eneral, whose
shield was a golden sun, without feeling himself dissolve like mist at
noon.

They were forced to take refuge in the fort, where the King himself was
ordering showers of snow-balls to be shot among the fairy troops. Many
were wounded, and carried from the field to the tent where the Queen and
her maids tended them, and by their soft magic soon made them fit to
fight again.

"Now, a grand attack. Bring up the sappers and miners, Captain Rock.
Major Flash, surround the walls and melt them as fast as possible, while
the archers shall go on shooting," commanded General Sun.

Then a company of moles began to dig under the fort; the fire imps
banged away at the walls with their cannon, and held their flaming
torches close till the blocks of ice began to melt; the air spirits
flew high above and shot their golden arrows down at the Frost people,
who fled away to hide in the darkest corners, dazzled and daunted by
these brave and brilliant enemies.

It was a hard battle, and the fairies were obliged to rest, after
killing General Fog, destroying the fort, and forcing the King to take
refuge in the palace. Among the prisoners taken was one who told them
where Star was, and all she had done in her little cell. Then they
rejoiced, and the Queen said, "Let us follow her example, for these
prisoners say the King is changed since she came; that he goes to peep
at her lovely bower, and does not spoil it, but talks kindly to her, and
seems as if his hard heart might be melting a little. We will not fight
any more, but try Star's gentle way, and besiege the King till he
surrenders; so we shall win a friend, not kill an enemy."

"We will; we will!" cried all the elves; for they did not love to fight,
though brave as little lions to defend their country and their Queen.
They all took counsel together, and the Frost people were surprised next
day to see the army busily at work making a great garden round the
palace instead of trying to destroy it. Creeping to the holes in the
walls they watched what went on, and wondered more and more; for the
elves worked hard, and their magic helped them to do in a day what it
would have taken years for mortals to do.

First the moles dug up the ground, then the Queen's guard sowed pine
seeds, and in an hour a green wall fenced in the garden where the earth
fairies planted seeds of all the flowers that grow. The fire imps warmed
the air, and drove away every chilly wind, every gray c