He felt sure he was right ; but to be quite certain he called his daughters to him , questioned them , and ordered them to speak the truth . They confessed everything , but took good care not to say which had led the other two into temptation . The King was so distressed when he heard it that he was almost overcome by grief . But he took heart and tried to comfort his daughters , who looked frightened to death . He saw that what had happened had happened , and that a thousand words would not alter matters by a hair 's - breadth . Well , these events had almost been forgotten when one fine day a prince from the East appeared at the Court and asked the King for the hand of his eldest daughter . The King gladly gave his consent . A great wedding banquet was prepared , and after three days of feasting the happy pair were accompanied to the frontier with much ceremony and rejoicing . After some time the same thing befell the second daughter , who was wooed and won by a prince from the West . Now when the young Princess saw that everything fell out exactly as had been written in the book , she grew very sad . She refused to eat , and would not put on her fine clothes nor go out walking , and declared that she would rather die than become a laughing-stock to the world . But the King would not allow her to do anything so wrong , and he comforted her in all possible ways . So the time passed , till lo and behold ! one fine day an enormous pig from the North walked into the palace , and going straight up to the King said , ` Hail ! oh King . May your life be as prosperous and bright as sunrise on a clear day ! ' ' I am glad to see you well , friend , ' answered the King , ` but what wind has brought you hither ? ' ' I come a-wooing , ' replied the Pig . Now the King was astonished to hear so fine a speech from a Pig , and at once it occurred to him that something strange was the matter . He would gladly have turned the Pig 's thoughts in another direction , as he did not wish to give him the Princess for a wife ; but when he heard that the Court and the whole street were full of all the pigs in the world he saw that there was no escape , and that he must give his consent .
The Pig was not satisfied with mere promises , but insisted that the wedding should take place within a week , and would not go away XXXXX the King had sworn a royal oath upon it .
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