nce on the other side they would for ever be out of the wicked Fairy's power. But before they had accomplished half the way they heard again the rustle of her garments and her muttered curses pursuing them closely.
The Prince was terrified; he dared not look back, and he felt his strength giving way. But before he had time to despair the girl uttered some more magic words, and immediately she herself was changed into a pond, and the Prince into a duck swimming on its surface.
When the Fairy saw this her rage knew no bounds, and she used all her magic wits to make the pond disappear; she caused a hill of sand to arise at her feet, meaning it to dry up the water at once. But the sand hill only drove the pond a little farther away, and its waters seemed to increase instead of diminishing. When the old woman saw that the powers of her magic were of so little avail, she had recourse to cunning. She threw a lot of gold nuts into the pond, hoping in this way to catch the duck, but all her efforts were fruitless, for the little creature refused to let itself be caught.
Then a new idea struck the wicked old woman, and hiding herself behind the rock which had sheltered the fugitives, she waited behind it, watching carefully for the moment when the Prince and her daughter should resume their natural forms and continue their journey.
She had not to wait long, for as soon as the girl thought her mother was safely out of the way, she changed herself and the Prince once more into their human shape, and set out cheerfully for the river.
But they had not gone many steps when the wicked Fairy hurried after them, a drawn dagger in her hand, and was close upon them, when suddenly, instead of the Prince and her daughter, she found herself in front of a great stone church, whose entrance was carefully guarded by a huge monk.
Breathless with rage and pass
ion, she tried to plunge her dagger into the monk's heart, but it fell shattered in pieces at her feet. In her desperation she determined to pull down the church, and thus to destroy her two victims for ever. She stamped three times on the ground, and the earth trembled, and both the church and the monk began to shake. As soon as the Fairy saw this she retreated to some distance from the building, so as not to be hurt herself by its fall. But once more her scheme was doomed to failure, for hardly had she gone a yard from the church than both it and the monk disappeared, and she found herself in a wood black as night, and full of wolves and bears and wild animals of all sorts and descriptions.
Then her wrath gave place to terror, for she feared every moment to be torn in pieces by the beasts who one and all seemed to defy her power. She thought it wisest to make her way as best she could out of the forest, and then to pursue the fugitives once more and accomplish their destruction either by force or cunning.
In the meantime the Prince and the black girl had again assumed their natural forms, and were hurrying on as fast as they could to reach the river. But when they got there they found that there was no way in which they could cross it, and the girl's magic art seemed no longer to have any power. Then turning to the Prince she said, 'The hour for my deliverance has not yet come, but as you promised to do all you could to free me, you must do exactly as I bid you now. Take this bow and arrow and kill every beast you see with them, and be sure you spare no living creature.'
ake her way out of the wood, and was now using the last resource in her power to overtake her daughter and the Prince. As soon as she was in the open again she mounted her chariot, which was drawn by a fiery dragon, and flew through the air in it. But just as she got to the river she saw the two lovers in each other's arms swimming through the water as easily as two fishes.
Quick as lightning, and forgetful of every danger, she flew down upon them. But the waters seized her chariot and sunk it in the lowest depths, and the waves bore the wicked old woman down the stream till she was caught in some thorn bushes, where she made a good meal for all the little fishes that were swimming about.
And so at last the Prince and his lovely Bride were free. They hurried as quickly as they could to the old King, who received them with joy and gladness. On the following day a most gorgeous wedding feast was held, and as far as we know the Prince and his bride lived happily for ever afterwards.
精美散文:守护自己的天使
精选英语散文欣赏:微笑挽救生命
如果生命可以重来(双语)
精选英语散文欣赏:一棵小苹果树
精选英语散文欣赏:爱的限度就是无限度地去爱
美文美诗:仙女对牧羊人的回答
浪漫英文情书精选:My Heart And Soul我的灵魂
精选英语美文阅读:哪有一株忘忧草? (双语)
美文阅读:青春物语
双语美文:I Wish I Could believe
浪漫英文情书精选:I'll Be Waiting我会等你
浪漫英文情书精选:Boundless Love无边的爱
英语美文:A Psalm of Life 人生礼颂
精美散文:爱你所做 做你所爱
双语散文: Optimism and Pessimistic
精选英语散文欣赏:月亮和井
精选英语美文阅读:假如生活欺骗了你
浪漫英文情书精选:To Prince Perfect献给心中的王子
啊,我讨厌英语 Gullia Oops Jaime Pas Langlais 这首歌是不是也唱出你的心声了
浪漫英文情书精选:To Be Close To You Again再次靠近你
精美散文:27岁的人生
献给女性:如果生命可以重来
双语美文:在思考中成长
浪漫英文情书精选:Is It Love?这是爱么?
浪漫英文情书精选:True Love Of My Life我的真爱
精选英语美文阅读:你见或者不见我(中英对照)
精选英语美文阅读:A Friend's Prayer 朋友的祈祷
诗歌:永远向前(双语)
精选英文情诗:请允许我成为你的夏季
精选英语美文阅读:爱他就把他留下来 (双语)
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