Section 1
There was a King and Queen who, if it weren't for this one thing, would have been as content as the day was long: they were childless.
Eventually, an old fakir or believer arrived at the fortress and requested to meet the Queen. He gave her three barleycorns and instructed her to eat them and stop crying since she would give birth to a lovely boy in nine months. The Queen took the barleycorns, and sure enough, nine months later, she gave birth to Lionheart—the most charming, lovely, and magnificent prince ever seen—who was known for his heroism and strength.
When Prince Lionheart reached adulthood, he also became impatient and was always pleading with the King to let him go on journeys around the entire world. The King would scoff, declaring that only sons were too precious to be cast adrift, but finally, realizing that the young Prince had run out of options, he agreed. Prince Lionheart left on his journey alone with his three friends, the Knifegrinder, the Blacksmith, and the Carpenter.
After traveling only a short distance, these four brave young men discovered a gorgeous metropolis that was abandoned and barren in the middle of the woods. As they moved through it, they noticed tall buildings, wide bazaars, and shops that were still stocked with products. However, neither a street nor a house contained any signs of human flesh. When the Knifegrinder clapped his hand to his forehead and shouted, "I remember!" they were much surprised. "The city I've heard about, where a demon lives and won't let anyone live in peace, must be this one. It's best that we leave."
Prince Lionheart screamed out, "Definitely not even a little of it! At any rate, not until I've had dinner since I'm starving to death."
They then headed to the stores and purchased everything they needed, setting the correct price for each item on the counters to make it appear as though the store owners were present. Prince Lionheart then proceeded to the castle, which was in the center of the city, and told the Knifegrinder to make the meal while he and his fellow travelers continued to explore the city.
Soon after they left, the knifegrinder went to the kitchen and started cooking dinner. The Knifegrinder was just imagining how delicious it would taste when he saw a small figure near him riding on a colorfully armored mouse while wearing armor, a sword, and a lance.
The mannikin growled, waving his lance violently, "Give me my dinner!" "Your meal! Come on, that's a joke", the Knifegrinder exclaimed, chuckling. The little warrior screamed out, "Give it to me immediately, or I will hang you to the first pipal tree!" in a more powerful tone.
"Wah! Whipper-snapper, I will squish you between my finger and thumb if you get a little closer", said the brave Knifegrander.
The mannikin suddenly sprang into a terrifyingly tall demon at these words, and the Knifegrinder's courage vanished. He knelt down and pleaded for mercy. His pitiful cries were useless, though, and he was quickly hanging from the pipal tree's highest branch.
The demon roared, "I will teach them how to prepare food in my kitchen!" as he swallowed all the cakes and soups. Once he finished every last bite, he vanished.
With only a big fear and a few bruises, the Knifegrinder crashed through the tree after struggling so fiercely that the pipal branch snapped. He raced into the sleeping chamber, wrapped himself in his quilt, and shook as if he had the flu because he was so horribly scared.
When Prince Lionheart and the other men eventually entered, they said, "Well, merry Knifegrinder! What happened to dinner?"
"Don't be angry, because it's nobody's fault," he moaned as he crawled out from beneath his quilt. "Just when it was ready, I had a fit of flu, and as I lay freezing and shaking, a dog came in and walked off with everything." He was worried that his friends would view him as a fool for not confronting the demon if he told them the truth.
What an awful thing to do, but we shall just have to cook some more!" the Prince exclaimed. Here! While the Carpenter and I have another look at the city, Blaksmith, you prepare the dinner."
The little warrior also appeared before the Blacksmith as soon as he started sniffing the savory aroma and thinking about how good the cakes and stew would taste. And while he first displayed the same level of bravery as the Knifegrinder, he afterwards bowed down and begged for forgiveness. In reality, everything happened to him in the same way that it had occurred to the Knifegrinder. After falling from the tree, he too ran to his bedroom, where he rolled up in his quilt and started to tremble. As a result, there was no dinner waiting for Prince Lionheart and the Carpenter when they returned, starving as hunters.
