There was once upon a time a queen to whom God had given nochildren. Every morning she went into the garden and prayed to Godin heaven to bestow on her a son or a daughter. Then an angel fromheaven came to her and said: «Be at rest, you shall have a son with thepower of wishing, so that whatsoever in the world he wishes for, thatshall he have.» Then she went to the king, and told him the joyfultidings, and when the time was come she gave birth to a son, and theking was filled with gladness.
Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wildbeasts were kept, and washed herself there in a clear stream. Ithappened once when the child was a little older, that it was lying inher arms and she fell asleep. Then came the old cook, who knew that thechild had the power of wishing, and stole it away, and he took a hen,and cut it in pieces, and dropped some of its blood on the queen’sapron and on her dress. Then he carried the child away to a secretplace, where a nurse was obliged to suckle it, and he ran to the kingand accused the queen of having allowed her child to be taken from herby the wild beasts. When the king saw the blood on her apron, hebelieved this, fell into such a passion that he ordered a high towerto be built, in which neither sun nor moon could be seen and had hiswife put into it, and walled up. Here she was to stay for seven yearswithout meat or drink, and die of hunger. But God sent two angelsfrom heaven in the shape of white doves, which flew to her twice a day,and carried her food until the seven years were over.
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