– Oh, trouble! What will I say to the poor son? – the queen made a sour face and looked up from the mirror, br ushed away an artificial tear from her eyes with a satin handkerchief: – You are not to blame. I have already been informed that this scoundrel ran away at night to her lover and even took jewelry with her.
Soon, the sad news of treason spread throughout the state. The king and his son rushed in and, not seeing the girl, rushed to ask the queen if people were really saying where she had gone. And she answers:
– Yes, she had already married another during this time, she could not wait. Apparently she did not love you, your redneck, my beloved son.
The son did not believe his mother, but did not say anything to her. He yearned for his wife day and night, grew thin – did not eat anything. He sits at the table, they bring him food, and the food gets stuck in his throat – only his beloved wife was before his eyes. He could not believe that such sincere love was a game, that his beloved had betrayed him. She was so humble, with a pure heart. There was no way she could do this to him.
Something else, something bad happened to her. We need to go look for her.
And then the mother decided to console her son, brought him a bride, a princess, but so terrible, crooked, pockmarked, demolished like potatoes, with little eyes. She smiled at the prince, and her teeth sticking out in different directions were also fastened with braces. The prince was frightened, grabbed his hat and cloak on the move and ran headlong away. He ran away from the palace, saddling a horse, and rode wherever his eyes looked.
How long, how short, did our prince ride and his horse came across the house of that sorceress woman who cured his wife in childhood. The horse stopped, neighed, shaking its head. The guy jumped to the ground, dusted himself off. Just as he was about to knock, the door was opened and an elderly woman appeared on the threshold:
– Hello king’s son, where are you going? – What did you come with? looked him over carefully.
– Yes, that’s the trouble happened to me. The wife is missing, beautiful. The world is not dear to me without her, and my mother wants to marry me again to a slanting, pockmarked princess. I can’t do this anymore, I’m looking for my beloved wife. But I don’t know who to ask.
And the sorceress answered him:
– Come into the house, rest from the road, taste my jelly with milk, otherwise you have completely lost weight. You need to refresh yourself. And there we will decide how to help your grief.
The prince obeyed and entered the room, not even paying attention to how the woman recognized him as a prince. And there on the bench another woman sits and shakes the ball. Different fragrant herbs hang in the corners. Their scent intoxicated him. Even he was drawn to sleep.
– And this is my sister, – she introduced the guest to the woman. – Sit down, don’t be shy.
– Oh, prince, we have been waiting for you for a long time. Come in, my dear, you will be a dear guest.
– How do you know me? – only now he was surprised.
Both chuckled and looked at each other.
– Yes, we are such unusual grannies. We, my dear, know a lot of things.
– I need to hurry, look for my wife. I feel like she’s in trouble.
– We know, we know. But still, don’t rush, first gain strength. Taste our food, sleep, and in the morning we will pick you up and show you the way.
The prince was delighted, cheered up:
– Do you know where she is?
– Of course, we all know.
– Oh, I can’t wait, I’m ready to hit the road right now.
– Ah, fidget, – the hostess patted him on the shoulder and seated him on a bench at the table. She poured jelly, cut off a piece of bread, sprinkled it with salt: – Eat and strength will come.
The prince obeyed, began to eat with pleasure, his appetite appeared, and the old women shook their heads, satisfied, and smacked their lips. They greeted him, because they already knew about everything in advance – how could they not help him?
Barely eating, the prince yawned and stretched. They escorted the sorcerer to the bed, put him there, and they themselves read prayers, walk around the room with smoking herbs, they lit a candle. And the prince dreamed that he was standing on a flowering meadow, dragonflies were flying around, butterflies were fluttering. His beloved appears before him, smiles affectionately and says in a low voice:
– Believe me, my love, I did not betray you. I love you like before, even more.
She said this and disappeared. The prince woke up, and the dawn was already dawning outside the window. He lay down again, and before his eyes stands the image of his beloved. And his soul is calm. He realized that in the palace his mother had deceived him, there was no betrayal, as he had thought before.
Everyone ate barley porridge with milk in the morning, the women gave the guest tea with herbs, and he felt cheerfulness in his whole body.
– Here, take the magic grid with you. When you come to the place where your wife is being kept in the swamps, throw it on yourself and become invisible, otherwise you won’t be able to overcome thirty warriors armed with an ax and get into the tower of that castle. And then, together under the net, go out unnoticed and come back to us here, – the healer handed him a light net, and her sister handed him a map of the forest:
– From my late husband, a forester left. This is where you’ll need it.
He did just that. He thanked them, bowed and galloped towards the swamps.
He rides through the forest, and the trees are getting thicker and thicker, the path is getting narrower and narrower. He sees a large stone standing in the middle of the path and the paths branched out. He looked at the map, but it was not indicated there. He scratched his head, and turned right, towards the swamps, as he reasoned that the frogs croak strongly on that side and it is also clear on the map where the swamps are drawn on the right side. So he let it go there, already feeling in his heart that he would soon meet his beloved. And the prince was not mistaken.
A putrid smell was already in the nose, the quagmire roared ahead, uttering an ominous groan. As soon as he drove closer, he heard a bewitching female voice:
– Boy, why are you so sad? Come to me, you see, I’m bored here alone.
The prince turned around and saw a beautiful girl. She sat waist-deep in the swamp and only slightly splashed the muddy water with her cassock with her hands.
– What do you doubt, prince? – Kikimora winked. – I’ve been waiting for you.
– Hmm, strange, – the prince thought:– people told me that kikimoras are terrible, these swamp residents are dangerous, but she seems beautiful.
He dismounted and tied his horse. He came closer to find out who she was.
– Do you swim here? – nodded inquiringly.
Kikimora laughed.
– Come on and swim with me.
The prince approached, looked at her beauty, but recoiled: instead of hair, brown algae moved on her head. The bright green eyes of the swamp beauty beckoned him to her.
– Yes, go away, – he waved. – Of course, you are beautiful, no doubt, but in my heart I have another.
– Oh, I understand, I loved the foolish forest owner Leshy,