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 165 The Tsar-Maiden In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there was once a merchant . His wife had died, and he had only one son, Ivan. He found his son a tutor, and after a certain time he himself married another wife. Since Ivan the merchant’s son was already full grown and awfully good-looking, his stepmother fell in love with him. Once Ivan the merchant’s son and his tutor set off to sea on a little raft to fish. Suddenly they saw thirty ships sailing toward them. The Tsar-Maiden was on one of those ships with thirty other maidens, her foster sisters. When the ships reached the little raft, all thirty ships dropped anchor. They invited Ivan the merchant’s son and his tutor onto the very best ship. There the Tsar-Maiden and the thirty maidens, her foster sisters, met them, and she told Ivan the merchant’s son that she’d fallen deeply in love with him and had come to meet him. They exchanged rings on the spot and got engaged to be married. The Tsar-Maiden told Ivan the merchant’s son to come to the same place tomorrow at the same time. Then she said good-bye to him and sailed away. Meanwhile, Ivan the merchant’s son returned home, ate dinner, and lay down to sleep. The stepmother led his tutor into her room, plied him with drink, and started to ask him questions. Had anything happened while they were out fishing? The tutor told her everything. She heard him out, gave him a pin, and said,“Tomorrow, when the ships start to sail close to you, stick this pin into Ivan the merchant’s son’s clothes.” The tutor promised he would do what she ordered. In the morning, Ivan the merchant’s son got up and set off to go fishing. As soon as the tutor spied the ships in the distance, he up and stuck the pin into Ivan’s clothes. “Ah, I’m so sleepy!” said the merchant’s son.“Listen, uncle, I’ll lie down and sleep a bit, but when the ships get close, then please wake me up.” “All right! Why wouldn’t I wake you?”  The Tsar-Maiden 166 Then the ships sailed up and dropped anchor. The Tsar-Maiden sent for Ivan the merchant’s son and told him to come to her at once, but he was sleeping soundly-soundly. They tried to wake him, to disturb him, to jostle him, but no matter what they did they couldn’t wake him, so they left him there. The Tsar-Maiden told the tutor to have Ivan the merchant’s son come again the next day, then she ordered the anchors raised and sails hoisted. The moment the ships sailed away, the tutor yanked out the pin, and Ivan the merchant’s son woke up, jumped up, and started to shout for the Tsar-Maiden to come back. No! She was already far away and didn’t hear him. He went home sadly, full of grief. The stepmother took the tutor into her room, got him drunk, asked him about everything that had happened, and ordered him to stick in the pin again the next day. The next day Ivan the merchant’s son set off to fish; once again he slept the whole time, and he didn’t see the Tsar-Maiden. She gave an order that he should be there one more time. On the third day he and the tutor got ready to go fishing. They sailed up to the same place and saw the ships sailing from far away. Right away the tutor stuck in the pin, and Ivan the merchant’s son fell sound asleep. The ships sailed close and dropped anchor, and the Tsar-Maiden sent for her betrothed to come and see her on her ship. They started trying to wake him in every possible way, but no matter what they did they couldn’t wake him up. The Tsar-Maiden understood the stepmother’s wiles and the tutor’s betrayal, and she wrote to Ivan the merchant’s son that he must cut off the tutor’s head. And if he loved his betrothed he must seek her beyond thrice-nine lands, in the thrice-tenth kingdom. No sooner had the ships spread their sails and sailed off into the open sea than the tutor yanked the little pin out of...

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