At that moment a slight sound behind her made her start round , and there stood Percinet himself . ` Did I frighten you , my Princess ? ' said he . ' I come to bid you welcome to our fairy palace , in the name of the Queen , my mother , who is prepared to love you as much as I do . ' The Princess joyfully mounted with him into a little sledge , drawn by two stags , which bounded off and drew them swiftly to the wonderful palace , where the Queen received her with the greatest kindness , and a splendid banquet was served at once . Graciosa was so happy to have found Percinet , and to have escaped from the gloomy forest and all its terrors , that she was very hungry and very merry , and they were a gay party . After supper they went into another lovely room , where the crystal walls were covered with pictures , and the Princess saw with great surprise that her own history was represented , even down to the moment when Percinet found her in the forest . ` Your painters must indeed be diligent , ' she said , pointing out the last picture to the Prince . ` They are obliged to be , for I will not have anything forgotten that happens to you , ' he answered . When the Princess grew sleepy , twenty-four charming maidens put her to bed in the prettiest room she had ever seen , and then sang to her so sweetly that Graciosa 's dreams were all of mermaids , and cool sea waves , and caverns , in which she wandered with Percinet ; but when she woke up again her first thought was that , delightful as this fairy palace seemed to her , yet she could not stay in it , but must go back to her father . When she had been dressed by the four-and-twenty maidens in a charming robe which the Queen had sent for her , and in which she looked prettier than ever , Prince Percinet came to see her , and was bitterly disappointed when she told him what she had been thinking . He begged her to consider again how unhappy the wicked Queen would make her , and how , if she would but marry him , all the fairy palace would be hers , and his one thought would be to please her . But , in spite of everything he could say , the Princess was quite determined to go back , though he at last persuaded her to stay eight days , which were so full of pleasure and amusement that they passed like a few hours . On the last day , Graciosa , who had often felt anxious to know what was going on in her father 's palace , said to Percinet that she was sure that he could find out for her , if he would , what reason the Queen had given her father for her sudden disappearance . Percinet at first offered to send his courier to find out , but the Princess said : ` Oh ! is n't there a quicker way of knowing than that ? ' ` Very well , ' said Percinet , ` you shall see for yourself . ' So up they went together to the top of a very high tower , which , like the rest of the castle , was built entirely of rock-crystal . There the Prince held Graciosa 's hand in his , and made her put the tip of her little finger into her mouth , and look towards the town , and immediately she saw the wicked Queen go to the King , and heard her say to him , ` That miserable Princess is dead , and no great loss either . I have ordered that she shall be buried at once . '
And then the Princess saw how she dressed up a log XXXXX wood and had it buried , and how the old King cried , and all the people murmured that the Queen had killed Graciosa with her cruelties , and that she ought to have her head cut off .
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