Chapter 9

They ascended the woody side of the hill by a tortuous path. Here and there blocks of granite, bare and rusty, rose in the grey foliage of the dwarf oaks, and the rugged landscape was enclosed by russet hills and their blue-grey ravines.
The procession, preceded by Bob on his winged steed, entered a cleft of the rocks hung with briar. Bee, with her golden hair scattered on her shoulders, looked like the dawn risen on the mountains, if it is true that sometimes the dawn gets frightened, calls for her mother, and tries to run away, for these three events occurred when the little girl dimly saw dwarfs terribly armed lurking in all crevices of the cliff.
They held themselves motionless with their bows strung and levelled lances. Their tunics of hide and long knives hanging at their belts gave them a terrible appearance. Game of fur and feather lay at their feet. But these hunters, as far as their faces went, did not look fierce; on the contrary, they seemed mild and grave like the dwarfs of the forest, whom they very much resembled.
Upright in their midst stood a dwarf of great majesty. He wore a cock's feather at his ear, and on his forehead a diadem studded with enormous jewels. His mantle was flung over his shoulder showing a robust arm, loaded with gold rings. A bugle of ivory and carved silver hung at his belt. He leant his left hand upon his lance in an attitude of repose and strength, and with the right he shielded his eye to look towards Bee and the light.
“King Loc," the dwarfs of the forest said to him, "we bring you the beautiful little girl we have found: her name is Bee."
“You do right," said King Loc. “She will live among us, as the custom of the dwarfs requires.”
Then advancing to Bee,
“Bee," he said to her, “welcome!”
He spoke gently to her, for already his feelings towards her were friendly. He stood on tiptoe to kiss her hand which hung down, and re-assured that not only should no kind of harm happen to her, but that all her wishes should be satisfied, even if she should ask for necklaces, mirrors, wool of Cashmere, and silks of China.
“I would very much like some slippers," answered Bee.
Then King Loc struck a gong of bronze which hung to the walls of rock with his lance, and immediately something was seen coming from the end of the cavern bounding like a ball. It grew bigger till it became a dwarf, the features of whose face recalled those given by painters to the illustrious Belisarius, but whose leather apron showed him to be a bootmaker.
As a matter of fact it was the chief bootmaker.
"Truc," said the King to him, "choose in our store the most supple leather, take cloth of gold and silver, ask the keeper of my treasures for a thousand pearls of the finest water, and construct a pair of slippers for little Bee out of the leather, the tissues and the pearls."
At these words Truc threw himself at the feet of Bee and measured them accurately. But she said:
“Little King Loc, you must give me the beautiful slippers you have promised me directly, and, when I have them, I will return to my mother at the Clarides."
“You will have your slippers, Bee," answered King Loc: “you will have them to walk about inside the mountain and not to return to the Clarides, for you cannot leave this kingdom where you will learn beautiful secrets that are unguessed upon the earth. Dwarfs are superior to men, and it is for your happiness that you have been found by them."
“It is for my unhappiness," answered Bee.
“Little King Loc, give me wooden shoes like those worn by peasants, and let me return to the Clarides."
But King Loc shook his head to express that it was not possible. Then Bee clasped her hands and sweetened her voice:
“Little King Loc, let me go and I will love you”
“You will forget me, Bee, on the sunny earth.”
“Little King Loc, I will not forget you, and I will love you as much as Breath-of-Wind.”
“And who is Breath-of-Wind?”
“My cream-coloured pony; he has a pink bridle and eats out of my hand. When he was small, the squire Freeheart used to bring him up to my room of a morning, and I used to kiss him. But now Freeheart is at Rome and Breath-of-Wind is too big to go upstairs.”
King Loc smiled.
“Bee, will you love me more than Breath-of-Wind?”
“I will.”
“That is right.”
“I will, but I cannot; I hate you little King Loc, because you prevent me seeing my mother and George again.”
“Who is George?”
“George is George, and I like him.”
The friendship of King Loc for Bee had largely increased in a few moments, and, as he already hoped to marry her when she was of age, and through her to reconcile men and dwarfs, he feared that George might at some time become his rival and disturb his plans. This is why he knit his eyebrows and walked off, drooping his head like a worried man.
Bee, seeing she had vexed him, gently plucked at the skirt of his coat.
“Little King Loc," she said in a sad and tender voice, "why do we each of us make the other unhappy?"
“Bee, it is the fault of circumstances," answered King Loc; “I cannot take you back to your mother, but I will send her a dream which will inform her of your fate, dear Bee, and console her."
"Little King Loc," answered Bee, smiling through her tears, “you have had a good idea, but I will tell you what you ought to do. Every night you ought to send my mother a dream in which she will see me and send me a dream in which I will see my mother."
King Loc promised to do so. And what he said he did. Each night Bee saw her mother, and each night the Duchess saw her daughter. This satisfied their affection a little.

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