when he had been home a few days , his mother wanted him to go up to the castle and show the king what a man he had grown to be . his father said : " no , he had better not do that , for we will have to do without him in the meantime . " but there was no help for it , the mother begged and pleaded until he went . when he got there he was more splendidly dressed and fitted out than the other king . this did not suit the latter , and he said : " you can see what my queen looks like , but i can not see yours ; and i do not believe yours is as beautiful as mine . " " god grant she were standing here , then you would see soon enough ! " said the young king , and there she stood that very minute . but she was very sad , and said to him : " why did you not follow my advice and listen to your father ? now i must go straight home , and you have used up both of your wishes . " with that she bound a ring with her name on it in his hair , and wished herself home . then the young king grew very sad , and went about day in , day out , with no other thought than getting back to his queen . " i must try and see whether i can not find out where whiteland is , " thought he , and wandered forth into the wide world . after he had gone a while he came to a hill ; and there he met one who was the lord of all the beasts of the forest -- for they came when he blew his horn -- and him the king asked where whiteland was . " that i do not know , " said he , " but i will ask my beasts . " then he called them up with his horn , and asked whether any of them knew where whiteland might be ; but none of them knew anything about it . then the man gave him a pair of snowshoes . " if you stand in them , " said he , " you will come to my brother , who lives a hundred miles further on . he is the lord of the birds of the air . ask him . when you have found him , turn the snowshoes around so that they point this way , and they will come back home of their own accord . " when the king got there , he turned the snowshoes around , as the lord of the beasts had told him , and they ran home again . he asked about whiteland , and the man called up all the birds with his horn , and asked whether any of them knew where whiteland might be . but none of them knew . long after the rest an old eagle came along ; and he had been out for some ten years , but did not know either . 
why was the young king very sad ?
he missed his queen .
he had no way of getting back to his wife .