The brave princess

   In a very rich kingdom, a handsome prince named Julio made good use of his youth with the girls of the city. Every day he had an encounter with a different maiden, and to all of them he said that he loved her and that he was going to marry her. In the position of prince, noble and influential, there was no father or mother to disapprove of his daughter's courtship with him, since none knew of the man's adulterous and promiscuous behavior.

    Time passed and Julio had already possessed almost every girl in the kingdom he desired, but one day he became interested in Clarinda, a very humble virgin girl of a very conservative family, her parents were very honest and principled people, he began dating the girl promising to marry her one day and take her to live with him in the palace, he said that one day she would be queen, the parents, very happy with the proposal, wanted the best for their daughter and treated the boy with attention, thinking that he had great character. At that time it was very honorable for a family to have a daughter in love with a nobleman. The more traditional families were the more they wanted their daughters to marry virgins, so they insisted that the prince wait until the marriage to touch her.

    After some time, the parents already confident that the wedding would happen, they began to allow the daughter to go out with the prince for some nocturnal walks. It was then that, after possessing the girl several times, the prince got sick and said that he would not marry her anymore because the love was over. Clarinda's mother, already suspicious that her daughter had given herself to the prince, called her to talk. She confirmed that she was no longer a virgin and that she had been with the prince several times. As their courtship ended, people no longer had to avoid unpleasant remarks about the prince since Clarinda was practically the last girl in town who had fallen into the gallant's lips. Thus, his rottenness began to appear. It reached the ear of Clarinda's family that he had already possessed several virgin girls of the kingdom and that for all he had promised eternal love and royal marriage. The girl's family was very angry but could do nothing since they had no power against royalty. The girl's mother, very indignant, sought out the prince and said, "You will pay for everything you have done for my daughter. At dawn on the first turning of the moon, you will feel from several men what my daughter felt about you. "The prince would not listen and said the old woman was crazy.

    At dawn on the first day of the next moon, an ordinary day like most of them, Julio awoke normally but was surprised to feel something on his back and shoulders. He reached across to see what it was: long hair! Not believing, he went to the mirror and saw that he had breasts, wide hips, was lower and with a delicate face. He had everything a young woman had.

    --- That old woman!? --- Julio noticed that his voice was as sharp as a young girl's. --- How did she do that... --- Julio underestimated Clarinda's mother. I did not know the woman was a sorcerer.

    Frightened, he ran to his father wanting encouragement and help to solve that problem. His father was a little late to believe that this girl was his son. When he realized that she was really his son turned into a woman, he got very frustrated. He said he had plans for him but as a man; that he should succeed him on the throne. Julio tried to explain that it was a spell but the father said that it did not change the fact that he was no longer a man then expelled him from the room. The king was so ashamed before the court that he had no choice but to reject his son. He no longer wanted to show it to the nobility and told him to sleep with the servants; his orders to Julio were expressed:

    --- Never tell anyone that you are my son!

    Julio, who was now called Julia, was very beautiful, always courted by both noble and plebeian men. She refused much at first but then failed because of her lack of power or authority being a servant. No one believed she was the son of the king. It was then that several court nobles, king's soldiers, castle servants, merchants, plebeians, all had their chance to enjoy such a beautiful body. Julia had no hold over her own body: when she complained that she did not want to lie with a man, he said she could do nothing since she was nothing more than a little kitchen maid, every day was this humiliation.

    Time passed and Julia, already distressed from that life, wanted to find a way to break the spell of the old woman. It was then that an itinerant magician arrived in the city. When the news reached her ears, she went to him and asked how she would become a man again. Without explaining the whole story, the magician did not believe it. After calming the excitement, Julia told everything. The seer said that she needed to get some ingredients to do a spell-reversing spell. They were very peculiar ingredients: 1 hair of each of the dwarves of the tavern of the blue forest; 1 big wart of an elderly, and the most difficult, 1 drop of tear that someone spilled for her.

   --- We will also need a virgin crystal glass with mature coconut water and everything will have to be done before the first sunrise of the next moon. --- He explained.

   I'm going to get these ingredients right now! --- She said already leaving anxious.

   --- But remember: do not accept gifts from strangers. --- The magician concluded.

    It was then that she went out looking for the ingredients. First, she intended to get the dwarf's hair. This really was very difficult because the dwarves’ tavern was a very dangerous place: anyone who entered there would drink until they had no more money. It was well known to the whole region that some patrons stayed there for a long time serving as slaves of them even when they wished. No one who had come in to retrieve a relative or friend returned. There were rumors that the dwarfs were carnivorous and from time to time the stock of human flesh ended, so they killed a customer. Julia decided she could not enter the tavern. She stood outside, watching. When the first dwarf came out to receive a load of barrels of rum, she waited for him to finish hitting the merchant vendor and went up to him.

    --- Good Morning! I'm Julia; I came from a distant village.

   --- What do you want? --- He asked suspiciously.

    --- I want to know if you need a helper. I'm really good at cooking.

   --- I already have someone to cook. --- He answered roughly.

    --- Ah!? --- She let out in astonishment. The dwarf widened his eyes.

    --- What's this? --- He asked.

    --- There's a black wasp on your head, do not move because this type of wasp is very poisonous and may even kill. Let me get rid of it, she drew her hand slowly from the dwarf's head and yanked a strand of his hair. Offhandedly, she slipped the thread between her fingers and said that the fly was gone.

   --- I've never heard of a black scooter. --- Said the dwarf suspiciously.

   --- They fly long distances from their boxes. It may have come from far off lands.

   Look, I do not need a cook. Go away! --- Said the dwarf, closing the conversation.

   Julia left humbly and walked. A few feet ahead, she stopped behind a tree and watched the dwarf. When he entered, she returned and continued to spy on the tavern. He began spying on the outskirts of the house. In the back she saw another dwarf with a basket. He had been harvesting leaves of herbs. Julia approached:

    --- Good afternoon sir! I'm coming from a distant land to offer my services in this place.

   The dwarf looked suspicious. He looked at her from the bottom up. Then he asked as he picked up leaves of plants:

   --- What service do you do?

    --- I am a very good hairdresser.

   --- I do not need to cut my hair right now.

  --- Ah! But my kind of cut is quite different. It’s special. It allows the customer to choose which model he wants to have, regardless of color or size, even for those with short hair it is possible to choose to have long hair, for those who have gray hair is allowed to choose to have hair in the original color.

   --- This is impossible. Nobody has that power. --- The dwarf laughed at her face.

   --- Nobody with ordinary scissors. But mine is an enchanted scissors. It belonged to the witch, Crescentis, it was with it that the witch made Rapunzel's hair grow so much.

   --- I've never heard of this witch. --- Said the dwarf very suspicious.

   --- I actually like to get customers. So I can go back to the place where I went after a while to cut my customers' hair again because I know they liked it. If you want, you can choose the type of hair you want to have and I'll cut it without charging anything. You will like it so much that in a month I will return to the region and you will pay me for the second cut. So I've already made a good customer.

   The dwarf was thoughtful. One minute of silence.

   --- That's very good. I want to have long black hair. --- He had scarce short gray hair.

   Julia removed a red cloth from her bag and covered it with a nearby stone.

   --- Sit here. --- She said to the dwarf.

    The dwarf sat waiting for the cut to begin. Julia took the magic scissors out of her pack. She cut off the hair she wanted and put it away without the dwarf noticing. Then she cut off some of the dwarf's hair and said:

   --- Now just wait a few hours and your hair will look exactly as you imagined. --- She explained already putting the scissors in the bag to leave.

   --- Wait a second. You did not say anything to wait. I thought it was immediate.

  --- Do not you remember how long it took Rapunzel to have such long hair? Yeah. Have a crucible of patience that you soon have, your hair will soon be hairy on the head. --- She left.

   Julia continued to edge the tavern. There was no way out of any dwarf in the front door or in the back. Many customers came in but none of them came out. Julia waited for the dwarves to go to sleep. That night, there was a lot of drunkenness, music and binge. She climbed over a barrel and stared out the window at what was happening inside the tavern. After everyone had run out of money or fallen into the corners of so drunk, one of the dwarves passed with a small bag from the hall; he would take from his little bag a little glowing powder and throw it over people saying strange words. The musician who played was still very sober. He looked at the dwarf in amazement and went into a trance just after the dust touched his face. After everyone was in a trance, the dwarf led them all to a trapdoor that had been opened on the floor of the hall by another dwarf. They all went down the stairs and disappeared. The dwarves then went to sleep.

    After the lamps were all erased and a few minutes of silence, Julia began to act. She opened the small window through which she peeked and slipped into the tavern. Once inside, she began to search the dwarf’s rooms. Foot by foot, she found the room where they slept. They were all with their heads covered, which made it difficult for Julia's work since she could not get a hair of a repeated dwarf. She looked the first one that was what she had cut her hair; looked the second, was the ugliest of all, the first she had cheated at the door of the tavern. When she arrived at the third, things were difficult because on his bed, there were many blankets and the blanket was tucked under the dwarf's head. Julia slowly tried to lift the blanket but the dwarf shifted. She stopped. She tried to remove the blanket from his feet. It was lifting slowly until... Ah!? To her great astonishment there were two dwarfs sleeping in that bed. And now? Another dwarf, another problem because she had to take another hair because the psychic had said "a hair of each dwarf of the tavern." They were very close together, but even so, with her scissors, she slowly cut a hair from one of them and put it away. Suddenly one of them, the one with his back to Julia, sat on the bed, covered him and his friend, then lay down again. Julia managed to duck down quickly without him seeing. As she lowered herself, she faced the bag of bright dust. The dwarf who had used it had placed it under the bed. Julia did not hesitate and put the sack in her bag. Noticing that the lull had returned, she discovered the two dwarves again and went with the pair of scissors to cut a missing dwarf's hair. Suddenly the dwarf who had covered himself just minutes before woke up and shouted,

   --- Invasion! Get her!

   Julia opened the purse and took out a handful of dust. By this time the dwarves were already up and ready to dominate her with weapons in their hands.

    --- All of you stop or I’ll throw that powder on you! --- She threatened.

   The dwarfs stood still.

   --- What do you want here? --- Asked the dwarf who had not yet had his hair removed.

   --- I need a hair of yours. --- She said.

    --- What for? --- He asked.

   --- I need to make a potion to break a spell.

   The dwarfs were jaw-dropping and very angry.

   --- Get out of here now! You will have no hair from any of us!

    --- It's to break a spell; there will be no effect on you. --- She explained.

   --- Even so you will not! --- Shouted another dwarf.

   --- Then I'll throw that powder on you. --- She warned.

    --- Jacobino, get the bag! --- Shouted one of the dwarfs to the other.

   At that moment, Julia realized that she would not have her hair willingly. It was then that she took out a very generous portion of shiny powder and threw in all the dwarfs. Immediately they fell into trance and became static.

   --- Sit in bed now! --- She ordered.

   After everyone sat down, she confirmed which one had not yet provided her with the hair. She cut the missing dwarf's hair and then asked,

   --- Why do you put people in a trance and arrest them here?

   --- We were cursed by blind sorcerers. --- Answered one of the dwarves.

   --- How's that curse? --- Asked Julia.

   --- They have turned us into dwarves and force us to get human flesh for them to feed. --- Another dwarf continued.

   --- Why do you hold people here?

   --- Our minds are controlled. When the night ends in the hall we do not realize when we put people in a trance and lead them to the basement. --- Another dwarf explained.

    --- We see what we're doing but we cannot stop.

    --- What powder did they give you? --- Questioned Julia.

    --- I don’t know. --- One of them answered.

    Julia was sensitive by the story. She had compared the life of the dwarves to her life as a cursed man condemned to live imprisoned in a woman's body.

   --- Is there a way to break this curse? --- She asked.

   --- We do not know, but there must be. --- Answered one of the dwarves.

   Only the blind brothers can reveal. --- Jacobino said.

   --- Yeah, but they will not do that. --- Said Anselmo, the ugliest of them all.

   Julia looked at the bag in her hands and had an idea:

   What if they're in a trance?

   --- Good idea! They would be obliged to speak everything that was asked of them.

   The dwarfs were very happy with the idea.

   --- But there's a problem… --- One of them said. --- They have a great perception. They can sense when someone is about to hurt them.

   --- They can read people's minds.

    --- That’s it! And if they feel that they will spray you immediately. --- Another Anselmo went on.

   --- I have a plan. --- Explained Julia.

    After a few more minutes, Julia discovered that they came once a week to find victims of imprisonment in the tavern to feed themselves, luckily, their day was gone the next day. The dwarfs explained that they smelled all the victims and chose which they wanted to take. Julia mixed herself with the other prisoners without making the slightest noise. She was barely breathing. When she saw the two wizards analyzing their possible meals, she quickly threw a good handful of bright powder on their cheeks. The two became static immediately.

   --- Ah! What an evil thing to do to us! --- Complained one of them.

   --- We do not deserve this! Release us! Please! --- The other continued.

   --- Have mercy!

   --- Shut up! Tell me how to break the dwarves’ curse. --- Julia ordered firmly.

   --- There is no way to do that. --- Answered one of the wizards.

   --- Why not!? --- yelled Julia. --- Of course there must be a way. It was you who cursed them. You must know how to undo.

   One of the dwarves approached her and told her something softly. She reached into the sack and tossed more shiny powder into their faces, that done, she asked again how to break the curse.

    --- Take a rosemary branch, a branch of maidenhair and a branch of basil; soak these leaves in the urine of a virgin priest; hold on the left hand and beat on the heads of the dwarves saying the following words: Et dimittam omni execratione maledicta congessit.

   After that, throw a pinch of that powder on each one, continued the other sorcerer.

   --- What about those prisoners? --- Asked Julia.

  --- After the curse of the dwarfs undone, their trance will end immediately. --- The wizard explained.

   --- At the back of the tavern you can find all these herbs. --- Jacobino said.

   --- Do any of you know where a virgin priest exists? --- She asked the dwarves.

  --- Father Belisarius! He is a virgin. He will agree to help us. --- One of the dwarves said.

    --- Then go to him and get some of his urine. Fast! --- Ordered Julia.

    --- Wait! But... he's in a trance! --- Anselmo retorted.

   --- And what about that? --- Julia asked.

   --- If he goes through any problems during the trip he will not be able to leave.

   --- And how do I undo this trance? --- Asked Julia.

   --- Throw a little powder on him and tell him to get out of the trance. --- One of the dwarves explained.

   --- But will not he turn on us as he was before? --- She asked worriedly.

   --- Not anymore! He knows that you are helping us to free us.

   --- It's all right! I will trust. But if he stands against me I’ll throw more dust on him. --- Threatened Julia.

   She threw a spray of powder into the dwarf and quickly returned her hand into the sack prepared to squeeze more powder into the dwarf if needed.

   The dwarf stared at the scene. He noticed that he had seen Julia before. Before he began to question, Julia told the other dwarves,

   --- Explain to him what is happening.

   The dwarf understood and ran to speak to the priest.

   Julia tied up the sorcerers then went with one of the dwarves to harvest the branches to break the curse.

    Later, when the dwarf returned with the priest's urine, the other dwarfs were no longer in a trance. Julia was soon taking the urine in the dwarf's hands to prepare everything. After wetting the branches, she touched the head of each of the dwarves saying the words of reversion. As she threw a handful of dust on each dwarf’s face, they turned into very large, strong men. The dwarfs' grumpiness and rancidity were now cheerful and humorous faces. They were radiant and happy people!

   --- We are free! --- Jacobino shouted.

   --- Free! --- They shouted together.

    They were so grateful to Julia that they offered her eternal gratitude, one of the dwarves, by the way; is a real dwarf, went to Julia and knelt at her feet offering her help for anything she needed. He was very excited. He remembered all those who had been devoured by the bloodthirsty sorcerers. He remembered the wickedness he'd been forced to lock people up in that basement, making people spend all their money drinking... When he got up, Julia noticed two tears streaming down his face. Remembering the ingredients she needed, she quickly removed a small glass jar from her pouch; uncovered it and reaped tears from the man's face.

   --- And the people who are trapped down there? --- Asked Anselmo.

   --- Let's free them! --- Said another dwarf.

   After all the prisoners had been released, Julia did not know what to do with the wizards.

   --- What are we going to do with these malevolent wizards? --- Jacobino asked.

   They were all silent. Julia paced the room and did not know the answer to that question.

Suddenly, she had the following idea:

   --- What happens if we use the inversion spell with them?

   --- I do not know.

   --- I do not know. --- All replied.

    --- But nothing bad can happen; at most it will break some spell that may be upon them. --- One of the old dwarves explained.

   Julia picked up the leaves, wet the urine and said the following words:

   --- I command that out of these creatures all the evil that drives them away, any spell that imprisons them, and all the slander they have at that moment. So be it!

   Immediately they began to wither and shrink until they became two vultures that flew out the window.

    Later, on the way home, Julia found an old woman pulling a wheelbarrow full of flowers. She approached the old woman and noticed that she had two warts on her face. She also noticed that the old woman was ill: she had leprosy at an advanced stage. Her face was already misconfigured. It was horrifying.

   --- Good afternoon! What beautiful flowers you have.

   --- Good thing you liked them. But they do not have the beauty you have. --- The old woman said gently.

    The old woman picked up a gerbera daisy of very bright orange and placed it in Julia's hair. Then she took a small mirror and showed it to the girl.

    --- It's really beautiful. But I cannot pay. --- Julia explained as she took the flower from her head.

   --- Not! --- Interrupted the old woman. --- Take it. It's a gift for your kindness!

   --- Thanks!

   The old woman began to gasp with fatigue and leaned against the cart. Julia tried to help by grabbing her arm.

   --- Sit here. --- Julia led her to a fallen log.

    When she sat down, the old woman collapsed. Her facial skin fluttered away with large splinters. "It's now or never!" Thought Julia.

    More than quickly, she removed a small bottle from her pouch and scraped one of the old woman's warts. Then she left the old lady on the trunk and left.

    Arriving in the city, she went straight to the seer with the ingredients. She was very happy.

    She knocked at the door and the clairvoyant came dressed in a nightgown. She came in and handed him the ingredients. He was very astonished to see that she had obtained the strands of hair from the dwarfs. While he was preparing the potion she sat in a chair by the table and complained:

   --- Wow! How tired I am!

   --- You had a very difficult task. It is natural to be tired. --- Concludes the seer.

    --- Not! It is a different, excessive fatigue. It's like I'm sick...

   The seer thought the girl's words strange. He looked at her analyzing. It was then that he noticed the great orange gerbera daisy in her ear.

    --- Where did you get that flower? She does not grow by these bands...

   --- It was an old lady selling flowers that she gave me. I found her in the woods on the way here.

    --- I told you not to accept anyone's gifts! --- The seer reprimanded her bravely.

    --- I... I did not remember that. --- Julia regretted.

    --- Tell me what else happened in the forest. --- How did you get the dwarf's hair?

    Julia began to tell the story of what had happened in the dwarves’ tavern. Sometimes she stopped to complain about her tiredness. When she told of her moments in the dwarves' room, someone knocked on the door. The seer was attending.

   --- Dad! --- Says one of the men who arrived. There were four young men and big men. The seer looked at them all and hugged them. They were very happy. It was as if they had not seen each other for years.

   One of them approached Julia and said:

   --- Brethren, come and see who is here!

   --- It's the girl who freed us from the curse! --- The other explained.

   --- Thanks to her we are here!

    After the men had told what had happened, the seer came up to Júlia and thanked her.

    --- Julia! --- Said the seer. --- You have done very badly to disobey my advice and accept the gift of strangers. That's why you're feeling so weak. The old woman is stealing your youth through this flower. If she stays there you are doomed to lose vitality until you die of old age and weakness. --- Julia tore the flower from her head quickly and threw it on the table. --- But since you have saved my sons and their friend from the terrible curse, I will help you. I can remove the old woman's spell. He stood up.

   He went to the shelf and picked up two little glass jars, one red and one green. He opened each and poured a drop of each into the kernel of the flower that withered immediately.

   --- Get away from the flower immediately! --- He ordered.

   Suddenly Julia got up and walked away from the table. The magician took the flower and threw it out the window. Then he continued with the preparation of the potion to break the spell of the girl.

    Before drinking the potion, the seer ordered her to take off all her clothes, as they would hinder the transformation, only a few minutes to sunrise. Julia drank the potion and felt no difference.

   --- It did not work! It did not work! --- She said looking at her naked body disappointed.

   --- Wait! It takes some time.

    Her body began to move strangely. Her legs and arms were dilated and back to normal; the hair was shivering; her belly and buttocks swelled and returned until finally stabilized and she became Julio again.

   The seer borrowed some of the clothes he had from his children. Julio thanked him and left.

When he returned to the palace, he found the unexpected news that his sister had married and his brother-in-law had become king. His father had given the crown to his son-in-law since Julio, his first choice, could no longer receive it since he was no longer a man as the king wanted.

   Julio reclaimed his place on the throne by saying that his brother-in-law's coronation was irregular since by right he had to be king for being the elder brother. His brother-in-law, a vile and ambitious man, did not want to give up the crown at all. So Julio had to get help. He explained the whole story to his new friends, the children of the seer, and their friend. They were fearless warriors requisitioned by various kingdoms.

   --- We do not want to live in this realm under the selfish orders of that tyrant. --- Anselmo said.

   --- Count on us!

   --- Let's help you get the crown back!

   --- But there are only four of us. We need more help. --- Jacobino replied.

   --- Actually we've got more help. --- I already have a plan. Julio said shaking the bag of magic dust he had taken from the tavern. --- I just need you to help me to get into my brother-in-law's room."

   --- Find a way of you getting there. Yes, we can do that.

   At dusk they waited for everyone to settle down in their beds, and they began the plan. Anselm went to the door of the palace and began to shout eloquent phrases. Soon the guards came to see what was going on. On the side of the palace, the others prepared a small trampoline. It was a wide strip of stretchy fabric. Two men held, one on each side to stretch it. First Jacobin jumped and went to the top balcony; then it was Julio’s turn. Jacobino was very skilled with the sword. He was able to fight three shallow soldiers at once. Soon came a few guards. Julio wanted to help but Jacobino said:

    --- Go! Let me deal with it. Do what you need to do!

    Julio ran to his brother-in-law's room. He had to hide behind a pillar when two guards were approaching. The room where the brother-in-law was, it was the room where the king slept. Julio knew all about the castle, including the secret passages. One of the king's rooms had been built in case of invasions if he had to flee. It was for it that Julio decided to enter, the man was drinking water.

   --- What do you want here? --- Asked the brother-in-law.

   --- You know the throne is my right! --- Julio said.

   --- I do not know any of that! I know I'll call the guards and you'll be hanged at dawn.

  --- Wait! Do not scream! I am unarmed and I do not know how to fight. That you already know. There's no way I can hurt you, you're a fighter. I came to bring you something important. ---  Julio took the sack and made as if to show his brother-in-law what was inside. Suddenly he removed a pinch of enchanted dust and threw it on his brother-in-law's face. After the trance began, Julio ordered him to call all of the council and freely hand over the crown to Julio saying that it belonged to him.

    After crowned king, Julio appointed the seer to be the court magician and the dwarves were appointed with important positions in the kingdom due to their specialties. The men who abused the defenseless Julia were all expelled from the kingdom, and those who had titles of nobility were now nothing more than commoners.

The end