Then the second one said, “I know more. Even if the horse is slain the young king still won’t keep his bride. Once they get to the castle they will find, lying in a bowl, an embroidered nuptial robe that looks as if it’s woven out of silver and gold but is, in fact, made of brimstone and pitch, and whosoever puts it on will burn down to his marrow and bones.”
Said the third, “Is there no rescue?”
“Oh, yes,” replied the second, “if someone wearing gloves grabs the robe and flings it into the fire so that it burns, the king will be saved. But what’s the use? Whoever knows it and tells it to him, he will have half his body, from the knees to the heart, turned to stone.”
Then the third said, “I know even more. Even if the nuptial robe is burned, the young king still won’t have his bride. After the wedding when the minstrels strike up the music and the young queen gets up to dance, she will suddenly turn pale and appear to drop dead, and if someone does not pick her up and immediately draw three drops of blood from her right breast and spit them out again, she will die. But if someone knows it and reveals what he knows, then he will turn to stone from his spine to his toes.”
Once the ravens had finished their conversation they flew off, and Faithful Johannes understood every word, but from that moment on he was sad and still. If he kept all he’d heard from his master, the latter would come to a miserable end, but if he revealed it to him, he himself would forfeit his life. Finally, after mulling it over, he said to himself, “I will save my master, even if it means my own undoing.”
Once they reached land, things happened as the raven had predicted, and a splendid reddish-brown nag came leaping forward.
“Up an’ at ’em,” said the king, “he’ll carry me back to my castle,” and was about to mount, but Faithful Johannes beat him to it, swiftly swung himself into the saddle, pulled the musket out of the halter, and shot the nag dead.
Thereupon the king’s other servants, who had it in for Johannes, cried out, “What a disgrace to kill the beautiful creature that was to carry the king back to his castle!”
But the king said, “Bite your tongues and let it be. He is my Faithful Johannes, who knows why he did it?”
Then they came to the castle, and there in the hall was a bowl with a nuptial robe lying in it that looked like it was made of silver and gold. The young king walked up and wanted to reach for it, but Faithful Johannes shoved him aside, grabbed it with gloves, swiftly brought it to the fireplace, and burned it.
The other servants once again started grumbling and said, “Will you get a load of that, now the guy even grabs and burns the king’s nuptial robe!”
But the young king said, “Who knows why he did it? Let him be, he is my Faithful Johannes.”
So the wedding was celebrated – the dance began, and the bride strode to the dance floor, but Faithful Johannes was ready and looked her in the eye. Suddenly she turned pale and collapsed as if she’d dropped dead. Whereupon he leapt forward, picked her up, and carried her to a bed chamber. There he lay her down, knelt before her, and sucked three drops of blood from her right breast and spit them out. Straightaway she breathed again and got better, but the young king looked on in stunned amazement and, not knowing why Faithful Johannes did what he had done, flew into a rage and cried, “Lock him up!”
The following morning Faithful Johannes was condemned to die and taken to the gallows, and when he stood there ready to meet his Maker, he said, “Every condemned man about to die may speak a final word. Might I too have that right?”
“Yes,” said the king, “your request is granted.”
Whereupon Faithful Johannes spoke up: “I have been falsely accused and always remained faithful to you,” and he went on to tell how back at sea he had overheard the conversation of the ravens, and how, to save his master, he was obliged to do all that he had done.
Then the king said, “Oh, my Faithful Johannes. Reprieve! Reprieve! Take him down from there and set him free.” But upon speaking his last words, Johannes fell dead, his body turned to stone.
The king and queen were deeply distraught, and the king said, “Oh how miserably have I rewarded such great faithfulness!” And he had the stone likeness lifted up and set beside his bed. Every time he saw it, he wept and said, “If only I could bring you back to life again, my Faithful Johannes.” Time passed, and the queen gave birth to twins, two little sons, who grew up and were her pride and joy. Once, when the queen went to church and the two boys sat by their father and played, the king again peered in sadness at the stone likeness, sighed, and said, “Oh if only I could bring you back to life, my Faithful Johannes.”