The Lilac Fairy Book, part 21 · page 21 2101And what was the prince doing?102Well, he had fallen very ill when he was on the furthest border of the kingdom, and he was nursed by some kind people who did not know who he was, so that the king and queen heard nothing about him.103When he was better he made his way home again, and into his father’s palace, where he found a strange man standing behind the throne with the peacock’s feathers.104This was his wife’s brother, whom the king had taken into high favour, though, of course, the prince was quite ignorant of what had happened.105For a moment the king and queen stared at their son, as if he had been unknown to them; he had grown so thin and weak during his illness that his shoulders were bowed like those of an old man.106‘Have you forgotten me so soon?’ he asked.107At the sound of his voice they gave a cry and ran towards him, and poured out questions as to what had happened, and why he looked like that.108But the prince did not answer any of them.109‘How is my wife?’ he said.110There was a pause.111Then the queen replied:112‘She is dead.’113‘Dead!’ he repeated, stepping a little backwards.114‘And my child?’115‘He is dead too.’116The young man stood silent.117Then he said, ‘Show me their graves.’118At these words the king, who had been feeling rather uncomfortable, took heart again, for had he not prepared two beautiful tombs for his son to see, so that he might never, never guess what had been done to his wife?119All these months the king and queen had been telling each other how good and merciful they had been not to take her brother’s advice and to put her to death.120But now, this somehow did not seem so certain.121Then the king led the way to the courtyard just behind the palace, and through the gate into a beautiful garden where stood two splendid tombs in a green space under the trees.122The prince advanced alone, and, resting his head against the stone, he burst into tears.123His father and mother stood silently behind with a curious pang in their souls which they did not quite understand.124Could it be that they were ashamed of themselves?125But after a while the prince turned round, and walking past them in to the palace he bade the slaves bring him mourning.126For seven days no one saw him, but at the end of them he went out hunting, and helped his father rule his people.127Only no one dared to speak to him of his wife and son.1 2← previousThe Lilac Fairy Book, part 20next →The Lilac Fairy Book, part 22↑ back to The Lilac Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3454/21/page/2/