A Tale Dark and Grimm Read Free Page A

God, that’s terrible!” cried the first raven. “Is there nothing anyone can do?”
    â€œOh, there is,” said the third raven. “If someone were to pick up the dress before she could, and throw it in the fire, the princess would live. But what good is that? For if someone did it, and told why he did it, he would be turned to stone, from the knobs of his knees to the core of his heart.”
    â€œTo stone?” repeated the first raven.
    â€œTo stone,” confirmed the third.
    â€œNor is that all,” said the second raven morosely. “For if the two lovers avoid that tragedy, a final one awaits. When they are married and begin the wedding dance, the new queen will swoon, and fall to the floor, and die.”
    â€œGood God, that’s the worst thing yet!” cried the first raven. “Is there nothing anyone can do?”
    â€œOh, there is,” said the third. “If someone were to bite the new queen’s lip and suck three drops of blood from it with his mouth, she would live. But what good is that? For if someone did it, and told why he did it, he would be turned to stone from the core of his heart to the top of his head.”
    â€œTo stone?” said the first.
    â€œTo stone,” replied the second.
    â€œTo stone,” echoed the third.
    And with that, the three ravens shook their black beaks, sighed sadly, and flew away.
    Faithful Johannes buried his head in his hands, for he had heard all. He knew what he would have to do, and that it could not come to good.
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    Just as the ravens had foretold, after the ship landed and the king and his wife-to-be had been greeted by all the servants and courtiers of the castle, a beautiful chestnut stallion cantered up to the group. The king, taken with the beast’s beauty, announced that it would bear him in triumph back to the castle. But before he could mount it, Johannes slipped onto its back, drew a blade, and cut the horse’s throat, soaking its silken coat with warm, red blood. It collapsed to the ground in a heap.
    Cries of shock went up from the crowd. The other servants, who had never loved misshapen Johannes, whispered, “To kill the king’s new stallion! Treason! Treason!”
    The king looked back and forth between Johannes and the dead horse. Johannes’s face had no expression. At last, the young king said, “Johannes was faithful to my father and to my father’s father and to my father’s father’s father before that. He has always under-stood us. So I will under-stand him. If he does it, it must be right.”
    Not another word was said about the subject, and the party proceeded, afoot, back to the palace.
    When they arrived at the gate they saw a beautiful golden bridal gown, lying on a bed of purple roses.
    â€œOh! I shall wear it in the wedding!” the queen-to-be exclaimed, running to take hold of the marvelous garment.
    But before she could reach it, Johannes grabbed it from the flower bed and strode into the great hall, where he threw it into the fire.
    Again, the party was taken with cries of shock and dismay. The servants huddled together and whispered, “Treason! Treason!”
    But the king hushed them. “Johannes has always been faithful to me and my family. So I will be faithful to him. If he does it, it must be right.”
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    The young king and golden princess were married the very next day. The princess looked particularly beautiful, her ocean-blue eyes brimming with joy. But Johannes watched anxiously.
    They moved to dance, and the music began. But they had not taken two steps when the new queen suddenly swooned and fell to the ground. Before anyone else could move, Johannes swept in, lifted her to his chest, and carried her out of the hall.
    He hurried through empty hallways, carrying the new queen in his arms, to a narrow, winding staircase that led to the highest turret in the castle—his private chamber. When they arrived, he