Once upon a time there lived a king. He had only one son. The prince became thirteen years old but he still did not have a wife. The king and queen started to scold him:
‘Son, how long will you stay single? There are so many girls – young, beautiful, you still do not choose! You can not do like this!’
One night the prince said:
‘My father and mother scold me too much. That’s why tomorrow I will jump on my horse and go through villages and towns – I will find the suitable girl!’
He did as he said. He rode throughout the whole kingdom and he found three girls, three sisters. The youngest one was the most beautiful. The prince asked the eldest one:
‘What will you do if I make you my wife?’
‘If you make me your wife I will weave such a cloth that will dress the whole army!
‘I will make you bread – the second sister said – that will feed the whole army! They will eat from the bread and it will always be whole!’
The third sister said:
‘If you take me I will give birth to a son! He will have a moon and a sun on his forehead, he will be smart and handsome!’
As the prince heard this he married the third sister.
‘I can find clothes and food for my army – the prince said – but I can not easily find handsome and smart son!’
The time came for the third sister to deliver the baby. It was a handsome boy with a scar – a moon and a sun on his forehead. But the two elder sisters who were also living in the palace decided to take revenge on her for being chosen. They took the boy and put two cats instead. The king came, looked at them and shouted with anger:
‘My daughter-in-law promised to give birth to a boy but she delivered two cats instead! Bury her in the ground up to the neck and let everybody who passes her spit in her face!’
Meanwhile the two sisters put the baby in a basket, took it away from the palace and threw it into the river. Nobody saw them – only the mare on which back they put the basket. The mare felt pity about the baby. She had a small horse and told him everything.
At the same time there was a fisher at the river. Suddenly he saw a big basket carried by the river flow; in the basket – there was a baby crying. He pulled the basket out of the river.
‘Oh, I have wanted a baby for years! And now – look with what the Lord has gifted me!’
He grasped the basket and ran to his house.
‘Woman, - he was shouting, - I have big luck!’
‘Have you caught much fish?’
‘I have brought you fish many other times, now I am bringing you something much more precious!’
The woman looked at the baby and started to cry with happiness.
‘It is true, husband! It is big luck!’
The man decided to buy a horse for the boy, to play with it when it grows up. The fisher went to the market and bought by chance the same little horse of the mare that knew the story of the prince.
The boy grew up and became ten years old. His mother was ten years buried to the neck in the ground. They were only feeding her as an animal and everyone who was passing her was spitting in her face.
One day the fisher said to his boy:
‘Son, you have already grown up. I have bought this horse for you when I found you. Now you will take care of him!’
The boy started to look after the horse. He became fifteen years old. One day the lad put grain to the horse and turned to go out of the stable. Then the horse caught him from behind and pulled him.
‘Do not go out! You have been looking good for me for so many years and now I will pay you back! Take me out of the stable!’
The lad took him out and the horse said:
‘Jump on my back immediately!’
Suddenly wings appeared on the horse’s back:
‘We will go to save your mother! Fifteen years she has been buried to the neck in the ground.’
And he told the lad the whole story as he has learnt it from his mother, the mare. Then he flew and landed in the palace. The lad jumped in front of the astonished guardians and shouted:
‘Where is my father! Bring him here!’
‘What father? – the guardians asked. – You are not from here!’
‘Where is my father? – the lad repeated. – Who is the king’s son?’
The king’s son went out. When he saw the scar on the boy’s forehead – a moon and a sun, he immediately recognized his child.
‘Son! – he shouted. – Your mother did not lie to me! She really delivered a boy and we buried her in the ground!’
While the price was embracing his son the horse said:
‘Immediately take my mother out of the stable!’
The took the mare out of the stable and she said:
‘Now the horses will talk! Bring those two bad women who put cats near their sister and threw her child into the river! Bring here two ropes – with one of them tie the first sister for me, and with the other one tie her to my son!’
The mare and the horse ran into different directions and tore the sister.
‘Make the same with the second one! – the mare ordered. – Now the horses talk!’
They tore the second sister as well. Meanwhile the prince unearthed his wife and they started to live happily with their son.