The Enchanted Tsarevich

A merchant had three grown daughters. Before setting out on a journey across the sea, he asked what gifts he should bring them. The two eldest chose shawls,…

A merchant had three grown daughters. Before setting out on a journey across the sea, he asked what gifts he should bring them. The two eldest chose shawls, while the youngest drew a flower with silver petals. The merchant found the shawls, but he saw the flower nowhere. On his way home, he noticed a palace and a garden where a flower just like the drawing was growing. When the merchant reached for it, a three-headed winged dragon, the garden’s guardian, appeared.

The merchant admitted that he had wanted to delight his daughter and apologized for not asking permission. The dragon cut the flower himself and asked the merchant to pass on an invitation: if the youngest daughter wished, she could come and draw the rare plants. At home, the merchant told the whole story honestly. His daughter considered the invitation and traveled there with her father. At the gates, the dragon welcomed his guests and showed them a bright room.

By day, the young woman drew plants, while the dragon explained how he protected the garden from drought. In the evenings, they drank tea by the open door; she decided for herself when to end the conversation, and the dragon withdrew to another tower. Before long, she learned to tell his three voices apart and saw how patiently he tended broken branches. After several days, the friends completed the first page of their catalogue.

The young woman missed her family, so the dragon offered to send her home in a magic carriage. They agreed to meet by the pond the following evening. Her sisters asked for one more story about the palace, and their guest noticed the moonlight only when it was late. She set off at once, but rain slowed the carriage. In the morning, she found the dragon by the pond: he was soaked and tired, but he had waited calmly for her.

The young woman covered her friend with her cloak and explained the delay. The dragon admitted that he had feared being left alone again, but he believed her honest words. When she took his paw and suggested that they continue their work together, the silver flower began to glow. The dragon turned into a young tsarevich: freely chosen friendship had broken the spell. The whole family came to the garden’s opening celebration, and the friends continued their catalogue and began welcoming fellow plant enthusiasts.