"In the magnificent winter palace of his majesty Tsar Nicholas emperor of all the russias a grand ceremony was about to begin" "There was a ceremony in the palace every day of the year because the Tsar Nicholas, mightiest of the mighty most feared among the feared enjoyed ceremonies." "He enjoyed the glittering robes and the sound of trumpets" "He loved to see his subjects bowing on the ground before him." "But what he liked most of all was to be give rich and extravagant presents" "And he knew that today's present would be very extravagant indeed." "For today a royal prince from a far off kingdom had come to ask if he could marry the Tsar's daughter." "The princess Alexea" "We present to the person of your imperial majesty the captain of the Anatolian Royal Guard." "The commander of the Anatolian Royal Household." "The crown prince of Anatolia." "Leader of the Anatolian royal circus?" "The prince has a magnificent present for your majesty." "Let him approach the thrown." "Begin the ceremony." "Uh..." "Oh mighty Tsar, emperor of all the Russias who's dominion extends..." "Yes very good..." "Move to the matter of importance." "Uh..." "The princess?" "The present" "Oh the present, yes." "Uh..." "Oh..." "Um..." "Chamberlain?" "Your majesty" "His royal highness asks me to say that if you will give him the hand of the princess Alexea in marriage, the reknowned craftsmen of Anatolia will build for you the finest, fasted ship in all the world." "A golden ship." "A ship like this one?" "A present worthy of a princess your majesty." "Yes." "Alexea come and see the..." "Alexea?" "Yes father." "Come now." "What do you say?" "It's very beautiful." "What can it do?" "Do?" "Why it will sail swiftly across our lakes and seas!" "Shouldn't the Tsar's ship do something more?" "More?" "Yes." "What else can it do?" "Um..." "It um... can do nothing else your majesty." "Ha" "Your majesty." "Let the crown prince know only what you would have the ship perform and it shall be done." "Very well." "I shall give the hand of the princess Alexea in marriage only for a ship that will, uh.. that will... uh..." "A ship that will..." "Fly" "A ship fly?" "uh... fly!" "?" "Like a bird" "Fly." "Yes that's good!" "Fly!" "A ship to fly in like a bird!" "Ha!" "Let the command be sent forth" "The Tsar will marry his daughter Alexea to the man who will bring him a ship that will fly." "But your majesty" "Uh... bu..." "But your majesty!" "Silence!" "The mighty Tsar has spoken." "The mighty Tsar had spoken." "And his words went out into corners of his empire that he had never visited" "And into lands so distant, that their very existence was unknown to him." "But all who lived there knew well enough that they were the subjects of the Tsar Nicholas and that their duty was to do his bidding." "Wherever the Tsar's commmand was heard" "There were men and women who saw their opportunity to serve him." "Although there were others who saw only the opportunity for idleness and a life of riches." "Sergey!" "Look here!" "It's gold." "Quick" "Pull them out before somebody comes." "Here" "Give them to me." "They must be worth... 20 rubles!" "We'll keep them hidden." "Don't tell anybody eh?" "Wh..." "What is it?" "Uh" "The Tsar demands a..." "Flying ship!" "This is it Boris!" "This is what we've been waiting for!" "But, um..." "How can we make a ship fly?" "Oh we won't make a ship fly." "But we will get our hands on that money at last." "Listen to me." "This is what we're going to do." "Thank you bird" "It's very kind of you to come and sing to me." "I'm sorry I have no crumbs for you, but my brothers have been to the village" "Perhaps they will bring me a piece of bread for my lunch" "And you can share it with me" "Oh I'm glad you've come at last" "This old saw is hard work for one person" "Did you have a nice time in the... village?" "So you see..." "Dear father and mother" "Although it will grieve us to leave you" "This is our great chance" "Yeah our chance to make a fortune!" "And bring it back here to you" "As soon as we've built the flying ship for Tsar Nicholas..." "Uh... we just need some money to get started" "And um... some food and drink for our journey." "Yeah..." "To serve the Tsar Nicholas" "As I once served in his majesty's army is a nobel and honorable thing." "But... eh?" "will you not take your brother Pyotr?" "Oh..." "He's too much of a fool father." "He would disgrace us." "Just now in the forest we saw him in conversation with a bird!" "yeah" "And you'll need him here when we are gone." "Eh..." "It may be so." "Well." "You have our blessing." "Your brothers are going on a great adventure Pyotr." "Hmmm" "There is all I have my sons" "Except for this." "Your brother's share." "Oh they can have my share too father." "Here." "You'll need it." "And you'll soon be back with more won't you." "Oh yes." "We'll soon be back with more." "I served the Tsar with this gun." "Take it my boys." "And let it take care of you." "They say the Tsar's commands are fixed with golden nails you know." "You should go and look where you found it!" "Golden nails indeed." "You're the fool of the world you are." "You see what you've done Alexea by your foolish demand." "Now you will never be married." "All because you wished for this impossible ship!" "As a wedding gift." "Father I don't want any ship..." "What?" "I was trying to make it difficult don't you see?" "I don't want to be married to someone just because he brings you the best present" "It is the custom!" "But at least let me somebody and love him first" "Please" "No Alexea!" "My command has been given" "You may marry only the man who brings me a flying ship." "Even if I can't love him?" "Even if he's the" "The crown prince of Anatolia?" "Even so." "A man with such a gift will be a worthy bridegroom." "But I fear there is no such man in all the Russias." "If only your brothers would come back." "Don't worry mother." "I expect they're in the Tsar's palace now in fine clothes with purses of gold to bring back to us." "Do you think so?" "Oh yes." "They'll soon be here." "But Boris and Sergey were not in the Tsar's palace." "They had spent all there money on food and wine and were still only a few miles from home." "If they could see us now eh Boris?" "Better than black bread and soup eh?" "Yeah." "Eh?" "What do you want?" "Eh?" "Get on away!" "Yeah." "Masters I'm hungry..." "Can you spare a little for me?" "Ah get your own food!" "This is ours!" "Go on." "Out!" "Ah..." "Oh..." "Oh." "Oh..." "Oh..." "Oh..." "No soup for me today." "Thanks mother." "Suppose they've been eaten by wolves" "No father." "They have your gun with them." "Remember?" "Ah yes." "My good'ole gun will look after them." "But Sergey and Boris had not looked after the gun." "It had gone to pay for their gambling." "And the golden nails had gone to buy rich food and fine wine." "Soon the brothers were left with nothing except their clothes." "And before long they would have to sell those too." "Don't worry I'll find them." "And I'll find us some food too" "You'll see." "Now you be careful not to lose your way." "Come back to us safely son." "As soon as you can." "We'll all come back together in the flying ship!" "The wind blew cold and fiercly as Pyotr set off on his search." "For two whole days and nights he walked with little rest until he came to where the forest was suddenly calm and strangely quiet." "Although Pyotr did not know it, this was the way his brothers had passed." "And there in his path lay the fallen feathers of the snow bird." "Hmmm." "Hello bird" "How are you today" "Ho, are these your feathers?" "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to give them back to you." "I'll leave them here anyway." "Good day master." "Good day sir." "Have you journeyed far." "Ho very far master." "Very far." "Would you like some food?" "It's not much I'm afraid, but you're welcome to share it." "First let me guess what's in your bag." "Ho ho ho..." "Not much?" "I can feel a good fat chicken in here." "And two big round apples." "And a loaf of bread." "And a flask of beer." "I wish you could but all I've got is uh...." "Oh... wha?" "ah ha ha" "Oh ho ho my parents are so good to me!" "They must have put them in as a surprise." "But I wonder where they got them from." "Yes I wonder." "There's something else in your bag?" "Mmmm, its about the flying ship." "Mmmm?" "My brothers went in search of it and now I'm looking for them." "Oh they came this way." "You may have seen them." "Fine handsome fellows." "I expect they shared their food with you too." "Mmmm I've seen no one of that description." "What I'd really like is to find a flying ship myself." "And marry the princess and be rich?" "ho ho, I wouldn't mind that, but it would help me find my brothers." "And then we could all get back to mother and father." "They've been very worried." "Well when you find your flying ship, you know" "You must remember one thing always." "No." "What's that?" "The captain of the flying ship must never ever refuse to let someone ride in it" "If they ask him." "No matter who they may be" "I'll remember that sir." "Do you think I really might find a flying ship then?" "Oh yes." "Yes I think you really might." "Ho?" "I don't...." "Ah ha ha ha!" "You up there!" "Boy!" "Room for me?" "Never ever refuse to let someone ride in it" "No matter who they may be" "You could've hit me you know." "What?" "Oh no, shot at the mast." "Never miss." "Sharpshooter's the name" "Problem is nothing to shoot around here." "Well there are wolves and wild bears." "Too easy." "Need something hard." "Something you couldn't see." "I'd hit it." "Where we going?" "See the Tsar?" "I hope so." "The ship seems to go by itself." "Thought as much." "Said to myself "flying ship?" "off to the Tsar." "Get a ride." "See Tsar Nicholas." "He'd have something to shoot at." "I'll be bound."" "Off we go then!" "But the sharpshooter was not the only person who wanted to ride on the flying ship." "They had not flown far when they saw below them a farmer with a bulging sack of straw waving his pitchfork and shouting." "Oh..." "Your straw!" "It's very cold." "Ah!" "It 'tis cold is that straw." "Icy cold that is." "That straw is the most rarest straw in all the world." "It's what grows up on the glass ears of Siberia is that straw." "Say." "Oh..." "I's take'n that straw to sell to his majesty the Tsar Nicholas" "Ha ha." "He'll be amazed when he sees that straw." "Let's be off then." "The ship soared into the air once more." "And flew on and on over the forests and fields of the vast country." "But soon..." "There were more travelers to join the party." "Come onboard!" "Oh..." "I'll just untie your leg for you." "Oh you mustn't do that." "It's the only thing that slows me down you see?" "Good afternoon gentleman." "Yes unless I tie my leg, you'll simply never catch me I'm afraid." "I run so fast they call me lightning you know." "Heh." "Can't stop." "Oh well." "The Tsar will have work for my boundless energy." "I'm sure." "Let me know when we arrive." "Excuse me..." "Yes?" "I heard you talking yesterday about going to the Tsar." "and I wondered whether I might come with you." "Yesterday?" "We were a hundred miles away yesterday." "Yes." "Well I do have quite good ears." "Oh" "They can hear things other people can't." "Really." "Um..." "Well..." "Have a seat!" "Your welcome!" "Hmph!" "Ah." "Pyotr was not sure wether to believe all the tales people told him." "Though he didn't really mind whether or not they were true." "He knew that he had to give a ride in the ship to everyone who asked." "Nevertheless, he was quite glad to meet two travelers who had no claim to anything special at all." "The forester with his bundle of sticks." "And his wife with her overloaded basket climbed onboard with all the rest." "And though the forester's wife took up the space of three people" "She was so jolly and so happy to share her basket of cakes and pies with everyone, except for lightning who was still fast asleep, that nobody minded." "And soon they were so cheerful and so sure of themselves as they sailed along among the clouds and over the treetops that they all began to sing..." "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar." "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar." "Our delightful litt'l band will be famous in the land our friends will be amazed to see how very grand we are." "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar." "We're off to serve his majesty the Tsar." "We're off to serve his majesty the Tsar." "I'll defend him with my bow." "And I'll tell him all I know." "It's so that we can grow what he desires from lands afar." "We're the servants of his majesty the Tsar." "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar." "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar." "He will greet us joyfully" "And invite us all to tea!" "Which we'll drink in diamond goblets by a golden samovar" "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar." "We're off to tea" "We're off to tea" "We're off to see" "We're off to see his majesty, his majesty the Tsar" "His majesty, his majesty the Tsar" "Shhh..." "Quiet." "Listen." "I can hear trumpets." "And the sound of soldiers marching." "I think it's the palace." "Where?" "There!" "Look!" "Hurray!" "Hurray!" "Hurray!" "Hurray!" "We're off to see, we're off to see" "We're off to see, we're off to see his majesty, his majesty the Tsar his majesty, his majesty the Tsar" "Huh...?" "Ho on you men!" "Sir!" "Where are we now huh?" "We're there..." "And now I wish we weren't." "Father!" "There's a flying ship!" "A real one!" "It's landed in the court yard." "It has been observed your royal highness." "His majesty has commanded me to welcome our distinguished visitors." "I, I couldn't really see the people in it." "You will see them soon enough my dear Alexea." "We shall have a great banquet in their honor." "It's the mighty Tsar himself!" "Oh it's Tsar Nicholas!" "You may rise." "Where is your master." "Heh it's Pyotr what's in charge here your majesty." "I have the honor to be the humble chamberlain to his majesty Tsar Nicholas." "He wishes to give audience to your master." "Pyotr?" "You Are master here?" "What are you?" "A woodcutter my lord." "And you?" "Oh a poor farmer me lord." "Come to bring me straw to the Tsar." "He has no need of straw." "You." "Marksman my lord." "Come with my bow." "Serve the Tsar" "He has bowman enough." "You" "I am but a forester my lord." "But I have saplings here that will grow so fast his majesty will marvel at it." "And my wife here..." "Silence!" "Where did you steal this ship?" "My lord it's our ship." "Or at least it... uh." "Well." "Why have you not brought these royal personages before us?" "Your majesty." "I have to inform you, with regret, that the ship is full of peasants." "Peasants?" "Peasants." "With straw and sticks and all manner of ugly things." "Oh bring them in father." "Please!" "They might be princes in disuise..." "May I speak privately to you your majesty?" "As you see your majesty..." "It is a fine vessel." "Hmmm." "Give them gold for it and send them on their way." "But..." "Since they have stolen it..." "Yes?" "And since they say they have come to serve your majesty..." "Well?" "You could set them a task." "What task?" "A task so difficult, they could not perform it." "Go on..." "And then, as is the custom, they would be banished..." "Or beheaded." "And the ship would be forfeit to me!" "Precisely your majesty." "An excellent idea." "I, I shall leave you to think of the task." "You, you, you will make it very hard hmmm?" "Excessively, your majesty." "Lord chamberlain." "What were you talking about with my father?" "Nothing important your highness." "We were simply discussing arrangements... for the banquet." "Task?" "What task?" "He says that a great banquet is going to be spread out for us here in the courtyard." "Told you sir" "Good good." "Splendid" "Only, if we don't eat up every scrap, and leave every plate clean..." "The task won't be complete." "and we'll all be banished." "I'm not feeling very hungry." "I wish I hadn't eaten that cake." "I don't think it matters wheter we're hungry or not." "We'll never finish all that." "Oh good Lord we thank thee for what thou has spread before us, however little these poor morsels be." "Huh?" "Oh lovely!" "Hmm?" "Huh?" "Oh heh heh." "Well that's that ha ha ha." "It was some kind of trick your majesty." "I will set them another task" "They say the boy who leads them is a fool." "See he doesn't make a fool of you lord chamberlain." "Honored guests." "The mighty Tsar applauds your completion of his task and commands you to an audience." "But first..." "Since you have traveled far and will uh... will wish to prepare your persons for entry to his majesty's court" "I shall place at your disposal the imperial bathing house." "Your guards will escort you there tonight." "Ho ho ho..." "Well I must say a bath will be most welcome." "Hmmm" "Ah..." "That does make ya a bit dusty does that fly'n." "Why must we wait until tonight?" "They have to stoke up the fires first to make the water hot." "So hot that we can't bear it." "What?" "I can hear him." "The chamberlain." "He's ordering the furnaceman to stoke up the fires." "Well" "He's saying that we'll all be trapped inside... and boiled alive" "Like lobsters!" "You understand what you have to do?" "The furnacemen were not happy at the orders the chamberlain had given." "They knew that Pyotr and his friends had done nothing to deserve such cruelty." "But they were too frightened to disobey." "And soon the flames were leaping and crackling under the darkening sky." "The chamberlain looked down grimly from his window." "Now we'll see who are the fools." "But neither he nor the guards had noticed that in the proud little party under escort there were only 6 people when there should have been seven." "The ice cold straw almost put out the fire completely and the furnacemen had to hurry for more logs." "By the time the old farmer had used the last of his precious straw, the furnacemen were too exhausted to continue." "But Pyotr and his friends were still enjoying a warm and luxurious bath." "... his majesty the Tsar!" "We're off to see his majesty the Tsar!" "So we'll all enjoy a scrub!" "In his private royal tub!" "For the chamberlain has made it plain we can't go as we are to the presence of his majesty the Tsar." "I say!" "It's getting rather cold in here." "Could you chaps open the doors?" "Eh?" "You were going to sell the straw to the Tsar weren't you?" "I'm sorry." "Ho, plenty more where that come from." "Don't you fret." "Ha I wish I coulda seen that there chamberlain's face." "Ha ha ha" "Well friends, thanks to this farmer here, we've shown ourselves as good as any of the Tsar's men." "Splendid" "Yes!" "Quite right!" "And now, if he's truly the mighty Tsar" "He's nothing to fear from us and he'll welcome us into his service." "But whatever happens, we'll stand firm together." "Here here!" "Oh" "Hello miss!" "Hello" "It's a beautiful ship." "Could I come see?" "Well..." "Yes!" "Can you make it fly?" "I wish I could." "It only seems to fly when it wants to." "But it is your ship." "Well..." "Yes." "It is." "But..." "Look..." "If you'd like to sit down," "I'll tell you what happened." "Huh?" "What's your name?" "Pyotr..." "I'm a woodcutter." "What's yours?" "It's Alexea..." "I'm..." "I'm the princess's serving maid." "The princess..." "I wish I'd never heard of her." "What?" "Well don't you want to marry her." "Not really" "I just want to find my brothers and go home to my mother and father." "They'll be so unhappy." "Anyway, I'm just the fool of the world." "I wouldn't be suited to the mighty Tsar's daughter." "I ought to go." "Thank you." "Will you come again?" "I'll try." "But as the princess skipped back into the palace," "The lord chamberlain was coming to tell Pyotr and his friends of the last impossible task he had set them." "And this time, it really was impossible." "A thousand miles away... across the grasslands and mountains and trackless wastes of Russia" "There lay a magic lake of silver water." "Pyotr's task was to fill a bottle with this water, bring it back to the palace and place it in the hands of the Tsar." "Then, said the lord Chamberlain, he would be able to marry the princess." "If he failed, the ship would belong to the Tsar and they would all be beheaded." "But there was a condition." "The water had to be delivered by the last stroke of 12'oclock noon." "And it was five minutes to 12 already." "Oh please fly ship!" "Please come on ship!" "come on get up there fly don't you see?" "fly why don't ya?" "come on it's no use..." "Oh." "Are we off again?" "uh Jolly good!" "Should be." "Ship won't go." "New task." "Go Lake Volskaya" "Fetch water don't fetch it in five minutes... heads *click* off." "Oh!" "Right." "Give me the bottle." "I told you I could run." "But lightning!" "Untie me." "Come on." "Yes lovely places Lake Volskaya." "My family used to go there in the Summer when I was a boy." "I remember it well." "Father" "I have something to tell you." "I've met the man I want to marry." "What?" "How?" "It's just as you commanded." "He has brought you a flying ship and now I want to marry him." "His name's Pyotr." "You cannot marry him Alexea." "Where is his gold?" "Where's his army?" "A woodcutter?" "His parents probably come from some hut in the forest." "They do!" "and I don't care." "They're good and kind people." "Good and kind they may be, but they are peasants!" "And you shall not marry him." "You are a princess." "Besides..." "He has another task." "Oh no." "What?" "He is to fetch me some water from Lake Volskaya..." "In five minutes." "But he'll never do that." "No your highness." "It appears he will not." "He must be here soon." "Went so fast. should be here now." "Quiet." "I can here something." "Can you hear him coming?" "No." "I can hear..." "I can hear..." "A sound." "Yes." "I can hear him snoring." "He's fell asleep again is what he's done." "We've got to wake him up!" "Sharpshooter!" "If we can find him, could you shoot an arrow to wake him?" "Ah" "You listen." "I shoot." "Now then." "Listen for'em!" "Show me where!" "I can hear him snoring... in..." "That direction." "And he's..." "He's by the lakeside, I can hear the water lapping." "He must be under a tree because I can hear the bees buzzing in it." "An apple tree." "Because I can hear the munching of caterpillars." "Can you see him?" "Can you see him?" "Hmmm" "Got him!" "Don't shoot him!" "Ha!" "Huh?" "Pyotr, don't walk!" "Run!" "Go on." "Run!" "Your majesty." "We have performed all the tasks you have set us." "Now we ask you to take the ship, but let us go." "I want to see my parents and my brothers." "My friends who came here to serve you but were rejected also want to go back to their homes." "As for the princess," "I could not marry the daughter of so fierce and terrible a father." "I would rather wish to marry someone simple and kind." "Like her serving maid." "Serving maid?" "What serving maid?" "That girl there." "We talked together." "Serving maid indeed." "That is my daughter the Princess Alexea." "And you will never have her as your wife." "Ah how dare you speak so to the mighty Tsar." "To, to, to the dungeons with him." "No!" "No no please!" "What have you done with Pyotr?" "You can forget about that foolish boy." "No go on!" "Be off with you." "And don't come back." "Tell your master the Tsar Nicholas that tomorrow we come at the head of an army mightier than his own to rescue our friend Pyotr." "Let him look to his defenses." "That was a brave thing to say forester." "But how can we raise an army." "Friends." "I told you about this bundle of saplings I brought for the Tsar." "He had no need of them." "but no tree will grow faster anywhere in the world." "Tonight let's plant them." "The friends did as they were asked." "and began to plant the saplings one by one into the soft snow." "Although they could not understand how trees would help them when they needed soldiers." "Hmm." "Oh!" "Huh?" "Your majesty." "Their leaders are at our gates." "What are their demands?" "First demand: release Pyotr" "Second demand: marry the princess" "Third demand ... uh" "Third demand?" "Our third demand your majesty is that we all should remain here to serve you and Prince Pyotr and Princess Alexea." "Eh?" "With all the many powers we possess." "What should I say?" "I should say yes." "And so Pyotr and Alexea were married." "And Pyotr was reunited with his parents" "And even Boris and Sergey, who had come home and asked forgiveness, joined the grand ball that followed the wedding and danced with the prettiest ladies of Tsar Nicholas' court." "As for the Lord Chamberlain..." "He had to learn that the life of a woodcutter was a hard one." "Uh Pyotr" "Owe!" "Prince Pyotr, what's gonna happen to your flying ship now eh?" "Uh, your highness?" "Oh." "The ship." "I'd quite forgotten about it." "Well." "It belongs to the Tsar now." "I have my Alexea." "He has his ship." "Yes of course!" "It's my ship now1" "I shall go for a ride in it." "Immediately." "I think you may be too late father." "Too late?" "Farewell young prince!" "Farewell!"