The Halcyon Fairy Book

Master-maid so fast that the wind whistled behind him, and it was not long before he came to the water, but he could not get over it.
“Well, well, I will soon find a cure for that; I have only to call my river-sucker,” said the giant, and he did call him. So his river-sucker came and lay down, and drank one, two, three draughts, and with that the water in the sea fell so low that the giant saw the Master-maid and the Prince out on the sea in their ship.
Okay, forget the rest of the story, what the heck is a river--sucker? And how is it so completely common that the storyteller doesn’t even bother to explain — “You know, a river-sucker, jeez, what’re you, dumb?” — as if they’re as common as horses, stables, and porridge.
I’m seeing a giant plecostomus, myself. Perhaps kept in a duffel bag for just such occasion.
“Now you must throw out the lump of salt,” said the Master-maid, and the Prince did so, and it grew up into such a great high mountain right across the sea that the giant could not come over it, and the river-sucker could not drink any more water.
“Bleah!” said the giant plecostomus. “It’s all salty! I can feel my arteries clanging shut!”
“Well, well, I will soon find a cure for that,” said the giant, so he called to his hill-borer to come and bore through the mountain so that the river-sucker might be able to drink up the water again.
The hill-borer is kept in a different colored duffel bag. There was a mix-up once, and it ended with a hillside with a giant hickey, and it was just awkward for everyone. (Giant mole, you think?)
But just as the hole was made, and the river-sucker was beginning to drink, the Master-maid told the Prince to throw one or two drops out of the flask, and when he did this the sea instantly became full of water again, and before the river sucker could take one drink they reached the land and were in safety.
On a more serious note, we’re getting some parallels to Medea and Jason here, with the throwing things off the boat to confound pursuit, although this is very much sanitized for your protection.
So they determined to go home to the Prince’s father, but the Prince would on no account permit the Master-maid to walk there, for he thought that it was unbecoming either for her or for him to go on foot.
You were shoveling stables three days ago. This is an unexpected bit of snobbery.
“Wait here the least little bit of time, while I go home for the seven horses which stand in my father’s stable,” said he, “it is not far off, and I shall not be long away, but I will not let my betrothed bride go on foot to the palace.”
“Oh! no, do not go, for if you go home to the King’s palace you will forget me, I foresee that.”
“How could I forget you? We have suffered so much evil together, and love each other so much,” said the Prince, and he insisted on going home for the coach with the seven horses, and she was to wait for him there, by the sea shore. So at last the Master-maid had to yield, for he was so absolutely determined to do it. “But when you get there you must not even give yourself time to greet anyone, but go straight into the stable, and take the horses, and put them in the coach, and drive back as quickly as you can. For they will all come round about you, but you must behave just as if you did not see them, and on no account must you taste anything, for if you do it will cause great misery both to you and to me,” said she, and this he promised.
All those who think that the prince will have learned to listen to the absurdly competent Master-maid and will be very sure not to break his promise, raise your hand!
Okay, if your hand is raised, you have failed Fairy Tales 101. Please report to the office for our remedial class, entitled “Why We Do Not Insult Old Women At Wells And Other Vital Lessons.”
But when he got home to the King’s palace one of his brothers was just going to be married, and the bride and all her kith and kin had come to the palace, so they all thronged round him, and questioned him about this and that, and wanted him to go in with them, but he behaved as if he did not see them, and went straight to the stable, and got out the horses and began to harness them. When they saw that they could not by any means prevail on him to go in with them, they came out to him with meat and drink, and the best of everything that they had prepared for the wedding, but the Prince refused to touch anything, and would do nothing but put the horses in as quickly as he could.
He’s making a noble effort, anyhow. I give the prince in this story credit for that, even if everybody comes off badly in comparison to the Master-maid.
At last, however, the bride’s sister rolled an apple across the yard to him, and said: “As you won’t eat anything else, you may like to take a bite of that, for you must be both hungry and thirsty after your long journey.” And he took up the apple and bit a piece out of it.
Oh, surprise, surprise.
But no sooner had he got the piece of apple in his mouth than he forgot the Master-maid and that he was to go back in the coach to fetch her.
“I think I must be mad! what do I want with this coach and horses?” said he, and then he put the horses back into the stable, and went into the King’s palace, and there it was settled