There was once a princess who lived in a castle. High in the battlements, she had a room with twelve windows that looked out in every direction. From this room, she could see her entire kingdom. Her sight grew sharper with each window, and from the twelfth, she could see everything above and below the earth. Nothing could be hidden from her.
She was haughty and wished to rule alone. She proclaimed that she would only marry a man who could hide from her so well that she could not find him. Any suitor she discovered would lose his head, and his head would be placed on a post outside the castle.
Ninety-seven posts already bore heads, and no new suitors came. The princess was pleased, thinking she would remain free forever. Then, three brothers arrived to try their luck.
The eldest hid in a lime-pit, but she saw him from the first window. He was beheaded. The second hid in the palace cellar, but she also saw him from the first window. His head was placed on the ninety-ninth post.
The youngest brother begged for a day to prepare and asked for grace: if she found him twice, he should be spared, but on the third failure, he would accept his fate. Struck by his handsomeness and earnest plea, the princess agreed, though she doubted he would succeed.
The next day, the youth pondered where to hide but could think of nothing. He took his gun and went hunting. He aimed at a raven, but the bird cried out, "Do not shoot! I will reward you." The youth spared it. Later, by a lake, he aimed at a large fish, which also promised a reward if spared. He let it go. Finally, he met a lame fox. He tried to shoot but missed. The fox asked him to remove a thorn from its foot. After helping the fox, the youth intended to kill it, but the fox also promised a reward. The youth spared it and returned home as evening fell.
The following day, it was time to hide. The youth went to the raven for help. The raven thought long, then fetched an egg from its nest. It cut the egg in two, placed the youth inside, sealed it, and sat on it. The princess looked from window to window. She could not see him until the eleventh window. She ordered the raven shot, the egg broken, and the youth pulled out. "You are excused this once," she said, "but if you do no better, you are lost."
The next day, the youth sought help from the fish. The fish thought and then swallowed him, diving to the bottom of the lake. The princess looked from her windows. She grew anxious when she could not see him from the eleventh, but finally spotted him from the twelfth. She ordered the fish caught and killed, and the youth appeared. "Twice you are forgiven," she declared, "but next time, your head will be on the hundredth post."
On the final day, the youth sought the fox with a heavy heart. "That is a hard task," said the thoughtful fox. Finally, it had an idea. They went to a spring. The fox dipped in and emerged as a market trader dealing in animals. The youth also dipped in and was transformed into a small sea-hare. The merchant went to town and displayed the creature. A crowd gathered, and the princess came. She liked it so much that she bought it for a good price. Before handing it over, the merchant whispered to the sea-hare, "When the princess goes to the window, creep under the braids of her hair."
The time came for the search. The princess looked from the first window to the eleventh and saw nothing. She looked from the twelfth and still saw nothing. Filled with fury and anxiety, she slammed the window shut so violently that all the glass shattered and the castle shook.
She returned to her room and felt the sea-hare under her hair. She seized it, threw it to the ground, and cried, "Away with you! Get out of my sight!" It ran to the merchant. They both hurried to the spring, plunged in, and regained their true forms. The youth thanked the fox, saying, "The raven and the fish are fools compared to you. You know the right tune to play."
The youth went straight to the palace. The princess, resigned to her fate, was waiting. They were married, and he became king. He never told her how he had hidden the third time or who had helped him. She believed he had succeeded by his own skill and held him in great respect, thinking, "He is able to do more than I."