With this new protector Iwanich wandered on through the forest , and though he came upon a great many more wolves , hyenas , leopards , and other wild beasts , they always kept at a respectful distance when they saw what sort of an escort the Prince had with him . Iwanich hurried through the wood as quickly as his legs would carry him , but , nevertheless , hour after hour went by and not a trace of a green field or a human habitation met his eyes . At length , towards evening , the mass of trees grew more transparent , and through the interlaced branches a wide plain was visible . At the exit of the wood the lion stood still , and the Prince took leave of him , having first thanked him warmly for his kind protection . It had become quite dark , and Iwanich was forced to wait for daylight before continuing his journey . He made himself a bed of grass and leaves , lit a fire of dry branches , and slept soundly till the next morning . Then he got up and walked towards a beautiful white palace which he saw gleaming in the distance . In about an hour he reached the building , and opening the door he walked in . After wandering through many marble halls , he came to a huge staircase made of porphyry , leading down to a lovely garden . The Prince burst into a shout of joy when he suddenly perceived Militza in the centre of a group of girls who were weaving wreaths of flowers with which to deck their mistress . As soon as Militza saw the Prince she ran up to him and embraced him tenderly ; and after he had told her all his adventures , they went into the palace , where a sumptuous meal awaited them . Then the Princess called her court together , and introduced Iwanich to them as her future husband . Preparations were at once made for the wedding , which was held soon after with great pomp and magnificence . Three months of great happiness followed , when Militza received one day an invitation to visit her mother 's sister . Although the Princess was very unhappy at leaving her husband , she did not like to refuse the invitation , and , promising to return in seven days at the latest , she took a tender farewell of the Prince , and said : ` Before I go I will hand you over all the keys of the castle . Go everywhere and do anything you like ; only one thing I beg and beseech you , do not open the little iron door in the north tower , which is closed with seven locks and seven bolts ; for if you do , we shall both suffer for it . ' Iwanich promised what she asked , and Militza departed , repeating her promise to return in seven days . When the Prince found himself alone he began to be tormented by pangs of curiosity as to what the room in the tower contained . For two days he resisted the temptation to go and look , but on the third he could stand it no longer , and taking a torch in his hand he hurried to the tower , and unfastened one lock after the other of the little iron door until it burst open . What an unexpected sight met his gaze !
The Prince perceived a small room black with smoke , XXXXX up feebly by a fire from which issued long blue flames .
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