This is the story of a very beautiful girl, the youngest sister among twelve brothers. She was so beautiful and virtuous that she had no equal, so none of the suitors dared to ask for her hand in marriage.
One day, a foreign warrior, handsome and strong, but from a distant land, came and asked for her hand. Her mother and eleven brothers were against their marriage, but Kostandini, the twelfth brother, seeing his sister’s wish, asked his mother to accept him. The mother, troubled, said: “How can I have my only daughter near me in times of joy, and how can I have him near me in times of sorrow?” Thus, Kostandini promised and gave his word that whenever she wished to see him, he would bring her daughter.
After ten days of celebrations, Doruntina, the name of the girl, set off for the foreign land. Years passed, and the war claimed her twelve brothers one after another. The poor mother wept bitterly until one night she lit a candle on the graves of the eleven sons. But when she went to Kostandini’s grave, she lit two candles and sorrowfully called out to her deceased son: “Where is your promise, my son? Now, who will bring me Doruntina?”
As night fell, Kostandini rose from his grave. The white marble turned black. He flew and flew with the wind, crossing places he had never seen before. At the end of his journey, he arrived at the village where his beloved sister lived. He saw her children playing and asked: “Where is the lady, mother?”
She was at a feast, dressed in velvet, dancing with the village women. She was surprised to see her brother and went to embrace him warmly. He asked her to ride with him on the horse to take her to their mother, dressed as she was.
During the journey, birds flew around them, whispering: “The dead rides with the living.” Doruntina asked her brother many questions about why his clothes were covered in mold, why his hair was dusty, and why he was so pale. He answered that it was the journey that had brought him to such a state.
As they approached the village church, Kostandini asked Doruntina to continue on foot towards the house, as he wanted to stop for a moment to pray, thus finding an excuse to return to his grave.
