passing and repassing the strutting purple birds that the king's fowlers
had brought from Asagehon. When she was of the age of fifteen years the
King of Mondath called a council of kings. And there met with him the
kings of Toldees and Arizim. And the King of Mondath in his Council said:

"The call of the unappeased and hungry Sea (and at the word 'Sea' the
three kings bowed their heads) lures every year out of our happy kingdoms
more and more of our men, and still we know not the mystery of the Sea,
and no devised oath has brought one man back. Now thy daughter, Arizim, is
lovelier than the sunlight, and lovelier than those stately flowers of
thine that stand so tall in her garden, and hath more grace and beauty
than those strange birds that the venturous fowlers bring in creaking
wagons out of Asagehon, whose feathers are alternate purple and white.
Now, he that shall love thy daughter, Hilnaric, whoever he shall be, is
the man to climb Poltarnees and return, as none hath ever before, and tell
us upon what Poltarnees looks; for it may be that they daughter is more
beautiful than the Sea."

Then from his Seat of Council arose the King of Arizim. He said: "I fear
that thou hast spoken blasphemy against the Sea, and I have a dread that
ill will come of it. Indeed I had not thought she was so fair. It is such
a short while ago that she was quite a small child with her hair still
unkempt and not yet attired in the manner of princesses, and she would go
up into the wild woods unattended and come back with her robes unseemly
and all torn, and would not take reproof with a humble spirit, but made
grimaces even in my marble court all set about with fountains."

Then said the King of Toldees:

"Let us watch more closely and let us see the Princess Hilnaric in the