FAIRY TALES (text) - 74. THE KING’S DAUGHTER AND THE DEAD’S HEAD

THE KING’S DAUGHTER AND THE DEAD’S HEAD

Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters. Once he went out for a ride with the horse, and on his way he stopped in front of a palace. There was a big hole, the horse’s foot fell inside and the king couldn’t get it out of there. Lots of people went to help him but it was useless. But the king didn’t want to spend the night there, so he made a promise and said: ‘‘the one that gets the horse’s leg out from this hole, he will marry my daughter’’. Just as he finished speaking, the leg of the horse was released but nobody was there. The king went back home and told his oldest daughter he had married her with someone, but since nobody showed there, he was convinced that a man that lived in the palace nearby had helped him, so he walked his daughter to that palace. The girl entered the palace and she was waiting in a big room, when a frightening moor who took her to his room. When the girl saw around, there was a dead head in there! The moor told the girl that was trembling of fear:

– This is your husband, the one you will spend your life with.

Just as she heard those words she burst into tears, and he thought how he she would spend her life with a dead head. The next morning the king sent the nanny to ask the girl about the night but when the girl saw her, she clasped nanny and begged her to take the girl back home. Then the king sent the middle daughter, but she turned back home within the night like her sister. When the third daughter saw her sisters coming back, she told her father she wanted to try once, but the king didn’t want her to go because she was his spoilt daughter. But the girl persuaded him and she went to the palace of the dead head. There showed up the moor and he took her to the room of the dead head. The girl didn’t get scared at all, on the contrary she tool the head and began to fondle it saying: ‘‘Lucky me for the man I’ve got!’’ Then she put it carefully at the corner of the room. The next day the king sent the nanny to ask the girl about the night and she said: 

– It was great nanny, I have the best husband in the world. 

The old woman went back to the king and told him the words of his daughter. The father was so happy while her sisters fell in thoughts and said to each-other:

– How can she be happy with a dead head?!

Then they sent the nanny with a golden pin and ordered her to tell their sister to buy such a pin.

The old woman went to the young girl and said her:

– My dear daughter, don`t you want to buy a pin as beautiful as your sisters one. Yes dear nanny –answered the smart girl-but first I have to ask my husband if he likes it too.

 And with these words she conveyed a nanny. As the old woman left, the girl got upstairs to the room and started crying because she didn`t have the money to buy the pin. At that time comes Moor and asks why she is crying. The girl told him what the problem was and the moor went to his master, which said:

 -Tell the young lady to take keys that are in the chimney, go into the room to take as much money as she wants. The moor went and told the girl and she happily opened the door of the room and loaded her hands of gold. The next day the nanny came back again and asked her by order of the sisters:

– My daughter, did you talk to your husband? 

– How could he not please me dear nanny – answered the girl -here is the money. 

The poor old lady open her eyes surprised and guessed were could he found the money as he was a dead head. Surprised as she was she left the palace and went straight to the sisters, which burst out of spite. The next day the girls sent back the old lady to tell the girl that they had gone outside with carts.

– What are you going to do? – said the old woman.

– Wait just a second so I can go to ask my husband. – told the girl and then she went to her room and began to cry.

At that time the moor went inside and asked her why she was crying and the girl told him everything. Then he went to her husband and told her:

– Tell the lady to take these crumbs and throw them behind the door.

The girl did what the moor told her and the entire road was full with carts and servants ready for orders. When the sisters saw what was going on, they were so surprised and full of regret they said:

– We acted so stupid that we didn’t stay with the dead head.

The next day they sent words to their sister, with the old nanny again, that they would go to have dinner at her house. The girl had nothing to eat and began to cry. The moor asked her about what was going on and she told him the truth, then he went to his lord, and told him to throw some crumbs to the eating house. Then the table was full of dishes and lots of servants were standing around the table. The sisters came and drove nuts when they saw the table, they didn’t expect such a hospitality. Then the servants called the lady and she went outside many times and faked like she was talking with her husband. But sisters asked to meet her husband and she worried so much because he was just a dead head. Then she went to the yard and was crying when she saw a black car, that beckoned her to follow, and the cat led the girl to a beautiful rose. There she saw a boy and a beautiful girl that had a little baby. She notice that the girl’s hair were caught with the rose’s thorns and she helped her to get the strands out one by one. When the girl woke up, she woke the boy too and asked him who had helped her, but he didn’t know a thing.  Then the girl that was hidden behind the tree came out and said she did it. The girl that woke up was the Beauty of the Earth and told the girl to ask her whatever she wanted and she would satisfy her wish. But just as the Beauty finished speaking, the girl said:

– Dear sister, you can’t help me.

But the Beauty was the one who had turned her husband into a dead head, so after she heard the story, she turned the head into a human again and told her:

– Here is the man you are looking for, this is your husband.

Very happy, the girl took her husband by the hand and they went inside the palace. The sisters burst full of rage when they saw them. They live and reign happily hitherto.