he swamp, they again made a jest of him; one shot an
arrow at him and wounded him in the leg, and he began to cry and moan so
that it was sad to hear, whereupon the king threw him his handkerchief
that he might bind it about his leg. When they marched forth the third
morning there sat the youth calling to his horse, "Hie! wilt thou go?
hie! wilt thou go?" "No, no! he will stay there till he starves," said
the king's men as they passed by, and laughed so heartily at him that
they nearly fell from their horses. When they had all passed, he again
ran to the linden, and came to the battle just at the right moment. That
day he killed the enemy's king, and thus the war was at an end.

When the fighting was over, the king observed his handkerchief tied
round the leg of the strange warrior, and by this he easily knew him.
They received him with great joy, and carried him with them up to the
royal palace, and the princess, who saw them from her window, was so
delighted no one could tell. "There comes my beloved also," said she. He
then took the pot of ointment and rubbed his leg, and afterward all the
wounded, so that they were all well again in a moment.

After this the king gave him the princess to wife. On the day of his
marriage he went down into the stable to see the horse, and found him
dull, hanging his ears and refusing to eat. When the young king--for he
was now king, having obtained the half of the realm--spoke to him and
asked him what he wanted, the horse said, "I have now helped thee
forward in the world, and I will live no longer: thou must take thy
sword, and cut my head off." "No, that I will not do," said the young
king: "thou shalt have whatever thou wilt, and always live without
working." "If thou wilt not do as I say," answered the horse, "I shall
find a way of killing thee."

The king was then obliged to slay him; but when he raised the sword to
give the stroke he was so distressed that he turned his face away; but
no sooner had he struck his head off than there stood before him a
handsome prince in the place of the horse.

"Whence in the name of Heaven didst thou come?" asked the king. "It was
I who was the horse," answered the prince. "Formerly I was king of the
country whose sovereign you slew yesterday; it was he who cast over me a
horse's semblance, and sold me to the Troll. As he is killed, I shall
recover my kingdom, and you and I shall be neighboring kings; but we
will never go to war with each ot