Once there was a king who had six sons and one daughter. His daughter was very dear to him, but one day when he was with her he became angry for a moment, and an evil word escaped his lips. That night the princess went to her chamber, as usual, to sleep, but in the morning she was not anywhere to be found. And when her father, the king, realized she was missing, he was filled with sorrow and remorse, and he began to search for her everywhere. Then the king's minister, seeing that the king was in sorrow, asked to be given a servant and a horse and enough silver for expenses, in order that he might undertake the search.
So it was that the minister traveled through all of the realm in search of the lost princess, across deserts and mountains, through forests and fields. He searched for her for many years.
One day, as he was traveling in a desert, he glimpsed a path he had never seen, and he said to himself: Since I have been searching for the princess in this desert such a long time, perhaps I shall follow this path and come to a city. After following the path for a great distance, he finally arrived at a splendid palace, guarded by many soldiers. Now the minister was afraid the guards would not let him enter, but still he dismounted and walked toward the palace, and to his surprise the gatekeeper opened the gate for him at once, without asking any questions.
From there he passed from the courtyard into the palace, and after that he entered the chamber of the king who commanded all the troops. Nor did anyone try to stop him from entering into the presence of the king. There many musicians played their instruments, conducted by the king, and the minister stood off in a corner of the royal chamber, and waited to see what would happen.
After a while the king commanded his servants to bring in the queen. They left with great rejoicing, and the musicians sang and played as she entered the room. And when they led her to the throne, the minister saw that she was the lost daughter of the king.
Before long the queen looked up and saw the minister in the corner of the chamber and recognized him at once. She rose from her throne and said: Do you recognize me? And he replied:
Yes, you are the lost princess. But how did you come to be here? And she answered: Because of that evil word that escaped from the mouth of my father. For this is the palace of the Evil One. Then the minister told her that her father, the king, was very sad in her absence, and that he had sent the minister to find her, and that he had been searching for many years.
After this he asked her: How can I take you away from here? And she replied: It is not possible to free me until you dwell in one place for a year, and throughout the year yearn to set me free. And on the last day of that year you must fast and not sleep for a full day and night. Then the minister left that palace and did as she said. He went to a forest, and made his home there. And at the end of the year, on the last day, he fasted and did not sleep. But that day he saw for the first time a tree on which very beautiful apples were growing. He desired them very much, and finally arose and ate of the tree. But as soon as he ate, he fell down and sleep snatched him away. He slept for a very long time, and although his servant shook him, he could not wake him up.
When at last the minister woke from his sleep, he asked his servant: Where am I? And the servant told him: You are in a forest, where you have been sleeping a very long time, and all the time I sustained myself with nuts and fruits. The minister despaired, but found his way back to the palace of the lost princess, and there he met her again in the chamber of the king. And when she saw him she was filled with sadness and said: Had you come on that day, you could have taken me away from here, but because of that one day all has been lost. Still, I understand that fasting is very difficult, especially on the last day, for then the Evil Inclination becomes most powerful. Therefore return and dwell again for another year, but on the last day you are permitted to eat. However, do not sleep, and do not drink any wine lest you sleep, for it is important above all to remain awake. Then he went and did as she said. And on the last day of the long year he saw for the first time a spring whose waters were reddish, and whose smell was that of wine. The minister pointed out the spring to his servant, then went and tasted of its waters, only to fall asleep again, and this time he slept for many years.
Near the end of that time many soldiers passed by, and the servant of the minister concealed himself. And after the troops had passed, a carriage came by, in which sat the daughter of the king.
As soon as she recognized the minister she left the carriage and approached him. And although she shook him very strongly, he did not wake up, and she began to lament, saying that he had made such a long effort, and suffered for so many years to free her, and because of one error on that last day, he had lost everything.
She wept greatly over this, and then took the kerchief from her head and wrote a message on it with her tears. Then she returned to her carriage and drove away.
Not long afterward the minister awoke and asked his servant:
Where am I? The servant told him all that had happened, about the troops that had passed by there and the carriage that had stopped, and how the lost princess had tried so hard to wake him up. Then the minister saw the kerchief and asked: From whence did this come? And the servant told him that the lost princess had written on it with her tears. So the minister took it and lifted it up toward the sun. There it was written that she was no longer to be found in the first palace, but from then on would make her home in a palace of pearls upon a golden mountain, and that it was there that he would find her.
So the minister left his servant, and went off alone to search for her. He searched for many years. Finally he decided that such a palace of pearls could not be found in any inhabited place, for by then he knew well the map of the world. Therefore he decided to search for her in the desert, and after searching for many years he encountered a giant in that place, who carried a tree for a staff. Then the minister told him the whole story of the princess, and how he was searching for a palace of pearls upon a golden mountain. The giant said that surely such a thing did not exist. But the minister began to weep, and he insisted that it must surely exist somewhere. And at last the giant said: Since you are so certain, I shall call all the animals which are in my charge, for they run about the whole world. Perhaps one of them will know about a palace of pearls. Then he called all the animals, from the smallest to the largest, of every kind, and asked them all what they might know, but not one of them had seen any such thing. Then the giant said: You see, they have confirmed that your quest is nonsense. Listen to me and turn back, for surely you cannot find what does not exist. But the man insisted that it must. So the giant said to him: Behold, farther in the desert lives my brother, who is in charge of all the birds.
Perhaps they will know where to find it, since they fly high in the air. Go to him and tell him that I have sent you. And since you are so determined to carry on with your quest, let me assist you, so that at least you will not be hindered by a lack of gold. And he gave him a pouch, and said: Dip your hand into this pouch whenever you need golden coins, for there you will always find as many as you will ever need. And the minister thanked the giant many times for his valuable gift, and for all of his help, and left to search for the giant's brother, who was in charge of all the birds.
So it was that the man walked for many years, seeking the second giant. At last he encountered him, also carrying a great tree for a staff, and he told him about his quest. But this giant also put him off, insisting that such a thing could not be. But when the man refused to give up, the giant said: Behold, I am in charge of all the birds. I shall call them together, and perhaps they will know. So all the birds were called, each and every one, from the smallest to the largest, and they all replied that they did not know of any such palace of pearls. Then the giant said to him: Now you must surely see that your quest is folly.
Listen to me and turn back, for surely such a palace is not to be found in this world. But the minister would not abandon his quest, and at last the giant said to him: Still farther in the desert lives my brother, who is in charge of the winds, and they cross the world back and forth every day. Perhaps they will know. I hope so, for never have I seen anyone so determined to complete a quest, even though you are beset with difficulty after difficulty.
Therefore let me give you this gift, and perhaps it will be of use to you someday. And he reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden key and gave it to him. And he said: This key can open any lock in the world. If there is a door that you must enter, simply insert this key into the lock, and when you turn it, the door will open. The minister thanked the giant many times for this priceless gift, and for his help, and set off to search for the giant in charge of the winds.
The man walked for many years, searching for the giant. At last he encountered him carrying a tree, and told him the whole story. And although this giant also tried to put him off, the minister at last convinced him to call all the winds together for his sake, so that he could ask them what they might know. The giant called all the winds to come there, but none of them knew about a palace of pearls on a golden mountain. Then the giant turned to him and said: You see, you have been searching for something that does not exist. And the man began to weep and said:
I am still certain it can be found in this world. Meanwhile, one last wind arrived, and the giant was angry with it and said: Why did you come so late? Did I not command that all the winds in the world should come here? Why did you not come with the others? And the wind answered that it had been held up, because it had to bear the daughter of a king to a palace of pearls on a golden mountain. And when he heard this the minister rejoiced.
Then the giant in charge of the winds said to the minister:
You have been searching for such a long time, my poor man, and you have had so many difficulties. Therefore let me give you this gift, which may someday be of use to you. And he reached into his pocket and pulled out a whistle, which he gave to the man. The giant said: If you are ever in danger or in need of help, just blow on this whistle, and one of the winds will come to your assistance, and will do whatever is in its power to do. The minister thanked the giant many times for such a wonderful gift, and for all of his help. Then the giant commanded the wind to bring him to that palace. And the wind carried him there, and brought him to the gates of the city at the base of the golden mountain, on top of which the palace of pearls was to be found.
Now few strangers had ever entered this city, and once they had been admitted, they were never permitted to leave again, nor could any of the other inhabitants depart. For this was the hidden and secret palace of the Evil One, from which he cast his spells, like the spell that gave him power over the lost princess.
And he had kept the existence of that city and palace secret for many centuries, since none had left the city to tell the tale. So it was that when the wind set the minister down before the gates of the city, the guards refused to let him enter. But he dipped his hand into the magic pouch the first giant had given him, and took the gold and bribed them, and thus he managed to enter the city after all. Then he went to the market to buy himself food, for he had to tarry there, since it required much thought and wisdom to set the princess free.
Now when the minister came to the market, he saw a servant who bought all of the fruits of a vendor. And after the servant left with them, the minister approached the vendor and said: Surely all of those fruits cannot be for a single family. And the vendor replied: Of course not. They are for those who live in the palace of pearls on the top of this mountain, for the king sees to it that the finest foods are selected for those who live there. And today the king's servants judged my fruits the finest, and that is why he purchased them all. Tell me, said the minister, who is it that lives in the palace of pearls? For I am a stranger here, and I do not know. The vendor replied: Only the king and his servants, as far as I know. Although it is rumored that a princess also makes her home there, for not long ago the king selected twelve ladies-inwaiting from among our daughters, and took them to live in the palace, where they are said to serve her. Now when the minister heard this, he decided to disguise himself as a merchant, and to present himself at the palace of pearls. First he went and bought the clothes of a wayfaring merchant and a fur hat. After this he asked to know who was the finest seamstress in the city, and he was shown to her house.
When he came there, he asked her how much it would cost to sew the finest dress of silk and lace. And when the seamstress told him, he said: Therefore sew twelve of these dresses. And he put his hand into the magic pouch given to him by the first giant, and he paid her in full. Then he asked her how long it would take to sew all twelve dresses, and the seamstress told him to come back in twelve days.
So it was that the minister stayed at an inn in that city until the dresses were ready. In the meantime he found out what he could about the king who ruled that kingdom and about his prisoner, the lost princess. In this way he learned that the palace of pearls was the hidden abode of the Evil One himself. So too did he learn that the princess was locked in a room that had seven locks, and that in the next chamber lived the twelve ladies-inwaiting.
When twelve days had passed, the minister returned to the seamstress, and found that the dresses were finished. Then he put the dresses in his merchant's pack, and climbed the golden mountain until he reached the palace of pearls. When he reached the gates of the palace, he showed the guard his merchandise and was admitted with ease, for new merchants were few and far between in that city, and the ladies-in-waiting were always happy to examine their wares, since they had little else to do.
So it was that the merchant was shown to the chamber of the twelve ladies-in-waiting, who were delighted to see him. He took out one dress for each of them, and when they saw how beautiful they were, they all rushed off to try the dresses on, and to study themselves in the mirror, and thus they left the merchant alone in that room. He looked around and saw that one door had seven locks on it, and he knew that must be the chamber of the lost princess. He hurried to that door and took out the golden key that the second giant had given him. With the key he quickly opened all seven locks, and went into the room. There he saw the lost princess, sitting at the window and sobbing over her fate. She was very surprised to see anyone at all, for she was kept apart even from her ladies-in-waiting. And when the minister saw that she did not recognize him in his disguise, he took out of his pocket the kerchief she had left with him, on which she had written with her tears. And when the lost princess saw this, she knew that the minister had found her at last, and she embraced him and wept tears of joy.
Then the minister said: Come, let us hurry and depart the palace before the ladies-in-waiting return. Alas, said the princess, we cannot escape that way. For the Evil One has cast his spell so that it cannot be broken as long as my feet or those of my rescuer touch the ground. And it is this spell that is keeping me captive here even more than the seven locks on the door, which you have somehow opened. At first the minister despaired over this unexpected obstacle, but then he remembered the whistle he had received from the third giant. He took it out of his pocket and blew on it, and in an instant a wind blew into the room through the open window and said: How can I be of help to you? Then the minister told the wind about the spell, and asked if it could carry them away from there with neither the feet of the princess nor his own touching the ground. Of course I can do that! said the wind. But where is it that you want to go? And the minister told the wind to take them back to the palace of the king who was the father of the princess, and the next thing they knew they found themselves soaring through the heavens, and before long the wind set them down in the kingdom from which they had been gone for so long. So it was that the loyal minister at last succeeded in his quest, and when the king and his daughter, who was no longer lost, were reunited, their sadness changed to a joy so great it cannot be described. May everyone know such great joy at least once in a lifetime!