The Three Russian Princes
Little children in Russia have their favorite fairy stories which they like to listen to over and over again. This is one of them. It all began when Shenkal, a greedy and powerful magician found his way into the palace of the Grand-Duke Ivan and kidnapped princess Olga, his only daughter, who was very beautiful. Shenkal carried her away to his castle on the top of Black Mountain, believing that the princess would agree to be his wife. Princess Olga, however, had other ideas. "Rather than marry you, I would throw myself into the sea," she said to Shenkal.
This made the magician very angry. He asked Olga again to be his wife and she refused a second time, even more scornfully. "Very well," growled Shenkal. "You are not the first to disobey me, so now you will join the others." Unfastening from round his waist a length of silk rope, he touched the proud princess with the end of it, at the same time muttering some mysterious magic words. Olga at once changed into a silver-colored fish, which Shenkal tossed into a fountain pool, where more than a hundred other fish were swimming around. These were also the many young girls who had refused to marry Shenkal, and who had been changed into fish by a touch from the magic silk rope. As Shenkal marched angrily away from the fountain, he was watched by an old gardener, who hated him. Not liking what he had seen, the gardener hurried to the palace of the Grand-Duke Ivan and told him what had happened in the magician's castle on Black Mountain. Ivan knew three princes, Ratmir, Russmond, and Relkor were in love with the princess Olga, so he called them to him and said: "My good friends, the magician Shenkal has kidnapped my daughter and now has changed her into a silverfish, with the aid of the magic silken rope which he always carries around his waist. To rescue her, a man would need to be brave, for it might even cost him his life." "The wicked Shenkal has stolen the girl of my dreams," declared Ratmir, the first prince. "When I have fought with him and beaten him, I will rescue her and make her my wife." "You will never do that, for I shall get there first to defeat the evil Shenkal," Russmond, the second prince, said boldly. Relkor, the third prince, looked very serious but did not say a word. "Go then to the Black Mountain," said the Grand Duke. "Olga shall marry the man who rescues her."
Ratmir started off at once on a swift horse, traveling at a gallop as fast as the wind itself. After many miles, he came to a pleasant stretch of green grassland, where a herd of sheep was grazing. They were being watched over by a beautiful young shepherdess from a tree-stump on the top of a mound. At the sight of her, Ratmir forgot about Olga and his bold promise to rescue her. He jumped down off his horse and begged the shepherdess to marry him at once. The second prince, Russmond also rode at a furious gallop on a big white horse. He was still feeling very bold and brave until he came in the sight of the magician's castle on Black Mountain. He stopped. It looked such an evil and forbidding place that he started to shake with fright. All his courage left him. He turned and galloped back, faster than a streak of lightning.
Relkor, the third prince, was not impatient like the other two. He thought hard and long about the task of rescuing Olga. He knew that strength and force would not beat Shenkal, for the magician was no ordinary person. The way to beat him was by clever, cunning, and not by rushing around in a great hurry as Ratmir and Russmond had done. Deciding on a plan, he sent his servants out to buy silks, ribbons, jewelry, and other things that would disguise him as a young woman. Dressed up and wearing a splendid hat, Relkor made the journey to the magician's castle, arriving there in the late evening. He knocked loudly and Shenkal came to the door. He seemed angry at being disturbed, but at the sight of his visitor quickly swallowed his rage. "Fair maid, what do you want?" he asked. "Alas, I was gathering flowers and I wandered away from my servants," said Relkor. "Now I am lost. It is almost night and, I must confess, I am much afraid. Could I please stay here for the night?" "Willingly, young lady," replied Shenkal. "Judging by your appearance you must be the daughter of a very noble person. Please enter." Relkor passed through the door and, followed by Shenkal, came into the big garden.
"How lovely! what a display of flowers!" she said. "And what a pretty fountain pool- so full of delightful silverfish. Oh, kind sir, please lend me your silken rope to throw into the water to see if I can catch one." "What are you saying?" chuckled Shenkal. "You could not catch a fish with a rope-like this." "Do let me try," begged Relkor. "It would not take more than a few moments and if I did catch one of those lovely silverfish I would be so happy" "Very well," Shenkal agreed. With a smile, he handed the magic silk rope to Relkor. This was Relkor's chance. Muttering some magic words, which a kind fairy had taught him, he touched Relkor with the rope - and the magician at once turned into a croaking frog. That done, Relkor touched the water of the fountain pool. The silverfish changed into young women again, and they stepped happily out. Naturally, Relkor revealed to Olga who he was and how he had come to break the magic spell. Together they returned to the Grand Duke Ivan, and the wedding that followed was the most splendid ever seen in Russia.
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