THERE was once upon a time a King who had become a widower.
His Queen had left one daughter behind her, and she was so wise and so pretty that it was impossible for any one to be wiser or prettier.For a long time the King went sorrowing for his wife, for he had loved her exceedingly; but at last he grew tired of living alone, and married a Queen who was a widow, and she also had a daughter, who was just as ill-favoured and wicked as the other was good and beautiful.The stepmother and her daughter were envious of the King's daughter because she was so pretty, but so long as the King was at home they dared do her no harm, because his love for her was so great.
Then there came a time when he made war on another King and went away to fight, and then the new Queen thought that she could do what she liked; so she both hungered and beat the King's daughter and chased her about into every corner.At last she thought that everything was too good for her, and set her to work to look after the cattle.So she went about with the cattle, and herded them in the woods and in the fields.Of food she got little or none, and grew pale and thin, and was nearly always weeping and sad.Among the herd there was a great blue bull, which always kept itself very smart and sleek, and often came to the King's daughter and let her stroke him.So one day, when she was again sitting crying and sorrowing, the Bull came up to her and asked why she was always so full of care? She made no answer, but continued to weep.
`Well,' said the Bull, `I know what it is, though you will not tell me; you are weeping because the Queen is unkind to you, and because she wants to starve you to death.But you need be under no concern about food, for in my left ear there lies a cloth, and if you will but take it and spread it out, you can have as many dishes as you like.'
So she did this, and took the cloth and spread it out upon the grass, and then it was covered with the daintiest dishes that any one could desire, and there was wine, and mead, and cake.And now she became brisk and well again, and grew so rosy, and plump, and fair that the Queen and her scraggy daughter turned blue and white with vexation at it.The Queen could not imagine how her step-daughter could look so well on such bad food, so she ordered one of her handmaidens to follow her into the wood and watch her, and see how it was, for she thought that some of the servants must be giving her food.So the maid followed her into the wood and watched, and saw how the step-daughter took the cloth out of the Blue Bull's ear, and spread it out, and how the cloth was then covered with the most delicate dishes, which the step-daughter ate and regaled herself with.So the waiting-maid went home and told the Queen.
And now the King came home, and he had conquered the other King with whom he had been at war.So there was great gladness in the palace, but no one was more glad than the King's daughter.
The Queen, however, pretended to be ill, and gave the doctor much money to say that she would never be well again unless she had some of the flesh of the Blue Bull to eat.Both the King's daughter and the people in the palace asked the doctor if there were no other means of saving her, and begged for the Bull's life, for they were all fond of him, and they all declared that there was no such Bull in the whole country; but it was all in vain, he was to be killed, and should be killed, and nothing else would serve.When the King's daughter heard it she was full of sorrow, and went down to the byre to the Bull.He too was standing there hanging his head, and looking so downcast that she fell a-weeping over him.
`What are you weeping for?' said the Bull.
So she told him that the King had come home again, and that the Queen had pretended to be ill, and that she had made the doctor say that she could never be well again unless some of the flesh of the Blue Bull was given her to eat, and that now he was to be killed.
`When once they have taken my life they will soon kill you also,' said the Bull.`If you are of the same mind with me, we will take our departure this very night.'
The King's daughter thought that it was bad to go and leave her father, but that it was worse still to be in the same house with the Queen, so she promised the Bull that she would come.
At night, when all the others had gone to bed, the King's daughter stole softly down to the byre to the Bull, and he took her on his back and got out of the courtyard as quickly as he could.So at cock-crow next morning, when the people came to kill the Bull, he was gone, and when the King got up and asked for his daughter she was gone too.He sent forth messengers to all parts of the kingdom to search for them, and published his loss in all the parish churches, but there was no one who had seen anything of them.
In the meantime the Bull travelled through many lands with the King's daughter on his back, and one day they came to a great copper-wood, where the trees, and the branches, and the leaves, and the flowers, and everything else was of copper.
But before they entered the wood the Bull said to the King's daughter:
`When we enter into this wood, you must take the greatest care not to touch a leaf of it, or all will be over both with me and with you, for a Troll with three heads, who is the owner of the wood, lives here.'
So she said she would be on her guard, and not touch anything.
And she was very careful, and bent herself out of the way of the branches, and put them aside with her hands; but it was so thickly wooded that it was all but impossible to get forward, and do what she might, she somehow or other tore off a leaf which got into her hand.
`Oh! oh! What have you done now?' said the Bull.`It will now cost us a battle for life or death; but do be careful to keep the leaf.'
Very soon afterwards they came to the end of the wood, and the Troll with three heads came rushing up to them.
`Who is that who is touching my wood?' said the Troll.
`The wood is just as much mine as yours!' said the Bull.
`We shall have a tussle for that!' shrieked the Troll.
`That may be,' said the Bull.