In a faraway land there was a king who conquered many kingdoms, and whose wealth was so great there was nothing he desired that he was not able to obtain. His palace was filled with treasures of every kind— there were golden objects encrusted with precious jewels, rare rugs from every corner of the world, and mirrors made of silver so highly polished that they reflected better than any mirror of glass. There was nothing this great king lacked, but nonetheless he was not happy, and always searched for something more precious than what he already possessed.
Then one year it happened that this king received the king of a faraway kingdom, who had embarked on the long journey to see with his own eyes the most precious treasure in all that realm. This was the mysterious water palace, which was to be found on the southern shores of that kingdom, and which had existed there as long as anyone could remember. Now this water palace was truly one of the greatest wonders of the world, for it consisted entirely of water. The floors and walls of the palace were made of water, the grounds and gardens that surrounded it were made of water, and the fruit trees that grew there—all were made of water. And this palace was surrounded by ten walls, one inside the other, and all ten walls were made of water. And because the palace and walls consisted of water, it was impossible to enter there, for whoever tried to do so would surely drown.
Still, travelers came from all over the world to marvel at the wonder of that palace, which remained unchanged amidst the waves, not that far from the shore of the sea.
Now it happened that when the king who ruled that kingdom met the king from the distant kingdom, he also met the visiting king's daughter, the princess, who had traveled with him, along with their guards and servants. And the extraordinary beauty of that princess struck the wealthy king with amazement, and from the first he knew that he would not rest until he had made her his own, for to him it was she, and not the water palace, that appeared to be the most precious treasure in all the world.
Therefore the wealthy king offered to accompany the visiting king and the princess on the journey to the water palace, and put at their disposal all of his resources. Before long their caravan departed for the journey south. The procession was led by the two kings and the princess, dressed in the silks and diamonds of a court celebration. Behind them came their countless servants, walking together in twos and threes. The caravan was watched by the subjects of the kingdom as it passed through the forests and fields; it proceeded in a stately manner, not so fast as to frighten the horses or cause the carriages to shake, while the two kings and the princess held the diamond-studded reins in their hands. During the journey the wealthy king took every opportunity to speak to the princess who rode beside him, for he felt a longing for her which was unlike anything he had ever known, so sharp was his craving that she might be his wife.
Now at first the princess paid little attention to this king, and resisted his approaches, but when the caravan arrived at the cove facing the water palace, the princess, like everyone else, was awed at the marvel of it. And the more the princess looked at its enchanted beauty, the more certain she became that she had somehow seen it before, perhaps in a dream. Nor did she want to depart from that place when the sun began to set, but insisted on staying there as night fell, for she had heard that the water palace was somehow illumined from within, so that its every ramp and arch could be seen even on the darkest night. And the wealthy king, out of his longing for the princess, chose to remain with her in that place, and when he observed how much she was drawn to the palace, an idea entered his mind of how he might convince her to become his bride. Late that night he told her that if she would marry him and become his queen, he would agree to build an ivory palace on the very shore where she stood, facing the water palace, and that he would make that ivory palace their home. And when the princess understood that in this way she would never have to leave the pristine beauty of the water palace, she accepted, although she did not truly love him, and agreed that she would become his queen.
The king was enthralled at the prospect of spending his life with this beautiful princess, and for the first time he thought he understood what was truly meant by love. Soon preparations were made for their wedding, which was declared a holiday for all, and at the same time construction of the ivory palace was begun. And because the king put all of his vast resources into building it, the palace was completed by the day of their wedding.
At the king's command the architect had sought to model it after the water palace in every respect that could be seen—for neither he nor anyone else had seen it from within. And the bridal chamber of the king and the princess had been built to face directly the inaccessible palace surrounded by and constructed of water.
Then it happened on the very night the king and princess were wed, as the king slept beside his bride for the first time, that he had a vivid dream in which the princess approached the bed on which he lay, with a bow and arrow, and both arrow and bow were made of gold. And before he could speak, she took aim and shot the golden arrow into his heart. Now when the king awoke from this dream he was deeply disturbed and afraid for his life. He took his leave of the sleeping princess, and ordered a servant to stand guard outside that chamber, to prevent her from leaving it until the king had consulted with his advisers.
The next morning, when the princess awoke and discovered that the king was not to be found beside her, she was surprised, but she did not attach any importance to it. She simply assumed that he had returned to his duties as king. And since her food was brought to her, she did not question the matter, but instead hurried to the window from which the water palace could be seen, and filled her eyes with its unearthly beauty.
Meanwhile, the king had gathered all of his dream interpreters together, and he told them his dream. Then he called on his oldest interpreter, and bid him to speak. He said that the king need not fear, for the arrow that the princess had shot into the king's heart was surely the arrow of love, and the dream had come because he was so filled with love for her. Then the king called on another interpreter, and the second confirmed what the first had said, adding that the king had been slain, so to speak, by the great beauty of his bride. But the third to speak disputed this interpretation, and insisted that the dream posed grave danger to the king, since it prophesied that the princess would bring about his death. After this every other dream interpreter agreed with this interpretation, for they saw in it a way to rid themselves of the princess, who had already caused them to lose much of their influence over the king. And when they had all spoken, the king returned to the first two interpreters and, out of fear, they too agreed that the interpretation of the others was correct, and withdrew their own.
After this the king asked them what he should do with the princess, who posed such a danger to his life. Those two who had understood the dream as a sign of his love suggested that he banish her. But the king refused this idea from the first, for the thought that she might ever belong to another tormented him, since he had made such an effort to make her his own. And those who had interpreted the dream as a warning told the king to put her to death. But the king refused this advice as well, for he was afraid that his grief at her death would be unbearable. Therefore he decided to delay his decision and meanwhile he continued to live with his bride, although he kept a guard near them at all times, close enough to call on a moment's notice. And every day he had the palace searched for the golden bow and arrow, but never was any hidden weapon to be found.
Yet, even with these precautions the king could not forget his dream. He thought of it whenever he was in the presence of the princess, and it came to haunt him day and night, until his love for her became spoiled. As for the princess, she saw how her husband had become remote and sensed that he did not trust her, although she could not imagine why. Thus, little by little, her trust in him also faded. Then there was nothing that kept her in that place except for the enchanted vision of the water palace, which possessed her even when she slept, so that she dreamed of it every night. So it was that the princess spent more and more time sitting at her window, letting the watery ramps and arches of the palace beckon to her, for while she could not bear to live with the king any longer, she also knew that she could not bear to abandon the mysterious palace.
One night, in her desperation, the princess slipped away from the king while he was sleeping, and climbed out of the window that faced the water palace, and made her way from the ivory palace to the palace in the sea. But before long the king awoke and found the princess missing, and became enraged. He assumed that she had left to get the golden bow, and that she intended to kill him that very night. He shouted for his guards, and they came running, and word was quickly spread to search for the princess wherever she could be found, and it was soon reported that she had been seen running along the shore, in the direction of the water palace. Before long the princess heard the clamor of the guards behind her, and knew that they were already in pursuit. Therefore she walked directly into the water, for she preferred to drown rather than to be captured by the king. And when the king, who had accompanied his guards, saw this, he shouted to the guards to shoot their arrows at her, and to kill her, as he thought she had intended to kill him.
Now there were ten guards with the king, and each of those guards carried a bow and arrow, and each of those arrows had been dipped in a poison, and each of the poisons was more deadly than the next. The guards took aim as they saw the princess running into the sea, and shot their ten arrows at the same time. And each of those arrows pierced the princess, and she was gravely wounded and fell into the water. But the instant she touched the water a wave rose up and carried her out into the sea, through every one of the gates of the ten walls that surrounded the water palace. For there was a gate in every wall, and each of those gates opened when the wave carried her close to it, and closed again the instant she had passed through. At last the wave brought her into the innermost chamber of the water palace, and set her down on a circular bed, where she fainted and fell into a deep sleep, and not even the waves that washed against the wall of the palace caused her to waken.
Meanwhile the king and his guards had become so obsessed with capturing her that they did not stop when they reached the sea, but continued to pursue her into the water as if they were still on land. Then a great wave came and carried them far off from the shore, where they struggled and soon sank. Every one of them, including the king, was drowned.
Now when the people of this kingdom learned that the king had drowned, and that the princess had also very likely lost her life, they sent a messenger to her father, who had not yet left the kingdom, and invited him to become their king, for they had recognized that he was a wise and good man, and would not lead them astray. The father of the princess agreed to remain in their kingdom and serve as their king until another king could be found, for he still hoped that his daughter might be alive, having somehow reached safety in the water palace.
After the new king had been installed, he made a proclamation that whoever succeeded in reaching the water palace and discovering the fate of the princess would receive a great reward, and if she was alive, whoever brought her back from there would become her husband, and would succeed him as king. Then brave princes and many other daring young men came from all over the world and sought to reach the water palace in various ways. Some tried to swim out to it, and some tried to travel in rafts, and others in boats. But one and all, they failed to pass through the ten walls that surrounded it, and many were drowned making the effort. And among those who survived, all insisted that it was surely impossible that the princess could have reached the water palace, and that even if she had, she could not have passed through the ten walls, and must surely have drowned in the strong currents there. But even as the months passed and nothing was heard of the princess, the king refused to give up the hope that his daughter might still be alive.
Now in a nearby kingdom there lived a young prince whose family had ruled that realm for many generations until their army had met defeat at the hands of the wealthy king. The prince's father had died defending their kingdom, and the prince, who had barely escaped with his life, had gone into hiding. But in his heart he was determined that someday he would defeat the king who had brought about his father's death and had taken their kingdom by force. And so it was that this prince disguised himself as a wandering beggar, and traveled to the kingdom of the water palace. Like all the others who entered that land, he was told the tale of how the king had lost his life pursuing the princess, and of the reward that awaited whoever could reach the water palace and discover her fate. The prince was exhilarated when he heard this news, and he decided at once to present himself, still as a beggar, to the new king, in the hope that he could somehow win back his father's kingdom.
That night the prince dreamed that birds flew to the seashore from every corner of the world. And in the dream he heard them singing melodies, ten in all. As they reached the shore each dropped a single feather, until at last the feathers had formed into a swan-shaped boat of feathers. And no sooner was it complete than a wave arose and picked up the swanboat, and carried it on top of the waves. When the prince awoke he remembered this dream, and even recalled each of the ten melodies.
And he realized that such a boat of feathers might well suit his purpose in rescuing the princess.
Later that day the beggar prince was given an audience with the king, during which he offered to seek to accomplish what so many others had already failed to do—to penetrate the ten walls of the water palace. And because a considerable time had passed since anyone else had been prepared to undertake the risk, the king welcomed his offer, even though it came from a beggar.
The beggar prince told the king that it would be necessary to gather one feather from every kind of bird in that kingdom, from the most glorious to the most common, for with those feathers he intended to build a boat of feathers with which he might confront the waves. For, he said, only a boat of feathers could pass over the ten walls, since any other would be too heavy. And the king ordered that the feathers be gathered, and the prince built a fine swan-shaped boat with them, exactly like the one he had seen in his dream.
On the morning that the beggar prince was to set off in the boat of feathers to try to make his way to the water palace, the king accompanied him to the shore, followed by a great many of his subjects. And when the beggar prince placed the boat in the water, all were amazed at how lightly it floated. Then he climbed into the boat of feathers, and the first wave that came carried it off so that it seemed to fly, so lightly did it travel on the waters.
With those who watched as witnesses, the boat sailed above the ten walls with room to spare, and in this way the beggar prince soon reached the water palace, and made his way inside. Now why he did not sink is a mystery which has remained unknown to this day. But there, in the innermost chamber, he found the princess, still deeply asleep. For she had not awakened since she had been carried into that chamber, nor could she be awakened until the ten arrows were removed, and she was cured of the ten poisons.
It was there, behind those walls of water, with the winds raising up the billows of the sea, that the beggar prince removed the ten different arrows from the princess. And with each of his ten fingers he felt one of the ten pulses, and set about to cure her, using the ten different melodies he had learned in his dream. And when he had felt the tenth pulse and sung the tenth melody, the eyes of the princess opened, and she sat up on the bed. And she knew from the first glance that the one who stood before her was her true love, as the suspicious king had never been. So the beggar prince took the princess out of the water palace, and returned with her in the boat of feathers to the shore.
There she was reunited with her father, the king, who wept long and hard when he saw his beloved daughter was still alive. Then the beggar revealed his true identity as a prince, and it was announced that they would be wed. So it was that in this way the prince came to rule both his own kingdom, and that of the king who had usurped it. And it is said that once a year, on the anniversary of the day the beggar prince took the princess out of the water palace, they would return there together in that boat of feathers, and spend the day in the innermost chamber, where she had slept for so long, although what they did or spoke of in that place has never been revealed.