Faithful John

Once upon a time, there was an old king who was very ill. He thought to himself, "I am lying on my deathbed now." So he said, "Tell Faithful John to come to me." Faithful John was his favorite servant, and he was called that because he had been true to the king his whole life long.

When he came to the bedside, the king said, "Most faithful John, I feel my end drawing near. I am only worried about my son. He is still young and cannot always know how to guide himself.

If you do not promise to teach him everything he needs to know and to be his foster father, I cannot close my eyes in peace." Faithful John answered, "I will not abandon him. I will serve him faithfully, even if it costs me my life." Then the old king said, "Now I can die in comfort and peace." He added, "After my death, you must show him the whole castle: all the chambers, halls, vaults, and all the treasures inside.

But you must not show him the last chamber in the long gallery, where the picture of the princess of the Golden Dwelling hangs. If he sees that picture, he will fall violently in love with her, faint away, and face great danger for her sake.

So you must protect him from that." Faithful John gave his promise once more, and the king said no more. He laid his head on his pillow and died.

When the old king had been carried to his grave, Faithful John told the young king everything he had promised his father on his deathbed. He said, "I will surely keep my promise and be faithful to you as I was to him, even if it costs me my life." When the mourning was over, Faithful John said, "Now it is time for you to see your inheritance.

I will show you your father's palace." Then he took him everywhere, up and down, and showed him all the riches and magnificent rooms. But there was one room he did not open: the one with the dangerous picture.

The picture was placed so that when you opened the door, you looked straight at it. It was so beautifully painted that it seemed to breathe and live. There was nothing more charming or beautiful in the whole world.

The young king noticed that Faithful John always walked past this one door and asked, "Why do you never open this door for me?" Faithful John replied, "There is something inside that would terrify you." But the king answered, "I have seen the whole palace.

I want to know what is in this room too." And he went to break open the door by force. Faithful John held him back and said, "I promised your father before he died that you should not see what is in this chamber, for it might bring the greatest misfortune on you and me." "Oh no," replied the young king, "if I do not go in, it will be my ruin.

I will have no rest day or night until I have seen it with my own eyes. I will not leave this spot until you unlock the door."

Then Faithful John saw there was no help for it. With a heavy heart and many sighs, he found the key on the big bunch. When he opened the door, he went in first, thinking he could stand in front of the portrait so the king would not see it.

But what good did that do? The king stood on tiptoe and saw it over his shoulder. When he saw the portrait of the maiden, so magnificent and shining with gold and precious stones, he fainted and fell to the ground.

Faithful John picked him up, carried him to his bed, and thought sorrowfully, "The misfortune has come upon us. Lord God, what will happen next?" He gave the king wine to strengthen him until he came to. The first words the king said were, "Oh, the beautiful portrait!

Whose is it?" "That is the princess of the Golden Dwelling," answered Faithful John. The king continued, "My love for her is so great that if all the leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not express it. I will risk my life to win her.

You are my most faithful John. You must help me."

The faithful servant thought long and hard about how to proceed. It was very difficult even to get a look at the king's daughter. Finally, he came up with a plan and said to the king, "Everything around her is made of gold: tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, bowls, and household items. Among your treasures, you have five tons of gold. Let the goldsmiths of the kingdom work it into all kinds of vessels and utensils, into birds, wild beasts, and strange animals that might please her. Then we will go to her with these things and try our luck."

The king ordered all the goldsmiths to come. They had to work night and day until at last the most splendid things were ready. When everything was loaded onto a ship, Faithful John dressed as a merchant, and the king had to do the same to make himself unrecognizable. Then they sailed across the sea until they reached the town where the princess of the Golden Dwelling lived.

Faithful John told the king to stay on the ship and wait. "Perhaps I will bring the princess with me," he said. "So make sure everything is ready: set out the golden vessels and decorate the whole ship." Then he gathered all kinds of golden things in his apron, went ashore, and walked straight to the royal palace.

In the courtyard, a beautiful girl was standing by the well with two golden buckets, drawing water. When she turned to carry away the sparkling water, she saw the stranger and asked who he was. He answered, "I am a merchant," and opened his apron to let her look.

She cried, "Oh, what beautiful golden things!" She put down her pails and looked at the golden wares one after another. Then the girl said, "The princess must see these. She delights so much in golden things that she will buy everything you have." She took his hand and led him upstairs, for she was the waiting-maid.

When the princess saw the wares, she was delighted and said, "They are so beautifully made that I will buy them all from you." But Faithful John said, "I am only the servant of a rich merchant.

These things I have here cannot be compared with what my master has on his ship. They are the most beautiful and valuable golden things ever made." She wanted to have everything brought to her, but he said, "There are so many that it would take many days, and you would need so many rooms to show them that your house is not big enough." Her curiosity and longing grew even stronger, until finally she said, "Take me to the ship.

I will go myself to see your master's treasures."

Faithful John was delighted and led her to the ship. When the king saw her, he realized that her beauty was even greater than in the picture. He thought his heart would burst. She boarded the ship, and the king led her inside.

Faithful John stayed behind with the pilot and ordered the ship to be pushed off. "Set all sails so it flies like a bird in the air," he said. Inside, the king showed her all the golden vessels, the wild beasts, and strange animals. Many hours passed while she looked at everything.

In her delight, she did not notice that the ship was sailing away. When she had seen the last item, she thanked the merchant and wanted to go home. But when she came to the side of the ship, she saw that they were on the deep sea, far from land, hurrying along with all sails set.

"Oh!" she cried in alarm. "I am betrayed! I am carried away and have fallen into a merchant's power! I would rather die!" But the king took her hand and said, "I am not a merchant. I am a king, and I am no less noble than you.

If I have carried you away by trickery, it is because of my extremely great love for you. The first time I saw your portrait, I fainted." When the princess of the Golden Dwelling heard this, she was comforted, and her heart turned to him. She willingly agreed to be his wife.

Now while they were sailing over the deep sea, Faithful John sat on the fore part of the ship, making music. He saw three ravens in the air flying toward them. He stopped playing and listened to what they were saying to each other, for he understood the birds' language.

One cried, "Oh, there he is bringing home the princess of the Golden Dwelling." "Yes," replied the second, "but he does not have her yet." The third said, "But he does have her; she is sitting beside him on the ship." The first began again, "What good will that do him?

When they reach land, a chestnut horse will leap forward to meet him. The prince will want to mount it, but if he does, the horse will run away with him, rise up into the air, and he will never see his bride again." The second said, "But is there no escape?" "Oh yes," said the first, "if someone else quickly gets on that horse, takes the pistol from its holster, and shoots it dead, the young king will be saved.

But who knows that? And whoever knows it and tells the king will turn to stone from the toe to the knee." Then the second raven said, "I know more than that. Even if the horse is killed, the young king will still not keep his bride.

When they go into the castle together, a wedding garment will lie on a dish. It will look like it is made of gold and silver, but it is actually sulfur and pitch. If the king puts it on, it will burn him to the bone and marrow." The third asked, "Is there no escape?" "Oh yes," replied the second, "if someone with gloves on grabs the garment and throws it into the fire and burns it, the young king will be saved.

But whoever knows it and tells him will have half his body turn to stone, from the knee to the heart." Then the third said, "I know even more. Even if the garment is burned, the young king will still not have his bride.

After the wedding, when the dancing begins, the young queen will suddenly turn pale and fall down as if dead. If no one lifts her up and draws three drops of blood from her right breast and spits them out, she will die.

But if someone who knows that tells the king, he will turn to stone from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot." Having said this, the ravens flew on. Faithful John had understood everything. From that moment on, he became quiet and sad.

If he kept what he had heard secret, his master would suffer misfortune. If he revealed it, he himself would lose his life. Finally, he said to himself, "I will save my master, even if it brings destruction on me."

When they reached land, everything happened just as the ravens had foretold. A magnificent chestnut horse sprang forward. "Good," said the king, "this horse shall carry me to my palace." He was about to mount it when Faithful John rushed ahead, jumped onto the horse, drew the pistol from the holster, and shot the horse dead.

The other attendants, who did not like Faithful John, cried out, "How shameful to kill that beautiful animal! It was supposed to carry the king to his palace!" But the king said, "Silence! Leave him alone. He is my most faithful John.

Who knows what good this might do?" They went into the palace, and in the hall stood a dish with a bridal garment that looked like gold and silver. The young king went toward it and was about to pick it up, but Faithful John pushed him away, seized the garment with gloves on, carried it quickly to the fire, and burned it.

The other attendants began to mutter again, "Look, now he is even burning the king's wedding garment!" But the young king said, "Who knows what good he has done. Leave him alone. He is my most faithful John."

Now the wedding took place. The dancing began, and the bride joined in. Faithful John watched her face closely. Suddenly she turned pale and fell to the ground as if dead. He ran to her, lifted her up, carried her into a chamber, laid her down, knelt, and sucked three drops of blood from her right breast and spat them out.

At once she breathed again and recovered. But the young king had seen this and did not know why Faithful John had done it. He became angry and cried, "Throw him into a dungeon!" The next morning, Faithful John was condemned and led to the gallows.

When he stood on the platform, about to be executed, he said, "Everyone who is about to die is allowed to make one last speech. May I have that right?" "Yes," answered the king, "I grant it." Then Faithful John said, "I am unjustly condemned.

I have always been true to you." And he told how he had listened to the ravens' conversation at sea and how he had been forced to do all those things to save his master. The king cried out, "Oh, my most faithful John! Pardon! Pardon!

Bring him down!" But as Faithful John spoke the last word, he fell down lifeless and turned into a stone.

The king and queen suffered great grief. The king said, "Ah, how poorly I have repaid such great faithfulness!" He ordered the stone figure to be taken up and placed in his bedroom beside his bed.

As often as he looked at it, he wept and said, "Oh, if only I could bring you back to life, my most faithful John." Time passed, and the queen gave birth to twins, two sons who grew fast and were her delight.

One day when the queen was at church and the two children were sitting playing beside their father, the king looked at the stone figure again, full of grief. He sighed and said, "Oh, if only I could bring you back to life, my most faithful John." Then the stone began to speak: "You can bring me back to life if you use what is dearest to you for that purpose." The king cried, "I would give everything I have in the world for you!" The stone continued, "If you cut off the heads of your two children with your own hand and sprinkle me with their blood, I will be restored to life."

The king was terrified when he heard that he himself must kill his dearest children. But he thought of Faithful John's great faithfulness and how he had died for him. He drew his sword and, with his own hand, cut off the children's heads.

When he smeared the stone with their blood, life returned, and Faithful John stood before him safe and healthy. He said to the king, "Your truthfulness shall not go unrewarded." He took the heads of the children, put them back on, and rubbed the wounds with their blood.

Immediately they became whole again. They jumped about and went on playing as if nothing had happened. The king was overjoyed. When he saw the queen coming, he hid Faithful John and the two children in a large cupboard.

When she entered, he said, "Have you been praying in church?" "Yes," she answered, "but I have been thinking constantly of Faithful John and what a misfortune has befallen him because of us." Then he said, "Dear wife, we can give him back his life, but it will cost us our two little sons.

We must sacrifice them." The queen turned pale, and her heart was filled with terror. But she said, "We owe it to him because of his great faithfulness." The king rejoiced that she felt the same way he did.

He went and opened the cupboard and brought out Faithful John and the children. He said, "God be praised! He is saved, and we have our little sons back too!" And he told her how everything had happened. Then they all lived together in great happiness until their death.