How delighted the witch was when she found the clothes all finished!
The next time Prince Ring came to see her she gave them to him, and he
paid her many compliments on her skilful work, after which he took
leave of her in the most friendly manner. But he had scarcely left the
house when the witch began to rage as furiously as ever, and never
stopped till her brother Ironhead appeared.
When Asmund saw all these wild doings from his tree he felt he could no
longer keep silence. He went to Prince Ring and said: “Do come with me
and see the strange things that are happening in the new princess’s
room.”
The prince was not a little surprised, but he consented to hide himself
with Asmund behind the panelling of the room, from where they could see
all that went on through a little slit. The witch was raving and
roaring as usual, and said to her brother:
“Once I am married to the king’s son I shall be better off than now. I
shall take care to have all that pack of courtiers put to death, and
then I shall send for all my relations to come and live here instead. I
fancy the giants will enjoy themselves very much with me and my
husband.”
When Prince Ring heard this he fell into such a rage that he ordered
the house to be set on fire, and it was burnt to the ground, with the
witch and her brother in it.
Asmund then told the prince about the two oak trees and took him to see
them. The prince was quite astonished at them and at all their
contents, but still more so at the extreme beauty of Signy. He fell in
love with her at once, and entreated her to marry him, which, after a
time, she consented to do. Asmund, on his side, asked for the hand of
Prince Ring’s sister, which was gladly granted him, and the double
wedding was celebrated with great rejoicings.
After this Prince Asmund and his bride returned to his country to live
with the king his father. The two couples often met, and lived happily
for many, many years. And that is the end of the story.
[From Islandische Mahrchen.]
Rübezahl
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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