Léopold

Once upon a time there was a man and a women, they were married for ten years and never they had a children; both of them desired to have one.

One day when the man went to a neighbour village he saw an old women came to him.
-It must be a fairy, he thought. If she talks to me, I'll respond politely.
-Where are you going ? said the fairy.
-I'm going to the neighbour village, my good lady.
-You would like to have children’s, do you ?
-Oh! yes, my good lady.
-Well! you see the dogs over there; you need to be bitten and you'll have a son.
The man approached the dogs and one of them bit his hand. Back to his home he told his adventure to his wife . After nine months, they had a son, he was called Léopold.

The more the child aged the more mean he was%: his parents thought that it was because the dad was bitten by the dog? At school, he didn’t want to learn anything; one day he took his dads sword, he show it to the schools teacher and said that if he was reported for any reason again , he would pierce him with it.
The teacher told it to the father:
-Your son is a rascal, he said, I can't manage him.
Finally, the dad said to Léopold that he won't let him stay anymore in his house; he took him on a road and then separated.

Léopold arrived to a village and saw everybody crying.
-Why do these imbeciles cry ? he said.
They told him that a princess was going to be devoured by a beast with seven heads.
-Only that ? said Léopold; what a trivial task!

The people asked themselves:
-Isn't this the bad Léopold ?
He continued his route and encountered an old woman:
-Where are you going, my friend ? she said.
-These crying imbeciles over there just talked about a seven headed beast.
I never saw a seven headed beast; and I almost want to combat it.
-Go my child, said the old woman.
The villagers heard the conversation and said to each other:
-Oh! He talked with such sincerity to the old women! But he a bad boy!
Léopold went in the woods and found the princess which was singing.
-You aren't behaving like the villagers, he said to the princess, you're singing and the others are crying.
-Better be singing than crying, she responded. Please go away quick if you don't the beast to eat you.
-Oh! I'm not afraid; I'm actually curious to see the beast with seven heads.
A second later, one could hear far away the beast in the woods who was smashing every tree in front of it. At the moment it saw the princess, it shouted:
-Ho! ho! you found a lover !
Léopold didn't let it approach; he ran with his sword and chopped three heads.
-Lets continue this tomorrow, said the beast; I won't die this time.

The princess said to Léopold:
-I have seven rings for each heads of the beast: here's three with half of my handkerchief.
The next day, Léopold came back with new clothing.
-What are you doing here ? he said to the princess. Are you the daughter of a lumberjack ? Your parents are maybe in these woods ?
She responded with acknowledging it:
-I am a princess and I must be devoured by a beast with seven heads.
-I have never seen on of these, said Léopold; how do I do ? I would like to see one.
-My god, said the princess, it's a big beast..., which has seven head. Three of it's head were already cut. But go away; I'm afraid that you'll be devoured.
-No I'll wait.
The beast didn’t took long to come. Léopold removed again three heads.
-See you tomorrow , said the beast; I won't die today.
The princess give three rings to Léopold, like yesterday, she thanked him a thousand times.

The next day, the young man added a big fake white beard to his chin to look like an old man, he took a stick and went to find the princess.
-What are you doing here ? he asked.
-I'm waiting for the beast with seven head that has to devour me. Don't stay here; you must have a wife and children to feed.
-I have a child; more or less.
When arriving the beast yelled:
-Ho! what is this ? and old man ! I'm doing to eat him.
Léopold took his sword and chopped the last head. The princess give the seventh ring and the other half of the handkerchief; after that Léopold went back to the home of his father.

The kind published that those who delivered the princess would just have to present themselves, and she would marry one of them.
A lot of people presented themselves to the castle, some with the head of a bullock and others with the head of a calf; but nobody failed to see the lies. Léopold, him, didn’t mind, he took his time.

His dad said:
-Didn’t you hear of the princess that was released from the beast with seven heads ?
He responded:
-This doesn't concern you.
At the end he finally went to the castle; the princess recognized the seven rings and her handkerchief, the king married his daughter to Léopold. The wedding was made and, I, came back*.

*Emmanuel Cosquin 1886 Contes de Lorraine.

%(translator note: need a better translation).

#storytime

Good night everybody.