Harold's fairy tale
Harold's Fairy Tale
None Harold can’t sleep, so he dreams up his very own fairy tale. Drawing his way to an enchanted garden, he discovers that the garden is flowerless. Determined to find out why this should be, Harold draws his way through the mystery until his imagination and his trusty purple crayon conquer all obstacles bring the garden back to life. Harold can’t sleep, so he dreams up his very own fairy tale. Drawing his way through an enchanted garden, he notices how nothing grows in the garden. It doesn’t look like a garden at all! Off to the king to find out what’s wrong, Harold draws a castle, but the draw-gate is closed, keeping him out. Being resourceful, the clever Harold draws a mouse hole to get into the castle to find out that an invisible giant, or witch—or perhaps an invisible giant witch—is to blame. Harold uses his imagination and purple crayon to draw a story. What story do you want to draw? What color crayon will you use? show full description Show Short DescriptionFairy Tales
Browse our collection of fairy tales including those made famous by The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen
view all
Jack and the Beanstalk
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks
Harold's Fairy Tale
Little Red Riding Hood
The Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs
One membership, two learning apps for ages 2-8.
TRY IT FOR FREE
Full Text
One evening Harold got out of bed, took his purple crayon and the moon along, and went for a walk in an enchanted garden. Nothing grew in it. If he hadn’t known it was an enchanted garden, Harold scarcely would have called it a garden at all. To find out what the trouble was, Harold decided to ask the king. Kings live in large castles. Harold had to make sure the castle was big enough to be the king’s. He didn’t want to waste time talking to any princes or earls or dukes. This was a king’s castle all right. It had tall towers and a big draw-gate to keep out people the king didn’t want to see. But when the draw-gate was drawn closed, it kept Harold out too. Harold shouted for the king to come down and let him in. But the gate didn’t open. He walked along the edge of the enchanted garden beside the smooth wall of the castle— until he thought of his purple crayon. A person smaller than a very small mouse would be able to get in.
Without even bending, he walked into a very small mouse hole. He walked through the mouse hole into the castle. He invited the mouse in too, but the mouse preferred to stay outside. As he gazed around inside the big castle, Harold felt very tiny. And a king might not pay much attention to anybody who was smaller than a mouse. So Harold used his purple crayon again. He made sure he was as tall as four and a half steps of stairs, his usual height. Then he climbed up the stairs, looking for the king. He went up and up and up, until he got so tired he couldn’t climb another step. Luckily, there were no more steps. He had reached the top. He still couldn’t find the king. But he remembered kings sat on thrones. The king’s throne looked very comfortable. Harold thought the king wouldn’t mind if he rested a few minutes. He sat on the throne, wondering what it was like to be a king and wear a crown. He tried it with the king’s crown. It was all right for a while, but the crown began to feel heavy.
So Harold put it on the king’s head. As he thanked the king for the loan of the crown, he noticed the king looked sad— no doubt because of the garden. He asked the king if the trouble was due to a witch or a giant. The king couldn’t say which. He looked sad and helpless. Evidently, the giant, or witch—if the king couldn’t tell which it was—was invisible. But Harold told the king not to worry. He set off to find the invisible witch or giant, brandishing his purple crayon. And—accidentally—it made a hole in the wall. The accident embarrassed Harold. But the hole was the handiest way out of the castle, and he climbed through it. When he looked down from the other side of the hole, he realized he had forgotten how high up he was. He needed something tall to climb down on, something as tall as a steeple. To fill the hole in the castle, Harold put a handsome and useful clock in it. He was surprised to see how late it was. He slid down the steeple to find the invisible witch or giant right away.
It wasn’t a steeple. It was a pointed hat. It was a GIANT WITCH. The purple crayon made it plain— it was an invisible giant witch. Well, no wonder nothing grew in the enchanted garden. How could anything grow, Harold said to himself, with a giant witch tramping around with big feet. Now that he saw what the trouble was, all Harold had to do was drive the witch out of the enchanted garden. Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes, Harold knew, will drive anybody out of a garden. The mosquitoes drove out the witch. They also were driving Harold out of the garden. He had to make smoke to get rid of the mosquitoes. And he had once heard somebody say that where there’s smoke, there must be fire. To put out the fire, he first thought of fire engines. But he decided to make it rain. Rain was easier. The rain soaked everything—Harold too. But, he said, it’s good for the flowers. He was right. Soon there were flowers. Beautiful flowers popped up all over the enchanted garden, more than Harold was able to count, all in gorgeous bloom.
Harold thought how delighted and happy the king would be when he looked out from the castle in the morning. And then, amazingly, the last flower turned out to be not a flower at all—but a lovely fairy. She held out her magic wand as fairies always do when they’re giving somebody wishes that will come true. Harold couldn’t think of a thing to wish for. But, to be polite, he took one wish and told the fairy he’d use it later. Besides, Harold thought, as he started on his long walk home, a wish might come in handy sometime. After all the excitement, he suddenly felt tired, and he stopped to rest awhile. He sat on a small rug because the ground was still somewhat damp from the rain. And he wished— he wished the rug was a flying carpet. At once Harold felt it rise in the air. It flew fast and high. But when it went so fast it left the moon behind, Harold realized he didn’t know how to stop the carpet or even slow it down. He wished he’d taken two wishes from the fairy, so he could wish the flying carpet would land.
But he did have his purple crayon. He landed the flying carpet in his living room, right behind the high-backed chair his mother sat in, knitting. And he asked her to read him a story before he went back to bed.
1
We take your child's unique passions
2
Add their current reading level
3
And create a personalized learn-to-read plan
4
That teaches them to read and love reading
TRY IT FOR FREE
Harold's Fairy Tale (Harold, #2) by Crockett Johnson
Harold #2
Crockett Johnson
Rate this book
From the treasured creator of Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson, comes another adventure for Harold and his magical purple crayon.
Unable to fall asleep one night, Harold uses his purple crayon to create his very own bedtime fairy tale, complete with castles, fairies, flying carpets, and an enchanted garden.
“An ingenious and original little picture story in which a small boy out for a walk—happily with a crayon in his hand—draws himself some wonderful adventures.” (The Horn Book)
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
About the author
Crockett Johnson was the pen name of the American cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk. He is best known for the comic strip Barnaby (1942–1952) and the Harold series of books beginning with Harold and the Purple Crayon. [From Wikipedia.]
What do you think?
Rate this book
Search review text
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 5, 2022Harold's Fairy Tale (Harold #2), Crockett Johnson, pseudonym for: David Johnson Leisk
One evening, Harold gets out of bed, takes his purple crayon and the moon along, and goes for a walk in an enchanted garden.
Why are there no flowers in the garden, he wonders, and quickly draws a castle so that he can go inside and ask the king.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز شانزدهم ماه آگوست سال2012میلادی
عنوان: هارولد افسانه میگوید کتاب دوم؛ نویسنده و تصویرگر کراکت جانسون؛ مترجم فاطمه حجوانی؛ تهران، قدیانی، سال1390؛ در64ص، مصور، فروست مجموعه قصه های هارولد کتاب دوم؛ شابک9789645368829؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده20م
اینبار «هارولد» یک نقاشی برای دیوار اتاقش نیاز دارد؛ بنابراین مداد شمعی بنفشش را برمیدارد، و آغاز به آفرینش دنیایی تازه میکند؛ ولی ناگهان درمییابد که بسیار کوچک، اندازه ی نصف گل آفتابگردان شده است! تنها یک هنرمند باهوش، میتواند راه برگشت به خانه اش را، در اینحال پیدا کند؛ قصه های «هارولد» شامل شش كتاب هستند، و در هر كتابی داستانی از «هارولد» واگویی شده اند؛ داستانها بسیار ساده هستند، و با تصویرهای ساده همراهی میشوند؛ تصویرهایی كه توسط «هارولد» كشیده میشوند، و دنیای داستان را شكل میدهند؛ خوانش این داستانها باعث بالا رفتن آفرینشگری در بچه ها میگردد، و آنها هم میتوانند همانند «هارولد»، قلم به دست گیرند و نقاشی بكشند، و دنیاهای تازه و قشنگی بسازند و بیافرینند؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 22/02/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 15/01/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا.
شربیانی
- 20th-century childrens-young-readers fiction
November 18, 2022
This was one of my favorite series of books as a young beginning reader. My imagination was a lot like Harold's I just didn't have the crayon to make things happen. If you have kids or grand-kids these are a great set of book to introduce them to the world of reading. Highly recommended.
- shelfari-favorites
August 10, 2013
A big fan of anything medieval or fantasy myself, this is one of my personal favorite Harold books. From castles to kings, from giants to fairies, you have it all in this exciting fairy tale that Harold finds himself drawn in. It's enjoyed by all my children, no matter the age, including me, as I love to read them to the kids. I'd put them somewhere between a level 1 and level 2 reading level, which is perfect for my 5 yr old who is starting to read on his own, and loves these so much, can read them by himself easily. These are a great addition to any Harold and the Purple Crayon collection!
- childrens
Abigail
7,083 reviews173 followers
November 29, 2018That purple-crayon wielding toddler Harold returns in this second imaginative adventure, this time drawing himself into a fairy-tale of his own creation.
"One evening Harold got out of bed, took his purple crayon and the moon along, and went for a walk in an enchanted garden," the book begins, going on to detail the quest to discover what ails the (barely there) garden. Drawing a castle, in order to ask the king about it, Harold discovers that the trouble can be laid at the door of either a witch or a giant. As it turns out, the culprit is both a giant and a witch, one whom Harold manages to defeat, with the aid of (what else?) his purple crayon...
As with its predecessor, Harold and the Purple Crayon , I found this depiction of a child's imaginative play to be absolutely spot-on, offering a perceptive portrait of the creative process of make-believe, in which setting, characters, and plot are all brought into being by the young person himself. The spare artwork - just Harold and the purple lines created by his crayon - suits the simple text to a tee. I don't know, all told, that I loved Harold's Fairy Tale quite as much as its hero's first adventure with the purple crayon, but it was still immensely engaging, intelligent, and fun.
Highly recommended to younger children, or to those looking for children's stories about the importance of make-believe.
- fairy-tales imaginative-play picture-books
March 11, 2016
I love Harold's books and my son too, although I have to translate it when I read to him! I think they're so clever and it's just the perfect way to teach children how they can draw their own path along their lifes!
November 17, 2017
This book takes on and perfectly teaches problem solving in art-- when you find problems or mistakes, you use them as your solution. When I was a kid learning how to draw, my dad taught me this lesson, and now I find myself using it practically every day both in my art and in my writing.
Harold is such a lovely, imaginative character and this will definitely be a staple bedtime story when I have kids of my own. If you've got budding artists in your life, the Harold stories are a must.
- art essential-kid-lit fairy-tale
Stacy
450 reviews18 followers
September 23, 2016Harold is off on a fairy tale adventure. I love Harold and the purple crayon this little boy has a wonderful imagination!
- picture-book
April 24, 2017
3*art
4* story
This series intrigues Squirt. He seems to find the idea of creating one's own story in real life fascinating. We come back to these stories again and again.
- 2017 adventure children-s
Renee
89 reviews8 followers
April 17, 2020We enjoyed this book. Inspires imagination and drawing.
January 26, 2021
My boys love all the Harold and the Purple Crayon books.
May 7, 2009
The second Harold book by Crockett Johnson is Harold's Fairy Tale. As with the first book, Harold finds himself unable to sleep and decides to go on a little walk to relax before bedtime.
This time, though, he walks himself into a fantasy world full of a castle, a king, and a mysterious threat: either a witch or a giant.
Harold's Fairy Tale expands on the magical qualities of the purple crayon. In the first book the crayon's line has unexpected results — wiggly lines become waves and a dropped line becomes a cliff. Here though, Harold knows the crayon's power and takes full advantage of it. For example, when he can't get into the castle he draws a mouse hole for himself, thus making himself now small enough to sneak inside. Once in, he draws stairs just the right height for him to climb up, returning him to the scale of the people inside the castle.
While I enjoy the magic of Harold's Fairy Tale, Harold and the Purple Crayon remains my favorite for its simplistic charm. My kids though love the revelation of the monster attacking the castle. As with all things in the Harold book, it's the crayon that brings the truth to light and ultimately the crayon that saves the day.
- pc picture-book read-as-a-child
September 6, 2012
Harold's Fairy Tale by Crockett Johnson was one of the cutest books I have ever read! I couldn't wait to turn the page to see the next illustration! I absolutely loved how the author made the main character Harold the artist. He draws himself in great adventures with his purple crayons! It was so clever to see the drawings transform and connect from page to page! Harold's imagination represent how create young children are! Their dreams are limitless! Nothing in this story is realistic and that's what makes it great! Adults cling to reality and never let there imaginations run free! That's one of the most wonderful traits a young child possesses! Reading this book reminds me of dreams I used to have and all the fairy tales I believed in! With out the illustrations, this book would not be the same! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a great imagination!
January 1, 2018
An adventure that is simply wonderful.
When someone goes on an adventure with Harold and his Purple Crayon, one thing leads to another.
As with the other stories of Harold & The Purple Crayon, the moon seems to be as essential as the Purple Crayon itself. We start on a moonlit walk and enter an enchanted garden, we find a large castle and a rodent of unusual size, the story only gets stranger from there.
- amazing childrens fairy-tales
Min
883 reviews
May 12, 2018Another animated chronicle of the adventures of Harold from Weston Woods Productions.
This begins in an enchanted garden.
He knew that if this was an enchanted garden, then certainly there must be a king, and if there is a king...and so forth until he meets the invisible, giant witch, the fairy, and the flying carpet that sends him back to home, and back to bed.
The complex events, happening one after the other, feel so much faster in this one.
It shall be another I add to my library.
- children-s
October 4, 2019
It was a pretty enjoyable book to read after the one with him going on a midnight stroll.
- picture-book
October 24, 2008
Too cute! I love reading about Harold's adventures and how he suddenly remembers his purple crayon to get him out of scrapes. So inventive and adorable. These are some of my favorite children's books.
- picture-books
Liz
Author 10 books261 followers
November 14, 2010I don't love this one as much as the first book, but there are some clever tricks with perspective. Johnson's complex sentences get a little muddled in the reading aloud, but all in all a great kids book, especially if you're a Harold fan.
October 15, 2017
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Recommended Grade Level: Primary
I feel like this book is a breath of fresh air with it's creative and unique concept, but I can also see how some students may get bored with it's few words and illustrations.
March 20, 2008
This book is great! Almost MORE fun than the original Harold and the Purple Crayon book! :)
- books-we-own
January 21, 2009
I loved Harold when I was a kid...and I love his new adventures as an adult.
February 26, 2009
A giant invisible witch, a broken fourth wall explaining why Harold is drawing rain instead of fire engines and a magic carpet he doesn't know how to get off of. It's a great story.
- cavanaugh-s-corner childrens
July 31, 2011
Charming. More of what made the original "Harold" such a great book. Armed with his purple crayon, we join Harold on another wonderful adventure.
- e-short f-picture l-home
Shelly
278 reviews49 followers
September 23, 2016Always love Harold and his purple crayon. In this story Harold solves the problem of the enchanted garden not growing. Fun and imaginative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
More reviews and ratings
Harold | Fairy tale
The search for a hero
- guild: Elite Corp
guardian: Linjan
no companion
power
- pvp efficiency bonus: %
- political influence bonus: %
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - |
- About the hero
- Attributes
- Policy
- Statistics
- data on
About the hero
One day a boy was born in a goblin family. They named him Harold.
Harold was a peaceful child. He didn't want to hurt anyone. But when someone got into his affairs, he didn’t like it very much ... And Harold’s affairs were often suspicious. Smuggling got into the city market in different ways, but was sold under the supervision of Harold and his young cronies. In addition, the gang traded in extortion and forgery of documents. They were not handed over to the guards only because they did not offend the townspeople, creating problems only for the authorities ... But gradually the gang disintegrated. Who drank himself, and who was caught and sent to prison. Harold managed to avoid a similar fate, thanks to ingenuity and luck.
When Harold grew up, he decided to get married. But for a well-fed and sedate family life, money was needed. Harold wanted a lot of money. In order to get them, he got involved in an adventure - he asked for it as an assistant to the hero, everyone knows that they are not poor. The hero was glad to have such a companion: Harold was well developed physically and distinguished by his mind. And for half a year everything went fine, but one day... Another monster tore Harold's thigh with its fangs, and while the hero dealt with the predator, Harold bled to death. The hero was sincerely upset, buried his faithful assistant, took his things and continued on his way. He couldn't have known that Harold would soon be resurrected, could he?
Works about the hero
There are currently no works about the hero.
Abilities
| Impact | active | 1 |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| Comrade | passive | 1 |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
| free | - | - |
Character
Features
- honor
- peacefulness
Preferences
- archetype
adventurer - risk level
regular - religiosity
incense - equipment
no - favorite thing
no - empathy
common - satellite relations
neutrality - favorite prey
zhikhar - hometown
Deus - associate
no - opponent
no - job area center
no - job area size
25
Features
- type
sentient bipeds - intelligence
normal - communication
verbal, non-verbal - mode of transportation
2 legs - body structure
living flesh - body size
medium - body shape
humanoid - body position
vertical - education
urban - age of first death
mature - first death
from monster fangs
Influence on politics
historyInfluence
Bonus to the hero's influence.
| parameter | influence | |
|---|---|---|
| from the power of the keeper | 0.00% | |
| from the rest (abilities, preferences, satellites, artifacts) | 0.00% | 0 Pandora. The more often the hero helps the city, the greater his fame.
| 0. 00% |
| aggressiveness bonus | 0.00% |
| start of journey | 10 young fifth of wet month 66 years | |||||||||||||
| duration of journey (years) | 172 | |||||||||||||
| monster deaths | 748 |
| monsters killed |
PvP
| conducted battles | 0 |
| 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000
| total earned | 717986 |
| earned by selling loot | 316142 |
| earned by selling artifacts |
Dwarf stone - a Scottish fairy tale. Tale of a dwarf and two brothers.
A story about the dwarf Snorro, who used magical spells to help evil people to destroy Count Pole.
But justice prevailed and the count remained alive and married his beloved.
Far, far away, on the very edge of the green valley on the island of Hoy, a huge boulder rises. This boulder is hollow, and the inhabitants of the northern islands called it "Dwarf Stone", because, according to legend, the dwarf Snorro lived in it many centuries ago. No one knew where Snorro came from to Hoy Island and how long he lived in a dark cave inside a boulder. It is only known that he was tiny, that his body was ugly - lopsided, hunchbacked, but his face was of wondrous beauty. And he didn't age. He always seemed like a young man, and the smile did not leave his beautiful face. There were rumors that Snorro's father was not a mere mortal, but an elf, and that he gave his son the gift of eternal youth. But no one knew this for sure, for Snorro settled in the boulder long before the oldest old people were born, who then lived on the island of Hoy. One thing was clear: from his mother - and she, by all accounts, was a mortal woman - he inherited vanity and ambition - dangerous properties.
And the longer he lived, the more vain and ambitious he became. He even wore a mirror made of polished steel around his neck and looked into it every now and then, admiring his beauty.
People often turned to him for help, but he helped only by humbly bowing to him and speaking to him as respectfully as to a king.
It must be said that he spent almost all his days in the mountains, collecting - or only pretending to collect - various medicinal herbs. Then he brought them home, to his dark dwelling, prepared healing potions and tinctures from these herbs and sold them to the surrounding residents for a lot of money.
He also had some mysterious book bound in leather with brass clasps. Snorro read it for hours and divined by it to the simple-hearted islanders if they asked him to.
People trembled before Snorro's book no less than before himself, for there was a rumor that this book once belonged to the god Odin. And, mentioning the name of the dwarf, they made the sign of the cross to protect themselves from his evil spells.
But no one knew why Snorro settled in Dwarfstone. And that's why he settled there.
Near the boulder was a hill of a very strange appearance. He looked like a huge wart, and so he was nicknamed "Khoy wart hill." It was said that somewhere on this hill lies a magical carbuncle and whoever finds it, the stone will give three precious gifts - health, wealth and happiness, in other words, everything that people crave.
And they also said that this carbuncle can be seen. But only those who come to a certain place at a certain time will see it. However, no one knew where this place was and at what time it was necessary to come there.
And so Snorro firmly decided to find the magic stone. It seemed that all he was doing was reading his big book and preparing herbal medicines. But in fact, he wandered through the mountains and carefully examined every stone and every tuft of grass in search of a magical carbuncle.
And at night, when everyone was asleep, he came out of his dwelling with a spade and a pick in his hands, dug the earth and turned over stones in the hope of finding the desired treasure.
Wherever he went, he was always accompanied by a huge raven with a gray head. Raven lived with Snorro in a boulder and was his true friend and comrade. The islanders were afraid of this sinister bird, perhaps no less than its owner. Although they went to Snorro for advice when they got into trouble, although they bought medicines and love potions from him, they always feared him and suspected that he was living with evil spirits.
At that time two earls ruled Orkney jointly. They were half brothers. The eldest, Pole, was a tall handsome youth with dark hair and eyes like thorns. All the islanders loved him because he was a kind and soft-hearted man, and besides, very skilled in knightly military labors and amusements. At the sight of him, the eyes of the old men brightened, and the children ran out to meet him as he rode past their house.
And all this seemed all the more remarkable because Count Pole, though affable, was so taciturn that people gave him two nicknames: "Pole the Silent" and "Pole the Silent.
"
His brother Harold was as different from him as day is from night. His hair was blond, his eyes were blue, and he was nicknamed "Harold Chrysostom" because he was very talkative and eloquent.
However, he was not loved. He was a haughty, envious, quick-tempered man. At the sight of him, the eyes of the old people did not brighten, and the children, instead of running towards him, hid from him in their mother's skirts.
Harold knew that everyone loved his silent brother, and he was so jealous of him that the brothers began to avoid each other.
One summer, Earl Harold went to visit the Scottish king, and his mother, the Countess of Helga, and her sister, the Countess of Frokirk, went with him.
And while they were visiting the court of the Scottish king, Harold met a young beautiful Irish woman. Her name was Lady Morna and she came from Ireland to Scotland to serve the Queen of Scotland.
Lady Morna was so sweet, kind and beautiful that she won the heart of Earl Harold, and he decided to marry her.
But no matter how hard he tried, he could not please Lady Morna. She guessed that he was jealous and envious, saw the anger in his eyes, heard how rudely he scolded the servants, and did not want to marry him. And when Count Harold began to ask for her hand, she, to his great annoyance, refused him, assuring him that she preferred to remain in the girls.
Earl Harold gnashed his teeth in impotent rage. But he realized that it was useless to insist, and decided to achieve his cunning. He asked his mother to invite Lady Morna to stay with them in Orkney, hoping that there he would dispel her mistrust and persuade her to marry him. He completely forgot about his brother, Count Pole, and if he remembered, he did not think that he could become his rival.
But that's exactly what happened. Lady Morna, not suspecting anything evil, accepted the invitation of Countess Helga and went with her when she, along with her sister and son, returned to her home in the county of Orkney. There Earl Pole, enchanted by the Irish beauty, fell in love with her at first sight, and Lady Morna fell in love with him from the hour she saw her.
Of course, they could not hide their feelings, and when Harold realized that they loved each other, his anger and jealousy went beyond all bounds. Grabbing a dagger, Harold rushed to his brother in the turret and threatened to kill him on the spot if he did not promise him to refuse to marry their beautiful guest.
But Pole quickly calmed him down.
"Don't worry, brother," he said softly. “It is true that I fell in love with Lady Morna, but that does not mean that I will win her. Will she choose what the people call the Silent One, if she can marry someone like you? After all, you, brother, do not climb into your pocket for a word, so people gave you a flattering nickname - Harold Chrysostom.
These words flattered Harold's vanity, and he decided that perhaps his half-brother was right. “Where would he, wordless, take care of such a beauty as Lady Morna! He will not be able to win this girl!” thought Harold, and threw his dagger on the floor. He shook hands with his brother and even asked his forgiveness for his unkind thoughts.
Then he left, very pleased with himself and the whole world.
By that time the Christmas holiday had come. And it was the custom of the Earls of Orkney to leave Kirkwall Castle, where they had always lived, before Christmas, and spend several weeks in the huge palace of Orphyre, located nine miles from Kirkwall. Count Pole decided to leave a few days earlier than the others, in order to prepare everything in Orphyr for the arrival of the count's family.
But it so happened that on the eve of his departure he saw Lady Morna in the great hall. She sat at the window and wept, for she was sad to part with the Earl of Pole. And he, as he saw her tears, could no longer restrain himself. He embraced the beauty, began to whisper to her about his love and asked her to become his wife.
She immediately agreed. Pressing her rosy cheek against his shoulder, they confessed that she had fallen in love with him that day, when she first saw him, and then she decided that she would not marry anyone else.
They sat side by side for a while, enjoying their new happiness, but then Pole got up.
"Come, my beloved, let us tell this good news to my stepmother and brother," he said. “Maybe Harold will be annoyed at first, because he himself wanted to marry you. However, his kindness will soon prevail over his annoyance, and he will rejoice with us.
But Lady Morna shook her head. She knew better how Earl Harold would react to this news, and she wanted to put off the confession that threatened trouble.
"No, it's better not to say anything yet," she said. Let's say after Christmas. After all, it will be sweet for us to keep our secret even for a short time. We'll be able to open it later.
Count Pole reluctantly agreed. The next day he left for Orphyr, and his beloved remained in Kirkwall.
But he did not know what danger threatened him. His stepmother's sister, Countess Frokirk, accidentally entered the hall when he declared his love to Lady Mornay, and hid behind a curtain.
The old woman heard every word of the lovers, and black fury flared up in her heart...
The Countess Froekirk was an ambitious and cruel woman. All her life she hated Count Pole, because he was not her blood relative and, moreover, stood in the way of his brother, her own nephew. If Pole had died, Harold would have become sole ruler of the earldom of Orkney.
And now, when the old woman learned that he had stolen the heart of Lady Morna, the girl whom Harold fell in love with, to top it all off, her hatred and anger knew no bounds. As soon as the lovers parted, the countess hurried to her sister, and they talked all night, until dawn.
The next day, someone's boat sailed through the narrow strait that separates the island of Pomona (aka Mainland) from the island of Hoy. A woman was sitting in the boat, but people did not know who she was, for she wrapped herself in a black cloak from head to toe and covered her face with a dark thick veil.
Only the dwarf Snorro recognized her, and even before she threw off her cloak and veil, Countess Frokirk was his old acquaintance.
More than once in her long life she resorted to his help when she plotted some evil deed, and always generously paid him pure gold. Therefore, Snorro welcomed the countess cordially. But when he heard what request she had made to him, the smile left his face and he shook his head.
“I used to serve you well, lady,” he said, “but now I'm afraid to comply with your request. Preparing the murder of a noble earl is a dangerous business, especially when everyone loves him as much as they love Pole ... You know why I settled in this back corner, you know that I'm looking for a magical carbuncle. You also know that people fear and hate me. And if the young count dies, suspicions will fall on me, and I will have to flee the island, because my life will become cheaper than a grain of sand. And then all the wast of hope to find a carbuncle will collapse. No lady, I can't go for it. I can not!
The evil countess offered the dwarf a mountain of gold. She seduced him by promising wealth and high position, and in the end even promised to secure for him a prominent position in the court of the Scottish king.
Here, the dwarf's ambition flared up with renewed vigor. He hesitated in his decision and finally agreed to comply with the request of the countess.
“I will get my magic loom,” he said, “and weave the finest fabric of wondrous beauty. But before weaving it, I will poison the yarn with a poisonous potion. Anyone who puts on clothes made of this fabric will die before they even wear it.
- A rogue, but smart! said the Countess, with a cruel grin on her evil face. - You will receive an award! Give me two yards of this wonderful fabric, and I will make a good sleeveless jacket out of it and present it to the beautiful young earl on Christmas Eve. He will wear my Christmas present and not live to see the end of the year.
- Will not live! confirmed the dwarf Snorro with a sly smile.
And they parted, having agreed that the fabric would be sent to Orfir Palace on the eve of Christmas Eve.
While Countess Frokirk was traveling on her evil business to Hoy Island, an event occurred at Kirkwall Castle.
Harold took advantage of the fact that his brother was away, and again offered his hand and heart to Lady Morna, and she again refused him and, fearing that he would not repeat his proposal, confessed that she had already promised to become his brother's wife.
As soon as Harold heard this, jealousy and rage flared up in him with such force that they almost devoured him. Mad with anger, he rushed out of the house, jumped on his horse and rushed to the sea.
And while he was galloping along the shore at full speed, his eyes fell on the snow-capped mountains of Hoy Island, which towered over the strait. And then he remembered the dwarf Snorro, who had also once visited, like his aunt.
- Exit found! he cried. “I was a fool not to think of it right away!” I will go to Snorro and buy a love potion from him. Lady Morna will drink it and hate my dear brother, and turn her thoughts to me. He hired a boat and sailed through the stormy waves to the island of Hoy, and moored to the shore, hastened to that secluded valley where the Dwarf stone rose.
He did not have to look for the dwarf himself for a long time. Snorro stood at the entrance to his cave with a raven on his shoulder and silently watched the sunset.
A strange smile flickered across his face when he heard someone's footsteps. He turned and saw the young count.
- What brings you here, sir earl? he asked cheerfully, looking forward to a meal.
“I came for a love potion,” Harold replied and told the dwarf about his love for Lady Morna. "I'll pay you for the potion, just give it to me as soon as possible!"
Snorro looked him over from head to toe.
— Blind is that girl, Sir Chrysostom, — he said, — who needs to drink a love potion in order to fall in love with such a valiant knight as you.
Count Harold laughed angrily.
"It's easier to catch a ray of sunshine than to attract the elusive whim of a woman," he said. - I don't have time to talk! There is a proverb: "Tide and time do not wait for man." And the tide won't wait for me. Get the potion, get it now!
Seeing that he was not joking, Snorro silently entered his cave and soon returned with a small vial full of a pinkish liquid.
"Pour this into Lady Morna's wine glass," he said, "and I guarantee that in less than a day she will love you more than you love her."
He waved his hand, as if ordering the count to leave, and disappeared into the cave.
Count Harold hurried home to the castle. But two days passed, and he still did not get the chance to pour the love potion into Lady Morna's wine cup. Finally this opportunity presented itself. One evening, at supper, Harold poured the potion into a teal and, pushing aside the little page, served it to Lady Morna himself.
She raised the cup to her lips, but only pretended to take a sip from it. The mere fact that Harold, whom she hated, took this cup in his hands, aroused her suspicions. Harold stepped back to sit in his seat, just as Lady Morna managed to quietly pour all the wine onto the floor. And she couldn't help but smile as she saw how pleased Harold's face was as she set the empty cup on the table.
He soon became even happier, because Lady Morna began to talk to him in a very friendly way.
She was so afraid of him that by this kindness she wanted to buy herself peace of mind for a while until the count's court moved to Orfir, where she would be under the protection of her lover.
Harold was overjoyed. He was sure that the love potion had already worked and his hopes would soon come true.
A week later, the earl's court moved to Orphyr, where Count Pole had already prepared everything for the arrival of guests.
Of course he was overjoyed when he saw Lady Morna again, and she was very glad to meet him. Now she knew that she had nothing to fear from the unwanted attentions of Earl Harold.
But for Harold, their joy turned into bile and bitterness: he could hardly restrain himself, although he still believed in the love potion of the dwarf Snorro.
And Countess Helga and Countess Frokirk, they were looking forward to the magic cloth - a deadly gift to Count Pole.
And so, on Christmas Eve, the two villains sat together in the chambers of Countess Helga and talked about the future - about the time when their favorite Harold would become the sole ruler of the earldom of Orkney.
Suddenly someone knocked on the window, and they saw a gray-headed raven who lived with the dwarf Snorro. He was sitting on a ledge outside the window, holding a sealed bundle in his beak.
The women opened the window and the raven dropped the bundle to the floor with a hoarse croak. Then he flapped his huge wings, slowly soared up to the sky and flew towards the island of Hoy.
Trembling with excitement, the sisters broke the seal on the bundle and took out the fabric. She was extraordinarily beautiful - she shone with all the colors of the rainbow, sparkled with gold and precious stones.
- An excellent sleeveless jacket will come out! exclaimed the Countess Froekirk with a sinister laugh. - Our Silent Count will be good when he puts it on!
And, without wasting time, both women began to cut and sew a sleeveless jacket. They worked all night and all the next day, and in the evening, when they had almost finished sewing, they heard someone's hurried steps on the spiral staircase.
And then Earl Harold opened the door.
His cheeks burned with excitement, his eyes sparkled. Indeed, here in Orphyra, Lady Morna, living under the protection of her lover, again began to shun Harold. He noticed this and began to lose faith in Snorro's love potion.
In anger and annoyance, he ran up to his mother to tell her about his sorrows, when he suddenly saw a wonderful sleeveless jacket on the table. It sparkled with gold and silver, shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow and was so beautiful that it seemed like the clothes of fairies. Harold's breath caught in admiration at the sight of her.
- Who did you buy this for? he asked his mother, expecting her to say, “For you!”
"This is your brother Pole's Christmas present," Countess Helga replied.
She wanted to say that the sleeveless jacket would bring death to Pole, but she did not have time to utter a word. Harold is mad with envy, which means that his hated brother gets all the best in the world!
- All Poulu! he cried.
Pole is everywhere! Hate him! I can't hear his name! Well, no, I swear - he will not receive this gift!
And he pulled the sleeveless jacket off the table.
His mother and aunt rushed to his feet, begging him to put the sleeveless jacket back and shouting that every thread of it was poisoned. But it was all in vain - Harold did not even hear them. He rushed out the door, put on his tank top, and with a malevolent laugh ran down the stairs to show off to Lady Morion.
But as soon as he stepped into the hall, he collapsed on the floor from unbearable pain. All the household members ran to him, and both countesses, horrified by their act, tried to pull off his sleeveless jacket. But they were too late. The deadly poison has already done its work.
Pushing both women aside, Harold turned to his brother, who embraced him, kneeling beside them.
"I wished you harm, Pole," Harold said, "and yet you have always been a faithful and kind friend to me. Forgive me in your thoughts! But these, - and, having gathered the last of his strength, he pointed with his hand at both evil women that led him to death - beware of these two women, because they encroach on your life.
Then his head fell on his brother's shoulder, he let out a deep sigh and died.
When the Silent Count realized why his brother died and where the sleeveless jacket came from, his anger was immeasurable. He swore a terrible oath to punish not only the dwarf Snorro, but also his evil stepmother and her cruel sister.
However, he did not have to avenge his brother - both countesses took advantage of the turmoil caused by Harold's death. They quietly slipped out of the palace, made their way to the seashore, got into a boat and headed for Scotland. There they had extensive possessions, there they were very revered, and no one would believe a single word spoken against them.
But all the same, retribution overtook them, as it always, sooner or later, overtakes the evil, selfish and cruel. The Scandinavians soon attacked Scotland, set fire to the castle of the countesses, and both of them died in the fire.
Upon learning of the flight of his stepmother and her sister, Earl Pole hurried to the island of Hoy to capture the dwarf there.
