Abridged Version
A king of Ardenne had a beautiful daughter who was sick. A doctor
declared that the three finest May peaches would save her, but then she
would have to marry within a week or fall sick again. Many men came
with peaches, but none saved the princess.
A woman had three sons, and the oldest set out with the finest peaches
from their orchard. He met an old woman who asked what he had; he
claimed rabbit dung, she said that so it was, and when he got the castle,
that was what he carried. His next brother set out next, told the old
woman he carried horse dung, and again found that was what he
carried. The youngest, who was short and regarded as a little simple,
persuaded his mother to let him try as well, and told the old woman
that he carried the peaches to cure the princess, and she said so it was
and also gave him a silver whistle. When he got to the castle, eating the
peaches revived the princess.
The king did not want such a puny little son-in-law. He told the boy
had to herd a hundred rabbits and not lose one for four days. The first
day, the rabbits scattered, but the boy used the whistle to bring them
back. The second day, the king sent the princess to get one; the boy
would only trade one for a kiss, and when she had it and had reached
the gates of the castle, he used the whistle, and it came back. The next
day, the king sent the queen to get one; the boy would only trade one if
the queen turned three somersaults, and when she did, the king locked
it in a room but the boy used his whistle and it came back through a
window. The fourth day, the king went himself. The boy would only
trade it if the king kissed his donkey's behind. When the king had
gotten the rabbit, he had it killed and skinned and put on to casserole,
but the boy used his whistle and it jumped out of the dish, back into its
skin, and back to the boy.
Then the king said that the boy had to fill three sacks with truths. He
said the princess had kissed him for a rabbit, and that filled the first
sack; the queen had turned somersaults for a rabbit, and that filled the
second. The king stopped him and let him marry the princess.
Uncommon Fairytales