So the crow flew away , and she filled her beak at the well of healing , the well of strength , and the well of swiftness , and she flew back to the dead prince and dropped the water from her beak upon his lips , and he was healed , and could sit up and walk . Then he set out for the town , accompanied by his faithful beasts . And when they reached the king 's palace they found that preparations for a great feast were being made , for the princess was to marry the coachman . So the prince walked into the palace , and went straight up to the coachman and said : ` What token have you got that you killed the dragon and won the hand of the princess ? I have her token here -- this ring and half her handkerchief . ' And when the king saw these tokens he knew that the prince was speaking the truth . So the coachman was bound in chains and thrown into prison , and the prince was married to the princess and rewarded with half the kingdom . One day , soon after his marriage , the prince was walking through the woods in the evening , followed by his faithful beasts . Darkness came on , and he lost his way , and wandered about among the trees looking for the path that would lead him back to the palace . As he walked he saw the light of a fire , and making his way to it he found an old woman raking sticks and dried leaves together , and burning them in a glade of the wood . As he was very tired , and the night was very dark , the prince determined not to wander further . So he asked the old woman if he might spend the night beside her fire . ` Of course you may , ' she answered . ` But I am afraid of your beasts . Let me hit them with my rod , and then I shall not be afraid of them . ' ` Very well , ' said the prince , ' I do n't mind ' ; and she stretched out her rod and hit the beasts , and in one moment they were turned into stone , and so was the prince . Now soon after this the prince 's youngest brother came to the cross-roads with the three birches , where the brothers had parted from each other when they set out on their wanderings . Remembering what they had agreed to do , he walked round the two trees , and when he saw that blood oozed from the cut in the eldest prince 's tree he knew that his brother must be dead . So he set out , followed by his beasts , and came to the town over which his brother had ruled , and where the princess he had married lived . And when he came into the town all the people were in great sorrow because their prince had disappeared .
But when they saw his youngest brother , and the beasts following him , they thought it was their own XXXXX , and they rejoiced greatly , and told him how they had sought him everywhere .
beasts birches crow cut feast kingdom light preparations prince way