When the King once more saw his daughter, there were great rejoicings. He said to the four brothers, “One of you shall have her to wife, but which of you it is to be you must settle among yourselves.” Then a warm contest arose among them, for each of them preferred his own claim.

The astronomer said, “If I had not seen the princess, all your arts would have been useless, so she is mine.”

The thief said, “What would have been the use of your seeing, if I had not got her away from the dragon? so she is mine.”

The huntsman said, “You and the princess, and all of you, would have been torn to pieces by the dragon if my ball had not hit him, so she is mine.”

The tailor said, “And if I, by my art, had not sewn the ship together again, you would all of you have been miserably drowned, so she is mine.”