Once upon a time there was a King and a Queen who had only one daughter,
called Windflower. Just before Windflower's ninth birthday, the Queen,
her mother, when she was walking in the garden of the palace, found a
silver horseshoe lying on one of the paths. Now a silver horseshoe was
always found in the garden just before the death of a Queen, so the
Queen went to bed at once and sent for her daughter.
"My child," she said, "I have found a silver horseshoe in the garden,
and that means I have not long to stay in this world. So listen
carefully to what I have to say. You will be the most beautiful Princess
the world has ever seen, and I hope you will find a husband who is
worthy of you. Take this ring; it is was given to me by my mother, who
in her turn received it from my grandmother. The ring is faery, and you
must keep it and wear it always, for as long as you keep it you will be
sure of true love; but if you give it away you will give your heart and
all its power away with it, and evil will come of this. And if you are
blessed with a daughter you must give it to her before you die; but if
you have no daughter then you must cast the ring into the sea, for its
work will be done."
When the Queen had said this she kissed Windflower and put the ring on
her finger. Then she sent for the King and bade him be a good father to
their child, and after she had said farewell she fell asleep and never
woke up again.
Two years after the Queen died, the King married again. This second wife
had already been married before, and she had a daughter of her own who
was called Emerald, and who was just the same age as Windflower. As the
years rolled on the new Queen became jealous of her step-daughter,
because Windflower grew up into the most lovely creature that had ever
been seen. She was tall and slender, and her eyes were like dew and her
face like the petal of a flower. She danced like the surf of the sea,
and she sang like a bird.
But Emerald, although she was handsome, had a proud face, with envious
green eyes that glittered balefully. And as, of course, everybody liked
Windflower much better than Emerald, this made the Queen angry, and she
determined, when the children were grown up and it was time that they
should marry, that none of the princes of the land should set eyes on
Windflower until Emerald was married. So she sent Windflower to a lonely
tower which was in a forest outside the city, and she told the King and
the Court that Windflower was not well, and had been ordered by the
physicians to live in a quiet place. So Windflower lived by herself in
the forest and saw nobody but her old nurse; but she was not sorry to
get away from her step-sister, who teased and pinched her dreadfully.
When Emerald's seventeenth birthday came, the King and the Queen
prepared a grand banquet to celebrate it, and they invited all the
princes of the land, and of these the youngest and the handsomest was
Prince Sweetbriar. As he was heir to a large kingdom, the Queen was
anxious that he should marry Emerald.
Now it happened that as Prince Sweetbriar was riding to the palace in
company with several other Princes, he dropped behind his companions and
lost his way, and presently he found himself in the forest where
Windflower lived, and he rode past just under the tower. Just then
Windflower was leaning out of the window. Her hair, which was like a
golden mist, was hanging about her shoulders, and her face blushed like
the dawn. Sweetbriar looked up, and he fell in love with her at first
sight, and Windflower looked at him and smiled and fell in love with him
too. Then he rode on till he found the city and the palace.
The Queen paid every attention to him, and gave him the most gorgeous
room in the palace. The banquet was held in the evening, and after it
was over there was a State ball. Sweetbriar looked everywhere for
Windflower, but in vain. He asked one of the courtiers whether the King
had not got another daughter, and he was told that there was another
called Windflower, but nobody ever saw her because she was ill. But
Sweetbriar could think of nothing else but Windflower's face, and, in
spite of all the Queen did, he took no notice of Emerald.
When the ball was over he found out from his page, who had been
gossiping in the kitchen, that Windflower was none other than the
beautiful maiden he had seen in the forest. So early next morning he set
out for the forest, and he found the tower without difficulty.
Windflower looked even more beautiful than before, and Sweetbriar
declared his love and asked her to be his wife, and she answered "Yes,"
and they spent the whole morning together, talking about how happy they
would be.
Then Sweetbriar rode back to the palace and asked the King for the hand
of his daughter Windflower, whom he had met in the forest. The Queen, of
course, tried to make objections, but Sweetbriar would not hear of
them; so the King gave his consent, and the Queen could do nothing more,
and Sweetbriar and Windflower were married.
For a year they were as happy as the day is long, and a little daughter
was born to them whom they christened Sundew; but after a year had gone
by the Queen took counsel with her daughter Emerald, and said--
"All is not yet lost, and if you are skilful we may defeat the minx yet.
You have only to persuade Sweetbriar to make Windflower give him the
ring which her mother gave to her, and all will be well."
"I will do it," said Emerald.
So one day Emerald said to Sweetbriar: "You have a very beautiful wife.
I hope she is as devoted as she is beautiful."
"Of course she is!" said Sweetbriar.
"Do you think she would do anything you wished?" asked Emerald.
"Of course," answered Sweetbriar.
Then Emerald laughed, and said: "I am sure she would not even give you
the ring she wears on her finger."