Atondido Stories
said the king. “You have such soft white hands. Perhaps you
may serve to carry bouquets of flowers from my garden every
morning to my three daughters.”
The lad had eyes which were dark and deep like the depths
of the river, and when he carried bouquets of flowers from the
garden to the king’s daughters the youngest princess fell in love
with him at once. Her two sisters laughed at her. “I don’t care
what you say,” said the youngest princess. “He is far handsomer
than any of the princes who have ever sung of love beneath our
balcony.”
That very night two princes from neighbouring kingdoms
came to sing in the palace garden beneath the balcony of the
three princesses. The two oldest daughters of the king were
proud and haughty, but the youngest princess had love in her
heart and love in her eyes. For this reason she was one whom all
the princes admired most.
The lad from the river listened to their songs. “I wish I
looked like these two princes and knew songs like theirs,” said
he. Just then he caught sight of his own reflection in the fountain
in the garden. He saw that he looked quite as well as they. “I too
will sing a song before the balcony of the princesses,” he decid-
ed.
He did not know that he could sing, but in truth his voice
had in it all the music of the rushing of the river. When he sang
even the two rival musicians stopped to listen to his song. The
two older princesses did not know who was singing, but the
youngest princess recognized him at once.
The next day a great tournament took place. The lad from the
river had never seen a tournament, but after he had watched it
for a moment he decided to enter. He went to get the black horse
which had carried him out of the depths of the river and the
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