Herding the King’s Hares, Part 3

For the continuation of this year’s Halloween folktale, we left off young Espen Cinderlad heading out once more to herd the king’s hares, while the king wishes very much to stop him from gaining the hand of his daughter and half the kingdom in the bargain.

This time, he sends the princess herself after him to take possession of that magic whistle. When she finds the sooty boy on his favorite stump in the forest, she asks to see the now famous magic whistle and whether she might buy it.

“Of course,” offers Cinderlad. “But today the price is 200 coins and 200 kisses.”

Money was nothing to her, but kisses? She had not been expecting this in the bargain! And though at first she did protest, at length the princess decided that kisses today vs. marriage tomorrow was the better end in the bargain, though she ended up liking them better than she’d expected.

With the whistle securely in her pocket, the princess headed back to the castle. She also didn’t know that Cinderlad simply had to wish to have the whistle back, and it was his, leaving the princess no more successful than the serving maid in her pursuit.

The King was just as furious as before, and Cinderlad was once again sent out the next day to perform his task as rabbit herder, but this time the queen followed him. She demanded to buy the whistle, which was offered this time for 300 coins and 300 kisses. The queen was a bit tight with her purse, but she certainly wasn’t lacking in kisses! With the whistle secure in her bosom, she decided no one was snitching it from her, but alas she too failed as even this hiding place wasn’t safe from Espen Cinderlad’s wishes.

On the last day, outraged that everyone else had failed, the king went himself to demand to buy the whistle and be done with this charade.

“Well, yes, the whistle is for sale today, for 400 coins and…and…” Cinderlad looked around and spied the king’s horse grazing out in the field. “And is that your horse out there?”

“Why yes,” remarked the king. “That is indeed Whitey, my favorite mare.”

“Alright, 400 coins and you kiss Whitey.”

“What!?” the king bellowed in disbelief and rage. “Kiss my horse! Preposterous!” But Cinderlad wouldn’t be moved, no matter how much the king growled or grumbled, stamped his feet or pounded his fists. Kissing the horse was essential to the bargain.

Now, as a lover of animals myself, kissing a favorite horse does not seem like such a terrible thing, but this was a long time ago, and the king had a reputation to uphold. And yet, even still, when he was reduced to sniveling, the monarch finally offered, “Can I at least place my kerchief between the horse and my lips when I kiss her?”

Doing the best he could not to burst out laughing, Cinderlad finally agreed. But, there would be no handing over the whistle until the kissing was complete. Strutting out to the field, the king first looked in all directions to be certain that no one could see him, whipped out his kerchief, and kissed Whitey on the cheek. He then took that whistle and wrapped it in the kerchief, then placed this in a leather sack that he tied close, then placed this in his belt purse, then marched back to the castle with his hand on the clasp.

Ah, but you know what happens next, for despite all these things the whistle was gone, and Cinderlad brought the rabbits home as before. Now the king was so furious, his face was as red as his doublet, and he demanded Cinderlad be destroyed immediately.

“But I’ve kept my side of the bargain day after day,” the boy protested, as everyone from the castle gathered to see what was going to happen next.

“I make the bargain!” cried the king. “Here,” and he pointed to a big salt barrel nearby. “Fill this barrel with lies. I will tell you when it’s full, and if you can’t fill it with lies, it’s into the pit with you like the others.”

“With lies?” Cinderlad protested.

“With lies.”

So, he began with his story, with how he had met the old woman with her nose stuck in the crack in the tree and how no one had helped her for 500 years.

“Impossible!” everyone cried, “No one could live that long in such a condition!”

“That’s all very good, but the barrel is not full, so carry on,” grumbled the king.

So, Cinderlad told how he helped the old woman and she gave him a magic whistle, then how the king wanted to take that whistle from him and first sent the serving girl, who paid 100 coins and 100 kisses for it.”

“Impossible, Preposterous!” everyone cried at once. The king was becoming redder yet, realizing that these lies were true and thus incriminating of his own intent.

Cinderlad carried on with how next came the princess, who blushed and tried to hide herself in the crowd. Then came the tale of the queen coming for the whistle, and now the king finds her stomping on his foot to make this nonsense stop.

“And then, the next day, the King came to buy the whistle…”

“Stop! Stop!” roared the king. “The barrel is full! You have won at last Cinderlad.” And all who were there cheered for the boy’s cleverness and tenacity, and the king didn’t have to hear it told before all his subjects that he had kissed his horse. Which goes to show that kindness and truth to power can change even the greatest odds. See you down on the farm sometime.