The princess of the shining star

Once upon a time, on the Leguer river, there was a miller who took his rifle one day, to go hunting for swans and wild ducks by the mill pond. It was in December, the weather was cold, and the ground was all covered in snow. Upon arriving at the pond bank, he saw a female duck frolicking in the water. He aimed at it, shot and was astounded to see, right after the shot, a beautiful princess standing beside him, coming from he didn’t know where and who talked to him like this:
- Thank you, my good man! I have been around this place for a very long time, living in the shape of a wild duck, because of a spell cast on me by three demons which give me no rest. You brought me back to my human shape and can set me free completely, with a little bravery and tenacity.
- And what should I do for that? Asked the surprised miller.
- Spend three nights in a row in the old ruined manor which you can see up there.
- And what is there? The devil perhaps?
- Alas, it’s not only one, but twelve devils which will torment you. They will throw you several times from one end of the reception room to the other, they’ll even throw you in the fire. Whatever happens to you, don’t be afraid and trust me, because I have an ointment which will keep you alive and cure you, should all your limbs be broken and crushed. Should you be killed, I would bring you back to life. If you can suffer for me without complaining or uttering a word during these three nights, you’ll find out afterwards that you haven’t been wasting your time. Under the hearthstone of the old manor are three barrels full of gold and three barrels full of silver; all this will be yours and so shall I, if you like me. Do you feel brave enough to try your luck?
- Even if those devils were not twelve but a hundred, I would go for it, the miller replied.

Extract from Tales from the folklore of lower Brittany vol. 1 by F.M. Luzel, 1887.