the waiting-maid now mounted falada, and the true bride the bad horse, and thus they traveled onwards, until at length they entered the royal palace. there were great rejoicings over her arrival, and the prince sprang forward to meet her, lifted the waiting-maid from her horse, and thought she was his consort. she was conducted upstairs, but the real princess was left standing below. then the old king looked out of the window and saw her standing in the courtyard, and how dainty and delicate and beautiful she was, and instantly went to the royal apartment, and asked the bride about the girl she had with her who was standing down below in the courtyard, and who she was? "i picked her up on my way for a companion; give the girl something to work at, that she may not stand idle." but the old king had no work for her, and knew of none, so he said, "i have a little boy who tends the geese, she may help him." the boy was called conrad, and the true bride had to help him to tend the geese. soon afterwards the false bride said to the young king, "dearest husband, i beg you to do me a favour." he answered, "i will do so most willingly." "then send for the knacker, and have the head of the horse on which i rode here cut off, for it vexed me on the way." in reality, she was afraid that the horse might tell how she had behaved to the king’s daughter. then she succeeded in making the king promise that it should be done, and the faithful falada was to die; this came to the ears of the real princess, and she secretly promised to pay the knacker a piece of gold if he would perform a small service for her. there was a great dark-looking gateway in the town, through which morning and evening she had to pass with the geese: would he be so good as to nail up falada’s head on it, so that she might see him again, more than once. the knacker’s man promised to do that, and cut off the head, and nailed it fast beneath the dark gateway.