The Devil's Lair

Once upon a time, there lived a powerful king who had an exceptionally beautiful daughter. As the princess walked about the meadows one day, a terrible dragon came and kidnapped the terrified girl. The dragon was none other than the devil himself and he dragged the princess into Hell with him.

The king was devastated when he heard the news. He declared he would reward anyone who would save his daughter from Hell with the whole kingdom and the princess’s hand in marriage. Many came to try and find the way to Hell, but none succeeded, no matter how hard they tried.

One day, a brave son of a poor widow arrived. He stepped in front of the king to ask if he could try to rescue the princess as well. The king repeated his promise and the young lad set off on his way.

He kept asking everyone he met whether he was on the right path to Hell, but no one knew the answer – until finally, he chanced upon a dirty old woman, who looked so weak and feeble he didn’t even think to ask her anything.

Instead, she came to him herself: “Where are you going, young man?”

“Oh, I am trying to find the way to Hell, but I don’t know where it is,” he replied.

“I see, my friend,” said the woman, reaching under her arm. “Well, if you are heading to Hell, you’re going to need this branch. On your way, you will meet a black rooster. You have to catch him and pull out one of his feathers. Then you will come across a black billy goat who will try to ram you with his horns. You will have to take a bristle from his chin.”

The woman gave…