He waited till he saw her in the act of stepping ashore , when , suddenly swooping down , he carried her off before her equerry in attendance had advanced to offer her his hand . The Princess , on finding herself in an eagle 's talons , uttered the most heart-breaking shrieks and cries ; but her captor , though touched by her distress , would not abandon his lovely prey , and continued to fly through the air too fast to allow of his saying anything to comfort her . At length , when he thought they had reached a safe distance , he began to lower his flight , and gradually descending to earth , deposited his burden in a flowery meadow . He then entreated her pardon for his violence , and told her that he was about to carry her to a great kingdom over which he ruled , and where he desired she should rule with him , adding many tender and consoling expressions . For some time the Princess remained speechless ; but recovering herself a little , she burst into a flood of tears . The King , much moved , said , ` Adorable Princess , dry your tears . I implore you . My only wish is to make you the happiest person in the world . ' ` If you speak truth , my lord , ' replied the Princess , ` restore to me the liberty you have deprived me of . Otherwise I can only look on you as my worst enemy . ' The King retorted that her opposition filled him with despair , but that he hoped to carry her to a place where all around would respect her , and where every pleasure would surround her . So saying , he seized her once more , and in spite of all her cries he rapidly bore her off to the neighbourhood of his capital . Here he gently placed her on a lawn , and as he did so she saw a magnificent palace spring up at her feet . The architecture was imposing , and in the interior the rooms were handsome and furnished in the best possible taste . The Princess , who expected to be quite alone , was pleased at finding herself surrounded by a number of pretty girls , all anxious to wait on her , whilst a brilliantly-coloured parrot said the most agreeable things in the world . On arriving at this palace the King had resumed his own form , and though no longer young , he might well have pleased any other than this Princess , who had been so prejudiced against him by his violence that she could only regard him with feelings of hatred , which she was at no pains to conceal . The King hoped , however , that time might not only soften her anger , but accustom her to his sight . He took the precaution of surrounding the palace with a dense cloud , and then hastened to his Court , where his prolonged absence was causing much anxiety . The Prince and all the courtiers were delighted to see their beloved King again , but they had to submit themselves to more frequent absences than ever on his part . He made business a pretext for shutting himself up in his study , but it was really in order to spend the time with the Princess , who remained inflexible .
Not being able XXXXX imagine what could be the cause of so much obstinacy the King began to fear , lest , in spite of all his precautions , she might have heard of the charms of the Prince his son , whose goodness , youth and beauty , made him adored at Court .
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