Horse began to eat, and the beautiful Maiden left off crying.
In astonishment the King asked, ‘What does all this mean?’
The Maiden answered: ‘I do not know; but I was very sad, and now I am gay. It seems to me that my true bride-groom must have come.’
She told the King all that had happened, although the two brothers had threatened her with death if she betrayed anything. The King ordered every person in the palace to be brought before him. Among them came the Prince disguised as an old man in all his rags; but the Maiden knew him at once, and fell on his neck. The wicked brothers were seized and put to death; but the Prince was married to the beautiful Maiden, and proclaimed heir to the King.
But what became of the poor Fox? Long afterwards, when the Prince went out into the fields one day, he met the Fox, who said: ‘You have everything that you can desire, but there is no end to my misery. It still lies in your power to release me.’ And again he implored the Prince to shoot him dead, and to cut off his head and his paws.
At last the Prince consented to do as he was asked, and no sooner was it done than the Fox was changed into a man; no other than the brother of the beautiful Princess, at last set free from the evil spell which so long had lain upon him.
There was nothing now wanting to their happiness for the rest of their lives.
