Author: Gail Carson Levine

In this storybook, a boy called "Cinderlad," the youngest of three brothers, braves a supernatural earthquake while guarding his father's fields and thus acquires three magic horses: a copper one, a silver one, and a golden one. 

Meanwhile, for no apparent reason, the king of the country where Cinderlad lives has put his daughter the princess on top of a glass hill with three apples in her lap. Whoever gets the apples from her will get to marry her.

Cinderlad's older brothers go to the hill-climbing contest, but leave Cinderlad at home, since he sits in the ashes and is dirty.

He follows, though, with his magic horses and some equally marvelous armour, and is able to get partway up the hill. This he does first as a copper knight, then as a silver knight, and finally as a golden knight. As the golden knight on the golden horse, he goes clear to the top of the hill and takes the golden apple from the princess's lap.

The princess is so charmed by the mysterious and shiny knights that she throws the first two apples to the disguised Cinderlad and cheerfully gives him the third.

However, he rides off each time. The king, once all the apples are taken, sends word all over the countryside seeking the knights with the apples. When he comes to the brothers of the Cinderlad, they say the King shouldn't even bother to ask the Cinderlad, but he steps forward, shows the apples, and claims the princess.