Cut off these twigs and strike their roots with them , and the iron door of a cellar will open . In the cellar you will find as many people , young and old , women and children , as would fill a kingdom , and among them are your brothers . ' By this time twilight had fallen , so the prince washed himself in the lake , took the hawk on his shoulder and the pipes under his arm , and with his greyhounds before him and his flock behind him , marched gaily into the town , the princess following them all , still trembling with fright . And so they passed through the streets , thronged with a wondering crowd , till they reached the castle . Unknown to anyone , the emperor had stolen out on horseback , and had hidden himself on the hill , where he could see all that happened . When all was over , and the power of the dragon was broken for ever , he rode quickly back to the castle , and was ready to receive the prince with open arms , and to promise him his daughter to wife . The wedding took place with great splendour , and for a whole week the town was hung with coloured lamps , and tables were spread in the hall of the castle for all who chose to come and eat . And when the feast was over , the prince told the emperor and the people who he really was , and at this everyone rejoiced still more , and preparations were made for the prince and princess to return to their own kingdom , for the prince was impatient to set free his brothers . The first thing he did when he reached his native country was to hasten to the mill , where he found the three twigs as the sparrow had told him . The moment that he struck the root the iron door flew open , and from the cellar a countless multitude of men and women streamed forth . He bade them go one by one wheresoever they would , while he himself waited by the door till his brothers passed through . How delighted they were to meet again , and to hear all that the prince had done to deliver them from their enchantment . And they went home with him and served him all the days of their lives , for they said that he only who had proved himself brave and faithful was fit to be king . -LSB- From Volksmarehen der Serben . -RSB- Little Wildrose Once upon a time the things in this story happened , and if they had not happened then the story would never have been told . But that was the time when wolves and lambs lay peacefully together in one stall , and shepherds dined on grassy banks with kings and queens . Once upon a time , then , my dear good children , there lived a man . Now this man was really a hundred years old , if not fully twenty years more . And his wife was very old too -- how old I do not know ; but some said she was as old as the goddess Venus herself . They had been very happy all these years , but they would have been happier still if they had had any children ; but old though they were they had never made up their minds to do without them , and often they would sit over the fire and talk of how they would have brought up their children if only some had come to their house .
One day the old man seemed sadder and more thoughtful than was common with him , and at last he said XXXXX his wife : ` Listen to me , old woman ! '
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