Finally, the youngest son placed a bed under the tree and kept watch. He managed to stay awake and saw eight pheasants fly into the palace yard, plucking at the golden fruit. As the ninth bird flew down, she instantly turned into the most beautiful woman in the whole kingdom. The king's youngest son had seen a vila! He fell in love at first sight. The two spoke, and she handed him a small bag with a mysterious purple powder. "You will need this one day," said the vila. After that, an old woman appeared and cut a lock of the vila's curly hair. The vila gasped and turned back into a bird, and she flew away.
In despair, the king's son vowed to find his true love and started on a journey around the world. He traveled for many days and nights looking for her, crossing forests, oceans and deserts. One day, the king's son stumbled across a crumbling old cabin in the woods. He knocked on the door, and to his surprise, a zmaj answered him. "What do you want?" asked the zmaj, who had feathery wings and piercing eyes. "Do you know where the pheasants are?" the king's son responded. Then, he saw the beautiful bird locked in a cage inside the cabin. "You will never see your pheasant again," replied the zmaj, and he slammed the door shut.
The king's son did not give up so fast. He waited under the cabin's big window until nightfall, fearful of the powerful zmaj, but he wouldn't let anything happen to the vila. When the zmaj turned his back to the window, the king's son opened the bag and blew the purple powder on the dragon's neck. The zmaj instantly fell to the ground in a deep sleep! The king's son quickly climbed through the window and grabbed the pheasant. She smiled and thanked him for saving her.
