Read "The Light Princess" by George MacDonald online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
This was a very disheartening revelation to the king -- not that he was unwilling to sacrifice a subject, but that he was hopeless of finding a man willing to sacrifice himself. No time was to be lost, however, for the princess was lying motionless on her bed, and taking no nourishment but lake-water, which was now none of the best. Therefore the king caused the contents of the wonderful plate of gold to be published throughout the country.
No one, however, came forward.