As, however, the young King did not come back at all, the Queen’s
anguish and care grew constantly greater. And it so happened that at
this very time the other brother who had turned to the east when they
separated, came into the kingdom. He had sought a situation, and had
found none, and had then travelled about here and there, and had made
his animals dance. Then it came into his mind that he would just go and
look at the knife that they had thrust in the trunk of a tree at their
parting, that he might learn how his brother was. When he got there his
brother’s side of the knife was half rusted, and half bright. Then he
was alarmed and thought, “A great misfortune must have befallen my
brother, but perhaps I can still save him, for half the knife is still
bright.” He and his animals travelled towards the west, and when he
entered the gate of the town, the guard came to meet him, and asked if
he was to announce him to his consort the young Queen, who had for a
couple of days been in the greatest sorrow about his staying away, and
was afraid he had been killed in the enchanted forest? The sentries,
indeed, thought no otherwise than that he was the young King himself,
for he looked so like him, and had wild animals running behind him.
Then he saw that they were speaking of his brother, and thought, “It
will be better if I pass myself off for him, and then I can rescue him
more easily.” So he allowed himself to be escorted into the castle by
the guard, and was received with the greatest joy. The young Queen
indeed thought that he was her husband, and asked him why he had stayed
away so long. He answered, “I had lost myself in a forest, and could
not find my way out again any sooner.” At night he was taken to the
royal bed, but he laid a two-edged sword between him and the young
Queen; she did not know what that could mean, but did not venture to
ask.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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