Between her and them lay a thick wood , and Sigurd stopped for a moment to set it on fire ; then he and his sister hastened on more swiftly than before , till they reached the grove with the red and green trees , into which they jumped , and felt that at last they were safe . Now , at that time there reigned over Greece a king who was very rich and powerful , although his name has somehow been forgotten . He had two children , a son and a daughter , who were more beautiful and accomplished than any Greeks had been before , and they were the pride of their father 's heart . The prince had no sooner grown out of boyhood than he prevailed on his father to make war during the summer months on a neighbouring nation , so as to give him a chance of making himself famous . In winter , however , when it was difficult to get food and horses in that wild country , the army was dispersed , and the prince returned home . During one of these wars he had heard reports of the Princess Lineik 's beauty , and he resolved to seek her out , and to ask for her hand in marriage . All this Blauvor , the queen , found out by means of her black arts , and when the prince drew near the capital she put a splendid dress on her own daughter and then went to meet her guest . She bade him welcome to her palace , and when they had finished supper she told him of the loss of her husband , and how there was no one left to govern the kingdom but herself . ` But where is the Princess Lineik ? ' asked the prince when she had ended her tale . ` Here , ' answered the queen , bringing forward the girl , whom she had hitherto kept in the background . The prince looked at her and was rather disappointed . The maiden was pretty enough , but not much out of the common . ` Oh , you must not wonder at her pale face and heavy eyes , ' said the queen hastily , for she saw what was passing in his mind . ` She has never got over the loss of both father and mother . ' ` That shows a good heart , ' thought the prince ; ` and when she is happy her beauty will soon come back . ' And without any further delay he begged the queen to consent to their betrothal , for the marriage must take place in his own country . The queen was enchanted . She had hardly expected to succeed so soon , and she at once set about her preparations . Indeed she wished to travel with the young couple , to make sure that nothing should go wrong ; but here the prince was firm , that he would take no one with him but Laufer , whom he thought was Lineik .
They soon took leave of the queen , and set sail in a splendid ship ; but in a short time a dense fog came on , and in the dark the captain steered out of his course , and they found themselves in a bay which was quite strange XXXXX all the crew .
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