"The Princess Aureline would have nothing to say to him, however, because he was wicked as well as rich, so at last the King of the Black-Country gathered his army together and marching against King Whitebeard he conquered him and carried off the Princess Aureline captive.
"Now there are great rejoicings in the Black King's country, but the Princess Aureline sits and grieves all the time, and nothing the King can do can make her smile.The more the Black King does, the more she grieves, but she is so very beautiful that the King would deny her nothing except to let her go home to her father.""I should like to see a princess," said Teddy.
"So you shall," said the fairy, "for you are a great magician now, and you have come here to do what no other hero in the world dares to do;you have come to rescue the Princess Aureline and carry her back to her own country.""Do you mean I am a real magician?" asked Teddy.
"Why, yes," said the fairy."Don't you see you are dressed in a magician's robe? And there is your magic-chest on the grass beside you.
Look!" So saying the fairy drew a mirror of polished steel from under her cloak and held it up before Teddy, and as he looked into it he hardly knew himself; he was dressed in a black hood, and a long black robe strangely woven about the hem with characters in white, and he held a white staff in his hand.Beside him on the grass was a box bound round with iron, and that was his magic-box.
After he had looked in the mirror for a while the fairy hid it away again under her cloak."Now come," she said, "for it is time we were journeying on.""But what have I in my box?" asked Teddy, as he picked it up and joined the fairy, who was already hobbling along toward the city.
"Don't you remember?" said the fairy."It's your circus.""Oh, yes, I remember now," said Teddy.
After a while he and the fairy reached the city, and everywhere along the street were people laughing and dancing and feasting, and all the houses were hung with white and black flags.The black flags were for the King of the Black-Country, and the white flags were for the Princess Aureline.Everywhere they came the people made way for them and whispered, "Look! look! That is the great magician who had come to show his magic before the Princess Aureline."At last they reached an open square, and there was the greatest crowd of all.On a raised platform covered with silver cloth, and with steps leading up to it, were two thrones; upon one of the thrones sat a tall, fierce-looking man dressed in black velvet, and with a crown upon his head cut entirely from one great black diamond; upon the other throne sat a beautiful young princess.She was as pale as a lily and as beautiful as the day, and was dressed in shimmering white.Her hands were clasped in her lap and her face was very sad.
On the steps that led to this platform stood two heralds in black and white with trumpets in their hands, and all about were ranged soldiers two and two.They made Teddy think of the toy soldiers he had been playing with, only they were as big as men, and instead of being gay with red paint they were in black.
As soon as Teddy and the Counterpane Fairy appeared in this square, the two heralds blew a loud blast and come down to meet them."Make way!
make way for the magician!" they cried, and they escorted him and the fairy through the crowd to the foot of the steps.
The King of the Black-Country stared at him, and his eyes were so black and piercing that Teddy felt afraid.
"Are you the great magician?" he asked.
"Yes, I am," answered Teddy, bowing.
"Then let us see some of this magic that we have been hearing about,"said the King; "and harkye, Magician, if you can make the Princess smile you shall have whatsoever you wish, even to the half of my treasure."Teddy bowed again, and then he set the chest on the ground, and drawing from his girdle an iron key he unlocked it and put back the lid.There was the paper circus, just as he and Harriett had cut it out: the acrobat and the lovely lady, the horses, the clown, the ring-master,--not one of them was left out.
