Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar/Prince Kid-Skin
PRINCE KID-SKIN.
Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen who had two children, a son and a daughter; the prince was named Oleg, and the princess Olga.
But the king and queen soon died, leaving the children to wander about homeless and unprovided for in the wide, wide world.
They walked on and on, till they came to a pond where some cows were drinking.
"I am so thirsty," said Prince Oleg, "that I think I shall go and have a drink."
"No, brother, don't; or you will turn into a calf," replied the princess.
He obeyed, and they went on farther until they came to a river, where a number of horses were running about.
"I really must have a drink here," said Oleg.
"No, brother dear, don't; or you will turn into a pony."
Oleg again obeyed his sister, and they continued their journey; till at last they came to a lake where they saw a number of goats.
"It is no use, sister, I really must have a drink now, or die."
"Don't, please don't, Oleg, or you will turn into a kid."
But this time Oleg would not listen to his sister, so he went and drank some of the water and was immediately turned into a kid, and began to jump and skip before his sister, screaming, "Me-ke-ke! Mekeke! Mekeke!" all the time.
Princess Olga cried bitterly. She tied a silk ribbon round his neck, and for some time led him along with her; but the little kid soon loosened himself, and began jumping and frisking about till he came into a garden, which belonged to the young king of that kingdom.
The servants, when they saw the princess and the kid, went to the king and said,—
"There is a little kid in your garden, your majesty, and by its side is a beautiful damsel."
The king was much interested, and ordered his courtiers and servants to go and ask the young girl who she was and what she wanted?
The courtiers went up to her and did as the king had commanded them.
"I am the daughter of the late king and queen of the next kingdom to this," said Olga in reply to their inquiries. "They left me and this little kid, my brother, alone and unprovided for. We have been wandering about everywhere, until my brother became very thirsty and drank some water in a lake where a great many goats were feeding, and so he was changed into a little kid. That is the whole of my story; go and tell it to the king, your master."
After the people had submitted all this to the young king, he at once ordered them to bring this beautiful princess and the little kid, her brother, before him.
When Princess Olga entered the hall in which the king sat, he was so struck with her beauty that he fell immediately in love with her, and, after she had told him more about herself and brother, he asked her to become his wife.
Princess Olga did not object, for the king was young and handsome, and she married him.
They lived happily for a long time. The little kid, of course, was with them. He went out every day for a walk in the garden, and ate and drank at table with the king and queen.
At last the hunting season arrived, and the king went off with his huntsmen. Hardly had he left the palace when an old witch made her appearance and bewitched the young queen, who became seriously ill. She turned very thin and pale. Everything was very quiet while she was laid up. The palace looked very gloomy, the flowers began to fade, and the trees and grass were all dried up.
When the king returned, he was very much cut up at the news, and went at once to see his wife.
"What is the matter?" he asked.
"I am not very well," replied Olga; "but I daresay I shall be all right soon."
The king again went out hunting, while Olga lay on her bed very ill indeed. The witch again came to her, and said,—
"If you want to become well again, Queen Olga, you must go to that lake yonder and drink some of the water there."
Olga thanked the witch, and went in the twilight to the shore of the lake.
Now this horrid witch was watching behind a tree, and, when the young queen knelt down to drink, the hag rushed at her, seized her, tied a heavy stone round her neck, and pushed her into the water. Olga sank to the bottom, while the witch assumed the appearance of the beautiful young queen and went to the palace. When the king came home, he was delighted to see what he supposed was his wife, well and beautiful as ever.
When they sat down to dinner, the king noticed that the kid was not present at table.
"Where is the little kid?" asked the king.
"Oh, we don't want him," replied the witch. "I have forbidden him to be let in."
The next day, when the king had gone off to the hunt, the witch seized the kid, and began to beat it, saying,—
"When the king returns, I shall ask him to have you killed."
And she kept her promise. The moment the king came home, she begged him to have the kid killed. He was greatly surprised, and could not make out what had so suddenly come over his usually gentle wife; but the witch begged so hard that he could not refuse her, and agreed.
As soon as the kid saw the people grinding and sharpening the large knives, he began to cry, and ran to the king and asked him to let him go to the shore of the lake to have a drink. The king consented, and the kid ran off to the lake, and cried out,—
But Olga only replied, —
The little kid began to cry again and went back to the palace; but at midday he went once more to the king, and asked him whether he might again go to the lake for a drink. The king consented.
Away went the little kid, and cried out as before,—
Still Olga only answered,—
The kid wept, and went home.
Meanwhile the young king began wondering why the little kid went so often to the lake for a drink. So when the kid asked the king once more whether he might go to the lake, he determined to follow and see what the kid did.
When the kid got to the shore, the king heard him call out,— But Olga only replied,—
The little kid called out again, and begged his sister to try to show herself to him, if only for a moment. He waited a little, and this time Olga swam up to the surface, smiled at her brother, and was just about to sink again, when the king rushed forward, sprang into the water, caught her in his arms, and, tearing off the stone from her neck, brought her safely to land again.
Olga told him the whole story. The king was very furious and ordered the witch to be killed and boiled instead of the kid, who, by-the-by, was afterwards changed into his proper form, and became king in his father's kingdom, while the young king and queen lived happily ever after.