ace
and told his father what had happened.

The king turned pale and explained to his son the terrible story.

'Do not grieve over it, father,' answered the prince. 'It is nothing so
dreadful after all! I will find some way to force Kostiei to give up
his rights over me. But if I do not come back in a year's time, you must
give up all hopes of ever seeing me.'

Then the prince began to prepare for his journey. His father gave him
a complete suit of steel armour, a sword, and a horse, while his mother
hung round his neck a cross of gold. So, kissing him tenderly, with many
tears they let him go.

He rode steadily on for three days, and at sunset on the fourth day he
found himself on the seashore. On the sand before him lay twelve white
dresses, dazzling as the snow, yet as far as his eyes could reach there
was no one in sight to whom they could belong. Curious to see what would
happen, he took up one of the garments, and leaving his horse loose, to
wander about the adjoining fields, he hid himself among some willows and
waited. In a few minutes a flock of geese which had been paddling about
in the sea approached the shore, and put on the dresses, struck the sand
with their feet and were transformed in the twinkling of an eye into
eleven beautiful young girls, who flew away as fast as they could. The
twelfth and youngest remained in the water, stretching out her long
white neck and looking about her anxiously. Suddenly, among the willows,
she perceived the king's son, and called out to him with a human voice:

'Oh Prince, give me back my dress, and I shall be for ever grateful to
you.'

The prince hastened to lay the dress on the sand, and walked away. When
the maiden had thrown off the goose-skin and quickly put on her proper
clothes, she came towards him and he saw that none had ever seen or told
of such beauty as hers. She blushed and held out her hand, saying to him
in a soft voice:

'I thank you, noble Prince, for having granted my request. I am the
youngest daughter of Kostiei the immortal, who has twelve daughters and
rules over the kingdoms under the earth. Long time my father has waited
for you, and great is his anger. But trouble not yourself and fear
nothing, only do as I bid you. When you see the King Kostiei, fall
straightway upon your knees and heed neither his threats nor his cry,
but draw near to him boldly. That which will happen after, you will know
in time. Now let us go.'

At these words she