“Little Jack,” cried the Princess, turning towards him, “you will go for us, will you not?”
“I?” cried Jack, frightened. “How am I to go?”
“Nothing can be easier. One of the wind-fairies will take you and bring you back—as the Prince will direct. You shall go, tonight. Now, dear Jack, you will do it for us, will you not? And we shall be so grateful.”
Jack did not know what to say, but he looked first at the Prince sitting on the windowsill with the rain pouring around him, looking wistfully towards him, with his handsome mournful eyes; then he looked at the Princess kneeling on the glowing coals, entreating him with clasped hands to help them, while sparks fell from her bright eyes. And they were both so beautiful that he could not bear to refuse them, and was silent.
The Princess saw at once that he wavered, and said, smiling, “Then it is settled; you will go for us. And now, dear little Jack, listen very carefully to all the directions we give you, and be sure you do all we tell you. The old man at the North Pole is very mischievous and cunning, and always does his best to deceive anyone who comes to him for help. And there is one thing of which you must be very careful. You must not, whatever happens, ask him more than one question. The first question that he is asked he is bound to answer truthfully, but if you ask him more than one, he will at once seize you and keep you under the ice. He will do all he can to tempt you to ask more than one, but you must not mind him. And be sure to remember exactly what he says about me.”
“What am I to say, then?” asked Jack.
“Say, ‘I come from the fire Princess Pyra, and she is in love with Prince Fluvius, the water Prince, and wants to know how they are to be married;’ and then shut your lips and do not speak again, whatever he says. When you come to the ice-country, you will find it very cold, so I shall give you a fireball to keep you warm. And be sure you do not stop and talk to the ice-people, for if you do you will be frozen to death.”
“How am I to go?” asked Jack again.
“Go to the window, and you will see the wind-fairy who is to take you.”
Jack did as he was told, and saw standing beside Prince Fluvius a little man dressed in light dust-coloured clothes, which hung on him loosely, seeming barely to touch him.
His face was very cheerful, but there was scarcely any expression in it, and whenever he moved there came a violent gust of wind.
“Are you ready?” asked the Prince, kindly.
“Yes,” said Jack, feeling very much frightened.
“You need not be afraid, little Jack,” said Prince Fluvius; “you have nothing to do but to sit on his shoulders, and he will take you quite safely.”
So saying he touched him on the head, and Jack began to feel himself growing smaller and smaller, till he was the same size as the Prince and Princess.
“Come on, then,” said the wind-fairy, in an odd gusty voice. Jack sat down on his shoulders in the same way as he had before sat upon the fire-fairy, and they prepared to start.
“Goodbye, little Jack,” called the Princess from the fire. “When your turn comes, you will find that we shall not forget to help you.”
“Goodbye, little Jack,” echoed the Prince. “Do not forget all we have told you, and be sure you ask no second question of the old man.”
“Goodbye,” called Jack, and off they went. The rain beat into Jack’s face, and he felt giddy with the rate at which they flew, but he was silent, and held on tightly to the wind-fairy’s neck.
On they went in silence, going over the tops of the houses, among the chimney-tops, in a way Jack thought frightful. Then they came to the country, and flew over fields and lanes. At last the clouds cleared away, and the moon came out, and Jack could see where they were going. He was getting more used to his position now, and felt less afraid to look about him. They flew over woods and rivers, and passed villages, which looked in the distance as small as if they were made of toy houses and churches. At last they came in sight of the sea, and Jack could keep silence no longer, but burst out—
“I hope we are not going over there?”
“Indeed we are,” said, or rather puffed out, his companion, for his words came out like a gust of wind. “I thought you were never going to speak, and I did not like to speak first. How are you? I hope you feel pretty comfortable.”
“Pretty well,” answered Jack. “But I am afraid if we cross the sea I shall tumble in.”
“No, you shan’t,” said the other. “I shall keep tight hold of you. Oh! it’s splendid when one gets into the middle of the sea. It’s worth blowing there.”
“Won’t it be very cold?” asked Jack.
“Nothing to speak of,” said his companion, carelessly. “When we get among the ice and snow you may be chilly, but I’ve got the fireball the Princess gave me to blow in front of us, and that will keep you warm. I wonder what it is you want to ask the old man. Won’t you tell me?”
“I think I’d better not,” said Jack. “I suppose he is a very wise old man.”
“Wise! He knows everything, and whatever you ask he’s sure to give you, as long as it’s the first question. Now we are going over
