`` How can I help thee ? '' asked the raven . She answered : `` Fly away , until thou comest to a splendid town , where stands a king 's palace ; seek out the king 's son and tell him that a great misfortune has befallen me . '' Then she told the raven how her thread had lost its brightness , how terribly angry the old woman was , and how she feared some great disaster . The raven promised faithfully to do her bidding , and , spreading its wings , flew away . The maiden now went home and worked hard all day at winding up the yarn her elder sisters had spun , for the old woman would let her spin no longer . Toward evening she heard the raven 's `` craa , craa , '' from the pine tree and eagerly hastened thither to hear the answer . By great good fortune the raven had found a wind wizard 's son in the palace garden , who understood the speech of birds , and to him he had entrusted the message . When the Prince heard it , he was very sorrowful , and took counsel with his friends how to free the maiden . Then he said to the wind wizard 's son : `` Beg the raven to fly quickly back to the maiden and tell her to be ready on the ninth night , for then will I come and fetch her away . '' The wind wizard 's son did this , and the raven flew so swiftly that it reached the hut that same evening . The maiden thanked the bird heartily and went home , telling no one what she had heard . As the ninth night drew near she became very unhappy , for she feared lest some terrible mischance should arise and ruin all . On this night she crept quietly out of the house and waited trembling at some little distance from the hut . Presently she heard the muffled tramp of horses , and soon the armed troop appeared , led by the Prince , who had prudently marked all the trees beforehand , in order to know the way . When he saw the maiden he sprang from his horse , lifted her into the saddle , and then , mounting behind , rode homeward . The moon shone so brightly that they had no difficulty in seeing the marked trees . By and by the coming of dawn loosened the tongues of all the birds , and , had the Prince only known what they were saying , or the maiden been listening , they might have been spared much sorrow , but they were thinking only of each other , and when they came out of the forest the sun was high in the heavens . Next morning , when the youngest girl did not come to her work , the old woman asked where she was . The sisters pretended not to know , but the old woman easily guessed what had happened , and , as she was in reality a wicked witch , determined to punish the fugitives .
Accordingly , she collected nine different kinds of enchanters ' nightshade , added some salt , which she first bewitched , and , doing all up in a cloth into the shape of a fluffy ball , sent it after them on the wings XXXXX the wind , saying : `` Whirlwind !
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