flapped
their wings, and all the doors opened with a tremendous noise.

Vikher, mounted on his winged horse that breathed fire, leapt into the
mirrored room, then stopped amazed at the sight before him. He was
indeed the hurricane, with the body of a giant and the head of a
dragon, and as he gazed his horse pranced and beat his wings.

"What is your business here, stranger?" he shouted: and the sound of
his voice was like unto a lion's roar.

"I am your enemy, and I want your blood," replied the prince calmly.

"Your boldness amuses me. At the same time, if you do not depart at
once I will take you in my left hand and crush every bone in your body
with my right."

"Try, if you dare, woman-stealer," he answered.

Vikher roared, breathing fire in his rage, and with his mouth wide
open threw himself upon the prince, intending to swallow him. But the
latter stepped lightly aside, and putting his golden hand down his
enemy's throat, seized him by the tongue and dashed him against the
wall with such force that the monster bounded against it like a ball,
and died within a few moments, shedding torrents of blood.

The prince then drew from different springs the water that _restores_,
that _revives_, and that _makes young_, and taking the unconscious
girl in his arms he led the winged horse to the door and said:

"Silver Palace, oh turn, on thy foot turn thou free,
To the steep rocks thy back, the courtyard may I see."

Whereupon the palace creaked round on the cock's foot, and the door
opened on the courtyard. Mounting the horse he placed the princess
before him, for she had by this time recovered from her swoon, and
cried:

"Fiery Horse with strength of wing,
I am now your lord;
Do my will in everything,
Be your law my word.
Where I point there you must go
At once, at once. The way you know."

And he pointed to the place where his brothers lay frozen in death.
The horse rose, pranced, beat the air with his wings, then, lifting
himself high in the air, came down gently where the two princes were
lying. The Prince with the Golden Hand sprinkled their bodies with the
Life-Restoring Water, and instantly the pallor of death disappeared,
leaving in its place the natural colour. He then sprinkled them with
the Water that Revives, after which they opened their eyes, got up,
and looking round said, "How well we have slept: but what has
happened? And how is it we see the lovely princess we sought in t