She then saw that it was something else than the blood of the deer that stained his shirts , so one day she took courage and asked him about it . At first he refused to tell her , but she then related to him her own story , and how she had succeeded in delivering the lindorm . He then told her that he had formerly lived a wild life , and had finally entered into a written contract * with the Evil Spirit . Before this contract had expired he had repented and turned from his evil ways , and withdrawn himself to this solitude . The Evil One had then lost all power to take him , but so long as he had the contract he could compel him to meet him in the forest each day at a certain time , where the evil spirits then scourged him till he bled . Next day , when the time came for the man to ride into the forest , the queen asked him to stay at home and look after the princes , and she would go to meet the evil spirits in his place . The man was amazed , and said that this would not only cost her her life , but would also bring upon him a greater misfortune than the one he was already under . She bade him be of good courage , looked to see that she had the three nuts which she had found beside her mother 's grave , mounted her horse , and rode out into the forest . When she had ridden for some time the evil spirits came forth and said , ` Here comes Peter 's horse and Peter 's hound ; but Peter himself is not with them . ' Then at a distance she heard a terrible voice demanding to know what she wanted . ' I have come to get Peter 's contract , ' said she . At this there arose a terrible uproar among the evil spirits , and the worst voice among them all said , ` Ride home and tell Peter that when he comes to-morrow he shall get twice as many strokes as usual . ' The queen then took one of her nuts and cracked it , and turned her horse about . At this sparks of fire flew out of all the trees , and the evil spirits howled as if they were being scourged back to their abode . Next day at the same time the queen again rode out into the forest ; but on this occasion the spirits did not dare to come so near her . They would not , however , give up the contract , but threatened both her and the man . Then she cracked her second nut , and all the forest behind her seemed to be in fire and flames , and the evil spirits howled even worse than on the previous day ; but the contract they would not give up . The queen had only one nut left now , but even that she was ready to give up in order to deliver the man . This time she cracked the nut as soon as she came near the place where the spirits appeared , and what then happened to them she could not see , but amid wild screams and howls the contract was handed to her at the end of a long branch . The queen rode happy home to the hut , and happier still was the man , who had been sitting there in great anxiety , for now he was freed from all the power of the evil spirits .
Meanwhile King Lindorm had come home from the war , and the XXXXX question he asked when he entered the palace was about the queen and the whelps .
Peter day deer fire first hound left lindorm queen second