Original Fairy Tales

Ileana Simziana: Queen Fairy Ileana the most beautiful of all

Romanian, collected 1870s. Reported at the very beginning of the XXth century by Petre Ispirescu. Translation from the Romanian by Mirela Roznoveanu

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Once upon a time there was a powerful and Great King that had conquered all other kingdoms around him. All those defeated kings were forced to give him one of their sons to serve him for ten years. On the side of this great Kingdom, there was a smaller kingdom having also a brave King, who in his youth defended very well his kingdom. Getting old, he had no choice but to give it up, and the old king accepted to surrender his kingdom and himself to the Great King. Now, he had to fulfill the Great King's wish but how? He did not have any boys, but only three girls.
His big worry was to allow the Great King to believe that he did not want to send his son to serve him, and to see his kingdom destroyed and his daughters and himself die in disgrace, poverty and shame.
One day, at the dinner table, the older princess dared to ask her father, the old King, why he was so upset and angry.

"Father," the older princess said, "Why are you so upset? I am ready to give my life for you, please tell me the truth!"

"I am not upset with you, my dearest girl," said the old King, "You have never disobeyed me or ignored my wishes; but you are all girls, and only a boy would help me to fulfill that mean King's wishes. The Great King, to whom I surrendered my Kingdom, asked me for a son to serve him for ten years and I don't have one. I have only you. All your lives, my dearest girls, you work with the knitting spindle, the needle, and the weaving loom. You are great in sewing, but you don't know anything about fights, battles and war. Only a courageous, valiant brave man can help me now. He has to know how to spin the mace, how to use the sword, and ride the horse like a superbly brave warrior. I am too old now, and I can't fight anymore in battles."

The older princess asked her father to allow her to go to the Great King and serve him. She would disguise herself as a young brave man. She promised to her father she wouldn't fail him. After deep thoughts and many doubts in his heart, the old King allowed her to do so.

Very happy, the older princess chose the best horse from the stables, the best, richest clothes that would fit a great and brave young man, and loaded food enough for a year. After her father saw her ready for departure, he gave her some parental advice as to how to behave, how to hide the fact that she was a girl, and everything she needed to know as a brave young man going to fulfill such an important mission. Then her father said:

"I am praying to God to be with you, my daughter, and always remember my advice. "

She left the court in great joy, as fast as a lightning on the sky. Just in a matter of a second no one could see her anymore. Few nobles accompanied her as well as the loaded horses with food. They hardly could keep up with her fast ride.

In the meantime, the old King ran in hiding on a different path, to the other side of the kingdom. Without the princess knowledge he had built there a bridge of brass. He took the form of a ferocious wolf and hiding under the bridge, he was waiting for her. When the princess was ready to pass that bridge, suddenly the king in the form of the wolf stepped out, snapped his teeth in horror, looked right in her eyes with his eyes lighting like torches, and ran straight to her like wanting to tear her apart.
The girl felt her blood frozen in fear. The wolf could claw into her if the horse would not jump back; then, in a hurry she turned her horse around and returned back home. At the same way back, her father, was home already. He went out to greet his returning daughter, and he said:

"Do you remember, my daughter, what I had said to you: that not all bees make honey?"

"It is true, Father, I didn't know that in sending me to the Great King I would have to fight with wild and enraged beasts."