The True Sweethearts

Once there was a girl who was young and beautiful. She had lost her mother when she was very small, and her stepmother did everything she could to make her life miserable. Whenever the stepmother gave her work, she tried her best and did everything she could. But she could never win the wicked woman's heart; she was never satisfied, never pleased. The harder the girl worked, the more work she was given, and all the stepmother thought about was how to pile on even heavier burdens and make her life even more sad.

One day the stepmother said, "Here are twelve pounds of feathers you must pick clean. If they are not done by evening, you can expect a good beating. Do you think you can idle away the whole day?" The poor girl sat down to work, but tears ran down her cheeks.

She saw clearly that it was impossible to finish in one day. Whenever she had a little heap of feathers in front of her, and she sighed or clasped her hands in despair, they flew away, and she had to pick them up again and start over.

She put her elbows on the table, buried her face in her hands, and cried, "Is there no one in all the world to take pity on me?"

Then she heard a soft voice say, "Don't worry, my child, I have come to help you." The girl looked up, and an old woman stood beside her. She took the girl kindly by the hand and said, "Just tell me what is troubling you." The girl told her everything about her miserable life, how one burden after another was placed on her, and she never could finish the work she was given.

"If I don't finish these feathers by evening, my stepmother will beat me. She has threatened to, and I know she keeps her word." Her tears started flowing again, but the good old woman said, "Don't be afraid, my child.

Rest a while, and I will take care of your work." The girl lay down on her bed and soon fell asleep. The old woman sat at the table with the feathers, and how they did fly off the quills as she barely touched them with her withered hands!

The twelve pounds were soon finished. When the girl woke up, great snow-white heaps were piled up, and everything in the room was neatly cleared away, but the old woman had disappeared. The girl thanked God and sat still until evening.

When the stepmother came in, she was amazed to see the work done. "Just look, you clumsy creature," she said, "see what can be done when people are hardworking. Why couldn't you set about something else?

There you sit with your hands crossed." As she left, she thought, "The creature is worth more than her keep. I must give her something even harder."

The next morning she called the girl and said, "Here is a spoon. You must empty the big pond next to the garden with it. If it's not done by night, you know what will happen." The girl took the spoon and saw it was full of holes.

But even if it weren't, she could never empty the pond with it. She set to work at once, knelt by the water, and began to empty it while tears fell into the pond. But the good old woman appeared again.

When she learned the cause of the girl's grief, she said, "Cheer up, my child. Go into the bushes, lie down, and sleep. I will soon do your work." As soon as the old woman was alone, she barely touched the pond, and a vapor rose from the water and mingled with the clouds.

Gradually the pond emptied. When the girl awoke just before sunset and came there, she saw nothing but the fish struggling in the mud. She went to her stepmother and showed her that the work was done.

"It should have been done long ago," said the stepmother, and she turned white with anger, but she thought of something new.

On the third morning she said to the girl, "You must build me a castle on the plain over there, and it must be ready by evening." The girl was dismayed. "How can I finish such a huge work?" she said. "I will not take any arguments," screamed the stepmother.

"If you can empty a pond with a spoon full of holes, you can build a castle too. I will move in today, and if anything is missing, even the smallest thing in the kitchen or cellar, you know what awaits you!" She drove the girl out.

When the girl entered the valley, the rocks were piled up one on top of another, and all her strength could not move even the smallest of them. She sat down and wept, but still she hoped the old woman would help her. The old woman came quickly.

She comforted her and said, "Lie down in the shade and sleep. I will soon build the castle for you. If you like, you can live in it yourself." When the girl had gone, the old woman touched the gray rocks.

They began to rise and moved together as if giants had built the walls. The building arose, and it seemed as if countless hands were working invisibly, placing one stone on another. There was a dull heavy noise from the ground; pillars rose up by themselves and placed themselves in order.

The tiles laid themselves in order on the roof. By noon the great weathercock was already turning on top of the tower, like a golden figure of the Virgin with fluttering robes. The inside of the castle was finished as evening drew near.

How the old woman did it, I don't know, but the walls were hung with silk and velvet, embroidered chairs stood there, and richly ornamented armchairs by marble tables. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings and reflected in the smooth floor.

Green parrots were in gilt cages, and strange birds sang most beautifully. Everywhere there was such splendor as if a king were going to live there. The sun was just setting when the girl awoke, and the brightness of a thousand lights flashed in her face.

She hurried to the castle and entered through the open door. The steps were spread with red cloth, and the golden railing was covered with flowering trees. When she saw the splendor of the rooms, she stood as if turned to stone.

Who knows how long she might have stood there if she had not remembered her stepmother. "Alas!" she said to herself, "if only she could be satisfied at last and stop making my life a misery." The girl went and told her the castle was ready.

"I will move in at once," said the stepmother, and she rose from her seat. When they entered the castle, she had to hold her hand in front of her eyes, the brightness was so dazzling. "You see," she said to the girl, "how easy this was for you.

I should have given you something harder." She went through all the rooms and examined every corner to see if anything was missing or flawed, but she could find nothing. "Now we will go downstairs," she said, looking at the girl with evil eyes.

"The kitchen and cellar still need to be checked. If you have forgotten anything, you will not escape punishment." But the fire was burning on the hearth, the meat was cooking in the pans, the tongs and shovel were leaning against the wall, and all the shiny brass utensils were arranged in sight.

Nothing was missing, not even a coal box and water pail. "Which way to the cellar?" she cried. "If it is not full, it will go badly for you." She raised the trapdoor herself and started down.

But she had hardly taken two steps when the heavy trapdoor, which was only leaned back, fell down. The girl heard a scream. She quickly lifted the door to help her, but the stepmother had fallen down, and the girl found her lying at the bottom, dead.

Now the magnificent castle belonged to the girl alone. At first she did not know how to get used to such good fortune. Beautiful dresses hung in the wardrobes, chests were filled with gold, silver, pearls, and jewels. She never felt a desire she could not satisfy.

Soon the fame of her beauty and riches spread all over the world. Suitors came every day, but none pleased her. At last the king's son came, and he knew how to touch her heart. She became betrothed to him. In the garden of the castle there was a lime tree.

One day they were sitting under it when he said, "I will go home and get my father's permission for our marriage. I beg you to wait for me here under this lime tree. I will be back in a few hours." The girl kissed him on his left cheek and said, "Be true to me, and never let anyone else kiss you on this cheek.

I will wait here under the lime tree until you return."

The girl stayed under the lime tree until sunset, but he did not return. She sat for three days from morning to evening waiting for him, but in vain. When he still was not there on the fourth day, she said, "Something must have happened to him.

I will go and look for him, and I will not come back until I have found him." She packed three of her most beautiful dresses: one embroidered with bright stars, the second with silver moons, the third with golden suns.

She tied up a handful of jewels in her handkerchief and set out. She asked everywhere for her betrothed, but no one had seen him; no one knew anything about him. She wandered far and wide through the world, but she did not find him.

At last she hired herself to a farmer as a cowherd. She buried her dresses and jewels under a stone.

Now she lived as a herdswoman, watching her cows, sad and longing for her beloved. She had a little calf that she taught to know her, and she fed it from her own hand. When she said,

"Little calf, little calf, kneel by my side, And do not forget your shepherd maid, As the prince forgot his bride, Who waited for him 'neath the lime tree's shade," the little calf knelt down, and she stroked it.

After she had lived alone and full of grief for a couple of years, a report spread all over the land that the king's daughter was about to be married. The road to the town passed through the village where the maiden lived. One day as she drove out her herd, her bridegroom rode by. He sat proudly on his horse and never looked around. But when she saw him, she recognized her beloved, and it was as if a sharp knife pierced her heart. "Alas!" she said, "I believed he was true to me, but he has forgotten me."

The next day he came along the road again. When he was near her, she said to the little calf,

"Little calf, little calf, kneel by my side, And do not forget your shepherd maid, As the prince forgot his bride, Who waited for him 'neath the lime tree's shade."

When he heard the voice, he looked down and reined in his horse. He looked into the herd's face, then put his hand over his eyes as if trying to remember something. But soon he rode on and was out of sight. "Alas!" she said, "he no longer knows me," and her grief grew even greater.

Soon after, a great three-day festival was to be held at the king's court, and the whole country was invited. "Now I will try my last chance," thought the maiden. When evening came, she went to the stone under which she had buried her treasures.

She took out the dress with the golden suns, put it on, and adorned herself with jewels. She let down her hair, which she had hidden under a scarf, and it fell in long curls around her. In the darkness no one noticed her as she went into town.

When she entered the brightly lit hall, everyone stepped back in amazement, but no one knew who she was. The king's son came to meet her, but he did not recognize her. He led her out to dance and was so enchanted by her beauty that he thought no more of the other bride.

When the feast ended, she vanished in the crowd and hurried back to the village before daybreak, where she put on her herd's dress again.

The next evening she took out the dress with the silver moons and put a half-moon made of precious stones in her hair. When she appeared at the festival, all eyes turned to her. The king's son hurried to meet her and, filled with love, danced only with her. He no longer even glanced at anyone else. Before she left, she had to promise to come again on the last evening.

When she appeared for the third time, she wore the star dress, which sparkled at every step. Her hair ribbon and belt were starred with jewels. The prince had already been waiting for her a long time and forced his way to her. "Just tell me who you are," he said.

"I feel as if I have known you for a long time." "Do you not know what I did when you left me?" Then she stepped up to him and kissed him on his left cheek.

In that moment it was as if scales fell from his eyes, and he recognized his true bride. "Come," he said to her, "I will stay here no longer." He gave her his hand and led her down to the carriage.

The horses hurried away to the magic castle as if the wind were harnessed to the carriage. The illuminated windows already shone in the distance. When they drove past the lime tree, countless glowworms swarmed around it. The tree shook its branches and gave off its fragrance.

Flowers bloomed on the steps, and the room echoed with the song of strange birds. In the hall, the entire court was assembled, and the priest was waiting to marry the bridegroom to his true bride.