The Green Fairy Book | Page 5

take very
great care not to be seen, as it would be as much as her place was worth
to be caught helping King Charming to see the Princess. The squire
was delighted, and promised all she asked; but the moment he had run
off to announce his success to the King, the false waiting-woman went
and told the Queen all that had passed. She at once determined that her
own daughter should be at the little window; and she taught her so well
all she was to say and do, that even the stupid Turritella could make no
mistake.
The night was so dark that the King had not a chance of finding out the
trick that was being played upon him, so he approached the window
with the greatest delight, and said everything that he had been longing
to say to Fiordelisa to persuade her of his love for her. Turritella
answered as she had been taught, that she was very unhappy, and that
there was no chance of her being better treated by the Queen until her
daughter was married. And then the King entreated her to marry him;
and thereupon he drew his ring from his finger and put it upon
Turritella's, and she answered him as well as she could. The King could
not help thinking that she did not say exactly what he would have
expected from his darling Fiordelisa, but he persuaded himself that the
fear of being surprised by the Queen was making her awkward and
unnatural. He would not leave her until she had promised to see him
again the next night, which Turritella did willingly enough. The Queen
was overjoyed at the success of her stratagem, end promised herself
that all would now be as she wished; and sure enough, as soon as it was
dark the following night the King came, bringing with him a chariot

which had been given him by an Enchanter who was his friend. This
chariot was drawn by flying frogs, and the King easily persuaded
Turritella to come out and let him put her into it, then mounting beside
her he cried triumphantly--
‘Now, my Princess, you are free; where will it please you that we shall
hold our wedding?'
And Turritella, with her head muffled in her mantle, answered that the
Fairy Mazilla was her godmother, and that she would like it to be at her
castle. So the King told the Frogs, who had the map of the whole world
in their heads, and very soon he and Turritella were set down at the
castle of the Fairy Mazilla. The King would certainly have found out
his mistake the moment they stepped into the brilliantly lighted castle,
but Turritella held her mantle more closely round her, and asked to see
the Fairy by herself, and quickly told her all that had happened, and
how she had succeeded in deceiving King Charming.
‘Oho! my daughter,' said the Fairy, ‘I see we have no easy task before
us. He loves Fiordelisa so much that he will not be easily pacified. I
feel sure he will defy us!' Meanwhile the King was waiting in a
splendid room with diamond walls, so clear that he could see the Fairy
and Turritella as they stood whispering together, and he was very much
puzzled.
‘Who can have betrayed us?' he said to himself. ‘How comes our
enemy here? She must be plotting to prevent our marriage. Why doesn't
my lovely Fiordelisa make haste and come hack to me?'
But it was worse than anything he had imagined when the Fairy
Mazilla entered, leading Turritella by the hand, and said to him--
‘King Charming, here is the Princess Turritella to whom you have
plighted your faith. Let us have the wedding at once.'
‘I!' cried the King. ‘I marry that little creature! What do you take me
for? I have promised her nothing!'

‘Say no more. Have you no respect for a Fairy?' cried she angrily.
‘Yes, madam,' answered the King, ‘I am prepared to respect you as
much as a Fairy can be respected, if you will give me back my
Princess.'
‘Am I not here?' interrupted Turritella. ‘Here is the ring you gave me.
With whom did you talk at the little window, if it was not with me?'
‘What!' cried the King angrily, ‘have I been altogether deceived and
deluded? Where is my chariot? Not another moment will I stay here.'
‘Oho,' said the Fairy, ‘not so fast.' And she touched his feet, which
instantly became as firmly fixed to the floor as if they had been nailed
there.
‘Oh! do whatever you like with me,' said the King; ‘you may turn me to
stone, but I will marry no one but Fiordelisa.'
And not another word would