ON SEEING ARDRAM SHE BOUNDED TOWARD HIM AND PUT HER ARMS ROUND HIS NECK
ON SEEING ARDRAM SHE BOUNDED TOWARD HIM AND PUT HER ARMS ROUND HIS NECK
ON SEEING ARDRAM SHE BOUNDED TOWARD HIM AND PUT HER ARMS ROUND HIS NECK
“Good morning, my Prince,” she said sweetly.
“But I am no prince,” cried Ardram, clasping her to his breast.
“Yes, you are,” said the Rose-Princess merrily; “you are the great-grandson of the King who was deposed.”
“Is this true, mother?” asked Ardram.
“Perfectly true,” she replied, producing the crown. “Here is the royal crown; you are the real King, but I did not dare to tell you till the Faery Rosina gave me permission.”
“And I waited till now because I wanted you to marry the Princess Rose,” said the faery, as Ardram placed the crown on his head. “The Princess is enchanted, and turns into a rose every night, so in order to break the spell she must marry you.”
“When?” asked both lovers together.
“Now,” said the faery, and, touching Ardram’s dress, it changed into beautiful royal robes all of gold, and at the same moment the Rose-Princess appeared dressed in wedding garments, with her crown of silver and diamonds on her head. The organ rolled out a bridal march, and the priests came forth in a long procession. In a few minutes the Princess Rose was married to Ardram, and then her silver crown rolled off.
“You must not wear silver any more,” said the faery, “because the spell is now broken, and you will never change to a rosebud again.”
So saying, she touched the Rose-Princess’s head with her wand, and immediately there appeared a beautiful golden crown, as gorgeous as that worn by Ardram.
“Now you are King and Queen,” said Rosina graciously, “so you will go to the palace and govern wisely.”
“Oh yes, we will,” cried the new King and Queen joyfully and then they kissed one another as they stood in their royal crowns and splendid garments before the great altar.
“But what is to become of us?” said the old King and Queen.
“You are not fit to govern,” said the faery severely, “and only care for pleasure, so you will go away to the other end of the kingdom, to a city of your own, where the people are as fond of pleasure as you are, and there you will be happy.”
“Nonsense!” said the King.
“Pooh!” replied the Queen.
Nevertheless, both of them were secretly very delighted, as they would now be able to enjoy themselves as they pleased. Then the faery ordered the doors of the cathedral to be thrown wide open, the organ played a triumphal march, and the new King and Queen walked slowly down the church, looking the handsomest couple in the world. The gruff doctor and the old mother followed, but the deposed King and Queen had vanished with the Faery Rosina, who transported them to their own city, where they ruled and enjoyed themselves for many years.
Then all the people in the city saw the new King and Queen standing before them with their royal crowns, and the bells rang, the streets were made clear again, and as the young couple moved through the crowd, which strewed flowers before them, the people cried,—
“Long live King Ardram and Queen Rose!”
And the Rose-Princess never changed into a flower again, but became a true, loving wife to the King, who ruled well and wisely, for he had seen the hardships of his subjects when he was a poor student. They reigned long and happily, and had many children, but in all their prosperity the Queen neverforgot how she had been an enchanted Rose-Princess.