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Craik, Dinah Maria Mulock, 1826-1887

"The Fairy Book The Best Popular Stories Selected and Rendered Anew"

"
This so enraged the king, that he cried out, "Contemptible creature!
wert thou worthy of notice, I would sacrifice thee for thy
presumption."
The Yellow Dwarf, clapping spurs to his cat, and drawing a cutlass,
now defied the king to combat; and down they went into the courtyard.
The sun was immediately turned as red as blood, the air became dark,
it thundered heavily, and the flashes of lightning discovered two
giants vomiting fire on each side of the Yellow Dwarf. The king
behaved with such undaunted courage, as to give the dwarf great
trouble; but he was dismayed when he saw the Desert Fairy, mounted on
a winged griffin, and with her head covered with snakes, strike the
princess so hard with a lance, that she fell into the queen's arms,
covered with blood. He immediately left the combat, to go to the
relief of his beloved, but the dwarf was too quick for him; and flying
on his Spanish cat to the balcony where she was, he took her from her
mother's arms, leaped with her upon the top of the palace, and
immediately disappeared.
As the king stood confused and astonished at this strange adventure,
he suddenly found a mist before his eyes, and felt himself lifted up
in the air by some extraordinary power; for the Desert Fairy had
fallen in love with him. To secure him for herself, therefore, she
carried him to a frightful cavern, hoping he would there forget
All-Fair.


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