And she opened her eyes, saw that he was handsome and loveable, and left her couch in confusion.But she welcomed him and with downcast eyes that seemed like full-blown lotuses she did honour to his feet.Then she slowly spoke: "Who are you, sir? How did you come to this inaccessible under-world? And what is this hermit garb? For I see that you are a king.Oh, sir, if you would do me a kindness, tell me this."And the king answered her: "Beautiful maiden, I am King Glory-banner of the Anga country, and I heard from a reliable person that you were to be seen on the sea.To see you I assumed this garb, left my kingdom, and followed you hither.Oh, tell me who you are."Then she said to him with bashful love: "Sir, there is a king of the fairies named Moonshine.I am his daughter, and my name is Moonlight.Now my father has left me alone in this city.I do not know where he went with the rest of the people, or why.Therefore, as my home is lonely, I rise through the ocean, sit on a magic tree, and song about fate."Then the king remembered the words of the monk, and urged her with such gentle, tender words that she confessed her love and agreed to marry him.But she made a condition: "My dear, on four set days in each month you must let me go somewhere unhindered and unseen.There is a reason." And the king agreed, married her, and lived in heavenly happiness with her.
While he was living in heavenly bliss, Moonlight said to him one day: "My dear, you must wait here.I am going somewhere on an errand.For this is one of the set days.While you stay here, sweetheart, you must not go into that crystal room, nor plunge into this pool.If you do, you will find yourself at that very moment in the world again." So she said good-bye and left the city.
But the king took his sword and followed, to learn her secret.And he saw a giant approaching with a great black cave of a mouth that yawned like the pit.The giant fell down and howled horribly, then took Moonlight into his mouth and swallowed her.
And the king's anger blazed forth.He took his great sword, black as a snake that has sloughed its skin, ran up wrathfully, and cut off the giant's head.He was blinded by his madness, he did not know what to do, he was afflicted by the loss of his darling.But Moonlight split open the stomach of the giant, and came out alive and unhurt, like the brilliant, spotless moon coming out from a black cloud.
When he saw that she was saved, the king cried: "Come, come to me!" and ran forward and embraced her.And he asked her: "What does it mean, dearest? Is this a dream, or an illusion?" And the fairy answered: "My dear, listen to me.It is not a dream, nor an illusion.My father, the king of thefairies, laid this curse upon me.My father had many sons, but he loved me so that he could not eat without me.And I used to come to this deserted spot twice a month to worship Shiva.
"One day I came here and it happened that I spent the whole day in worship.That day my father waited for me and would not eat or drink anything, though he was hungry and angry with me.At night I stood before him with downcast eyes, for I had done wrong.And he forgot his love and cursed me--so strong is fate.Because you have despised me and left me hungry a whole day, a giant named Terror-of-Fate will swallow you four times a month when you leave the city.And each time you will split him open and come out.And you shall not remember the curse afterwards, nor the pain of being swallowed alive.And you must live here alone.'
"But when I begged him, he thought awhile and softened his curse.When Glory-banner, King of the Angas, shall become your husband, and shall see you swallowed by the giant, and shall kill the giant, then the curse shall end, and you shall remember all your magic arts.' Then he left me here, and went with his people to the Nishadha mountain.But I stayed here because of the curse.And now the curse is ended, and I remember everything.So now I shall go to the Nishadha mountain to see my father.Of course now I remember how to fly.And you are at liberty to stay here, or to go back to your own kingdom."Then the king was sad, and he begged her thus: "My beautiful wife, do not go for seven days.Be as kind as you are beautiful.Let me be happy with you in the garden, and forget my longings.Then you may go to your father, and I will go home." So he persuaded her, and was happy with her for six days in the garden.And the lilies in the ponds looked like longing eyes, and the ripples like hands raised to detain them, and the cries of swans and cranes seemed to say: "Do not leave us and go away."On the seventh day the king cleverly led his wife to the pool from which one could get back to the world.There he threw his arms about her and plunged into the pool, and came up with her in the pool in the garden of his own palace.
The gardeners saw that the king had come back with a wife, and theyjoyfully ran and told the counsellor Farsight.He came and fell at the king's feet, and then led the king and the fairy into the palace.And the counsellor and the people thought: "Wonderful! The king has won the fairy whom others could see only for a moment like the lightning in the sky.Whatever is written in one's fate, that comes true, however impossible it may be."But when Moonlight saw that the king was in his own country, and the seven days were over, she thought she would fly away like other fairies.But she could not remember how.Then she became very sad, like a woman who has been robbed.
And the king said: "Why are you so sad, my dear? Tell me." And the fairy said: "The curse is over.Yet because I have been bound so long in the fetters of your love, I have lost my magic arts.I cannot fly." Then the king thought: "The fairy is really mine," and he was happy and made a great feast.
When the counsellor Farsight saw this, he went home, and lay down on his bed, and his heart broke, and he died.Then the king governed the kingdom himself, and lived for a long time in heavenly happiness with Moonlight.
When he had told this story, the goblin said: "O King, when the king was so happy, why should the counsellor's heart break? Was it from grief because he did not win the fairy himself? Or from sorrow because the king came back, and he could no longer act as king? If you know and will not tell me, then you will lose your virtue, and your head will go flying into a hundred pieces."And the king said to the goblin: "O magic creature, neither of these reasons would be possible for a high-minded counsellor.But he thought:The king used to neglect his duties for the sake of ordinary women.What will happen now, when he loves a fairy? In spite of all my efforts, a terrible misfortune has happened.' I think that was why his heart broke."Then the magic goblin went back to his tree in a moment.And the king was still determined to catch him, and went once more to the sissoo tree.
