The youngest princess wanted to hear about everything again. The next night when she stood by the open window and looked up through the sea, she thought she could hear the bells ringing.
The next year another sister became fifteen and went to the top of the sea. She went there just as the sun was going down in the sky at night.
"This was more beautiful than any other thing I ever saw, " she told her sisters when she came back. "The sky was golden, and I cannot tell you how beautiful it was."
It was soon time for another sister to go to the top of the sea. She was the bravest of the six, and she went up a river. She saw hills with woods and houses and she heard the birds singing. Many children were jumping in the water. Then a little dog ran after her. She became afraid and went back to the sea.
"Nothing can be more beautiful, " she said when she came back home. "I have seen ships on the water: they were so far away that they looked like white birds."
The year after this, another sister became fifteen. She went up to the top of the sea. But the water was cold and there was much snow everywhere on the land. She soon came back.
The five sisters were very happy when they went to the top of the sea to look at ships, cities, and men. But they did not remember these things for long. Their own home soon began to look more beautiful than anything which they saw at the top of the sea or on the land.
The five sisters went up to the top of the sea many times. They went hand in hand and they sang beautiful songs. When there was rain or snow, they went in front of the ships and sang to the people on the ships.
They sang, "Those who live down in the sea are so happy!" Then they told the people on the ships not to be afraid. "Come down to us, " they cried.
When the sisters went to the top of the sea at night, the youngest princess stayed in the father's house, looking up at them. She wanted to cry, but sea people cannot cry. So they are more unhappy than the people on land.
"Oh, I want to be fifteen!" she said. "I know that I shall love the land and the people on it."
At last she became fifteen.
"Now you can go to the top of the sea," said her grandmother.
When she went up to the top of the water, the sun was just going down. A big ship was on the sea. The men on the ship were singing. When night came, there were hundreds of lights on the ship.
The little sea princess went near the ship. She looked through the windows. She saw many richly dressed men; the most beautiful of them all was a young prince with big blue eyes. He was not much older than the sea princess herself. It was so light in the ship that everything could be seen. Oh! how happy the young prince was!
The little sea princess could not go away from the ship and the beautiful young prince. She stayed looking through the window of the ship. The ship began to go more quickly through the water. There was a big noise and it began to rain. The big ship was thrown about from side to side. Water came into it.
The little sea princess thought that all this was very nice, but the people on the ship were afraid. All at once the ship broke. It went down in the sea.
The little sea princess looked for the young prince. For a time, she thought, "Now the prince must come to my city in the sea. " But she said, "Can men live in water? If the prince ever comes to my house, he maybe dead!"
"Die? No, he must not die!" she cried out.
She went quickly to the prince and held his head out of the water. His eyes were shut; he was nearly dead. She said, "I must save him!"
She saw the land with its hills covered with snow. There was a wood near the sea: in the wood there was a big white building. Some young girls came out to walk in the garden. The sea princess went away and hid near some stones.
One of the young girls saw the prince. She was afraid, for she thought the prince was dead. She ran back to call her sisters. The little sea princess saw that the prince had opened his eyes. He was alive!