At length the boy found a way out of the forest and came to the strange city and its towering castle. He arrived at the castle without anyone having noticed him. At the gate the prince hid under a carriage that entered the courtyard. He made his way to the great hall of the castle. The prince crept silently to the throne room. There the sword was kept in a glass case next to the throne. The magic sword appeared different to the prince. Before, the design of the hilt and blade were gracefully noble. Now its edges were jagged and twisted. Just as he lifted the case, fifteen armed guards appeared with the robber king.

Unfaltering in his vow to regain the sword the prince told the king, "You are going to need more help." The king burst with laughter and signaled for troops of soldiers to enter the throne room. In an instant it was completely filled. Fierce blows fell on the prince, I can tell you! His armor was strong but alas, the suit was badly damaged and some was lost. The boy was seized and thrown into the dungeon. The king ordered that the intruder be imprisoned three years and then executed.

In two other prison cells were the tailors who were cunning and full of tricks. They gained favor with the prince by telling him curious and interesting stories. Although they were thieves by trade they were also talented weavers. They patched the prince's suit with pieces of fabric from knights whose skeletons lay in the dungeon and used needles made out of bone. The young prince was determined to escape and began to dig a secret tunnel.

When the eve of the third year came the prince had grown into a young man. The two tailors bid goodnight to their friend. "You have been kind to me and I am grateful," replied the prince. The next day, the executioner came to collect the prince but found an empty cell. Guards searched the room and discovered the secret tunnel. At the end of the tunnel the prince had not yet reached open ground. He heard angry guardsmen advancing toward him. A draft of air brushed the prince from between the rocks. He cleared away the soil and found himself on the ledge of a precipice. The prince descended the steep slope but lost his footing and took a horrible fall. When the king's men looked down from the cliff they saw the prince lifeless below. Suddenly the hobgoblin approached the young man. The hairy beast threw the prince over its shoulder. The guards laughed and agreed if the prisoner were not dead he would wish that he were.