He had to obey , and with groaning and pain cast off one skin after another , and for each skin the maiden threw off one of her shirts , until there lay on the floor seven lindorm skins and six snow-white shirts ; the seventh she still had on . The lindorm now lay before her as a formless , slimy mass , which she with all her might began to scrub with the lye and new scrubbing brushes . When she had nearly worn out the last of these there stood before her the loveliest youth in the world . He thanked her for having saved him from his enchantment , and told her that he was the king and queen 's eldest son , and heir to the kingdom . Then he asked her whether she would keep the promise she had made to the lindorm , to share everything with him . To this she was well content to answer ` Yes . ' Each time that the lindorm had held his wedding one of the king 's retainers was sent next morning to open the door of the bridal chamber and see whether the bride was alive . This next morning also he peeped in at the door , but what he saw there surprised him so much that he shut the door in a hurry , and hastened to the king and queen , who were waiting for his report . He told them of the wonderful sight he had seen . On the floor lay seven lindorm skins and six snow-white shirts , and beside these three worn-out scrubbing brushes , while in the bed a beautiful youth was lying asleep beside the fair young maiden . The king and queen marvelled greatly what this could mean ; but just then the old woman who was spoken of in the beginning of the story was again brought in to the queen . She reminded her how she had not followed her instructions , but had eaten the first onion with all its skins , on which account her first-born had been a lindorm . The waiting-woman was then summoned , and admitted that she had thrown it out through the window into the forest . The king and queen now sent for their eldest son and his young bride . They took them both in their arms , and asked him to tell about his sorrowful lot during the twenty years he had lived in the forest as a hideous lindorm . This he did , and then his parents had it proclaimed over the whole country that he was their eldest son , and along with his spouse should inherit the country and kingdom after them . Prince Lindorm and his beautiful wife now lived in joy and prosperity for a time in the palace ; and when his father was laid in the grave , not long after this , he obtained the whole kingdom . Soon afterwards his mother also departed from this world . Now it happened that an enemy declared war against the young king ; and , as he foresaw that it would be three years at the least before he could return to his country and his queen , he ordered all his servants who remained at home to guard her most carefully . That they might be able to write to each other in confidence , he had two seal rings made , one for himself and one for his young queen , and issued an order that no one , under pain of death , was to open any letter that was sealed with one of these .
Then he took farewell of his queen , and marched out XXXXX war .
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