Each time that the lindorm had held his wedding one of the king 's retainers was sent next morning to open the door of the bridal chamber and see whether the bride was alive . This next morning also he peeped in at the door , but what he saw there surprised him so much that he shut the door in a hurry , and hastened to the king and queen , who were waiting for his report . He told them of the wonderful sight he had seen . On the floor lay seven lindorm skins and six snow-white shirts , and beside these three worn-out scrubbing brushes , while in the bed a beautiful youth was lying asleep beside the fair young maiden . The king and queen marvelled greatly what this could mean ; but just then the old woman who was spoken of in the beginning of the story was again brought in to the queen . She reminded her how she had not followed her instructions , but had eaten the first onion with all its skins , on which account her first-born had been a lindorm . The waiting-woman was then summoned , and admitted that she had thrown it out through the window into the forest . The king and queen now sent for their eldest son and his young bride . They took them both in their arms , and asked him to tell about his sorrowful lot during the twenty years he had lived in the forest as a hideous lindorm . This he did , and then his parents had it proclaimed over the whole country that he was their eldest son , and along with his spouse should inherit the country and kingdom after them . Prince Lindorm and his beautiful wife now lived in joy and prosperity for a time in the palace ; and when his father was laid in the grave , not long after this , he obtained the whole kingdom . Soon afterwards his mother also departed from this world . Now it happened that an enemy declared war against the young king ; and , as he foresaw that it would be three years at the least before he could return to his country and his queen , he ordered all his servants who remained at home to guard her most carefully . That they might be able to write to each other in confidence , he had two seal rings made , one for himself and one for his young queen , and issued an order that no one , under pain of death , was to open any letter that was sealed with one of these . Then he took farewell of his queen , and marched out to war . The queen 's wicked stepmother had heard with great grief that her beautiful stepdaughter had prospered so well that she had not only preserved her life , but had even become queen of the country . She now plotted continually how she might destroy her good fortune . While King Lindorm was away at the war the wicked woman came to the queen , and spoke fair to her , saying that she had always foreseen that her stepdaughter was destined to be something great in the world , and that she had on this account secured that she should be the enchanted prince 's bride . The queen , who did not imagine that any person could be so deceitful , bade her stepmother welcome , and kept her beside her . Soon after this the queen had two children , the prettiest boys that anyone could see .
When she had written a letter to the king to tell him of this her stepmother asked leave to comb her hair for her , as her own mother used XXXXX do .
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