiden’s bower, and the queen sent her a pound of flax to spin. But the flax was to be spun ere dawn of day, otherwise the damsel was never more to think of the prince for a husband.
When left alone the princess found herself very ill at ease; for she well knew that she could not spin the queen’s flax, and yet trembled at the thought of losing the prince, who was so dear to her. She therefore wandered about the apartment and wept, incessantly wept. At this moment the door was opened very softly, and there stepped in a little, little woman of singular appearance and yet more singular manners. The little woman had enormously large feet, at which every one who saw her must be wonderstruck. She greeted the princess with: “Peace be with you!” “And peace with you!” answered the princess. The old woman then asked: “Why is the fair damsel so sorrowful to-night?” The princess answered: “I may well be sorrowful. The queen has commanded me to spin a pound of flax: if I have not completed it before dawn, I lose the young prince whom I love so dearly.” The old woman then said: “Be of good cheer, fair maiden; if there is nothing else, I can help you; but then you must grant me a request which I will name.” At these words the princess was overjoyed, and asked what it was the old woman desired. “I am called,” she said, “Mother Bigfoot; and I require for my aid no other reward than to be present at your wedding. I have not been at a wedding since the queen your mother-in-law stood as bride.” The princess readily granted her desire, and they parted. The princess then lay down to sleep, but could not close her eyes the whole livelong night.
Early in the morning, before dawn, the door was opened, and the little woman again entered. She approached the king’s daughter and handed to her a bundle of yarn, as white as snow and as fine as a cobweb, saying, “See! such beautiful yarn I have not spun since I span for the queen, when she was about to be married; but that was long, long ago.” Having so spoken the little woman disappeared, and the princess fell into a refreshing slumber, but she had not slept long when she was awakened by the old queen, who was standing by her bed, and who asked her whether the flax were all spun. The princess said that it was, and handed the yarn to her. The queen must needs appear content, but the princess could not refrain from observing that her apparent satisfaction did not proceed from good-will.