"Alas, wife," said the man, "what should we be king for? I don't want to be king."
"Ah," said his wife, "if thou wilt not be king, I will. Go to the flounder. I will be king."
"Alas, wife," said the man, "whatever dost thou want to be king for? I don't like to tell him."
"Why not?" said the woman. "Go thou must. I will be king."
So the man went; but he was quite sad because his wife would be king.
"It is not right," he said; "it is not right."
When he reached the sea, he found it dark, gray, and rough, and evil-smelling. He stood there and said:
"Flounder, flounder in the sea, Prythee, hearken unto me: My wife, Ilsebil, will have her own way Whatever I wish, whatever I say."
"Now, what does she want?" said the flounder.
"Alas," said the man, "she wants to be king now."
"Go back. She is king already," said the flounder.
So the man went back, and when he reached the palace he found that it had grown much larger, and a great tower had been added, with handsome decorations. There was a sentry at the door, and numbers of soldiers were playing drums and trumpets. As soon as he got inside the house, he found everything was marble and gold; and the hangings were of velvet, with great golden tassels. The doors of the saloon were thrown wide open and he saw the whole court assembled. His wife was sitting on a lofty throne of gold and diamonds; she wore a golden crown, and carried in one hand a scepter of pure gold. On each side of her stood her ladies in a long row, each one a head shorter than the next.
He stood before her, and said, "Alas, wife, art thou now king?"
He stood looking at her for some time, and then he said, "Ah, wife, it is a fine thing for thee to be king; now we will not wish to be anything more."
"Nay, husband," she answered, quite uneasily, "I find the time hangs very heavy on my hands. I can't bear it any longer. Go back to the flounder. King I am, but I must also be emperor."
"Alas, wife," said the man, "why dost thou now want to be emperor?"
"Husband," she answered, "go to the flounder. Emperor I will be."
"Alas, wife," said the man, "emperor he can't make thee, and I won't ask him. There is only one emperor in the country; and emperor the flounder cannot make thee, that he can't."