with kettledrums and trumpets. And when
he went into the palace, he found everything was of pure marble and
gold, and the curtains of damask with tassels of gold. Then the doors of
the hall flew open, and there stood the whole Court round his wife,
who was sitting on a high throne of gold and diamonds; she wore a great
golden crown, and had a sceptre of gold and precious stones in her hand,
and by her on either side stood six pages in a row, each one a head
taller than the other. Then he went before her and said:

'Ah, wife! are you king now?'

'Yes,' said his wife; 'now I am king.'

He stood looking at her, and when he had looked for some time, he said:

'Let that be enough, wife, now that you are king! Now we have nothing
more to wish for.'

'Nay, husband,' said his wife restlessly, 'my wishing powers are
boundless; I cannot restrain them any longer. Go down to the flounder;
king I am, now I must be emperor.'

'Alas! wife,' said the fisherman, 'why do you want to be emperor?'

'Husband,' said she, 'go to the flounder; I will be emperor.'

'Ah, wife,' he said, 'he cannot make you emperor; I don't like to ask
him that. There is only one emperor in the kingdom. Indeed and indeed he
cannot make you emperor.'

'What!' said his wife. 'I am king, and you are my husband. Will you go
at once? Go! If he can make king he can make emperor, and emperor I must
and will be. Go!'

So he had to go. But as he went, he felt quite frightened, and
he thought to himself, 'This can't be right; to be emperor is too
ambitious; the flounder will be tired out at last.'

Thinking this he came to the shore. The sea was quite black and thick,
and it was breaking high on the beach; the foam was flying about, and
the wind was blowing; everything looked bleak. The fisherman was chilled
with fear. He stood and said:

'Once a prince, but changed you be Into a flounder in the sea. Come! for
my wife, Ilsebel, Wishes what I dare not tell.'

'What does she want now?' asked flounder.

'Alas! flounder,' he said, 'my wife wants to be emperor.'

'Go home,' said the flounder; 'she is that already.'

So the fisherman went home, and when he came there he saw the whole
castle was made of polished marble, ornamented with alabaster statues
and gold. Before the gate soldiers were marching, blowing trumpets and
beating drums. Inside the palace were walking barons, counts, and dukes,
acting as servants; they opened the door, which was of beaten gold.