Although the horse had informed the princess the dragon was really her own father , the girl had hardly believed him , and stared in amazement at the transformation . But he flung his arms round her and pressed her to his heart saying , ` Now I see that you are as brave as the bravest , and as wise as the wisest . You have chosen the right horse , for without his help you would have returned with a bent head and downcast eyes . You have filled me with the hope that you may carry out the task you have undertaken , but be careful to forget none of my counsels , and above all to listen to those of your horse . ' When he had done speaking , the princess knelt down to receive his blessing , and they went their different ways . The princess rode on and on , till at last she came to the mountains which hold up the roof of the world . There she met two Genii who had been fighting fiercely for two years , without one having got the least advantage over the other . Seeing what they took to be a young man seeking adventures , one of the combatants called out , ` Fet-Fruners ! deliver me from my enemy , and I will give you the horn that can be heard the distance of a three days ' journey ; ' while the other cried , ` Fet-Fruners ! help me to conquer this pagan thief , and you shall have my horse , Sunlight . ' Before answering , the princess consulted her own horse as to which offer she should accept , and he advised her to side with the genius who was master of Sunlight , his own younger brother , and still more active than himself . So the girl at once attacked the other genius , and soon clove his skull ; then the one who was left victor begged her to come back with him to his house and he would hand her over Sunlight , as he had promised . The mother of the genius was rejoiced to see her son return safe and sound , and prepared her best room for the princess , who , after so much fatigue , needed rest badly . But the girl declared that she must first make her horse comfortable in his stable ; but this was really only an excuse , as she wanted to ask his advice on several matters . But the old woman had suspected from the very first that the boy who had come to the rescue of her son was a girl in disguise , and told the genius that she was exactly the wife he needed . The genius scoffed , and inquired what female hand could ever wield a sabre like that ; but , in spite of his sneers , his mother persisted , and as a proof of what she said , laid at night on each of their pillows a handful of magic flowers , that fade at the touch of man , but remain eternally fresh in the fingers of a woman . It was very clever of her , but unluckily the horse had warned the princess what to expect , and when the house was silent , she stole very softly to the genius 's room , and exchanged his faded flowers for those she held . Then she crept back to her own bed and fell fast asleep . At break of day , the old woman ran to see her son , and found , as she knew she would , a bunch of dead flowers in his hand . She next passed on to the bedside of the princess , who still lay asleep grasping the withered flowers .
But she did not believe any the more that her guest was a man , and so she XXXXX her son .
believed chosen crept deliver exchanged heard knelt scoffed told undertaken