saying, gritting her teeth:
– I will not let it! Even their feet will not be in my house! I will crush all these beauties! I’m sweeter and prettier than everyone else, and I’ll find the worst one for my son!
The prince heard this and even the blood rushed to his head from his mother’s speeches:
– Wow, mommy made it up? Absolutely, looking at herself in the mirror, she lost her mind! I won’t marry a terrible one, I myself will find who I want, – he got angry and jumped out of the palace.
He saddled his horse and galloped wherever his eyes looked, and then, driving his horse into the soap, when the horse was already plaintively neighing, rearing up, only then the prince stopped and was surprised at his recklessness. He stroked the wet mane of the horse, apologizing:
– Ah, my poor friend, forgive my friend, I drove you, – he dismounted, looked around. – Where am I? – surprised.
In front of him was a dark, dense forest, and at the very edge of it stood a low house. The guy knocked and, not hearing an answer, went into the house to ask for a drink and a horse to drink. And there, in the upper room, sat a girl of indescribable beauty. She sits and embroiders with beads. The prince, as he entered, was stunned, he even forgot that he wanted to get drunk. And the girl got scared, jumped up, dropped her sewing. The guy jumped to pick it up, she recoiled.
– I’m sorry… I’m a traveler… I don’t know… it’s how I got here… I apologize again. I didn’t want to scare you, and in no way offend you… I didn’t understand how I ended up here. I galloped, galloped and got lost… I just wanted to ask for water for myself and my horse … – and with these words he picked up the needlework and handed it to the girl. She calmed down a little and put the beads on the table.
– What is your name? Where will you be from? – she asked softly.
– I’m Prince Arthur.
– Oh, – she threw up her hands. -Your Highness, – and she wanted to bow to him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and did not let her fall at his feet.
The girl blushed all over:
– Oh, how embarrassing. I have nothing worthy to treat you with. There is only our peasant.
– I don’t mind, – the prince was delighted and sat down at the table.
The girl shyly lowered her gaze.
– There are no gourmet dishes, but I can treat you to milk with blueberry pie. I baked myself.
The prince nodded happily. He liked the girl so much that he was ready to eat anything from her hands.
Having taken her treats, he licked his lips:
– Ah, I have never tasted anything better in my life! – Such a pleasure!
The hostess blushed again and from under her brow looked embarrassedly at the guest, smiling at him. The prince got up, brushed off his camisole and asked where the horse could get water to drink, if they had a well here. And then only he noticed beautiful multi-colored bouquets on the walls, all made of beads, as if alive. And different animals. All these embroidered canvases made the hut brighter and more beautiful. They were so beautiful that the prince could not resist and came close to them, began to look at them, touch them with his hand, stroke them, marveling at the craftsmanship, love and grace with which they were made.
– And how do you like it?
– Of course, it’s amazing! I don’t even have words! I can’t even believe it was made by human hands. Is it embroidered by you?
– Yes, I did them. I really like to embroider. And my mother sells them at the market.
The guy lowered his hands, went to the buckets and asked:
– Take me to the well.
The girl retorted:
– Oh, what are you? How can you yourself? I will bring water to the horse, – and I wanted to take away the bucket from him.
– What are you? You are doing such delicate work, how can you lift such a heavy bucket? Leave it to the man.
– No, that’s not right. And I have a papa… that’s how it is with us.
– It won’t be like that from now on. I will send my servant to help you. It is not good for such a beautiful girl to spoil her white hands.
– What are you, the right is not worth it, – the girl still tried to resist, although her rosy cheeks betrayed the pleasure that she was very pleased with such attention and care for her. – Daddy will misunderstand. And the neighbors will judge…
– Nothing, I will come again and ask permission from your parents, if you will let me.
– Well, you are always welcome here, you are welcome, – and her face lit up with a wide smile, from which the prince spread warmth over his chest.
He, satisfied, began to water the horse, forgetting about everything in the world, and about his incident with his mother, and about their misunderstanding – a disagreement in the upcoming marriage. And the girl rushed headlong to her secret box, in which she put a bag for coins, specially embroidered by her with mother-of-pearl-pink beads for her future chosen one.
The prince came to say goodbye, and she, looking down, handed him her modest gift:
– Accept a gift from me, a bag for coins.
The prince took her hand with the bag and pressed it to his heart:
– Thank you, girl, thank you, beautiful. I really like your gift.
Kissing her hand, he took out gold coins from his pocket and put them in a new bag. Throwing it into the air, he caught it on the fly, listening to the sound of coins, slyly narrowed his eyes:
– It will definitely come in handy for me, – and plugged it into the belt.
The girl explained to him how to get to the nearest village, and from there straight to the palace. Saying goodbye, he jumped on his horse and rode off. She waved her hand at him.
All the way the prince thought about the beautiful girl, remembering with regret that he even forgot to ask her name.
She didn’t stop thinking about him either. When her parents came home, she told about the noble guest, and they were delighted with this, immediately remembering the healer’s prophecy. What if their daughter really becomes the wife of a prince?
As soon as the prince returned home, he already heard rumors from the servants that the mother was going to organize her son’s wedding. The guy hit himself on the sides:
– Eh, mother, mother, your plans will not come true. I will marry the one I want, – and hastened to tell his father about what had happened.
– Papa, I want to tell you something important, – he shouted from the threshold: – Mama wants to marry me against my will!
– Well, son, the time has already come, so she is looking for a bride for you, – the king shrugged.
– Daddy, you don’t know, she’s looking for the most terrible bride for me, so that her beauty won’t be overshadowed. And I already found a girl for my heart. And I think that I would marry her. She is so sweet, as her figure is thin and stately, and her sonorous voice rings like a stream. And how beautifully it embroiders with beads, you cannot even imagine. And she bakes pies that even our chef could not come up with.
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