John de Valiant

He is an abandoned child found in a cornfield and given the name Kukoricza Jancsi (“Johnny Corn”). He becomes a shepherd. He falls in love with an orphan girl, Iluska, raised by her wicked stepmother. Once while the lovers become completely absorbed in each other, the sheep wonder away. Jancsi’s furious master chases him from the village. He founds himself deep in the woods, at the hiding place of a gang of marauders. He sets their house on fire. Soon he meets and joins some hussars heading to France to fight the Turks. In the battle he saves the French princess and the king as a sign of his gratitude offers him her hand and the kingdom. But Jancsi is faithful and only wants to return to Iluska. As Sir John, the Valiant arrives home only to find that Iluska was worked to death. He goes to the cemetery and plucks a single rose from her grave. Leaves the village, wanders aimlessly in the world and wishes to die. At the Land of Fairies he finds a small lake suitable to kill himself into. He throws the rose in first. The Lake contains the water of life and the rose changes to his beloved, Iluska. They get married and live happily ever after.