Long ago, a princess named Ellen lived with her mother, the queen, in a great castle by the sea. She had three brothers.
One day, while playing ball, a brother threw the ball over the castle wall. Ellen ran to retrieve it and vanished. Her brothers searched tirelessly but could not find her.
Days passed. The eldest brother consulted a wise man for guidance and then set off to find the Dark Tower. He did not return. The second brother followed, with the same fate. The youngest brother, Childe Rowland, waited in vain.
Finally, Childe Rowland begged his mother to let him search for his siblings. Reluctantly, she consented, giving him his father's sword.
Rowland sought the wise man, who gave him two crucial instructions: First, in the land of the elves, he must swiftly behead anyone who speaks to him before finding Ellen. Second, he must bite no bit and drink no drop while there.
Memorizing the rules, Rowland journeyed until he saw horses with fiery eyes, marking the elves' realm. A man tending them could not direct him to the Dark Tower, so Rowland beheaded him as instructed.
He continued until he found hens with fiery eyes, guarded by an old woman. She told him to find a hill, circle it three times, and chant, "Open, door! Let me come in." Rowland, though hesitant, beheaded her too.
Finding the hill, he followed the ritual. A door opened, leading him into darkness. A dim light guided him down a long passage to another door, which flew open to reveal a magnificent hall with walls of gold, silver, and shining diamonds. Princess Ellen sat there on a golden throne.
She warned him of the Elves' king, but Rowland was undaunted. He recounted his quest and learned his brothers had been turned to stone. When hunger struck, he remembered the wise man's warning. He threw down a offered bowl, declaring, "Not a bit will I bite, Not a drop will I drink, till Ellen is free."
A great noise erupted outside, and a voice roared: "Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!" The Elven King burst in. A fierce battle ensued, ending with Rowland defeating the king.
The defeated king agreed to free the captives. From a blood-red bottle, he let a drop or two fall upon the stone brothers, restoring them to life. Rowland took Ellen's hand, and with his brothers, they escaped the hill and returned home to their overjoyed mother.