The Three Black Princesses (Grimm)
Division into sections is editorial.
The siege and the fishermans rise to power
East India faced a dire siege by an enemy force that refused to withdraw until they received six hundred dollars as ransom. The desperate townsfolk proclaimed by drum beat that whoever could procure this money would become burgomaster. A poor fisherman lived by the lake with his son, making their living from fishing.
When the enemy captured the fisherman's son, they offered to release him in exchange for six hundred dollars. The fisherman accepted this terrible bargain, trading his son for the ransom money. He delivered the payment to the town's great men, the enemy departed, and the fisherman became burgomaster as promised.
The enchanted castle and the three black princesses
The son managed to escape from his captors and wandered into a great forest on a high mountain. Suddenly, the mountain opened before him, revealing an entrance to a magical realm.
The mountain opened, and he went into a great enchanted castle, wherein chairs, tables, and benches were all hung with black.
Inside this mysterious castle, everything was draped in black cloth. Soon, three young princesses appeared before him.
Then came three young princesses who were entirely dressed in black, but had a little white on their faces; they told him he was not to be afraid, they would not hurt him.
The princesses explained that he could deliver them from their curse, but only under strict conditions. They imposed a challenging requirement upon him for an entire year.
He must for a whole year not speak to them and also not look at them, and what he wanted to have he was just to ask for, and if they dared give him an answer they would do so.
The sons return and near execution
After spending considerable time in the castle, the son expressed his desire to visit his father. The princesses granted his request, giving him a purse of money and a special coat, with the condition that he must return within a week. He was instantly transported back to East India through magical means, but could no longer find his father in the humble fisherman's hut.
When he asked people about the poor fisherman's whereabouts, they warned him never to use such words, as it would lead to the gallows. The new burgomaster had established a strict law: anyone who failed to address him as "Mr. Burgomaster" would face execution. The son found his father and addressed him as "Fisherman," refusing to stop despite warnings. This defiance led to his arrest and condemnation to the gallows.
At the execution site, the son requested permission to visit the old fisherman's hut. He put on his old work clothes and returned to the town officials, asking if they recognized him as the poor fisherman's son who had earned bread for his parents in these humble garments. This revelation caused his father to recognize him, beg his pardon, and take him home.
The mothers advice and the holy water plan
The son recounted his extraordinary adventures to his parents, describing the enchanted castle, the three black princesses, and their promise that he could deliver them from their curse. His mother listened with growing concern and suspicion about the magical nature of these beings.
Then his mother said that might very likely not be a good thing to do, and that he ought to take a holy-water vessel with him, and drop some boiling water on their faces.
Despite the ominous nature of this advice, the son decided to follow his mother's counsel and prepared to return to the castle with the holy water.
The failed rescue and tragic consequences
The son returned to the enchanted castle filled with fear and trepidation. Following his mother's misguided advice, he approached the sleeping princesses with the holy water.
He went back again, and he was in great fear, and he dropped the water on their faces as they were sleeping, and they all turned half-white.
The princesses awakened in fury, their curse now made permanent by his betrayal. They pronounced a terrible judgment upon him.
Thou accursed dog, our blood shall cry for vengeance on thee! Now there is no man born in the world, nor will any ever be born who can set us free!
The princesses revealed that they had three brothers bound by seven chains who would tear him to pieces. A loud shrieking filled the entire castle as their supernatural wrath was unleashed. In terror, the son leaped from a window, breaking his leg in his desperate escape. The enchanted castle sank back into the earth, the mountain closed, and no trace remained of where the magical realm had once stood, leaving the son forever marked by his tragic failure to break the curse.