Inside she sat , weeping and sobbing , and as she had done nothing else the whole time she had been there , the poor girl had grown very thin . When she saw a man standing before her , she sprang to her feet and exclaimed , ` Oh , whoever you are , save me and take me from this horrible place ! ' Then he told her who he was , and how he had seen her sisters , whose happiness was spoilt by the spell under which both their husbands lay , and she , in turn , related her story . She had been carried off in the water-meadow by a horrible monster , who wanted to make her marry him by force , and had kept her a prisoner all these years because she would not submit to his will . Every day he came to beg her to consent to his wishes , and to remind her that there was no hope of her being set free , as he was the most constant man in the world , and besides that he could never die . At these words the youth remembered his two enchanted brothers-in-law , and he advised his sister to promise to marry the old man , if he would tell her why he could never die . Suddenly everything began to tremble , as if it was shaken by a whirlwind , and the old man entered , and flinging himself at the feet of the girl , he said : ` Are you still determined never to marry me ? If so you will have to sit there weeping till the end of the world , for I shall always be faithful to my wish to marry you ! ' ` Well , I will marry you , ' she said , ` if you will tell me why it is that you can never die . ' Then the old man burst into peals of laughter . ` Ah , ah , ah ! You are thinking how you would be able to kill me ? Well , to do that , you would have to find an iron casket which lies at the bottom of the sea , and has a white dove inside , and then you would have to find the egg which the dove laid , and bring it here , and dash it against my head . ' And he laughed again in his certainty that no one had ever got down to the bottom of the sea , and that if they did , they would never find the casket , or be able to open it . When he could speak once more , he said , ` Now you will be obliged to marry me , as you know my secret . ' But she begged so hard that the wedding might be put off for three days , that he consented , and went away rejoicing at his victory . When he had disappeared , the brother took off the cap which had kept him invisible all this time , and told his sister not to lose heart as he hoped in three days she would be free . Then he drew on his boots , and wished himself at the seashore , and there he was directly . Drawing out the fish-scale , he cried , ` Come and help me , King of the Fishes ! ' and his brother-in-law swam up , and asked what he could do .
The young man related the story , and when he had finished his listener summoned all the fishes XXXXX his presence .
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