so the old woman continued , ' the most beautiful woman in the whole world is the daughter of the queen of the flowers , who has been captured by a dragon . if you wish to marry her , you must first set her free , and this i will help you to do . i will give you this little bell : if you ring it once , the king of the eagles will appear ; if you ring it twice , the king of the foxes will come to you ; and if you ring it three times , you will see the king of the fishes by your side . these will help you if you are in any difficulty . now farewell , and heaven prosper your undertaking . ' she handed him the little bell , and there disappeared hut and all , as though the earth had swallowed her up . when it dawned on the prince that he had been speaking to a good fairy , and putting the little bell carefully in his pocket , he rode home and told his father that he meant to set the daughter of the flower queen free , and intended setting out on the following day into the wide world in search of the maid . so the next morning the prince mounted his fine horse and left his home . he had roamed round the world for a whole year , and his horse had died of exhaustion , while he himself had suffered much from want and misery , but still he had come on no trace of her he was in search of . at last one day he came to a hut , in front of which sat a very old man . the prince asked him , ' do you not know where the dragon lives who keeps the daughter of the flower queen prisoner ? ' 
what did the prince do after the old lady handed him the little bell ?
put the little bell carefully in his pocket , he rode home and told his father that he meant to set the daughter of the flower queen free , and intended setting out on the following day into the wide world in search of the maid .
set out in search of the maid .