The Queen gave money to the old woman , and bought the apple from her . Then she peeled it , ate it , and threw the rind out of the window , and it so happened that a mare that was running loose in the court below ate up the rind . After a time the Queen had a little boy , and the mare also had a male foal . The boy and the foal grew up together and loved each other like brothers . In course of time the King died , and so did the Queen , and their son , who was now nineteen years old , was left alone . One day , when he and his horse were talking together , the Horse said to him , ` Listen to me , for I love you and wish for your good and that of the country . If you go on every year sending twelve youths and twelve maidens to the King of the Beasts , your country will very soon be ruined . Mount upon my back : I will take you to a woman who can direct you how to kill the Seven-headed Serpent . ' Then the youth mounted his horse , who carried him far away to a mountain which was hollow , for in its side was a great underground cavern . In the cavern sat an old woman spinning . This was the cloister of the nuns , and the old woman was the Abbess . They all spent their time in spinning , and that is why the convent has this name . All round the walls of the cavern there were beds cut out of the solid rock , upon which the nuns slept , and in the middle a light was burning . It was the duty of the nuns to watch the light in turns , that it might never go out , and if anyone of them let it go out the others put her to death . As soon as the King 's son saw the old Abbess spinning he threw himself at her feet and entreated her to tell him how he could kill the Seven-headed Serpent . She made the youth rise , embraced him , and said , ` Know , my son , that it is I who sent the nun to your mother and caused you to be born , and with you the horse , with whose help you will be able to free the world from the monster . I will tell you what you have to do . Load your horse with cotton , and go by a secret passage which I will show you , which is hidden from the wild beasts , to the Serpent 's palace . You will find the King asleep upon his bed , which is all hung round with bells , and over his bed you will see a sword hanging . With this sword only it is possible to kill the Serpent , because even if its blade breaks a new one will grow again for every head the monster has .
Thus you will be able XXXXX cut off all his seven heads .
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