The minister left the rest of his followers on board the ship , and taking a small boat rowed himself to land , in order to look about him and to find out if the island was really as deserted as it seemed . He had not gone far , when he heard the sound of music , and , turning in its direction , he saw a woman of marvellous beauty sitting on a low stool playing on a harp , while a girl beside her sang . The minister stopped and greeted the lady politely , and she replied with friendliness , asking him why he had come to such an out-of-the way place . In answer he told her of the object of his journey . ' I am in the same state as your master , ' replied the lady ; ' I was married to a mighty king who ruled over this land , till Vikings -LSB- sea-robbers -RSB- came and slew him and put all the people to death . But I managed to escape , and hid myself here with my daughter . ' And the daughter listened , and said softly to her mother : ` Are you speaking the truth now ? ' ` Remember your promise , ' answered the mother angrily , giving her a pinch which was unseen by the minister . ` What is your name , madam ? ' asked he , much touched by this sad story . ` Blauvor , ' she replied ` and my daughter is called Laufer ' ; and then she inquired the name of the minister , and of the king his master . After this they talked of many things , and the lady showed herself learned in all that a woman should know , and even in much that men only were commonly taught . ` What a wife she would make for the king , ' thought the minister to himself , and before long he had begged the honour of her hand for his master . She declared at first that she was too unworthy to accept the position offered her , and that the minister would soon repent his choice ; but this only made him the more eager , and in the end he gained her consent , and prevailed on her to return with him at once to his own country . The minister then conducted the mother and daughter back to the ship ; the anchor was raised , the sails spread , and a fair wind was behind them . Now that the fog had lifted they could see as they looked back that , except just along the shore , the island was bare and deserted and not fit for men to live in ; but about that nobody cared . They had a quick voyage , and in six days they reached the land , and at once set out for the capital , a messenger being sent on first by the minister to inform the king of what had happened . When his Majesty 's eyes fell on the two beautiful women , clad in dresses of gold and silver , he forgot his sorrows and ordered preparations for the wedding to be made without delay . In his joy he never remembered to inquire in what kind of country the future queen had been found . In fact his head was so turned by the beauty of the two ladies that when the invitations were sent by his orders to all the great people in the kingdom , he did not even recollect his two children , who remained shut up in their own house !
After the marriage the king ceased XXXXX have any will of his own and did nothing without consulting his wife .
After as behind beside by in of over that to