the bridal chamber, and watched and watched and watched.
Towards midnight he heard a rustling in the bridal chamber and,
rushing in, saw a winged dragon coming through the window towards the
King and Princess. He dashed towards it and wounded it with his sword,
so that it flew out of the window, dropping blood on the way.

But the noise that John the True had made awakened the King and Queen,
and they saw him before them with sword dripping with blood. And not
recognizing him at first, the King called out for his guard, who came
in quickly and seized John the True.

When the King saw who it was he asked John if he had any explanation
of his conduct, and John said:

"That I may not say."

"This is more than I can bear," said the King. "Perhaps love has
turned thy brain."

And turning to the captain of his guard, the King said, "Let him be
executed in the morning in our presence."

When the morning came everything was ready for John's execution, when
he stood forth and said to the King:

"If your Majesty wills, I will explain my conduct."

"So be it," said the King; "I trust thou wilt prove that thou art
indeed John the True."

And John the True told the King and the Queen and the courtiers all
that had occurred and what he had heard from the ravens, and how he
had saved the life of the King and the Queen by wounding the dragon on
the preceding night. But as he told why he killed the horse his legs
became marble up to the knees. And when he explained why he had dashed
the poisoned wine-cup from the King's hand, the marble came up to his
waist. And when he explained how he had turned the dragon from the
bridal chamber, his whole body became marble from head to foot.

Then the King knew what a faithful servant he had in John the True;
and he bade his men to place the marble body on a golden stand on
which was written, "This is John the True who gave his life for his
King." And whenever the soldiers and the courtiers passed it they gave
it a salute.

Now after a time there came to the Queen two little twin boys, whom
she loved better than all the world. And they grew and they grew, till
they learned to speak. And every time they passed the statue of John
the True they would raise their little hands and give it a salute, for
the Queen, their mother, had told them what John the True had done for
their father and her.

But one night the Queen dreamed that a voice from Heaven said to her,
"John the True can live