The Knight And The Candle That Burned At Both Ends

Once a witch called Mercilla, because she wanted him to do her bidding, put a slow working curse upon a knight who rode past her house.
"At the stroke of midnight you will turn into a monster", she said, "Unless you bring me what I ask for then I will remove the curse".
And so the knight was forced to obey the witch then she told him to get a magic candle from the house of an ogre at the top of a blue mountain and getting on his horse he rode all the way up the mountain to the house of the ogre and seeing, through the window that the ogre in the house was asleep he opened the door very slowly and crept into the house and, inside the house, upon a table he saw a strange candle that was burning at both ends but not getting any shorter.
"A candle that burns at both ends but gets no shorter, that must surely be the magic candle that the witch wants me to steal", he thought.
But then, as he took a step towards the candle, the ogre opened its left eye of blue; then as he took another step towards the candle, the ogre opened its right eye of green and then as he took a third step towards the candle, the ogre opened its middle eye of bright red and, just as the knight was about to pick up the candle, the ogre opened up all three of his mouths and they roared in unison.
Then leaping up from his bed and seeing the knight, with the ogres left hand he picked up an axe, with his right hand he picked up a spiky club and with his middle hand he picked up an iron mallet.
Then the ogre came towards the knight, waving all of its weapons and so, quickly picking up the candle with his left hand, the knight drew his sword with his left and did his best to fight off the ogre and, managing to get to the open door of the house the knight ran out of it with the ogre chasing behind.
"Little Sir", said the ogre to the knight, "I will give you a chance. Hand back the candle that burns at both ends and I will not split your head with my axe".
"I dare not", shouted the knight, "For if I do not get this candle to a witch before midnight strikes that I will become a monster".
Just then however, the knight heard the first bell of midnight start to toll and, when it did, both his legs became the legs of a lion.
But the knight did not grow dispirited.
"A man with lion legs can run faster", he said.
And so saying, the man started to run at the speed a lion can run.
But the ogre had legs long as tall men and it could run just as fast so it was not long before it had caught up with the knight.
Then ogre shouted to the knight,
"Little sir. I will give you a second chance. Hand back the candle that burns at both ends and I will not knock your head off with my iron mallet"
"I dare not", shouted the knight, "And I would rather be a knight without a head than become a monster".
But then however, the knight heard the second bell of midnight start to toll and, when it did, both his arms became those of a bear.
But the knight did not grow dispirited.
"A man with the arms of a bear can be stronger", he said.
And so saying, the man picked up a large rock and hurled it at the ogre knocking him out.
But the ogre had a head hard as a boulder and it was not long before it regained consciousness and then, running as fast as it could with its long legs, caught up with the knight.
Then however, the knight came to the edge of a cliff and had nowhere else to run and the ogre said to him,
"Little sir. I will give you just one more chance. Hand back the candle that burns at both ends and I will not put holes in your head with my spiky club".
But a third time, the knight, shaking his head replied,
"I dare not and though your offer is kind I would rather a headfull of holes than spend my life as a monster".
But then however, the third bell of midnight started to toll and, when it did, large eagle wings sprouted from the mans back.
But the knight, looking at the wings, did not grow dispirited.
"A man with the wings of an eagle can fly", he said.
And so saying, the man spread his wings and, flapping them soared up into the air and flew away.
Then he flew as fast as an eagle can fly back to the house of the witch who was waiting outside the house and thrusting the candle that burns at both ends into her hand he said,
"There is your candle. I have done what you said, now keep your promise and lift this curse from me".
But the witch only laughed and then, holding up the candle that burned at both ends said,
"Why would I want to do that? Now that I have the magic candle, I'm the most powerful witch there is. I don't need to keep my promise to anyone".
But then the knight felt his head begin to change and, realising it was too late, that it was already midnight he cried out in misery and then, his head becoming the head of a wolf his human cry became a howl.
But then, suddenly, out of nowhere, the ogre appeared.
"Return my candle, witch", he roared at the witch, raising his hammer,  "Or I'll hammer you like a nail into the ground and play croquet with your head".
But, again, the witch only laughed.
"You foolish, fat headed ogre", she said, "You cannot do anything to me. Not with the candle in my possession. I am the most powerful witch in all the world".
Then, raising the candle above her head, she made the ogre begin to shrink.
He got smaller and smaller until he was little bigger than a childs doll and his thunderous voice sounded more like the creak of a door.
But, fortunately, while all this had been happening, the knight had crept stealthily behind the witch and, leaping with all the power in his bear arms and lion legs he leapt upon her, growling and snarling and when he did he knocked the magic candle out of her hands and it fell right infront of the ogre.
Then touching the candle with his doll sized hand, the ogre made a wish and a hole opened up beneath the witches feet that led all the way to hell and the witch fell right onto the devils fork before, the ogre making another wish, the earth closed up again.
But then the ogre, wishing himself back to his normal gigantic size said to the knight,
"Thankyou, little sir, for saving me when my life was in peril. For that I owe you and so I will lift the curse that the witch placed upon you".
And, raising up the magic candle that burned at both ends, the ogre wished for the witches spell to be broken and when this happened the knight was transformed back into a handsome, young man.