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By Root 2096 0

“Now I have a white horse, and I will travel,” said he. So he set out, and as he was on his way, a pen was lying on the road. At first he thought he would pick it up, but then again he thought to himself: “You should leave it lying there; you will easily find a pen where you are going, if you have need of one.” As he was thus riding away, a voice called after him: “Ferdinand the Faithful, take it with you.” He looked around, but saw no one; so he went back again and picked it up. When he had ridden a little way farther, he passed by a lake, and a fish was lying on the bank, gasping and panting for breath, so he said: “Wait, my dear fish, I will help you to get into the water,” and he took hold of it by the tail, and threw it into the lake. Then the fish put its head out of the water and said: “As you have helped me out of the mud I will give you a flute; when you are in any need, play on it, and then I will help you, and if ever you let anything fall in the water, just play and I will reach it out to you.” Then he rode away, and there came to him a man who asked him where he was going. “Oh, to the next place.” “What is your name?” “Ferdinand the Faithful.” “So! then we have got almost the same name, I am called Ferdinand the Unfaithful.” And they both set out to the inn in the nearest place.

Now it was unfortunate that Ferdinand the Unfaithful knew everything that the other had ever thought and everything he was about to do; he knew it by means of all kinds of wicked arts. There was in the inn an honest girl, who had a bright face and behaved very prettily. She fell in love with Ferdinand the Faithful because he was a handsome man, and she asked him whither he was going. “Oh, I am just traveling round about,” said he. Then she said he ought to stay there, for the King of that country wanted an attendant or an outrider, and he ought to enter his service. He answered he could not very well go to any one like that and offer himself. Then said the maiden: “Oh, but I will soon do that for you.” And so she went straight to the King, and told him that she knew of an excellent servant for him. He was well pleased with that, and had Ferdinand the Faithful brought to him, and wanted to make him his servant. He, however, liked better to be an outrider, for where his horse was, there he also wanted to be, so the King made him an outrider. When Ferdinand the Unfaithful learnt that, he said to the girl: “What! Do you help him and not me?” “Oh,” said the girl, “I will help you too.” She thought: “I must keep friends with that man, for he is not to be trusted.” She went to the King, and offered him as a servant, and the King was willing.

Now when the King met his lords in the morning, he always lamented and said: “Oh, if I only had my love with me.” Ferdinand the Unfaithful, however, was always hostile to Ferdinand the Faithful. So once, when the King was complaining thus, he said: “You have the outrider, send him away to get her, and if he does not do it, his head must be struck off.” Then the King sent for Ferdinand the Faithful, and told him that there was, in this place or in that place, a girl he loved, and that he was to bring her to him, and if he did not do it he should die.

Ferdinand the Faithful went into the stable to his white horse, and complained and lamented: “Oh, what an unhappy man am I!” Then someone behind him cried: “Ferdinand the Faithful, why do you weep?” He looked round but saw no one, and went on lamenting: “Oh, my dear little white horse, now must I leave you; now must I die.” Then someone cried once more: “Ferdinand the Faithful, why do you weep?” Then for the first time he was aware that it was his little white horse who was putting that question. “Do you speak, my little white horse; can you do that?” And again, he said: “I am to go to this place and to that, and am to bring the bride; can you tell me how I am to set about it?” Then answered the little white horse: “Go to the King, and say if he will give you what you must have, you will get her for him. If he will give you a ship full of meat, and a ship