Once upon a time there was a beautiful countess, who lived on a mountaintop in a grey castle covered with vines. At the foot of the mountain there was a small village, of which many young girls were selected by the countess herself, and served as her maids in the castle.
Among one of the maids was Adelaide, whose family was very poor. She always served her mistress well. One late night, Adelaide was asked by the housekeeper to carry a candle to the castle’s cellar, where she will be serving the countess. Yet the cellar was so large that Adelaide became lost. She took the stairway that led her to a dungeon, in which she found a chained young man, with an appearance so dirty and miserable that she regarded him with great sympathy, yet could not stand to look at him twice.
“Who are you, and why are you here?” The young man asked.
When Adelaide answered, he cried, “Oh, for God’s sake, not another!” He then explained that the countess was a vicious woman, who desired to drink young maidens’ blood, of which she believed would conserve her own youth and beauty. She murdered a maiden in the cellar every three nights, and their piercing screams disturb the man.
“Go, if you treasure your own life.” Said the young man, “but if you are one with the most basic morals and sympathy, you will follow my words and help me escape from this misery.” Adelaide feared for her own life and escaped from the castle. Upon her freedom she greatly appreciated the young man, and decided to risk all that she had to save his life.
She traveled night and day until she reached an ocean of endless water – as far as the eye can see. Following the young man’s words, she boarded a small, lonely boat on the shore and traveled for three days, until she finally reached an island of dense forest. She found her way into the center of the forest, where she met a handsome, white winged horse, who agreed to aid her on her journey at her request. Adelaide traveled with the white winged horse for seven days, passing waters, woods and deserts, until they finally arrived before a towering mountain, which had a surface as smooth as glass.
“It’s time for destiny to test your eligibility to the success of your quest. You must reach the mountaintop and prepare for all that may come beyond,” said the white winged horse to Adelaide, “If all goes well, I will await you at the end of your journey.” With that, it opened its wings and disappeared behind the mist of the clouds.
Adelaide thus began to attempt to climb the mountain. However, it was an extremely difficult task. The surface of the mountain was so slippery that Adelaide could not climb further than three yards. At the end of the second day, she was searching for food and water when she came upon a fallen tree hit by lightning. The tree’s body and branches were as hard as rocks. Adelaide picked small parts of the branches, and tied them to her feet and hands using strips of her dress. When she began another try to climb the glass mountain, the stiff and sharp edges of the tree branches carved into the surface firmly. Adelaide thus arrived at the mountaintop by the dawn of the third day.
Adelaide wandered in the mountaintop forest for three days, and finally arrived at the palace of the Forest Fairy. Though weary, Adelaide could not help but to be astounded by the magnificent palace, which was built on an entwinement of olive branches, and surrounded by woods of apple trees, all bearing silver apples with the glow of the moon. Knocking the grand gate, Adelaide was greeted by forest elves with skin as pale as snow and hair as gold as the rye. The most elegant of them, the Forest Fairy, heartily greeted Adelaide with a grand festival. At the end of the festival, the Fairy said to Adelaide, “I know of your quest, and I admire your courage and loyalty. I will aid you on your journey in all that I can. ” She gave Adelaide a silver dagger, and a handkerchief as smooth as silk, “Tie it around your eyes and ears when you encounter forces of distraction. I wish you the best of luck.”
Adelaide thanked the Forest Fairy. As she traveled deeper into the forest, she discovered an immense lake surrounded by thistles and thorns. She cut a path through the thorny bushes using the silver dagger, and found a delicately carved wooden boat at the shore of the lake. As she sailed on the lake, she suddenly heard singing voices so sweet as if they came from heaven. When the mist uncovered, she saw a group of dazzling water nymphs singing and dancing as if they were at a festival. As Adelaide became attracted by the singing and the marvelous sight, she suddenly discovered that the boat was traveling towards a whirlpool not far away from the shore of the nymphs. Out of spare consciousness, Adelaide recalled the Forest Fairy’s warning, and tied the handkerchief around her eyes and ears. Immediately, she could not hear nor see anymore. Not until the boat reached the safe shore did she untied the handkerchief.
Stepping of the boat, Adelaide saw a cobbled path in the woods. White water lilies aside the path, with their pistils bearing light as bright as that of the stars, silently shifted to allow her passage. When Adelaide arrived at the end of the path, she saw a glorious marble vase on an altar. When she laid her hand on the vase, the white winged horse appeared at her side.
Holding the marble vase dearly to her chest, Adelaide traveled on the white winged horse, and went back to the countess’s castle. As Adelaide arrived at the main hall of the castle, the countess, who held a glass of maiden’s blood, became as white as ash. As Adelaide approached her, she screamed at the top of her lungs as her own beautiful, smooth skin peeled off her body one layer after another, until nothing was left except for an ugly, old creature. With the sudden sound of flowing stream, Adelaide discovered that the marble vase was being filled completely by water. She poured the holy water onto the ugly creature, and the wicked countess, or what was left of her, melted down and disappeared into thin air.
Upon destroying the wicked countess, Adelaide freed all the maids in the castle. She then found the key to the dungeon, and freed the imprisoned young man. When the young man was cleaned and well-dressed, Adelaide saw that he was of great beauty. He told Adelaide that he was a prince from a faraway land, imprisoned by the countess because of his threat to end her life. He asked for Adelaide’s hand in marriage, and together they travelled on the white winged horse back to the prince’s kingdom, where they lived happily ever after.
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