Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXXVIII: Roland the Vizier

There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two

daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because shewas her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one shehated, because she was her step-daughter. The step-daughter once hada pretty apron, which the other fancied so much that she becameenvious, and told her mother that she must and would have that apron.Be quiet, my child, said the old woman, and you shall have it. Yourstep-sister has long deserved death, to-night when she is asleep Iwill come and cut her head off. Only be careful that you are at thefar-side of the bed, and push her well to the front. It would havebeen all over with the poor girl if she had not just then beenstanding in a corner, and heard everything.All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when bed-time hadcome, the witch's daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at thefar side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to thefront, and took for herself the place at the back, close by the wall.In the night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in herright hand, and felt with her left to see if anyone were lying at theoutside, and then she grasped the axe with both hands, and cut herown child's head off.When she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart,who was called roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out,she said to him, listen, dearest roland, we must fly in all haste.My step-mother wanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. Whendaylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we shall be lost.But, said roland, I counsel you first to take away her magic wand, orwe cannot escape if she pursues us. The maiden fetched the magicwand, and she took the dead girl's head and dropped three drops ofblood on the ground, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, andone on the stairs. Then she hurried away with her lover.When the old witch got up next morning, she called her daughter, andwanted to give her the apron, but she did not come. Then the witchcried, where are you. Here, on the stairs, I am sweeping, answeredthe first drop of blood. The old woman went out, but saw no one onthe stairs, and cried again, where are you. Here in the kitchen, Iam warming myself, cried the second drop of blood. She went into thekitchen, but found no one. Then she cried again, where are you. Ah,here in the bed, I am sleeping, cried the third drop of blood. Shewent into the room to the bed. What did she see there. Her ownchild, whose head she had cut off, bathed in her blood.The witch fell into a passion, sprang to the window, and as she couldlook forth quite far into the world, she perceived her step-daughterhurrying away with her sweetheart roland. That shall not help you,cried she, even if you have got a long way off, you shall still notescape me. She put on her many league boots, in which she covered anhour's walk at every step, and it was not long before she overtookthem. The girl, however, when she saw the old woman striding towardsher, changed, with her magic wand, her sweetheart roland into a lake,and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of it. The witch placed herself on the shore, threw bread-crumbs in, andwent to endless trouble to entice the duck, but the duck did not letherself be enticed, and the old woman had to go home at night as shehad come. At this the girl and her sweetheart roland resumed theirnatural shapes again, and they walked on the whole night untildaybreak. Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flowerwhich stood in the midst of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart rolandinto a fiddler. It was not long before the witch came striding uptowards them, and said to the musician, dear musician, may I pluckthat beautiful flower for myself.Oh, yes, he replied, I will play to you while you do it. As she washastily creeping into the hedge and was just going to pluck theflower, knowing perfectly well who the flower was, he began to play,and whether she would or not, she was forced to dance, for it was amagical dance. The faster he played, the more violent springs wasshe forced to make, and the thorns tore her clothes from her body,and pricked her and wounded her till she bled, and as he did notstop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.As they were now set free, roland said, now I will go to my fatherand arrange for the wedding. Then in the meantime I will stay hereand wait for you, said the girl, and that no one may recognize me, Iwill change myself into a red stone land-mark.Then roland went away, and the girl stood like a red land-mark in thefield and waited for her beloved. But when roland got home, he fellinto the snares of another, who so fascinated him that he forgot themaiden. The poor girl remained there a long time, but at length, ashe did not return at all, she was sad, and changed herself into aflower, and thought, someone will surely come this way, and trampleme down.It befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field, andsaw the flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it withhim, and laid it away in his chest. From that time forth, strangethings happened in the shepherd's house. When he arose in themorning all the work was already done, the room was swept, the tableand benches cleaned, the fire on the hearth was lighted, and thewater was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table waslaid, and a good dinner served. He could not conceive how this cameto pass, for he never saw a human being in his house, and no onecould have concealed himself in it.He was certainly pleased with this good attendance, but still at lasthe was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for heradvice. The wise woman said, there is some enchantment behind it,listen very early some morning if anything is moving in the room, andif you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth overit, and then the magic will be stopped.The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as daydawned, he saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly hesprang towards it, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly thetransformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him,who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that up to thistime she had attended to his housekeeping. She told him her story,and as she pleased him he asked her if she would marry him, but sheanswered, no, for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheartroland, although he had deserted her. Nevertheless, she promised notto go away, but to continue keeping house for the shepherd.And now the time drew near when roland's wedding was to becelebrated, and then, according to an old custom in the country, itwas announced that all the girls were to be present at it, and singin honor of the bridal pair. When the faithful maiden heard of this,she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she wouldnot go thither, but the other girls came and took her. When it cameto her turn to sing, she stepped back, until at last she was the onlyone left, and then she could not refuse.But when she began her song, and it reached roland's ears, he sprangup and cried, I know the voice, that is the true bride, I will haveno other. Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished fromhis mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart. Then thefaithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart roland, andgrief came to an end and joy began.