And he saw that the king gave an order to bring the queen. And they
went to bring her, and there was a great commotion there and great
rejoicing and the musicians were singing and performing magnificently
as they brought the queen. And they set up a throne for her and seated
her next to him. And she was the princess mentioned above, and he
[that is, the Second to the Kingdom] saw and recognized
her. Afterwards the queen looked and saw someone lying in the corner
and she recognized him. And she stood up from her throne and walked
over there and touched him and asked him: "Do you recognize me?" And
he answered her: "Yes. I recognize you. You are the lost princess."
And he asked her: "How did you come here?" And she answered: "Since my
father, the King, tossed out the above statement, and here this place
is no good." And he told her that her father was very grief-stricken,
and that he had been searching for her for many years. And he asked
her, "How can I free you?" And she said to him that "it is impossible
for you to free me except if you will choose for yourself a place and
stay there for one year. And for the whole year yearn for me to set me
free. And whenever you have time just yearn and seek and look forward
to freeing me. And fast and afflict yourself. And on the last day of
the year fast and do not sleep the entire 24 hours." And he went and
did this.
And at the end of the year, on the last day, he fasted and did not
sleep. And he got up and went there. And he saw a tree, on which were
growing very lovely apples. And it was very seductive to his eyes. And
he stood up and ate from there. And as soon as he ate the apple, he
fell and was overtaken by sleep. And he slept for a very long
time. And his servant shook him but he would not awaken at
all. Afterwards he awoke from his sleep. And he asked his servant,
"Where in the world am I?" And he told him what had happened [that is,
the servant told the Second to the Kingdom what had happened and said
to him], that "you have been sleeping for a very long time, for many
years, and I have sustained myself with the fruits." And he was very
aggrieved. And he went there and found her. And she was very aggrieved
at him, "For if you had come on that day you would have freed me from
here. And because of one day you lost. However not to eat is a very
difficult thing. Especially on the last day, for then the evil urge is
very overpowering." [That is, the princess said to him that now his
restriction would be made easier, and that he wouldn't be warned from
eating because that is something difficult to stand up to, etc.]
"Therefore again choose for yourself a place and stay there also for a
year, as before. And on the last day you are permitted to eat. Just do
not sleep and do not drink wine so that you won't sleep. For the main
thing is the sleep." And he went and did this.
On the last day he was going there and he saw a spring flowing. And
its appearance was red and it smelled like wine. And he asked his
servant: "Did you notice that this is a spring and it ought to have
water in it? And the appearance is reddish and the smell is of wine!"
And he went and tasted from the spring. And he immediately fell asleep
for many years, up to seventy years.
And many troops were marching by with their equipment. And the servant
hid himself from the soldiers. Afterwards went a royal chariot and
there sat the princess. And she stopped there next to him and got down
and sat next to him and recognized him. And she shook him hard, but he
would not wake up. And she started to complain to him about "his very
many great efforts and exertions for so many years to free me and all
for that one day that he could have freed me and he lost it." And she
cried terribly about this. "For there is great pity on him and on me
that I am here for so long and that I cannot leave." Afterwards she
took a scarf from upon her head and wrote on it with her tears and
left it next to him. And she stood up and sat in her carriage and rode
away from there.
Afterwards he awoke and asked his servant: "Where in the world am I
y?" And he told him the whole story. And that many troops had come
there and that there had been a carriage here, as mentioned above, and
that she had wept over him and cried out that there is pity on him and
on her, as mentioned before. Suddenly he looked and saw that the scarf
was lying next to him. And he asked, "Where is this from?" And he
answered him that she had written on it with her tears. And he took it
and lifted it up to the sun and started to read the letters, and he
read everything that was written there: all of her complaint and
crying, as written before, and that at this time she is not there in
the above mentioned fortress, but rather that he should search for a
mountain of gold and a castle of jewels:y "There you will find me."
And he left behind the servant and went alone to search for her. And
he went for many years to search for her, and he said to himself that
for sure in the inhabited areas cannot be found a mountain of gold and
a castle of jewels. For he was an expert in the map of the world. "And
therefore I shall go into the wilderness." And he went to search for
her in the wilderness for many, many years. Afterwards he saw a very
huge man, that was not at all in the realm of the human for a man to
be so huge. And he carried a huge tree, that in civilization cannot be
found such a huge tree. And that man asked him: "Who are you?" And he
said to him, "I am a man." And he was amazed and said, "that it has
been so long that I have been in the wilderness and I never before
have seen a man here." And he told him the whole story, as above, and
that he was seeking a mountain of gold and a castle of jewels. He said
to him: "For sure it does not exist at all," and he rebuffed him and
said to him that they had confused his mind with nonsense, for
definitely it does not exist at all. And he started to cry terribly
[meaning the Second to the Kingdom cried terribly and said]: "Surely
it must exist somewhere." And he rebuffed him [meaning the strange man
that he had met rebuffed him with his words and said] that for sure
they had told him nonsense. And he said [the Second to the Kingdom]
that definitely it exists. He said to him [the strange man to the
Second to the Kingdom]: "In my opinion it is nonsense. But since you
are being stubborn, behold: I am appointed over all the animals. I
will do this for you and call to all the animals, for they run across
the whole world. Maybe one of them will know about a mountain and
castle," as mentioned above. And he called all of them, from small to
big, all the types of animals, and asked them. And all of them
answered him that they had not seen, and he said to him: "Do you not
see that they told you nonsense? If you will listen, turn around and
go back, for you defintely will not find it because it is not in the
world." And he pleaded greatly and said that it must be, that it
definitely exists. He said to him [the strange man to the Second to
the Kingdom]: "Behold, in the wilderness can be found my brother, and
he is appointed over all the birds. And maybe they know, since they
fly high up in the air. Maybe they have seen a mountain and castle,"
as mentioned above. "And you should go to him and say to him that I
have sent you to him."
And he went for many, many years to search for him. And he found again
a very huge man, as above, and he also carried a giant tree there, as
above. And he also asked him, as before, and he answered him the whole
story and that his brother had sent him to him. And he repulsed him
also, that certainly it does not exist. And he pleaded with him also.
And he said to him [this man to the Second to the Kingdom]: "Behold I
am appointed over all the birds. I shall call them. Perhaps they
know." And he called all the birds and asked them all, from small to
large, and they answered that they did not know about the mountain and
castle mentioned above. He said to him: "Don't you see that it
certainly is not in the world? If you will listen to me, turn around
for it certainly does not exist." And he [the Second to the Kingdom]
pleaded with him and said that it definitely is in the world. And he
said to him [the second man to the Second to the Kingdom]: "Further on
in the wilderness can be found my brother, who is appointed over all
the winds. And they run over the whole world. Perhaps they know."
And he went many more years to search and also found a huge man, as
before, and he also carried a huge tree, as before. And he asked him
also, as before. And he answered him the whole story, as before. And
he rebuffed him also. And he pleaded with him also. And he said to
him [this third man to the Second to the Kingdom] that for his sake he
would summon all the winds to come and would ask them. And he called
them. And all the winds came, and he asked all of them. And not a
single one of them knew of the mountain and castle mentioned
above. And he said to him [the third man to the Second to the
Kingdom]: "Do you not see that they told you nonsense?" And he started
to cry bitterly and said: "I know that it definitely exists." Suddenly
he saw that another wind came. And the above custodian was angry with
it. "Why did you come so late? Did I not decree that all the winds
should come? And why did you not come with them?" And it answered him,
"that I was delayed because I needed to carry a princess to a mountain
of gold and a castle of jewels." And he rejoiced greatly.