Scarcely had he left the town behind him when he came to a broad river which no man might pass , for he was standing at the end of the world , and this was the river which flowed round it . Not knowing what to do next , he walked a little distance up the bank , and there , over his head , a beautiful city was floating in the air . He longed to get to it , but how ? neither road nor bridge was anywhere to be seen , yet the city drew him upwards , and he felt that here at last was the country which he sought . Suddenly he remembered the golden rod which the mist-veiled queen had given him . With a beating heart he flung it to the ground , wishing with all his might that it should turn into a bridge , and fearing that , after all , this might prove beyond its power . But no , instead of the rod , there stood a golden ladder , leading straight up to the city of the air . He was about to enter the golden gates , when there sprang at him a wondrous beast , whose like he had never seen . ` Out sword from the sheath , ' cried the prince , springing back with a cry . And the sword leapt from the scabbard and cut off some of the monster 's heads , but others grew again directly , so that the prince , pale with terror , stood where he was , calling for help , and put his sword back in the sheath again . The queen of the city heard the noise and looked from her window to see what was happening . Summoning one of her servants , she bade him go and rescue the stranger , and bring him to her . The prince thankfully obeyed her orders , and entered her presence . The moment she looked at him , the queen also felt that he was no ordinary man , and she welcomed him graciously , and asked him what had brought him to the city . In answer the prince told all his story , and how he had travelled long and far in search of the Land of Immortality . ` You have found it , ' said she , ` for I am queen over life and over death . Here you can dwell among the immortals . ' A thousand years had passed since the prince first entered the city , but they had flown so fast that the time seemed no more than six months . There had not been one instant of the thousand years that the prince was not happy till one night when he dreamed of his father and mother . Then the longing for his home came upon him with a rush , and in the morning he told the Queen of the Immortals that he must go and see his father and mother once more .
The queen stared at him XXXXX amazement , and cried : ` Why , prince , are you out of your senses ?
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