Once upon a time, a king ordered a hunt in a mysterious forest near his castle.
从前，一位国王在城堡附近的神秘森林中下令狩猎。

Deep within the woods, hunters discovered a wild man with hair and beard like iron, who was called Iron Hans.
在森林深处，猎人们发现了一个长着铁般头发和胡子的野人，人们称他为铁汉斯。

Iron Hans was captured and locked in an iron cage in the castle courtyard.
铁汉斯被捕并关在城堡庭院中的铁笼里。

He was guarded closely, for many believed he was dangerous and magical.
他被严加看管，因为许多人认为他危险且拥有魔力。

One day, the young prince was playing near the cage and accidentally dropped his ball inside.
一天，小王子在笼子旁玩耍，不小心将球掉进了笼子里。

He asked Iron Hans to give it back, but the wild man said, “I will return it only if you set me free.”
他请求铁汉斯把球还给他，但野人说：“只有你放我自由，我才会还给你。”

The prince, curious and compassionate, found the key and opened the cage.
出于好奇和同情，王子找到了钥匙，打开了笼子。

Iron Hans escaped but told the prince, “If you are ever in need, come to the forest and call my name.”
铁汉斯逃走了，但对王子说：“如果你需要帮助，就到森林里呼唤我的名字。”

When the escape was discovered, the prince confessed and was banished from the kingdom.
逃跑事件被发现后，王子承认了自己的行为，被流放出王国。

He wandered to the forest, where Iron Hans welcomed him and promised to help him.
他流浪到森林中，铁汉斯欢迎他，并承诺帮助他。

Iron Hans took the prince to a magical spring, saying,
铁汉斯带王子来到一口神奇的泉水旁，说道：

“Guard this water carefully; it will grant wealth and power, but do not let it be disturbed.”
“小心守护这口泉水，它会赐予财富和力量，但不能让它被扰乱。”

The prince tried his best, but one day he accidentally let his finger touch the water.
王子尽力而为，但有一天他的手指不小心碰到了泉水。

His finger turned to gold, and when Iron Hans returned, he said,
他的手指变成了金色，铁汉斯回来后说道：

“You cannot stay here; you must learn to live among people.”
“你不能再待在这里了，你必须学会在人群中生活。”

The prince left the forest and disguised himself as a gardener’s apprentice in another kingdom.
王子离开森林，伪装成另一个王国中的园丁学徒。

Despite his humble work, his golden finger caught the attention of others, though he tried to hide it.
尽管他工作卑微，他的金手指还是引起了人们的注意，虽然他努力隐藏。

One day, the king of this land declared a grand tournament, offering his daughter’s hand in marriage to the victor.
一天，这个王国的国王宣布举办一场盛大比武，胜者可以迎娶公主。

The prince, eager to prove himself, called upon Iron Hans for help.
王子渴望证明自己，于是呼唤铁汉斯来帮助他。

Iron Hans appeared, providing the prince with a magnificent suit of armor and a powerful horse.
铁汉斯现身，为王子提供了一副华丽的盔甲和一匹强壮的战马。

The prince, unrecognizable in his shining armor, won the tournament, defeating all other knights.
穿着闪亮盔甲的王子赢得了比武，击败了所有骑士。

However, he disappeared before anyone could learn his identity, returning to his gardener’s disguise.
然而，在人们得知他的身份之前，他消失了，又回到了园丁的伪装中。

The princess, intrigued by the mysterious knight, invited all young men in the kingdom to a feast.
公主对这位神秘骑士产生了兴趣，邀请王国中的所有年轻男子参加宴会。

At the feast, she noticed the prince’s golden finger and realized he was the knight.
在宴会上，她注意到王子的金手指，认出他就是骑士。

The prince revealed his true identity, and the king and princess welcomed him with open arms.
王子揭示了自己的真实身份，国王和公主热烈欢迎他。

On their wedding day, Iron Hans appeared again, revealing himself as a cursed king.
在他们的婚礼上，铁汉斯再次现身，揭示自己是被诅咒的国王。

Iron Hans explained that the prince’s kindness and bravery had broken the spell.
铁汉斯解释说，王子的善良和勇敢打破了诅咒。

He blessed the prince and princess, and they ruled their kingdom wisely and happily ever after.
他祝福王子和公主，他们从此明智而幸福地统治着他们的王国。