The two brothers took the czar’s money, returned home, and soon married.  They worked the fields and eventually even they had good words to say about Ivan.

Quest for the firebird. As you see, Ivan had wormed his way into the palace.  One cunning servant, who was stablemaster before Ivan, swore to drive the newcomer away.  The jealous enemy hid in the stalls. At midnight Ivan arrived.  He placed his hat on the window and from it took, wrapped in rags – the feather of a firebird.  Such a light began to shine that the servant almost gave a shout.  But Ivan never noticed a thing! He cleaned the horses and sang songs by the light of the feather.  “Tomorrow,” the cunning servant vowed, “the czar will find out what your stupid mind hides.” Ivan, completely unawares, wrapped the feather back in its rags and lay down to sleep.

At dawn the servant crawled up to the sleeping Ivan, grabbed the feather, and stole away.  He appeared before the czar and said, “Ivan is hiding the feather of a firebird.  And what is more, he boasts that the entire firebird could be yours, if you order him to get it.” With this, he placed the feather on the czar’s bed and fell to the floor.

The czar looked at it and marveled.  He stroked his beard and shouted, “Call me the fool!” Soon Ivan appeared.  “Did you hide a firebird feather?” asked the czar.

“Oh, forgive me, I am guilty!” Ivan replied.

“I’ll forgive you if you bring me an entire firebird, as you boast you can.”

Ivan jumped like a top: “I didn’t say that.”

“If you don’t get me a firebird in three weeks, then, I swear that wherever you might be I will stick you on a stake.” Ivan started to cry and retreated to the hayloft where his friend lay.  “Why, dear Ivan, are you not happy?” asked the little horse.

“The czar ordered me to get a firebird.  What will I do?”