It was a long way to the castle , and he both walked and ran to get there in time . Late in the evening he caught sight of it , and it was very much more magnificent than either of the others . And this time he was not in the least afraid , but went into the kitchen , and then straight on inside the castle . There a Princess was sitting , who was so beautiful that there was never anyone to equal her . She too said what the others had said , that no Christian folk had ever been there since she had come , and entreated him to go away again , or else the Troll would swallow him up alive . The Troll had nine heads , she told him . ` Yes , and if he had nine added to the nine , and then nine more still , I would not go away , ' said Halvor , and went and stood by the stove . The Princess begged him very prettily to go lest the Troll should devour him ; but Halvor said , ` Let him come when he will . ' So she gave him the Troll 's sword , and bade him take a drink from the flask to enable him to wield it . At that same moment the Troll came , breathing hard , and he was ever so much bigger and stouter than either of the others , and he too was forced to go sideways to get in through the door . ` Hutetu ! what a smell of Christian blood there is here ! ' said he . Then Halvor cut off the first head , and after that the others , but the last was the toughest of them all , and it was the hardest work that Halvor had ever done to get it off , but he still believed that he would have strength enough to do it . And now all the Princesses came to the castle , and were together again , and they were happier than they had ever been in their lives ; and they were delighted with Halvor , and he with them , and he was to choose the one he liked best ; but of the three sisters the youngest loved him best . But Halvor went about and was so strange and so mournful and quiet that the Princesses asked what it was that he longed for , and if he did not like to be with them . He said that he did like to be with them , for they had enough to live on , and he was very comfortable there ; but he longed to go home , for his father and mother were alive , and he had a great desire to see them again . They thought that this might easily be done . ` You shall go and return in perfect safety if you will follow our advice , ' said the Princesses . So he said that he would do nothing that they did not wish .
Then they dressed him so splendidly that he was like a King 's son ; and they put a ring on his finger , and it was one which would enable him to go there and back again by wishing , but they told him XXXXX he must not throw it away , or name their names ; for if he did , all his magnificence would be at an end , and then he would never see them more .
At for from if into of than that to with