He felt , however , that great prudence was necessary , or he himself might become the victim of some enchantment ; and he was thankful to slip past the dragons , and enter a beautiful park , with clear streams and sweet flowers , and a crowd of men and maidens . But he could not forget the terrible things he had seen , and hoped eagerly for a clue to the mystery . Noticing two young people talking together , he drew near thinking that he might get some explanation of what puzzled him . And so he did . ` You swear , ' said the Prince , ` that you will love me till you die , but I fear your faithless heart , and I feel that I shall soon have to seek the Fairy Despair , ruler of half this island . She carries off the lovers who have been cast away by their mistresses , and wish to have done with life . She places them in a labyrinth where they are condemned to walk for ever , with a bracelet on their arms and a cord round their necks , unless they meet another as miserable as themselves . Then the cord is pulled and they lie where they fall , till they are buried by the first passer by . Terrible as this death would be , ' added the Prince , ` it would be sweeter than life if I had lost your love . ' The sight of all these happy lovers only made the Prince grieve the more , and he wandered along the seashore spending his days ; but one day he was sitting on a rock bewailing his fate , and the impossibility of leaving the island , when all in a moment the sea appeared to raise itself nearly to the skies , and the caves echoed with hideous screams . As he looked a woman rose from the depths of the sea , flying madly before a furious giant . The cries she uttered softened the heart of the Prince ; he took the stone from his mouth , and drawing his sword he rushed after the giant , so as to give the lady time to escape . But hardly had he come within reach of the enemy , than the giant touched him with a ring that he held in his hand , and the Prince remained immovable where he stood . The giant then hastily rejoined his prey , and , seizing her in his arms , he plunged her into the sea . Then he sent some tritons to bind chains about the Prince of the Golden Isle , and he too felt himself borne to the depths of the ocean , and without the hope of ever again seeing the Princess . Now the giant whom the invisible had so rashly attacked was the Lord of the Sea , and the third son of the Queen of the Elements , and he had touched the youth with a magic ring which enabled a mortal to live under water . So the Prince of the Golden Isle found , when bound in chains by the tritons , he was carried through the homes of strange monsters and past immense seaweed forests , till he reached a vast sandy space , surrounded by huge rocks . On the tallest of the rocks sat the giant as on a throne . ` Rash mortal , ' said he , when the Prince was dragged before him , ` you have deserved death , but you shall live only to suffer more cruelly . Go , and add to the number of those whom it is my pleasure to torture . '
At these words the unhappy Prince found himself tied to a rock ; but he was not alone in his misfortunes , for all round him were chained Princes and Princesses , whom the XXXXX had led captive .
bracelet enemy giant homes island ring screams sword throne youth