Faithful John

There was once on a time an old king who was ill, and thought to
himself, "I am lying on what must be my death-bed." Then said he, "Tell
Faithful John to come to me." Faithful John was his favourite servant,
and was so called, because he had for his whole life long been so true
to him. When therefore he came beside the bed, the King said to him,
"Most faithful John, I feel my end approaching, and have no anxiety
except about my son. He is still of tender age, and cannot always know
how to guide himself. If thou dost not promise me to teach him
everything that he ought to know, and to be his foster-father, I cannot
close my eyes in peace." Then answered Faithful John, "I will not
forsake him, and will serve him with fidelity, even if it should cost
me my life." On this, the old King said, "Now I die in comfort and
peace." Then he added, "After my death, thou shalt show him the whole
castle: all the chambers, halls, and vaults, and all the treasures
which lie therein, but the last chamber in the long gallery, in which
is the picture of the princess of the Golden Dwelling, shalt thou not
show. If he sees that picture, he will fall violently in love with her,
and will drop down in a swoon, and go through great danger for her
sake, therefore thou must preserve him from that." And when Faithful
John had once more given his promise to the old King about this, the
King said no more, but laid his head on his pillow, and died.

When the old King had been carried to his grave, Faithful John told the
young King all that he had promised his father on his deathbed, and
said, "This will I assuredly perform, and will be faithful to thee as I
have been faithful to him, even if it should cost me my life." When the
mourning was over, Faithful John said to him, "It is now time that thou
shouldst see thine inheritance. I will show thee thy father's palace."
Then he took him about everywhere, up and down, and let him see all the
riches, and the magnificent apartments, only there was one room which
he did not open, that in which hung the dangerous picture. The picture
was, however, so placed that when the door was opened you looked
straight on it, and it was so admirably painted that it seemed to
breathe and live, and there was nothing more charming or more beautiful
in the whole world. The young King, however, plainly remarked that
Faithful John always walked past this one door, and said, "Why dost
thou never open this one for me?" "There is something within it," he
replied, "which would terrify thee." But the King answered, "I have
seen all the palace, and I will know what is in this room also," and he
went and tried to break open the door by force. Then Faithful John held
him back and said, "I promised thy father before his death that thou
shouldst not see that which is in this chamber, it might bring the
greatest misfortune on thee and on me." "Ah, no," replied the young
King, "if I do not go in, it will be my certain destruction. I should
have no rest day or night until I had seen it with my own eyes. I shall
not leave the place now until thou hast unlocked the door."

Then Faithful John saw that there was no help for it now, and with a
heavy heart and many sighs, sought out the key from the great bunch.
When he had opened the door, he went in first, and thought by standing
before him he could hide the portrait so that the King should not see
it in front of him, but what availed that? The King stood on tip-toe
and saw it over his shoulder. And when he saw the portrait of the
maiden, which was so magnificent and shone with gold and precious
stones, he fell fainting to the ground. Faithful John took him up,
carried him to his bed, and sorrowfully thought, "The misfortune has
befallen us, Lord God, what will be the end of it?" Then he
strengthened him with wine, until he came to himself again. The first
words the King said were, "Ah, the beautiful portrait! whose it it?"
"That is the princess of the Golden Dwelling," answered Faithful John.
Then the King continued, "My love for her is so great, that if all the
leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it. I will
give my life to win her. Thou art my most Faithful John, thou must help
me."

The faithful servant considered within himself for a long time how to
set about the matter, for it was difficult even to obtain a sight of
the King's daughter. At length he thought of a way, and said to the
King, "Everything which she has about her is of gold--tables, chairs,
dishes, glasses, bowls, and household furniture. Among thy treasures
are five tons of gold; let one of the goldsmiths of the Kingdom work
these up into all manner of vessels and utensils, into all kinds of
birds, wild beasts and strange animals, such as may please her, and we
will go there with them and try our luck."

The King ordered all the goldsmiths to be brought to him, and they had
to work night and day until at last the most splendid things were
prepared. When everything was stowed on board a ship, Faithful John put
on the dress of a merchant, and the King was forced to do the same in
order to make himself quite unrecognizable. Then they sailed across the
sea, and sailed on until they came to the town wherein dwelt the
princess of the Golden Dwelling.

Faithful John bade the King stay behind on the ship, and wait for him.
"Perhaps I shall bring the princess with me," said he, "therefore see
that everything is in order; have the golden vessels set out and the
whole ship decorated." Then he gathered together in his apron all kinds
of gold things, went on shore and walked straight to the royal palace.
When he entered the courtyard of the palace, a beautiful girl was
standing there by the well with two golden buckets in her hand, drawing
water with them. And when she was just turning round to carry away the
sparkling water she saw the stranger, and asked who he was. So he
answered, "I am a merchant," and opened his apron, and let her look in.
Then she cried, "Oh, what beautiful gold things!" and put her pails
down and looked at the golden wares one after the other. Then said the
girl, "The princess must see these, she has such great pleasure in
golden things, that she will buy all you have." She took him by the
hand and led him upstairs, for she was the waiting-maid. When the
King's daughter saw the wares, she was quite delighted and said, "They
are so beautifully worked, that I will buy them all of thee." But
Faithful John said, "I am only the servant of a rich merchant. The
things I have here are not to be compared with those my master has in
his ship. They are the most beautiful and valuable things that have
ever been made in gold." She wanted to have everything brought to her
there, but he said, "There are so many of them that it would take a
great many days to do that, and so many rooms would be required to
exhibit them, that your house is not big enough." Then her curiosity
and longing were still more excited, until at last she said, "Conduct
me to the ship, I will go there myself, and behold the treasures of
thine master."

On this Faithful John was quite delighted, and led her to the ship, and
when the King saw her, he perceived that her beauty was even greater
than the picture had represented it to be, and thought no other than
that his heart would burst in twain. Then she got into the ship, and
the King led her within. Faithful John, however, remained behind with
the pilot, and ordered the ship to be pushed off, saying, "Set all
sail, till it fly like a bird in air." Within, however, the King showed
her the golden vessels, every one of them, also the wild beasts and
strange animals. Many hours went by whilst she was seeing everything,
and in her delight she did not observe that the ship was sailing away.
After she had looked at the last, she thanked the merchant and wanted
to go home, but when she came to the side of the ship, she saw that it
was on the deep sea far from land, and hurrying onwards with all sail
set. "Ah," cried she in her alarm, "I am betrayed! I am carried away
and have fallen into the power of a merchant--I would die rather!" The
King, however, seized her hand, and said, "I am not a merchant. I am a
king, and of no meaner origin than thou art, and if I have carried thee
away with subtlety, that has come to pass because of my exceeding great
love for thee. The first time that I looked on thy portrait, I fell
fainting to the ground." When the princess of the Golden Dwelling heard
that, she was comforted, and her heart was inclined unto him, so that
she willingly consented to be his wife.

It so happened, however, while they were sailing onwards over the deep
sea, that Faithful John, who was sitting on the fore part of the
vessel, making music, saw three ravens in the air, which came flying
towards them. On this he stopped playing and listened to what they were
saying to each other, for that he well understood. One cried, "Oh,
there he is carrying home the princess of the Golden Dwelling." "Yes,"
replied the second, "but he has not got her yet." Said the third, "But
he has got her, she is sitting beside him in the ship." Then the first
began again, and cried, "What good will that do him? When they reach
land a chestnut horse will leap forward to meet him, and the prince
will want to mount it, but if he does that, it will run away with him,
and rise up into the air with him, and he will never see his maiden
more." Spake the second, "But is there no escape?"

"Oh, yes, if any one else gets on it swiftly, and takes out the pistol
which must be in its holster, and shoots the horse dead with it, the
young King is saved. But who knows that? And whosoever does know it,
and tells it to him, will be turned to stone from the toe to the knee."
Then said the second, "I know more than that; even if the horse be
killed, the young King will still not keep his bride. When they go into
the castle together, a wrought bridal garment will be lying there in a
dish, and looking as if it were woven of gold and silver; it is,
however, nothing but sulphur and pitch, and if he put it on, it will
burn him to the very bone and marrow." Said the third, "Is there no
escape at all?"

"Oh, yes," replied the second, "if any one with gloves on seizes the
garment and throws it into the fire and burns it, the young King will
be saved. "But what avails that?" "Whosoever knows it and tells it to
him, half his body will become stone from the knee to the heart."

Then said the third, "I know still more; even if the bridal garment be
burnt, the young King will still not have his bride. After the wedding,
when the dancing begins and the young queen is dancing, she will
suddenly turn pale and fall down as if dead, and if some one does not
lift her up and draw three drops of blood from her right breast and
spit them out again, she will die. But if any one who knows that were
to declare it, he would become stone from the crown of his head to the
sole of his foot." When the ravens had spoken of this together, they
flew onwards, and Faithful John had well understood everything, but
from that time forth he became quiet and sad, for if he concealed what
he had heard from his master, the latter would be unfortunate, and if
he discovered it to him, he himself must sacrifice his life. At length,
however, he said to himself, "I will save my master, even if it bring
destruction on myself."

When therefore they came to shore, all happened as had been foretold by
the ravens, and a magnificent chestnut horse sprang forward. "Good,"
said the King, "he shall carry me to my palace," and was about to mount
it when Faithful John got before him, jumped quickly on it, drew the
pistol out of the holster, and shot the horse. Then the other
attendants of the King, who after all were not very fond of Faithful
John, cried, "How shameful to kill the beautiful animal, that was to
have carried the King to his palace." But the King said, "Hold your
peace and leave him alone, he is my most faithful John, who knows what
may be the good of that!" They went into the palace, and in the hall
there stood a dish, and therein lay the bridal garment looking no
otherwise than as if it were made of gold and silver. The young King
went towards it and was about to take hold of it, but Faithful John
pushed him away, seized it with gloves on, carried it quickly to the
fire and burnt it. The other attendants again began to murmur, and
said, "Behold, now he is even burning the King's bridal garment!" But
the young King said, "Who knows what good he may have done, leave him
alone, he is my most faithful John."

And now the wedding was solemnized: the dance began, and the bride also
took part in it; then Faithful John was watchful and looked into her
face, and suddenly she turned pale and fell to the ground, as if she
were dead. On this he ran hastily to her, lifted her up and bore her
into a chamber--then he laid her down, and knelt and sucked the three
drops of blood from her right breast, and spat them out. Immediately
she breathed again and recovered herself, but the young King had seen
this, and being ignorant why Faithful John had done it, was angry and
cried, "Throw him into a dungeon." Next morning Faithful John was
condemned, and led to the gallows, and when he stood on high, and was
about to be executed, he said, "Every one who has to die is permitted
before his end to make one last speech; may I too claim the right?"
"Yes," answered the King, "it shall be granted unto thee." Then said
Faithful John, "I am unjustly condemned, and have always been true to
thee," and he related how he had hearkened to the conversation of the
ravens when on the sea, and how he had been obliged to do all these
things in order to save his master. Then cried the King, "Oh, my most
Faithful John. Pardon, pardon--bring him down." But as Faithful John
spoke the last word he had fallen down lifeless and become a stone.

Thereupon the King and the Queen suffered great anguish, and the King
said, "Ah, how ill I have requited great fidelity!" and ordered the
stone figure to be taken up and placed in his bedroom beside his bed.
And as often as he looked on it he wept and said, "Ah, if I could bring
thee to life again, my most faithful John." Some time passed and the
Queen bore twins, two sons who grew fast and were her delight. Once
when the Queen was at church and the two children were sitting playing
beside their father, the latter full of grief again looked at the stone
figure, sighed and said, "Ah, if I could but bring thee to life again,
my most faithful John." Then the stone began to speak and said, "Thou
canst bring me to life again if thou wilt use for that purpose what is
dearest to thee." Then cried the King, "I will give everything I have
in the world for thee." The stone continued, "If thou wilt will cut off
the heads of thy two children with thine own hand, and sprinkle me with
their blood, I shall be restored to life."

The King was terrified when he heard that he himself must kill his
dearest children, but he thought of faithful John's great fidelity, and
how he had died for him, drew his sword, and with his own hand cut off
the children's heads. And when he had smeared the stone with their
blood, life returned to it, and Faithful John stood once more safe and
healthy before him. He said to the King, "Thy truth shall not go
unrewarded," and took the heads of the children, put them on again, and
rubbed the wounds with their blood, on which they became whole again
immediately, and jumped about, and went on playing as if nothing had
happened. Then the King was full of joy, and when he saw the Queen
coming he hid Faithful John and the two children in a great cupboard.
When she entered, he said to her, "Hast thou been praying in the
church?" "Yes," answered she, "but I have constantly been thinking of
Faithful John and what misfortune has befallen him through us." Then
said he, "Dear wife, we can give him his life again, but it will cost
us our two little sons, whom we must sacrifice." The Queen turned pale,
and her heart was full of terror, but she said, "We owe it to him, for
his great fidelity." Then the King was rejoiced that she thought as he
had thought, and went and opened the cupboard, and brought forth
Faithful John and the children, and said, "God be praised, he is
delivered, and we have our little sons again also," and told her how
everything had occurred. Then they dwelt together in much happiness
until their death.
