The Treacherous Brothers

Once upon a time there was a king who had seven sons. The six eldest were strong and healthy as young deer, but the youngest, whose name was Jalmir, was weak and sickly. Even though he was already twenty years old, he still needed a nurse to care for him like a little child. It was pitiful to see Jalmir, for he was as shapely as a maiden and as beautiful as a spring day, yet he could not walk because of his weakness. The king spent great sums of money on doctors, quacks, and old wise women, but nothing could cure the boy. At last the grieving father lost all hope that his dearest son would ever grow strong.

Because of this, deep sadness hung over the king's palace, and this did not please Jalmir's brothers at all, especially since they could not hunt as they pleased in the neighborhood. One day, while resting in the forest after a hunt, the eldest brother said, "What shall we do in the future? Let us go out into the world."

"Yes, yes!" answered all the others. They went home and told their father of their wish.

"What am I to do?" objected the king. "Jalmir is sickly, and I shall be left without any help in my old age."

The sons agreed with him, but they wheedled him so slyly that at last he gave his consent for them to go out into the world. They rushed joyfully to the stable, chose the best horses, took as much money as they could carry, and that very day galloped away from their father's house without even saying good-bye to their brother Jalmir.

How strange the feeling was in the poor fellow's heart when his nurse told him what had happened! He turned away from her in silence, but under the pillow he covered his face with, he shed many tears. As evening grew dark, the nurse hurried out of his chamber to chat with the servants. She began talking with the cook, and they talked so long that before she knew it, midnight was near.

Meanwhile Jalmir lay on his bed, sadder than ever. He was not thinking about his bodily pain this time, but about his brothers who had left without saying farewell, and that troubled him most. He thought, "Shall I ever be well?" and an inner voice seemed to say that he would. Filled with hope, he dozed off, and in his dream he saw himself hunting on horseback and hurling a spear at wild beasts as his brothers did. All at once, near midnight, a venerable old man with a snow-white beard reaching to his waist stood before his bed and said, "Jalmir, are you sleeping?"

Jalmir started, opened his eyes, but saw no one. "That was a dream," he thought. He pondered for a while and then closed his eyes again. After a short time the old man stood before him again, asking, "Jalmir, are you sleeping?" Jalmir opened his eyes quickly, but again saw no one. "That was surely a dream," he said to himself, and closed his eyes once more. But soon the old man stood before him a third time and asked, "Jalmir, are you sleeping?"

"I am not," said Jalmir, and rubbing his eyes, he saw the old man standing at his bedside.

"Rise in the morning," said the old man, "prepare yourself for the road, and go out through the southern gate. Outside the town, under an old pear-tree, you will find a white horse. Mount that horse and ride after your brothers." Then the old man vanished in an instant.

Jalmir rubbed his eyes again and looked around the chamber, but the old man was nowhere to be seen. "It was only a dream," he thought. He lay down again and slept soundly. But when he woke in the morning, he felt so well that he sprang from his bed and jumped around the room with joy. At that moment his nurse returned; when she saw that her weak charge was well, she ran to the king, and before she reached the door she cried out, "Jalmir is well!"

The king went out and asked in a sad voice, "Have you lost your senses?"

"He is truly well," said the nurse with even greater delight, but the king shook his head.

Meanwhile Jalmir remembered his supposed dream and credited his recovery to that majestic old man. "Since he has cured me, I must obey him," he said to himself. He dressed quickly and went to the king. When the king saw him, he believed the nurse and, overjoyed, fell on the young man's neck. But he was astonished even more when Jalmir said, "Now, father, let me go; I must follow my brothers."

"And you would leave me?" complained the father.

"I must," answered Jalmir seriously, and he told him of the dream. The king shook his head in disbelief and at first refused to hear of his favorite son's departure; but at last he gave his consent with tears. Jalmir made ready for the journey without delay.

The king gave him a carriage and four servants, and Jalmir took money and set out immediately. Outside the town he dismissed the servants, giving them the carriage and horses, and walked on alone to the pear-tree, where a splendid white steed was waiting, stamping the ground impatiently. "Mount me quickly," said the horse with a human voice, "or we shall be late."

Jalmir jumped onto its back, and they went on, not along the ground, but through the air. In a short time the white steed asked, "Do you see your brothers?"

"I do not see them," answered Jalmir.

"But do you see the hill on which they are?"

"No, I do not see that either."

"You will soon see it," said the steed and quickened its pace. After a moment he asked, "Do you see the hill now?"

"I see it," replied Jalmir, "and on it are six ants."

"Those are your brothers," said the white steed. "But listen carefully. We shall soon catch up with them, but do not reveal who you are. We will spend the night at an inn. Your brothers will feast, but they will not be able to pay, for yesterday they lost all their money foolishly. Pay for them; in the morning we shall continue on our way."

Jalmir promised to do as he was told, and then the white steed descended to the ground. Soon they overtook the brothers, who did not recognize Jalmir because he now looked so strong and handsome. Jalmir bowed to them courteously and asked permission to travel with them.

"But where are you going?" inquired one of the brothers.

"To see the world," answered Jalmir.

"So are we!" cried the others. "You must come with us."

Jalmir bowed and agreed with a nod. The brothers all shook his hand and soon began to tell him how delightfully they had spent the previous day. Jalmir, however, did not find much pleasure in their tale and frowned.

"Are you sorry you were not there?" asked one of the brothers. "Never mind, we can have such days again whenever we want."

With that they arrived at an inn. The innkeeper, seeing so many lords approaching through the window, ran out and took the horses. When he took the white steed, Jalmir asked, "Do you have a stable apart?"

"Yes, and a fine one!" boasted the innkeeper.

"Then put my horse in it alone," said Jalmir, "for he is very vicious."

Then he followed his brothers into a room where they were already seated at a table and shouting loudly for wine. Soon the innkeeper brought all he had, and the brothers drank, sang, and made such a racket that the inn trembled. But Jalmir barely touched his drink, for he felt sick at heart because of his brothers' behavior. How grieved he was when one of them said, "This is a better life than being stuck at home with that grumbling father and that sickly brother."

Gradually, one after another, the brothers fell under the table, overcome by wine. When they were all asleep, Jalmir said to the innkeeper, "See that no harm comes to them; I will sleep a little as well."

Then he was about to lie down on a bench near the fire. "Do not," said the innkeeper. "I have a bed ready for you. Come with me."

Jalmir tried to refuse, but the innkeeper insisted, and at last he followed him. But before he lay down, he went to the stable to make sure the white steed had plenty of oats and water.

When the brothers woke in the morning, they searched for Jalmir with a great outcry. "It would have been a fine thing if he had run away from us!" cried one. "Who would pay the bill? I have no money."

Soon Jalmir came into the room and told them they could travel on, for everything was taken care of.

"You are our friend," they said, and they all embraced him, so tightly that they nearly suffocated him. Escaping from them, Jalmir went to his horse. The brothers followed his example, and soon the inn was far behind.

"Listen," said the white steed to Jalmir, when the brothers had gone on ahead. "In the evening we will come to a castle, where a sorceress lives with her seven daughters. They will take your horses and lead you to a chamber. The sorceress will bring you wine after supper, but do not drink it. What happens later, you will see."

"Why are you lingering?" called one of the brothers suddenly to Jalmir.

"I am coming," answered he, and the white steed galloped so fast that in a few moments he was ahead of the brothers.

"Slower, or you will leave us!" they cried. But the steed slowed down on his own. Soon they entered a forest and rode and rode, but there was no end to the forest. Only in the evening did they come out onto a plain, in the middle of which stood a beautiful castle. "Oh, now we are in luck!" said the brothers, and they began to rejoice.

They galloped into the courtyard, and their joy grew when seven princesses came out to meet them. They jumped from their horses at once to bow to them, but how amazed they were when the princesses took the horses by the bridles and led them to the stable. Jalmir asked the youngest princess, who had taken his steed, to put his horse in a stable apart, because he was very vicious.

She did as he asked, and Jalmir saw her do it. Only then did he go to the supper chamber, where his brothers and the six other princesses were already seated at a great table spread with the most delicious dishes. He came in with the youngest princess, but ate very little, even though she kept urging him.

But when a vile old woman who was serving brought wine and poured it into each golden goblet, Jalmir seized his goblet eagerly, but he did not drink the wine; he poured it out on one side.

By and by the brothers began to doze, and one after another they fell asleep. Jalmir suspected that the old woman had put a sleeping potion in the wine, and that she had no good intentions towards them. So he pretended to be asleep himself, so that he could help his brothers when the need arose. Soon the old woman came and carried each brother to a couch in the adjoining chamber, placing each next to one of the princesses. Then she went out, but quickly returned with a great broom and began to beat the brothers. First she beat the eldest, but he did not stir. When she had finished with the six, she came to Jalmir and said to herself, "If six are asleep, then the seventh is asleep too." She went out, but soon returned with sulfur and burned it under the nose of each brother. She started with the eldest, and since none of them moved, when she came to Jalmir she said again, "If six are asleep, then the seventh is asleep also."

Then she went out, but came back with pitch, which she burned on the chest of each brother. She started with the eldest, and as none of them even sighed, she said when she came to Jalmir, "If six are asleep, then the seventh is asleep; now I may cut off their heads without fear."

Jalmir shuddered, and when the old woman went out, he sprang quickly from his couch, put each of his brothers in the place of a princess, and put himself in the place of the youngest princess. The old woman returned with a sword, but without a light, and cut off the heads of the seven princesses. Then she went out. Jalmir jumped up at once and tried to rouse his brothers, but in vain. What anguish the poor fellow suffered! Only towards morning did the brothers wake and look in terror at the dead bodies of the princesses. But Jalmir cried out in despair, "Let us flee!" and rushed out, with his brothers following. In the stable they untied their horses, and springing onto them, they hurried away from the castle and galloped across the wide plain.

The sorceress soon saw them fleeing and gave chase, but they had already crossed the boundary of her lands, so she had no more power over them. She had to turn back, cursing herself over the dead bodies of her daughters. The brothers rode without stopping until the castle had disappeared from sight. Then they halted to rest, and they asked Jalmir what had been done to them. When they heard that he had saved them from certain death, they fell upon his neck and cried, "Tell us who you are, for you have done so much for us!"

"Who else but your brother Jalmir," answered he, almost in tears, and he embraced each brother in turn. But how astonished he was to see that they were much colder toward him than when they had not known him. Still, they asked how he had recovered, why he had ridden after them, and how their father was doing. But gradually they grew silent and hung their heads. No doubt they did not like it that just the youngest of them was so wise.

Jalmir also said nothing, and the white steed dropped behind of his own accord. When the brothers could no longer hear him, he said to his master, "I told you not to reveal yourself, but you did not obey me. The consequences are for you to bear. In a few days we shall come to a mighty king, and you and your brothers will enter his service. Whenever you are in need, come to me for advice."

Jalmir stroked the white steed and begged his forgiveness. From that time on, the brothers were no longer as merry as before, and they kept noticeably apart from Jalmir. But since they had no money, they wheedled him whenever they saw an inn, for he always paid their bills. After some days they came to a great city. They went straight to an inn, where they ate moderately but drank beyond measure. They started to behave so recklessly that Jalmir went to his steed as quickly as possible to seek comfort.

When the brothers were alone, the eldest said, "I have had enough favors from that sickly brother. Tomorrow we will go to the king of this country and offer him our service. What do you think?"

"We will all go with you," cried the others. But suddenly they were startled, for Jalmir had returned.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "I will go with you."

The brothers answered him sullenly, but Jalmir insisted. That evening, after they had rested, they went to the king, who immediately made them members of his court. Now they had good living, high pay, and almost nothing to do. But despite this, they were not content, for Jalmir was always a thorn in their side, especially since the king's friendship with him grew stronger every day.

One day, when the brothers were idling about, they came to a room in the castle where all kinds of books were stacked from floor to ceiling. They began to read them eagerly.

"Brothers," cried one of them suddenly, "I read here that the king has not a single bird in his kingdom."

"Is that true?" exclaimed the others in wonder. "We have not noticed that."

"But do you know what we could do with this?" asked the eldest. They all shook their heads. "Listen," he whispered. "We will tell the king that Jalmir knows all about birds, and suggest that he be sent to fetch them."

"And the king will do so at once," said the brother who had read about the birds, "for here it says how much the birds cost the king's table in a year."

They stopped reading and hurried to the king, to whom they told their plan. "But, gracious king," said the eldest, "you must insist, or Jalmir will excuse himself by saying he knows nothing of birds."

The king nodded and sent for Jalmir. When he came, the king said, "As you well know, I have no birds in my kingdom, so I command you to bring them."

"I, gracious king," said Jalmir in fright, "know nothing of birds."

"Whether you know or not," said the king in sudden anger, "you must get them." With that he waved his hand, and poor Jalmir went out with drooping head. Where could he go? Who could help him in his time of peril? He went straight to the white steed and told him his troubles.

"Grieve not," said the steed. "At dusk we will go for the birds."