She said no more. The Lad went on following them.
After this, they passed through a forest with silver leaves, then through one with golden leaves, then through one with leaves of diamonds and precious stones, that took your eyes away with their glitter. At last they came to a beautiful lake. Out of the middle of that lake there rose a hill, and on that hill, stood the most beautiful castle that ever was. It was so very beautiful, and so very wonderfully made, that when you went up in it, you thought you went down,—and when you went down, you thought you went up!
Twelve boats, and twelve men, all covered in gold, were waiting on the shore. Each princess got into a boat. The Lad sat himself down in the boat of the Youngest Princess.
Softly, the twelve boats slid over the smooth water. But the boat that the Youngest Princess was in, was far behind the others, and could hardly move. The boatman rowed hard, but it seemed to be so heavy. At last they came to the hill on which stood the Castle. They could hear music, but such music, that wanting or not wanting, you had to dance!
The princesses rushed in like lightning, and they began to dance with the young lads that were waiting for them, and they danced and danced until their slippers wore out. Our Lad went into the castle, too, and what did his eyes meet with? A beautiful, big dancing hall, adorned with gold and precious stones. All round it, big candles burned in golden sconces. The walls were white as milk, with broad lines of emeralds and rubies, all blazing like fire.
The Lad sat himself in a corner, and watched, for he really had something to look at. But where was the blessing to be able to sit? He couldn't help beginning to jump from here to there, for it was impossible to sit still when that music was playing. Why, even the candlesticks began to dance! No one could even begin to imagine the beauty of those songs. Flutes, guitars, Pan-pipes, wooden trumpets, bag-pipes, all were playing in such harmony, that the best musicians of the world would have been left quite out of it. But the dances! With such fire did that music play the Hora, The Bătuta, the Brău, the Ca La Ușa Cortului, the Pipărușul[1]
- ↑ Popular Roumanian dances.
