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Updated: June 10, 2025
Only the bay was sad and hung his head mournfully. After the brothers had talked a long time about the old emperor, the country, and Petru's journey, Florea began to frown. "Brother Petru, this is a wicked world! wouldn't it be better for you to give us the water to carry? People will come to meet you, but nobody will know any thing about us, whence we come, where we are going, or what we have."
Petru's heart leaped at the sight, for all the way along he had been followed by a crowd of shadowy figures who danced about him from right to left, and from back to front, and Petru, though a brave man, felt now and then a thrill of fear. 'They won't hurt you, said the horse; 'they are just the daughters of the whirlwind amusing themselves while they are waiting for the ogre of the moon.
'Good evening, said Petru as he entered the house, and, seating himself near the fire, listened comfortably to whatever the goddess might choose to talk about, which was for the most part the wickedness of men, with whom she was evidently very angry. But Petru agreed with her in everything, as he had been taught was only polite. But was anybody ever so old as she!
Like the wind? Like thought? Like longing? Or like a curse?" Petru looked before him and saw nothing but sky and earth a wilderness which made his hair bristle with horror. "We will change our pace and ride like each in turn, not too fast that we may not grow weary, and not too slow lest we should be late."
Florea, the eldest, was so tall and broad-shouldered that no man in the kingdom could approach him. Costan, the second, was quite different. Small of stature, and slightly built, he had a strong arm and stronger wrist. Petru, the third and youngest, was tall and thin, more like a girl than a boy. He spoke very little, but laughed and sang, sang and laughed, from morning till night.
He himself did not know how and when he had reached the earth, but he was on foot. When night was yielding to day Petru could not keep up, but sank on his knees. "Stand up, gather your strength once more!" cried the bay, seeing that his master was losing his vigor. Petru wiped away the perspiration with his shirt-sleeve, strained every nerve, and once more stood erect.
Lilies, violets, and roses grew in the soft grass around the springs, and on these beds of flowers reclined girls so beautiful that heaven only knows how it would have been possible for them to be lovelier. Petru would fain have shut his eyes in order not to see such bewitching creatures any longer. "Come, hero, come to the cooling waters, let us amuse you," called the enticing maidens.
The first twelve rooms were hung with linen, the next twelve with silk; then came twelve decked with silver and twelve with gold. Petru passed swiftly through the whole forty-eight, and in the forth-ninth apartment, which was the most magnificent of all, he found the Fairy Aurora. The chamber was large, broad, and high, like one of the finest churches.
Toward evening, when the sun was only a hand's breadth above the horizon and the little flies were beginning to swarm, our rider reached the edge of the forest. Before him stretched a wide moor, on which as far as the eye could wander nothing was visible. The horses stopped. "What is it?" asked Petru. "We may fare badly here," replied the bay. "Why should we fare badly?"
The dragon on the bridge was yet more dreadful than the one Florea and Costan had seen, for this one had seven heads instead of only three. Petru stopped for a moment when he caught sight of this terrible creature. Then he found his voice. 'Get out of the way! cried he. 'Get out of the way! he repeated again, as the dragon did not move.
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