THE KING OF THE RAVENS
Then the King of the Ravens gave the Green Man his sight, and cried:
— “Quack! quack! quack! Tell my fiancée to be ready tomorrow morning at daybreak, with her white dress and her bridal crown. »
The next day, at daybreak, the sky was black with Ravens, who had come by night. In front of the Green Man's house, they were preparing an altar, to say the wedding mass. At the foot of the altar stood the King of the Ravens, hidden under a large snow-white shroud. When everything was ready, and when the candles were lit, a priest, who had come from who knows where, arrived fully dressed, with his clerk, to say the wedding mass. Mass over, the priest and his clerk departed as they had come. The King of the Ravens still remained hidden under the great snow-white shroud.
— Quack! quack! quack! Take my wife to her father.
The wife was taken to her father. Then, the King of the Ravens came out from under the great snow-white shroud.
— Quack! quack! quack! Green Man, keep your daughter until noon. At this hour, my Ravens have orders to take her to my country.
And he flew north.
At noon, the woman was on the threshold of the house.
“Farewell, my father. Farewell, my sisters. I leave my land and my home. I go to a foreign country. I will never, ever come back."
So the Ravens took their queen, and bore her, through the air, into the land of cold, into the land of ice, where there are neither trees nor greenery. Before sunset they had covered three thousand leagues. The queen had reached the main gate of her castle.
“Thank you, Ravens. I will never forget the service you have done me. Now go to supper and sleep. Certainly, you have earned it."
The Ravens departed, and the queen returned to her castle. It was seven times larger than the biggest church in Lectoure. Lights were burning everywhere. The chimneys blazed like tile kilns. However, the queen saw no one.
While walking from room to room, she came to a large hall, where there was a table laden with dishes and wines of all kinds. Only one cover was set. The queen sat down. But she did not have the heart to drink and eat, because she was still thinking of her family and her country. An hour later, the queen went to bed in a bed, closed with gold and silver curtains, and waited, sleepless, letting the light burn.
At the first stroke of midnight, there was a great noise of wings. It was the King of the Ravens, who was coming home to go to bed. He stopped behind the bedroom door, where his wife was lying.
— Quack! quack! quack! Woman, blow out the light.
The queen blew out the light, and the King of Crows entered the darkness.
— “Quack! quack! quack! Woman, listen. Here, we are not talking to say nothing. Once I was a king over men. Now I am the King of the Ravens. A wicked wretch, who has great power, has turned me and my people into beasts. But it is said that our ordeal will end. For that, you can do a lot. I expect you to do your duty. Every night, like tonight, I will come to sleep by your side. But you're only ten years old. You will only truly be my wife after seven years have passed. Until then, be careful not to try to see me ever again. Otherwise, great misfortunes will befall me, you, and my people.
— King of the Crows, you will be obeyed.
Then the queen heard the King of Ravens stripping off his wings and plumage. That done, he went to lie down in bed. The queen was afraid. She stretched out her hand, and felt the coldness of a naked sword, which her husband had put between him and her.
The next morning, before daybreak, the King of the Ravens rose in the dark, took the naked sword from the bed, put on his wings and plumage, and departed without saying where he was going.
Henceforth, it was the same morning and evening. Yet the queen feared and loved the King of the Ravens, because she knew he was strong and bold.
The poor girl was bored living like this, without ever speaking to anyone. To amuse herself a little, she would often leave, early in the morning, with a basket full of food. She walked through the countryside, through snow and ice, until nightfall. She never met a living soul.
One morning, while walking in this way, far from the castle, the queen saw a high, snowless mountain.
Here comes the queen. After seven hours of climbing, she arrived in front of a poor cabin, right next to a wash house. At the edge of the wash house, a washerwoman was working, wrinkled as old leather, and as old as a trail.