THE ROSE-PRINCESS
ONCE upon a time there was a King and Queen who reigned over a most beautiful country. They were very rich and very happy, and lived in a most gorgeous palace, the grand gardens of which sloped down to the blue sea, on which sailed many richly-laden ships, carrying merchandise to the capital city of the kingdom.
The palace was built of silver and ivory, and adorned with pale blue velvet hangings, upon which were painted the most exquisite pictures in the world. It stood on a high green hill, and far below lay the immense city of Buss, with its wide streets, many towers, and glittering fountains. As the King and Queen looked down from their beautiful castle on to the mighty city and great green plains which surrounded it, they ought to have been happy, but, curious to say, they were not. They had everything in the world to make them happy exceptone thing, and that one thing they longed for ardently, the more so because they did not see any chance of obtaining it.
“Ah, if I only had a child!” sighed the Queen.
“Yes; a little boy,” said the King.
“Or a little girl,” retorted the Queen. “Don’t you know any faeries, my dear, who would gratify our one desire?”
“No,” replied the King, shaking his head sadly. “My great-grandfather was the last person who ever saw a faery; no one has ever seen one since.”
“I don’t believe they exist,” said the Queen angrily.
“Oh yes, they do,” observed her husband. “This palace is said to have been built by faery hands.”
“I don’t believe they exist,” declared the Queen again. “If they did, they would surely help me by giving me a little girl or boy. What’s the good of faeries if they don’t help you?”
“I wish they would help me,” sighed his Majesty; “all my subjects are getting so unruly that I don’t know but what there will be a revolution, and they’ll put some one else on the throne.”
“Who else could they find?” asked the Queen curiously.
“Oh, I’m not certain of that,” replied the King. “You see, my grandfather, who was the first of our dynasty, ascended the throne by the help of the faeries, and the king who was deposed vanished, but they say some of his descendants live there;” and he pointed downward to the city.
“And there they will stay,” said the Queen angrily. “I don’t believe a word of it. Faeries indeed! they don’t exist.”
“But they do,” persisted the King.
“Pooh!” replied her Majesty. “Pooh!”
Now, when the Queen said “Pooh!” her husband knew it was no use talking any more, so he retired to his cabinet to look over some petitions from starving people, while the Queen went down with the ladies-in-waiting to walk in the garden.
It was really a delightful garden, filled with the most wonderful flowers. There were great beds of scented carnations, glowing with bright colours, red and white foxgloves, in whose deep bells the faeries were said to hide, masses of snowy white lilies, and a great mixture of marigolds, hollyhocks, sweet-williams, daisies, buttercups, and dahlias, which made the whole ground look like a brightly-coloured carpet. And as for the roses—oh, what a quantity of charming roses there were growing there! Red roses, varying in colour from a deep scarlet to a pale pink; white roses looking like snowflakes; yellow roses that glittered like gold, and faintly-tinted tea-roses that perfumed the still air with their sweet odours. Oh, it was really a famous garden, and bloomed all the year round, for the kingdom was situated in the region of perpetual summer, where snow never fell and frost never came.
The Queen, whose name was Flora, wandered disconsolately about the garden, quite discontented with the beautiful flowers, because she could not obtain the wish of her heart. The ladies-in-waiting began to pluck flowers in order to adorn the royal dinner-table, and Queen Flora walked on alone towards a great white rose tree that was covered with blossoms. As she stood looking at it, she suddenly heard a tiny laugh, and a great white rose unfolded its petals, showing a golden heart, and also a dainty little faery dressed in delicate green leaves, with a crown of little white rosebuds, and a wand made of a blade ofgrass. When the Queen saw her, she was much astonished, because she did not believe in faeries, but, now she really saw one, she had to believe her own eyes.
“I am called Rosina,” said the faery in a sweet, low voice, “and I heard you say you did not believe faeries existed; now you see they do, because I am a faery.”
“Yes, you must be a faery,” replied the Queen, clasping her hands, “because no human being could be so small.”
“Oh, I can be any size I please,” said the Faery Rosina, with a laugh, and, stepping down from the rose, she alighted on the ground, and instantly grew as tall as the Queen herself.
“Oh, you are a real, real faery!” cried Flora in delight. “But why do the faeries not appear now?”
“Because the land is so badly governed,” said Rosina in a severe tone. “Yourself and the King only think of luxury, and never of assisting the poor people; but I am going to cure you both of such neglect.”
“But how?” asked the Queen, trembling.
“By giving you your wish,” said the faery, plucking a white rosebud off the tree. “Lay this bud beside your bed to-night, and at the dawn of day it will change into a beautiful little baby Princess, which is what you want.”
“Oh yes, yes!” cried the Queen; “I do want a Princess.”
“Every night at sundown,” said the faery slowly, “the Princess will once more change into a flower, and become a human being again at sunrise.”
“But will she change like this all her life?” asked the Queen, in great dismay, for she did not like to have such a curious baby.
“She will be a Princess by day and a rosebud by night,” said Rosina, smiling, “until she marries the great-grandson of the King whom your husband’s grandfather deposed from the throne.”
“And where is this Prince to be found?” demanded the Queen breathlessly. “I’ll marry my Princess to him at once.”
“You can’t do that,” said the faery, shaking her head. “The exiled Prince does not know who he is, and the Princess herself will have to tell him he is of the royal blood. When she does that, and you marry them to one another, the spell will be removed, and she will be a Princess both by day and by night.”
“I don’t see how she’s ever going to find this lost Prince!” said the Queen angrily. “I shall certainly not let my child run about the world looking for him.”
“Fate is stronger than you are,” replied the faery, “and you will see what you will see.” So saying, she suddenly disappeared, and, as the white rose slowly curled up its petals, the Queen knew the Faery Rosina was inside.
The ladies-in-waiting, who had seen the Queen talking to a strange lady, dared not approach before, but now they saw their royal mistress was alone, they ventured to come near, and one of them offered to take the white rosebud which the Queen held.
“Oh no!” cried Flora, hastily drawing back her hand; “I am going to keep this rosebud. It is my”—
She was going to say Princess, but, thinking it wiser to keep her own counsel, she held her tongue, and, on returning to the palace, told no one but the King about the faery’s promise. The King laughed at her, and said he did not believe her story—that she must be dreaming; but the Queen persisted in her tale, that the rosebud would become a Princess, and placed it on a velvet cushion by the side of her bed.
Next morning, at the first break of day, she sprang up out of bed and hurried to look at the cushion, but there lay the rosebud a rosebud still, and not a Princess, as she thought it would be.
Queen Flora was very much disappointed, particularly as the King laughed at her folly for believing she had seen a faery, when suddenly a shaft of golden sunlight shone through the window right on to the cushion, and in an instant, instead of the flower there appeared a beautiful naked baby, who laughed and crowed gaily.
The Queen was nearly mad with joy, and took the baby up in her arms to show the King, who was equally delighted.
“You see there are faeries after all,” he said to the Queen.
“I always thought so,” replied the Queen.
“Oh, my dear!” said the King, who was quite shocked at such a story.
“Pooh!” answered Queen Flora, tossing the baby up in her arms, and this ended the conversation.
Ofcourse there was great joy when it came to be known that Queen Flora was the mother of a lovely Princess, and all the bells in the city were set ringing, while the poor people, for once, had as much food as they could eat. The ladies of the Queen admired the beautiful baby very much indeed, and there was no doubt the little Princess was really a charming child. By the advice of the King, however, Queen Flora told nobody about the transformation which took place at sundown, and always put the Princess to bed herself every night. Then, as the sunlight died out of the western skies, the pretty baby would change into a delicate white rosebud, and rested on a velvet cushion beside the Queen’s bed every night. At the first golden ray of the sun the bud changed to a beautiful Princess once more, and no one ever knew that she was only a flower transformed for the day into a human being.
As the years rolled on, the Rose-Princess grew into a tall, slender girl, with golden hair, blue eyes, and the most beautiful complexion, white and pink, flushed like a delicate rose. When she walked she swayed like a graceful lily, and always dressedin a green gown with a girdle of white roses, which were her favourite flowers.
She also wore a silver circlet on her golden hair, upon which were fastened diamond roses and leaves made out of bright green emeralds, which made her look so beautiful that all who beheld her fell in love on the spot. Many princes heard of her beauty and wanted to marry her, but she did not care for any of her suitors, which pleased Queen Flora very much, for she was anxious her Princess should marry the great-grandson of the exiled King, and cease to change into a rosebud.
The King made a proclamation that if the descendant of the old dynasty came to the palace, he would marry his daughter and be heir to the throne; but no one ever came forward to claim the hand of the Princess, which showed that the Faery Rosina spoke truly when she said the exiled Prince knew nothing about his royal blood.
The Princess was christened Rose by the Queen, because she really was the offspring of the white rose tree, but her complexion was so delicate, and her love for roses so great, that every one called her the Rose-Princess instead of the Princess Rose.
Now, on the seventeenth birthday of the Rose-Princess, there was a mighty revolution in the city of Buss, and a great multitude of men and women marched to the palace in order to dethrone the King. He was not a bad King as kings go, but, not knowing how to govern, he did nothing but amuse himself with balls and fêtes, letting his courtiers govern as they pleased.As the courtiers were all very greedy, and wanted money, they put such heavy taxes on the people, that at last the King’s subjects could stand it no longer, and while a ball was taking place in the great hall of the palace, in honour of the Rose-Princess’s birthday, the doors were burst open, and the mob rushed in. The ball was being given in the day-time, so that the Rose-Princess could attend, because, of course, she could not dance when changed into a flower. The music was sounding most beautifully, the King and Queen sat on their thrones with golden crowns, and the Rose-Princess was dancing gaily, when the noisy crowd of ragged men and women rushed into the beautiful palace.
Oh, it was really a terrible scene! All the gaily dressed lords and ladies were seized by the dirty hands of the people, and stripped of their beautiful jewels. The great mirrors were all smashed, the lovely blue hangings torn down and trampled on by the mob, the gorgeous gardens were all destroyed, and these rioters, breaking into the King’s wine-cellars, began to drink the fine wine of which he was so proud.
All the women of the city collected a lot of velvet couches, gorgeous dresses, and rich curtains into a heap in the garden, and, setting fire to it, danced about in a ring, singing loudly—
“High to lowDown must go;Low to highNow must fly.All the lords and ladies dead,Let us eat their costly bread,While beneath our feet we treadEvery proud and haughty head.”
“High to lowDown must go;Low to highNow must fly.All the lords and ladies dead,Let us eat their costly bread,While beneath our feet we treadEvery proud and haughty head.”
“High to lowDown must go;Low to highNow must fly.All the lords and ladies dead,Let us eat their costly bread,While beneath our feet we treadEvery proud and haughty head.”
“High to low
Down must go;
Low to high
Now must fly.
All the lords and ladies dead,
Let us eat their costly bread,
While beneath our feet we tread
Every proud and haughty head.”
You may be sure the King and Queen did not wait to face these terrible people, but, disguising themselves in mean garments, fled from the palace, leaving all their beautiful things to be destroyed by the mob, who chose a President, and proclaimed a Republic, then began to kill all the lords and ladies they could find. The whole nation seemed to go mad, and there was no law or order anywhere, but every one did exactly as they pleased, so that the entire kingdom was brought to the verge of ruin.
And the Rose-Princess?—ah, poor lady! she also fled in dismay from the terrible people, and sought refuge in her own room. It was still early in the afternoon, so she could not change into a rose, and thus escape the fury of the mob; and, as her parents had deserted her, she stood trembling in her beautiful chamber, thinking she would be found and torn to pieces. Besides, being ignorant of her nightly transformation, she was afraid to go to bed, lest she should be killed while asleep.
As she stood weeping and wringing her hands in despair, she suddenly saw a tall handsome lady standing before her,looking at her kindly. This was the Faery Rosina, who had come to save the Rose-Princess from the people, as it was not her fault that they had rebelled against the King.
“Do not weep, Rose-Princess,” she said in a kind tone; “though things seem to be going wrong just now, they will all come right.”
“But my dear parents!” cried the Rose-Princess, weeping.
“They have left the palace,” said the faery in a severe tone, “and will now endure hardship, to punish them for the way in which they have neglected their office; but when they have learnt a lesson, they will come back again.”
“But what will become of me?” cried the Rose-Princess, as the noise of the mob came nearer and nearer.
“You will be quite safe,” replied the faery; “and the people who are now crying out to kill you, will soon be cheering you on your wedding-day, when you are married.”
“Married to whom?” asked the trembling Princess.
“Ah, that you must find out!” answered the Faery Rosina, as the crowd commenced to batter at the door of the room. “But now I must save you from the people, or they will certainly kill you.”
As she said this, she touched the Princess, who immediately changed into a white rosebud, and lay on the dark green carpet like a snowflake. Then the Faery Rosina vanished, and the door was burst open, as the mob rushed in.
Of course they now saw nothing, and never for a moment dreamt that the white rose lying on the carpet was their beautiful Princess, so they commenced to pull down all thecostly things in the room, and would have trampled the rosebud under their feet, only a young student picked it up.
He was a handsome fellow of twenty, this young student, with a slender figure and a dark, splendid-looking face. His name was Ardram, and he was one of the leaders of the revolt, although he did not wish the people to destroy everything as they were doing. Ardram was a very learned youth, and the son of a poor sick woman, of whom he was very fond. He had seen all the misery of the poor people who were in want of bread, and the sinful luxury of the court, so thought it but right that a change should be made. Therefore he led the people to the palace, to ask justice of the King, but they had become too strong for him, and he was already regretting that he had not let them stay where they were. However, it was too late now for regrets, but he determined not to take any part in the follies of the mob, so walked home to his own little room in the city, with the white rosebud in his button-hole.
All night long he saw the flames rising from burning dwellings, and heard the shrieks of people being killed, so he felt very sad to think that he was the original cause of it all, though he certainly had no intention of letting such things be done. Then he determined on the morrow to talk to the people, and try and persuade them to stop their plundering and cruelty, but, in the meantime, went to bed and slept for an hour in an uneasy manner.
He forgot all about the white rosebud, which had fallen on the floor, as he flung himself, dressed as he was, on his bed, but when he awoke in the morning, he was much surprised to find seated beside him a beautiful woman, who was weeping bitterly.
“Who are you?” asked Ardram, springing to his feet; “and how did you come here?”
“I am the Rose-Princess,” she replied sadly; “but I do not know how I came here. You will let me stay, will you not? I am so afraid of those terrible people who broke into the palace.”
“Oh, I won’t let them harm you, Princess,” said Ardram, who had fallen in love with her beautiful face; “but you must not leave this room, or else I cannot protect you.”
“I’ll stay here,” said the Rose-Princess obediently; “but will you please give me something to eat?—I feel rather hungry.”
So Ardram brought out some bread and wine, off which the Princess made a hearty meal, talking to her host all the time she was eating.
“I saw you in the palace yesterday,” she said, looking straight at Ardram.
“Yes,” replied the student, blushing; “I was with the people. We only wanted justice, and I did not think they would go on like they did. The people were too strong for me, so I left them.”
“And will you put my father on the throne again?” asked the Rose-Princess eagerly.
“I’m afraid that will be impossible, Princess,” said Ardram quietly, “unless he promises to govern better. You see, many years ago, a king was deposed for governing badly, and your grandfather was put on the throne—now they’ll offer the crown to some one else.”
“Perhaps they’ll offer it to you?” suggested the Rose-Princess.
“I don’t think so,” said Ardram, laughing, as he arose to his feet; “but if I did become king, I would take care that all my subjects were well off. Now I’ll go out, Princess, and you stay here.”
“Very well,” answered the Rose-Princess; “and do look for my parents.”
“I will—though I daresay they’ve left the city,” said Ardram, and he went away more in love with the Princess than ever.
Meanwhile the Rose-Princess was left alone, and thought how noble and brave Ardram was.
“If he was only the Prince I was to marry!” she sighed; “but then the faery said everything would come right, so, perhaps, he is to be my husband after all.”
She waited all through the long day for the return of Ardram, but he did not return till sundown, and just as his hand was on the door, the Princess changed into a white rosebud, so, when he entered, he found the room empty.
“Princess, Princess, where are you?” he called out in alarm; but of course no Princess answered him, and Ardram asked every one in the house if they had seen a beautiful lady go out, but no one had done so.
“I’ll go and see my mother,” said Ardram in perplexity, for his mother was a very wise woman, although at present she was lying on a bed of sickness. As soon as Ardram made up his mind to ask his mother’s advice, he put on his cap to go, when he spied the white rosebud on the floor.
“Hullo!” he cried, picking it up; “this is the rose I found in the palace yesterday—my mother is fond of flowers, so I’ll takeit to her;” and he went away.
The streets were quite full of people, all in a great state of excitement, for the King, Queen, and Princess had vanished, and, as all the ministers were beheaded, there was no one to rule, so the whole kingdom was in a dreadful state.
Ardram reached his mother’s house, and found her in bed, very ill, but when she saw him she was much delighted.
“How are things going?” she asked, after he had kissed her.
“Very badly,” replied Ardram; “no one is able to rule, and I’m afraid we will have a civil war.”
“Oh no, we won’t,” said his mother quickly. “If the people won’t have their present King, perhaps the exiled Prince of the old royal family will be found.”
“I’m afraid not,” replied her son, smiling; “but if he is, I hope he’ll rule wisely.”
“I hope so too,” said his mother pointedly. “Who gave you that beautiful rose, Ardram?”
“I picked it up in the palace, mother,” he answered, and, taking it out of his button-hole, he gave it to her to smell. Then he told her all about the beautiful Princess, and his mother was very much astonished that the poor lady had leftthe safe shelter of his room, and perhaps been torn to pieces by the angry people in the street.
At last Ardram went away, leaving the rosebud with his mother, who laid it on her pillow and went to sleep. Next morning, when the beams of the sun were shining into her chamber, she awoke, and found the Rose-Princess sleeping beside her.
“Are you not the Rose-Princess?” she asked, for of course she recognised the King’s daughter at once by her crown.
“Yes,” answered the Rose-Princess quickly; “but how did I get here? The last thing I remember before I went to sleep, was standing in Ardram’s room.”
“You must have walked here in your sleep, then,” said the sick woman, looking at her, “because he has been searching for you everywhere.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” said the Rose-Princess, rising. “I would not like him to think I’d run away, because I am so fond of him.”
“Are you fond enough of him to marry him?” asked the mother sadly.
“Yes, I am,” answered the Princess, blushing; “but I’m afraid he would not marry me. Besides, you know, I am to marry the exiled Prince of the old royal family, as soon as he is found.”
“He is found,” said the sick woman quietly. “Ardram is my son, and the great-grandson of the King who was driven from the throne, so, if you marry him, he will be able to regainhis throne again.”
“And my father and mother?” asked the Princess in a faltering voice.
“I’m afraid they’re not fit to reign, if all I have heard is true,” said the mother in a melancholy tone; “and if you and my son, Prince Ardram, ascend the throne, I hope you will govern more wisely. Now, to prove the truth of what I say, pull out that wooden box from under my bed.”
The Rose-Princess did as she was told, and, on lifting up the lid, saw a most beautiful crown, all over diamonds, and rubies, and great blue sapphires, sparkling like the stars.
“That is the old royal crown,” said the sick woman, as the Princess put it on her head, “and Ardram will be crowned with it.”
“But if your son is the Prince, why did you not send him to the palace to marry me?” asked the Rose-Princess, who looked truly royal, as she stood in the room with the great crown on her golden head.
“Because I wanted him to see the misery of the people, before ruling over them,” said the mother quickly. “Now he knows what poor people endure, he will be a wise king, and govern well. Now, I will sleep until my son comes back, then we will see about getting you married.”
So she turned her face away, in order to sleep, and the Princess put away the royal crown, and began to sing to the sick woman in a low, sweet voice. This is what she sang:
“Roses red, in the red, red dawn,Open your hearts to the sun, I pray;The dew lies heavy upon the lawn,Westward rises the golden day.Roses, droop in the hot noon-tide,Scatter your petals of red and white,Far in the depths of your green leaves hide,Till to the eastward the sun takes flight.Roses white, at the shut of day,Close your blossoms thro’ sunless hours;The moon rides high in the sky so grey.Night brings sleep to the weary flowers.”
“Roses red, in the red, red dawn,Open your hearts to the sun, I pray;The dew lies heavy upon the lawn,Westward rises the golden day.Roses, droop in the hot noon-tide,Scatter your petals of red and white,Far in the depths of your green leaves hide,Till to the eastward the sun takes flight.Roses white, at the shut of day,Close your blossoms thro’ sunless hours;The moon rides high in the sky so grey.Night brings sleep to the weary flowers.”
“Roses red, in the red, red dawn,Open your hearts to the sun, I pray;The dew lies heavy upon the lawn,Westward rises the golden day.
“Roses red, in the red, red dawn,
Open your hearts to the sun, I pray;
The dew lies heavy upon the lawn,
Westward rises the golden day.
Roses, droop in the hot noon-tide,Scatter your petals of red and white,Far in the depths of your green leaves hide,Till to the eastward the sun takes flight.
Roses, droop in the hot noon-tide,
Scatter your petals of red and white,
Far in the depths of your green leaves hide,
Till to the eastward the sun takes flight.
Roses white, at the shut of day,Close your blossoms thro’ sunless hours;The moon rides high in the sky so grey.Night brings sleep to the weary flowers.”
Roses white, at the shut of day,
Close your blossoms thro’ sunless hours;
The moon rides high in the sky so grey.
Night brings sleep to the weary flowers.”
Then she also fell asleep, and, as night came on, she was once more changed into the white rosebud, and lay on the pillow beside the grey head of Ardram’s mother. When the doctor, a gruff old man called Mux, came in, the sick woman awoke, and asked at once for the Princess.
“What princess?” asked Mux gruffly. “There’s no princess here. So much the better, as I’d cut her head off if I saw her.”
“But she was here when I went to sleep,” said Ardram’s mother angrily.
“Well, she isn’t here now,” retorted the doctor. “I expect she’s left you to look for the King and Queen. But never mind about her—how do you feel yourself?”
But the sick woman was much agitated over the loss of the Rose-Princess, and when her son entered, she told him how the Princess had been with her all day, and again vanished; whereupon Ardram rushed out into the streets, to see if he could find the poor Rose-Princess again.
When Mux was taking his leave, Ardram’s mother said she had no money to pay him.
“Never mind,” said the doctor gruffly, for he was really very kind-hearted; “I’ll take this rose as payment;” and he picked up the white rose off the pillow.
“It’s very kind of you, doctor,” said the sick woman gratefully. “Take the rose by all means—my son gave it to me. But, doctor, do try and find the Princess; if you do, I will reward you better than you think.”
“Stuff!” said the gruff Mux; and he went away home with the white rosebud fastened in his coat.
GruffDr. Mux took the white rosebud home with him, little thinking it was the lost Princess, which was perhaps just as well, seeing that he was such an enemy to the royal family. At least every one thought he was, but everybody was wrong to think so, as, in spite of the names he called them, he was really a great upholder of the throne, and in his humble house the exiled King and Queen had been hidden all the time of the revolution. No one thought of looking for them in the house of such a red republican as Dr. Mux, so they were as safe there as though they were guarded by stone walls and faithful soldiers.
When Dr. Mux arrived home, he went straight to bed, but arose very early in the morning, before the sun was up, and called the King and Queen.
“Sire and madam,” he said, bowing before them, “as I came through the streets, I noticed that the people were talkingabout re-establishing the throne.”
“Oh, then we will go back to our palace,” said the Queen joyfully.
“And make an example of all traitors,” observed the King sternly.
“Nothing of the sort, sire and madam,” said the doctor, bowing again. “From what I heard, I think the people want to put your daughter on the throne.”
“Nonsense!” said the King.
“Pooh!” said the Queen.
“You think so?” observed the doctor severely. “Listen.”
They did listen, and heard a roar in the distance coming nearer and nearer, then a great mass of people came sweeping up the street, crying out, “Long live Queen Rose!” “Let us see our new Queen!” “Where is the Rose-Princess?”
“Ah, where indeed?” cried the Queen, weeping. “I have not seen our beautiful daughter since the mob attacked the palace.”
“She would easily be recognised,” said the doctor.
“I’m not so sure of that,” replied the King, looking at the Queen. “You know our Princess is enchanted by the faeries.”
“Faeries?” echoed the doctor; “I never saw one.”
“But I did,” said the Queen.
“Excuse me, my dear madam—dyspepsia,” returned the doctor gravely, for you see he did not know how the Princess changed to a rosebud every night.
The Queen was very angry, but dared not say anything, lest the doctor should deliver her up to the mob, who were now surging in the wide street, listening to a man who was speaking.
“That is Ardram the student,” said the doctor. “I saw his sick mother last night—she gave me this rosebud.”
“Ah,” sighed the Queen, as she took the rosebud from the doctor, “how like my poor lost daughter!”
“I do not see the resemblance, sire and madam,” said the doctor; “but listen to Ardram;” and he went out of the room, leaving the King and Queen to hearken to the man who had taken their throne from them. He was talking in a loud tone to the mob, and telling them they ought to elect the Rose-Princess for their Queen, as she would know how to govern better than her parents. The sun was just rising, and the golden beams were shining on his face, so that he looked truly noble.
“A seditious traitor!” cried the King.
“Cut his head off!” said the Queen.
But they had not the power to do so, and, amid cries of “Long live Queen Rose!” Ardram leaped from his standing-place, and all the mob swept down the street to look for the lost Princess.
The King and Queen turned from the window in great anger, when they saw to their surprise that the Rose-Princess was standing in the room.
“My child, my child!” said the King, kissing her.
“It was your rosebud, then?” said the Queen, folding the beautiful girl in her arms.
“What rosebud?” asked the Rose-Princess in surprise; “and how did I come here?”
“The doctor brought you,” said the King.
“Did he carry me through the streets?” asked the Princess, very much astonished. “I wonder I was not recognised.”
“No one could recognise you as you were then,” said the Queen, and nodded wisely, but she did not tell the Princess that she had been a rosebud when she was carried by the doctor.
“I’ve had such a lot of adventures,” said the Rose-Princess; “but I don’t know how I came from one place to the other. First, I was in the palace, then in Ardram’s room, then by his sick mother’s bedside, and now here. It must be the faeries.”
“It is the faeries,” observed the Queen, kissing her daughter again. “You’ll know all about it when you marry the exiled Prince, and break the spell.”
“Oh, I can break whatever spell there is when I marry Ardram,” said the Rose-Princess; “he is the exiled Prince.”
“Nonsense!” said the King, frowning.
“Pooh!” said the Queen in an angry tone.
“Oh, but he is,” cried the Rose-Princess gaily. “I saw his crown, for his mother showed it to me.”
“Then, if he is the real Prince,” said the King, “you had better marry him, and break the enchantment.”
“What enchantment?” asked the Rose-Princess.
“You will find it all out,” began the Queen, “when”—
“When you marry Prince Ardram,” finished the King.
All day the three royal people sat in the humble room of the doctor, and talked about their troubles. Rose-Princess told her parents all about the misery of the people, and how they ought to govern, but the King and Queen only laughed, which showedthat the severe lesson of exile was lost on them. Gruff Dr. Mux was very much astonished to see the Rose-Princess, and told her how she had been proclaimed Queen by Ardram.
“Then I’ll marry him,” said the Rose-Princess promptly, “for I love him very much. Where is he?”
“Coming up the street,” said the doctor. Then all four went to the window, and saw that the crowd of people were coming back, looking very disappointed because they had not found the Princess.
Ardram mounted on a great stone in front of the church door, for the cathedral of the city was just opposite the doctor’s house. When the Rose-Princess saw him, she ran out of the room, down the stairs, and across to where the student was standing.
“Ardram, Ardram, I am here!” she cried, and climbed up beside him.
The people recognised their beautiful Princess at once, and cried out,—
“Long live Queen Rose!”
“And King Ardram,” said the Princess loudly; “if you make me Queen, you must make him King, and we will both rule wisely.”
“She never thinks of us,” said her father.
“Ungrateful child!” cried the Queen.
But no one heard them, for the mob began to roar, “Long live King Ardram and Queen Rose!” and the red light of the setting sun shone on the handsome couple as they stood on the stone. Ardram was beside himself with joy, not at being made King, but because the beautiful Rose-Princess had herwhite arms round his neck, and was saying how much she loved him.
Suddenly the red light in the sky vanished and the sun set, leaving Ardram standing alone on the stone with a white rose in his hand.
“Where is the Queen?” roared the mob.
“I don’t know,” cried Ardram, looking at the white rosebud in a bewildered manner; “she is gone.”
“He wants to be King alone,” cried the people, “and has made the Queen disappear by magic.”
“No, no,” said Ardram. “I love her too much for that.”
“Kill him! kill him! he’s a magician!” yelled the people, and they all pressed forward to tear Ardram off the stone, but, seeing his danger, he jumped down and ran into the church, closing the great doors after him. There he was safe, for the mob dared not to break into the church, but all night roared round it like a stormy sea round a little boat.
The King and Queen left the window, and told the gruff doctor all about the enchantment of the Rose-Princess, which he was now inclined to believe, as he had seen her disappear so suddenly before his eyes. He recommended the Queen to call on the Faery Rosina, which she did, and in a moment the faery, a tall, beautiful woman, in a robe of shining green, was standing before them. Then the doctor did believe in faeries, because he now really saw one for the first time, and was much astonished.
“Well, are you sorry you lost your throne?” asked the faery severely.
“Very,” said the King and Queen together.
“If you go back, will you rule wisely?” she said, looking at them.
“We will rule just as we ruled before,” they replied.
“Then you are not fit to go back,” said Rosina sadly. “I see I have not cured you after all.”
“Nonsense!” said the King.
“Pooh!” said the Queen, and they both thought the faery was very rude.
“I’ll settle everything to-morrow morning,” said the faery, quite angry at their folly. “I can do nothing till the Rose-Princess becomes a woman again—she will of course marry the Prince Ardram to break the spell.”
“Is he really the Prince?” asked the King and Queen together.
“Yes, he is,” retorted the faery shortly, and then vanished, leaving them quite disconsolate, as they thought they would never get back their throne.
Meanwhile Ardram walked up and down the dark church all night, listening to the roaring of the crowd outside, and wondering how the Princess kept vanishing and appearing so strangely. He was more in love with her than ever, and at last went fast asleep on the altar steps, dreaming about his lovely bride, who said he would rule as King with her. The rosebud lay on the steps beside him, but Ardram never thought for a moment that his charming Princess was so near him.
Next morning he awoke in the early grey dawn, before the sun was up, and found himself surrounded by the King, the Queen, Dr. Mux, his mother, now looking strong and well,and a beautiful tall woman, in a green robe, with a wand made of white roses.
“I am the Faery Rosina,” she said to him in a low, sweet voice, “and I am come to put things to rights, Prince Ardram.”
“Why do you call me ‘Prince’ Ardram?” asked the student, looking puzzled.
“The Rose-Princess will tell you,” said the faery, smiling.
“But where is she?” asked Ardram, looking around.
“There,” said the faery, pointing with her wand to the white rosebud, which lay on the floor where Ardram had flung it the previous night.
“Impossible!” he said in astonishment.
“Not at all,” cried the King, coming forward; “nothing is impossible to a royal princess. That rosebud is my daughter.”
“Given to the King and Queen by me,” said Rosina sweetly. “They did not know how to rule, and as I knew this revolution would take place, I wanted to provide an heir to the throne.”
“But the white rose cannot reign,” said Ardram, rather bewildered.
“Not now, but wait till the sun rises,” cried the fairy. “Ah, here is the first yellow beam! Now look.”
Every one looked at the white rosebud lying on the floor, and then a yellow beam which struck through a painted window, creeping nearer and nearer till it shone on the white bud. In an instant that vanished, and in its place stood the Rose-Princess, looking tall and beautiful. On seeing Ardram, she bounded towards him and put her arms round his neck.