When evening came, the prince mounted the mare again and rode to the field, the foal following its mother. He determined again to remain in the saddle and to keep watch, but, toward midnight, he was again overcome by drowsiness and became unconscious. When he awoke next morning, lo! he was seated on a tree-trunk holding fast the bridle. This alarmed him greatly, and he looked here and he looked there. But search as he would, he could find no trace of the mare and her foal. Then he remembered his friend the fox, and taking the hair from the fox’s tail out of his handkerchief, he rubbed it gently between his fingers, and the fox instantly stood before him. “What is the matter, my brother-in-God?” said he. The prince complained of his misfortune, saying that he had hopelessly lost his mare. The fox soon reassured him: “The mare is with us, changed to a fox, and her foal into a cub; just strike once with the bridle on the earth, and shout out ‘Doora, the old woman’s mare!’” He did so, and sure enough the mare at once appeared before him with the foal. So he bridled her and mounted, and when he reached home the old woman gave him food, and took the mare to the stable and beat her with a poker, saying: “Why did you not turn into a fox, you disobedient creature?” And the mare protested: “I did turn into a fox; but the foxes are his friends, so they betrayed me!” At this the old woman commanded: “Next time you go to the wolves!”
When evening came the prince set out on the mare and the same things befell as before. He found himself, the next morning, sitting on a tree-trunk, and this time he called the wolf, who said: “The mare of the old woman is with us in the likeness of a she-wolf, and the foal of a wolf’s cub; strike the ground once with the bridle and exclaim: ‘Doora! the mare of the old woman!’” The prince did as the wolf counselled, and the mare reappeared with her foal standing behind her.
He mounted once again and proceeded to the old woman’s house, where, on his arrival, he found her preparing a meal. Having set food before him, she took the mare to the stable and beat her with a poker. “Did I not tell you to go to the wolves, you wretched creature?” she scolded. But the mare protested again, saying: “I did go to the wolves, but they are also his friends and they betrayed me!” Then the old woman went back to the house and the prince said to her: “Well, grandmother, I think I have served you honestly; now I hope you will give me what you promised me!” The old woman replied: “O my son, verily a promise must be fulfilled! Come to the stable; there are twelve horses; you are at liberty to choose whichever you like best!”
The Prince’s Choice
Thereupon the prince said firmly: “Well, why should I be particular? Give me the leprous horse, standing in that corner.” The old woman tried by all means in her power to deter him from taking that ugly horse, saying: “Why be so foolish as to take that leprous jade when you can have a fine horse?” But the prince kept to his choice, and said: “Give me rather the one I selected, as it was agreed between us!”
The old woman, seeing that he would not yield, gave way, and the prince took leave of her and led away his choice. When they came to a forest he curried and groomed the horse, and it shone as if its skin were of pure gold. Then he mounted, and, the horse flying like a bird, they reached the dragon-king’s castle in a few seconds.
The prince immediately entered and greeted the queen with: “Hasten, all is ready for our flight!” The queen was ready, and in a few seconds they were speeding away, swift as the wind, on the back of the wonderful horse.
Shortly after they had gone, the dragon-king came home, and finding that the queen had again disappeared, he addressed the following words to his horse: “What shall we do now? Shall we refresh ourselves, or shall we go after the fugitives at once?” And his horse replied: “We may do as you will, but we shall never reach them!”
Upon hearing this the dragon-king at once flung himself upon his horse and they were gone in a flash. After a time the prince looked behind him and saw the dragon-king in the distance. He urged his horse, but it said: “Be not afraid! There is no need to run quicker.” But the dragon-king drew nearer, so close that his horse was able to speak thus to its brother: “O brother dear, tarry, I beseech you! else I shall perish in running at this speed!” But the prince’s horse answered: “Nay, why be so foolish as to carry that monster? Fling up your hoofs and throw him against a rock, then come with me!” At these words the dragon-king’s horse shook its head, curved its back, and kicked up its hoofs so furiously that its rider was flung on to a rock and killed. Seeing this, the prince’s horse stood still, its brother trotted up, and the queen mounted on it. So they arrived happily in her own land, where they lived and ruled in great prosperity ever after.