She drew her skirts closely about her and with a sweet smile hastened into the castle.
"Who thatched that roof?" shouted the giant as soon as he arrived.
"My own strength did it," said the prince humbly, feeling that he had not told a falsehood, for Yellow Lily was even more than strength to him.
The giant, instead of thanking him for his services, seized him again, and threw him headlong into the kitchen tank. Then he sat down by the fire. No sooner had his head begun to nod than Yellow Lily placed the slumber-pin over his nose to be sure that he could not wake up. Then she set the prince free, and they spent the evening as before, except that there was much more merriment.
On the following morning the giant opened the tank and ordered the prince to climb out.
"I have a task for you to do that even a prince cannot do," he said. "I am sure that I shall have your head before night. Near the castle is a tree nine hundred feet high. It has but one branch and that is near the top.
This branch contains a crow"s nest. In the nest is one egg. I want that egg for supper to-night. If you do not get it, you will be sorry."
The giant took the prince to the tree, which rose like a great pillar of smooth gla.s.s, so slippery that not even an ant could crawl upon it without sliding off.
When the giant had gone, the prince tried a dozen times to climb to the top, but each time he slipped back to the earth quicker and harder than before. He was glad indeed when Yellow Lily came.
And now comes the bloodcurdling part of the tale that I would rather omit; but I must tell it all to you just as the dear little Irish children heard it centuries ago, or I should feel that I had marred this ancient bit of fairy folklore.
Yellow Lily, as usual, brought something to eat, and after they had eaten, she, for the first time, turned upon the prince a sorrowful face.
"I am sorry father gave you this task to do; but we must submit to what cannot be helped," she said. "Alas! dear prince, you must kill me."
"Kill you!" he cried in horror. "Never! I would rather lose my head a thousand times."
"But, if you are careful, I shall come to life again," persisted the girl.
"My fairy G.o.dmother will care for me. You will find it easy to strip off my flesh, for you have only to say, "Yellow Lily of Loch Lein." Say it again and my bones will all separate. You will find that my bones will stick to this tree like little steps. On the ladder of bones you can climb to the top of the tree. Get the egg and climb down carefully, each time pulling one of my bones from the tree until you have reached the earth. Then pile the bones in a heap upon my flesh and say, "Come back, Yellow Lily of Loch Lein," and lo! I will be myself again. But be careful--be careful not to leave one of my bones on the tree."
For a long time the prince refused to obey her request until Yellow Lily grew vexed and said:
"Then I will tell father that I have been helping you, and he will kill us both. Make haste, for the time is short."
"Yellow Lily of Loch Lein!" shouted the prince, without looking at her.
"Yellow Lily of Loch Lein!" he shouted again.
Then he looked down and saw at his feet a stack of little white bones. He gathered them up and, climbing slowly, made a little ladder by sticking them against the tree. He soon reached the crow"s nest, found the egg, placed it in his pocket, and climbed down again, plucking the bones from the tree as he went. Then he piled them upon the flesh and garments of the girl and, with tears in his eyes, shouted:
"Come back, Yellow Lily of Loch Lein."
And immediately Yellow Lily stood before him, but no longer smiling.
"Wretch!" she cried. "You have made me a cripple for life! You are nothing but a careless boy after all."
"Oh, what have I neglected to do?" cried the prince, sick with fear.
"There is one of my little toes still hanging to the tree. Oh, what an awkward creature a prince is!"
The prince on his knees begged her pardon, and finally Yellow Lily broke into her old, sweet smile and said:
"I am thankful it is no worse. What a sight I would be if you had forgotten my backbone!"
So they became merry and talkative again until it was time for the giant to arrive. Then Yellow Lily went to her tower and the prince took his stand at the castle gate holding the crow"s egg.
"You are certainly a magician!" gasped the giant when he saw the prince. "I cannot take your head, lest a worse fate befall me. Go home at once. Do not linger here a minute."
The prince wanted to bid farewell to Yellow Lily, but of course, that was impossible, so he hastened home as fast as he could.
When he reached the Palace of Erin, the king, the queen, old Glic, and all the court ran out to greet him. Never before had there been such rejoicing there. For days they feasted and danced to melodious music, and a tournament was held in which the best archers in the kingdom tested their skill.
A year later, old Glic, who was always making trouble, told the king that it was time for the prince to marry some n.o.ble lady of great wealth. The prince would have liked to marry Yellow Lily, but the king said that he must choose a princess whose rank was equal to his own. In despair the prince told Glic to select him a wife soon or he would go roaming again and never return.
"I have found a suitable lady," said Glic. "Her father is the King of Loch Lein, the kingdom that is next to ours. Her father is powerful, her family is famous, her wealth cannot be counted, and she is as beautiful as the Queen of the Fairies."
"If she will have me, I will marry her," said the prince, "but I will not seek her myself."
The king sent Glic to the court of Loch Lein, bearing rich gifts and guarded by soldiers and attendants. In a few weeks he returned and told the King of Erin that the King of Loch Lein had consented to give the prince his daughter in marriage.
Preparations were at once made for a great wedding. All kinds of sports, several dances, and other amus.e.m.e.nts were to be enjoyed at court, and the royal families of many different kingdoms, even from the isles of the sea, were to be present.
The prince himself finally grew much interested in getting ready for the great event. In fact he almost forgot about Yellow Lily and the help she had given him to save his head. Yet he bade his father invite the Giant of Loch Lein to be present at the feast to be given before the day of the wedding. It was also agreed to invite Blue Lily, White Lily, and Yellow Lily, and to treat them as princesses of the royal blood.
In time the King of Loch Lein, who was an aged man, arrived with his daughter and a shipful of attendants. The gatekeeper blew his bugle and the whole court of Erin ran out to greet them. The King and Princess of Loch Lein were taken into the reception hall where the Queen and Prince of Erin welcomed them.
The prince was much disappointed when he beheld the princess, and was very angry with Glic, for she was haughty and not at all pretty. She seemed to be more pleased with the costly furniture and tapestries than with the prince.
The day of the feast came at last. The table in the banquet hall was loaded with fruits and costly meats of all kinds to be served upon plates of solid gold. Every one appeared to be happy, especially old Glic, who was to receive a large sum of money for finding the prince a wife.
At the close of the feast, the King of Erin sang a ballad and the King of Loch Lein told a story. In those days the people were fond of deeds of magic, so the prince requested Glic to call the mighty Giant of Loch Lein, that he might perform some tricks.
In a few moments the giant entered the room, bowing sternly as the people clapped their hands and cheered. He did not look at the prince but bowed low to the two kings.
"Your Majesties," he said, "it is my daughter who is the real magician. I know that she will be glad to entertain you for a short time. In fact she has consented to take my place."
Just then Yellow Lily entered the room in a gown of gold that swept the floor. Her golden hair shone like the sun. No one present had ever seen such glorious hair nor such a beautiful face and form. All were too much amazed at her beauty and elegance to utter a word of welcome.
Yellow Lily sat down at the table and threw two grains of wheat into the air. They lit upon the table and turned into a male and a female pigeon.
Immediately the former began to peck at his mate, almost driving her from the table. To the surprise of all, the female pigeon shrieked:
"You didn"t treat me thus on the day I cleaned the stable for you and found the slumber-pin."
Yellow Lily laid two grains of wheat before them, but the male pigeon greedily devoured them and continued to abuse his mate.
"You would not have done that to me the day I thatched the stables for you with the feathers of birds, and no two of them alike," shrieked the female pigeon.
When some more wheat was laid before them, the male pigeon ate more greedily than before, and after he had eaten every grain he pushed his mate off the table. She fluttered to the floor screaming:
"You wouldn"t have done that the day you killed me and took my bones to make steps on the gla.s.s tree nine hundred feet high, to get the crow"s egg for the supper of the Giant of Loch Lein--and forgot my little toe, and made me lame for life!"
The Prince of Erin rose to his feet, red with shame, and turning to the King of Loch Lein, said: