A long time ago, there were was an old couple who had a little child. Now, their little child, a boy, he cried all the time, so that his mother did not know what to do with him. When he cried again, his mother said to him, “Be silent, my boy, don't cry, when you grow up, I'll give you the girl who is as beautiful as the sun, and I'll call her Iliane Costindene (Barcianu: Cosînzeana), who will command the flowers and has no kingdom.” Then the boy immediately became cheerful and did not cry at all. And as he no longer wept, he grew up and became a tight young man of astonishment, so that he was taken to the soldiers. Good.

 When he had been on duty and returned home from the soldiers, one day he said to his mother: “Well, my little mother, I want to create a family, now give me the girl you promised me, you know, when I was a little boy and cried all the time? She's called Iliane."-" Oh Lord, but I haven't even heard of the girl since then, I haven't even thought of her."-" Well, if that's the way things are, then I'll go and find her. Put some bread and bacon in the bag. “The old woman wrapped it in a bag, then the boy went.

He walked and walked, far, far, far, but he did not meet the girl, only once he reached the Holy Monday. But Holy Monday was just in church and had left the house without water, it had not been swept and had not been supplied. But the boy took the broom, turned and swept, then took the jugs and went to the well for water. When he was done with everything, he hid behind the stove.

As now the Holy Monday came out of the church, he said. "Hm, well, who will have cared for so well in here, if it was a good man, let him come here, so that I may thank him? But if it wasn't a good one, I will call the dog with iron teeth to eat him. “The boy came out behind the stove and said:" Good day, old grandmother!" -  “Thank you, but what brings you to me?" - " Well, look, so and so, I'm going to look for Iliane, don't you know where I can find her?" - " I really don't know but go to my sister, the Holy Friday maybe she knows it. And because you have done me so well, I will give you a copper bridle here, if you shake it, a copper horse will be ready in a moment; just tell him how you want it to carry you, like the wind or like the thought. But rather like the thought because you're quicker than the wind, with the wind you hang on to the branches.” Good. He thanked, shook the copper bridle, and the copper horse appeared before him.

He rose up and rode and arrived as fast as the thought at Holy Friday’s. But he was in the church. The young man entered the house, and when he came in, he found the room unsupplied, unswept, and there was not a drop of water in the jugs. Good. But the boy took the broom, turned and swept, then he took the jugs and went to the well for water. When he was done with everything, he put the broomstick behind the door and hid behind it. When Holy Friday came out of the church, she wondered how clean and tended it was in the room and that there was water in the jugs. "Hm, hm," the old woman said, “who will have done all this to me? If it is a good man, shall he come to me, that I may give him thanks, if it was a bad one, I shall call my dog with iron teeth, that he may eat him. “The boy came out from behind the broomstick and said. "Good morning, old grandmother. "I am looking for Iliane to marry her, I met your sister Joly Monday and she sent me to you, because she said maybe you know where I can find Iliane." - " No, really don't know, but Holy Sunday may know it, but because you worked in the house, I will give you a silver bridle, when you shake it, a silver horse will be ready and carry you wherever you want, like the wind or the thought, travel better like the thought, with the wind you will hang on the branches.“ He thanked, shook the bridle, and immediately a silver horse stood next to him.

He sat on it and rode like the thought to Holy Sunday. He was in the church. When the young man came in, what was there! The parlour not supplied and not swept and in the jugs not a drop of water. He quickly put away his bag, took the broom, swept and supplied, then he took the jugs, brought water, and when he was done with everything, he hid behind the brooms behind the door.

When Holy Sunday came out of the church, he wondered: “Well, who would have put me in order here? If it was a good man, let him come to me, that I may thank him, but if it is was a bad one, I will call my dog with iron teeth to eat him“. The young man came out from behind the broom and said. "Good morning, old grandmother!" - " I thank you, what brings you so far to me?"-" Look, so and so ", our boy started," and you don't know where Iliane may be? "  - "I really don't know it, but my boy, she comes every day at 12 to me. She stays here about an hour." "But now I must put you in the earth, that the sun may not burn you.” She took the lad and threw him 99 fathoms deep into the earth. As soon as she had thrown him down, the sun came up. As soon as she arrived, her mother asked: “Have you ever heard of the Iliane Costindene?" - "How can I not? The path to her goes straight through our gate into hers.” The sun went down more and as she walked, the Holy Sunday took the boy out of the earth and said: “From our gates the way goes straight into the gate of that of Iliane. And behold, here I will give you a golden bridle, when you shake it, a golden horse will be standing right beside you, carrying you like the wind or the thought to her.” He thanked, shook the bridle, jumped on the horse and rode into the village like a thought.

There was an old woman standing by a well. "Good day, old grandmother." - "I thank you, my boy, to where will you go?" - "I seek the beautiful Iliane, who commands the flowers and who has no kingdom. Where should she live?" - " There in the beautiful houses, but thou shalt not submit and enter, there dwells the dragon, who holds Iliane captive, wait until she comes out to the fountain.” But he did not obey, his heart did not let him rest, so much he longed for this girl. He went in. In the first room there was no one, he went on from one room to another through 99 rooms and in the hundredth there was a large barrel in which the dragon sat locked in and wailed: “Oh, how thirsty I am when someone came and brought me a jar of water.” The boy had pitty with him, took the jug and filled it with water and carried it over. The dragon drank it, and when he drank it, a hoop cracked. "Bring me another one!" The boy brought him another jug. When he drank this one too, the second hoop cracked. He went for the third time, but now he knew that if the dragon drank the third pitcher, the last hoop would also crack, the dragon would come out and eat him. Nevertheless, he felt pity for him and wanted to bring him the third jug. When he came to the well, Iliane stood there. He asked her to come with him and be his wife. She wanted to. Now he shook the copper bridle, and the copper horse stood next to him. Good. He went with the jug to the dragon, but didn't wait until he drank it, but ran out quickly, sat on his horse behind Iliane and flew away. But when the dragon drank the third pitcher of water, too, the third hoop cracked and the dragon came out, and when he had come out, he saw that Iliane had fled with the young man.

He went into the barn and asked his horse: “Could you eat an oven full of bread and a pitcher full of wine so that we can still catch up with them?" - "I will eat and drink," said the horse. Good. When it had eaten and drunk, the dragon sat down on the horse and caught up with them before they arrived at the water. "Well, my lad, I forgive you for the first jug of water you brought me, but you must not do this again," said the dragon, and took Iliane on his horse and rode away.

The next morning the young man shook the silver bridle, the silver horse was standing right next to him, he sat on it with Iliane and fled again. When the dragon awoke, he immediately saw that Iliane had fled with the young man. He went into the stable and asked his horse: "Can you still eat an oven full of bread and drink three pitchers of wine that we might catch up with the cheats?" - "I can." The horse ate and drank it, then he took the dragon like the thought behind the escaped ones and caught up with them. "I forgive you for this second pitcher of water, but you shall not try this anymore." He took Iliane and rode home with her.

On the third morning, the boy shook the golden bridle and tried to flee on the golden horse with Iliane. But also for the third time the dragon caught up with him, but now he was angry and said: “You child, but now obey me, I will also forgive you for the third time for the third jug of water, which you brought to me, but if you do such things again, then I will eat you." He took Iliane and brought her home.

On the next day the young man stood sadly by the well and did not know how to free Iliane, only at once, behold, the old woman stood came who had shown him the house of the dragon. "Good morning, old grandmother!" - "Thank you, my child, what else are you doing?" - "Look, grandmother, that's what happened to me," and he told the old woman everything. "Go to the mother of the dragon and take yourself as a servant, but demand no other reward than the weakest foal from the stable." Good.

He went and went until his hunger overcame him, but he hadn't had any food left, what his mother had put in his bag, he had eaten, now he had nothing left. Only once did he see a raven jump from one branch to the other with a broken wing. “God has sent him to me, and I shall eat him,” thought our lad, reaching out his hand to catch him. "Don't eat me, I want to help you too." Good. He left him and went on and came to a rabbit, which was also lame. "Well, I'll eat this one." When he reached out, the rabbit said: "Let me go, don't eat me, I want to help you too." Good. He left him and went on and met a fox. When he reached out to catch him and eat him, he also asked: “Let me go, I will help you too."- He went on and on until he came to a farm. The dragon's mother was sitting in the doorway. "Good afternoon, old grandmother." - "I thank you, where do you go?" - "I came all the way here to hire myself, don't you need a servant?" - "Oh yes, I need one. What do you want for a year?"" (One year only had three days.) "You shall give me a foal." Good. The old woman called him into the living room and gave him something to eat. When he ate, the old woman told him what to do. "Thou shalt not do anything but keep this horse, and make sure that it feeds itself until the morning, but thou shalt take care of it well, if you lose it, I will cut off your head and put it on a stick, here on the fence, there are 99 of them, all of my servants, now I need one more, that I may have a hundred."

The boy sat down on the mare and rode out, he always remained seated on the mare so that she could not cheat him. Towards the morning he only closed his eyes a little bit, and when he opened them again, the mare was nowhere. Now he didn't know what to do and started crying. The raven came at once: “Why are you crying, my child?" - "Look, so and so, the mare is gone to me, and I don't know where to take her from" - "Do you see the goshawk there?" - "I see him." - "Take the bridle and throw it against him and shout, 'Ho, mare of the old'." When he did it like this, the mare appeared. The old woman was surprised that he brought the mare home and was angry about it, but did not show him any anger, rather called him into the living room and gave him breakfast. But while he was sitting at the table, she went into the stable to the mare, who was her daughter, and struck her with a rope until she cried out: “Hold on, don't hit me anymore, tomorrow I want to hide better.”

The next night the old woman sent him back to the field with the mare to feed her. Now he cared for her even better, he remained seated on her and didn't close an eye until morning, when suddenly sleep overcame him. But he just closed his eyes and the mare was gone. Now he was very saddened and did not know what to do and started crying. When he cried, the rabbit came: “What is wrong with you, my child, why are you crying?" - "Now look, this is what happened to me, and now at the end the mare is gone again, and now it will be day, and if I don't find the mare, the old woman will take my head off.” - "Well, stop crying and I will help you, because you helped me". Do you see that flock of sheep over there? The prettiest and biggest sheep is your mare. I will walk between the sheep now and take it to you, but then I flee into the forest, because I fear the dogs. When I bring you the sheep, cast the bridle towards him and say, 'Ho, mare of the old woman'. Then sit down on the horse and ride home.”  The boy did as the rabbit had taught him. When he came home, the old woman stood in the doorway and thought that his head might be hers today, when she saw him returning the mare. "You've been on the field for a long time." - "I thought I should feed well." - "Go in for breakfast." He went in, she went out into the barn, took a double strand and struck the mare until she was completely smashed. She promised that if she stopped beating, she'd hide better tomorrow.

The next night, the young man went back with the mare on the grass and looked after her so carefully that she could not leave until the sun came up. Then he just closed his eyes a little bit, and she was gone. Now it was time to ride home, without a mare he didn't dare to go home and started to cry and cried in such a way that the stones softened from his tears. Then the fox came: “My child, why are you crying like that?" - "Look, ...." he told him everything. "Well, don't cry about it, I'll help you find the mare. She has turned into a duck egg, the old woman sits in the alleyway door on top of it and hatches it. Now come close to the door, and I will mingle with the chickens, and when the old woman hears the screaming among the chickens, she will run to see what is there, then cast the bridle over the egg and say, 'Ho, mare of the old woman'. Then sit on her and pretend you're just coming from the field now.” That’s how they did it. When he came over, the old woman sat in the doorway on the egg and brooded. The fox ran between the chickens, the cock cried:"Kukurigu", so that the old woman jumped up from the egg to look for the chickens. Soon he cast the bridle against the egg: “Ho, mare of the old woman". The old woman was angry, she said, “Why did you come home so late?" - "Because I fed the mare well." - "Come on, take your wages, the year is over."

He went into the stable, there were 99 horses, just as many as the number of heads that had been cut off at the sticks of the fence. Every time she took a head off, a horse fattened. Behind the door stood the hundredth, still very weak and lean. He turned against filling and demanded just this. The old woman gave it to him. And when she gave it to him, he sat on it, and put one over his head, and the horse jumped over the gate, and fell down on the alleyway. He gave him something else, then shook it and stood up; but there stood a beautiful horse with six feet in his place. Now the young man rode quickly like a thought to the well of the dragon.

And look there, Iliane was still there with a water jug. "Come on, hurry up to me, get up." Well, she was up all of a sudden, and the horse flew as if it had wings. But when the dragon noticed that Iliane had fled again, he went to his horse's stable and asked him." Could you eat an oven full of bread and drink three pitchers full of wine?" - Whether I drink them or not, we cannot reach the fleeing ones, they are on a horse with six feet."-" We want to try, the dragon sat on the horse and like a thought they were behind the boy. But it was over, and peace. They just flew over the water. But he did not even see the way in his anger and misery, he saw only the fleeing, and when he saw them, he did not notice the water, and quickly jumped into the water like the thought and drowned with the horse. But Iliane with her groom reached the land in peace and health and married, and if she did not die, they live to this day.