From the windows of the King's palace many persons had seen Minnikin come sailing thither, and had stood to watch him; and they were all so astounded that they ran down to see what manner of man this could be who came sailing in a ship through the air.
But while they were running down from the King's palace, Minnikin had got out of the ship and had put it in his pocket again; for the moment he got out of it, it once more became as small as it had been when he got it from the old woman, and those who came from the King's palace could see nothing but a ragged little boy who was standing down by the sea-shore.The King asked where he had come from, but the boy said he did not know, nor yet could he tell them how he had got there, but he begged very earnestly and prettily for a place in the King's palace.If there was nothing else for him to do, he said he would fetch wood and water for the kitchen-maid, and that he obtained leave to do.
When Minnikin went up to the King's palace he saw that everything there was hung with black both outside and inside, from the bottom to the top; so he asked the kitchen-maid what that meant.
`Oh, I will tell you that,' answered the kitchen-maid.`The King's daughter was long ago promised away to three Trolls, and next Thursday evening one of them is to come to fetch her.Ritter Red has said that he will be able to set her free, but who knows whether he will be able to do it? so you may easily imagine what grief and distress we are in here.'
So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red accompanied the Princess to the sea-shore; for there she was to meet the Troll, and Ritter Red was to stay with her and protect her.He, however, was very unlikely to do the Troll much injury, for no sooner had the Princess seated herself by the sea-shore than Ritter Red climbed up into a great tree which was standing there, and hid himself as well as he could among the branches.
The Princess wept, and begged him most earnestly not to go and leave her; but Ritter Red did not concern himself about that.`It is better that one should die than two,' said he.
In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily to give him leave to go down to the strand for a short time.
`Oh, what could you do down at the strand?' said the kitchen-maid.`You have nothing to do there.'
`Oh yes, my dear, just let me go,' said Minnikin.`I should so like to go and amuse myself with the other children.'
`Well, well, go then!' said the kitchen-maid, `but don't let me find you staying there over the time when the pan has to be set on the fire for supper, and the roast put on the spit; and mind you bring back a good big armful of wood for the kitchen.'
Minnikin promised this, and ran down to the sea-shore.
Just as he got to the place where the King's daughter was sitting, the Troll came rushing up with a great whistling and whirring, and he was so big and stout that he was terrible to see, and he had five heads.
`Fire!' screeched the Troll.
`Fire yourself!' said Minnikin.
`Can you fight?' roared the Troll.
`If not, I can learn,' said Minnikin.
So the Troll struck at him with a great thick iron bar which he had in his fist, till the sods flew five yards up into the air.
`Fie!' said Minnikin.`That was not much of a blow.Now you shall see one of mine.'
So he grasped the sword which he had got from the old crook-backed woman, and slashed at the Troll so that all five heads went flying away over the sands.
When the Princess saw that she was delivered she was so delighted that she did not know what she was doing, and skipped and danced.
`Come and sleep a bit with your head in my lap,' she said to Minnikin, and as he slept she put a golden dress on him.
But when Ritter Red saw that there was no longer any danger afoot, he lost no time in creeping down from the tree.He then threatened the Princess, until at length she was forced to promise to say that it was he who had rescued her, for he told her that if she did not he would kill her.Then he took the Troll's lungs and tongue and put them in his pocket-handkerchief, and led the Princess back to the King's palace; and whatsoever had been lacking to him in the way of honour before was lacking no longer, for the King did not know how to exalt him enough, and always set him on his own right hand at table.
As for Minnikin, first he went out on the Troll's ship and took a great quantity of gold and silver hoops away with him, and then he trotted back to the King's palace.
When the kitchen-maid caught sight of all this gold and silver she was quite amazed, and said: `My dear friend Minnikin, where have you got all that from?' for she was half afraid that he had not come by it honestly.
`Oh,' answered Minnikin, `I have been home a while, and these hoops had fallen off some of our buckets, so I brought them away with me for you.'
So when the kitchen-maid heard that they were for her, she asked no more questions about the matter.She thanked Minnikin, and everything was right again at once.
Next Thursday evening all went just the same, and everyone was full of grief and affliction, but Ritter Red said that he had been able to deliver the King's daughter from one Troll, so that he could very easily deliver her from another, and he led her down to the sea-shore.But he did not do much harm to this Troll either, for when the time came when the Troll might be expected, he said as he had said before: `It is better that one should die than two,' and then climbed up into the tree again.
Minnikin once more begged the cook's leave to go down to the sea-shore for a short time.
`Oh, what can you do there?' said the cook.
`My dear, do let me go!' said Minnikin; `I should so like to go down there and amuse myself a little with the other children.'
So this time also she said that he should have leave to go, but he must first promise that he would be back by the time the joint was turned and that he would bring a great armful of wood with him.
No sooner had Minnikin got down to the strand than the Troll came rushing along with a great whistling and whirring, and he was twice as big as the first Troll, and he had ten heads.
`Fire!' shrieked the Troll.