AN: Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows! I am very sorry for not updating sooner but I've been busy with Uni and getting my first ever assignment in on time which I managed happily! For those who requested a Romitri, I hope I don't disappoint you in this tale. So without further ado this is the tale of...

Twelve Brothers

In a kingdom far far away, a long time ago...there lived a happy King named Abe and his beautiful Queen Janine. They had twelve children who were all boys and the Queen was expecting another child when her husband visited her one day to say:

"If this next child be a girl and is delivered safely and healthy into the world, our twelve sons will die in order for her to inherit a vast kingdom as a whole to make her possessions great and for the kingdom to solely belong to her."

Despite the Queen's pleading against the King's decision; he commissioned for twelve coffins to be created and lined up in a spare room to which he gave the only key to the Queen and bade her to hold her silence. In the last few months of her pregnancy the Queen was visited often by her youngest son: Mason. Mason observed the sadness that lingered around his mother and confronted her one day; "Mother, what saddens thee so?" he asked.

She turned her face from him and refused to talk but each day for the rest of the month he asked her the same question until her resolve broke; "Dear son of mine, nothing would please me more than to tell you the truth of what distresses me greatly. It's a terrible truth, but a truth your father would have me bear in silence."

To circumvent the King's orders the Queen led Mason to the spare room where she unlocked the door and showed him the twelve coffins awaiting their young charges. She looked into her son's horrified eyes and explained: "my dearest son Mason, the king has ordered these coffins be made for you and your eleven brothers. If I birth a girl into this world, the King has ordered you all to be killed and then placed in these coffins."

The young prince comforted his mother who was weeping mournfully into her hands and said; "worry not blessed mother for we shall survive; we will leave this place and flee towards the woods."

She looked up to him and gave him a watery smile. "Yes. Yes. My son flee from this place where death lingers awaiting you and your brothers. Go to the woods, let one of thy brothers' sit at the top of the highest tree and keep watch on my tower here in the castle. If I bare thee a brother into the world I will raise a white flag on my tower; but if I bear a daughter, I will fly a red flag. Now go hence from this place! May you have God's grace protect thee."

The Queen blessed her sons as they left for the woods where they kept watch on the castle; eleven days passed and on Mason's watch he saw a flag being raised but it wasn't the heavily desired white flag but the blood-red flag; the omen of death bared upon them. When the brothers found out about the red flag they were very angry and swore an oath that: "wheresoever we find a girl, her red blood shall flow."

They travelled deeper into the woods where they came upon an abandoned cabin possibly once belonging to a witch. They unanimously decided to stay at that cabin where it was decided that Mason as the youngest was to stay and mind the house and cater the food for the brothers. There they dwelled for ten years which passed much quicker than the brothers realised.

The young daughter of King Abe and Queen Janine, the Princess Rose; grew up as a fair maiden in this time. She was good of heart with a beautiful face and rosy cheeks showing her fairness and good health. Once whilst helping her mother fold the washing she came upon twelve small men shirts among her mother's things and asked: "To whom do these twelve shirts belong? They are too small for father."

With heavy heart the Queen answered: "Dear child, they belong to thy twelve brothers."

Shocked the young princess replied; "Where are my twelve brothers, I have never heard of them?"

The Queen looked down in sadness and said: "God only knows where they are, it is said that they are wandering about the world." The Queen then showed the Princess the twelve coffins and explained; "these coffins were destined for thy brothers upon your birth, but they left before they could meet this fate."

Princess Rose comforted her mother and made a vow to her to seek her brothers. So the next morning she set off with the twelve shirts; she walked for the whole day scarcely stopping and when it came to the evening she came upon the old cabin. She entered it out of curiosity where she met a young boy who asked her, "from whence comest thou? And whither art thou bound?"

He was astonished at her lavish garments which clearly implied royalty and her fair face that gave her an ethereal look. "I am a king's daughter, and I seek my twelve brothers, I will walk as far as the sky is blue." She answered him.

She then showed him the twelve shirts which he clearly recognised; "I am Mason, the youngest of thy brothers."

They both wept for joy at finding each other when Mason realised there was a problem; "Dearest sister, there is still a difficulty. We all agreed that every maiden whom we meet will die because we were forced to leave our kingdom and birthright because of a girl."

She responded with pure earnest, "I will willingly die, if by so doing I can deliver my twelve brothers."

"No." Answered Mason "thou shall not die, hide thyself behind that tree until our brothers come and I will soon come to an agreement with them."

Rose did as she was told and hid behind a tree until it was night and the brothers were returning from a day of hunting. Mason quickly finished making a meal for them and whilst they were eating the brothers asked if there were any news, in which Mason responded; "don't you know anything?"

"No." They answered, looking puzzled as they gazed at him.

Mason teased them a bit; "You all who have been in the forest all day whilst I wasted away here and yet I know more than you do."

"Tell us then!" they cried frustrated at his teasing jibes.

"Well then promise me that the first maiden who meets us shall not be killed." He answered to which all the brothers swiftly agreed.

Mason then revealed their sister who came out from her hiding place looking even more ethereal; she was like an angel, a child who had been blessed with worldly beauty. Instantly, all the hate and scorn that had lain inside the brothers' heart healed and they all loved her.

From then on Rose was to stay at home with Mason preparing meals for the brother and keeping the cabin clean and tidy. She sought out fruit, vegetables and spices to make the meals even grander for the brothers; likewise she kept the little house in order with beautiful bed coverings for each of the brothers who were content to be living with her.

One day Mason and Rose were preparing a wonderful meal for all of them to share happily; Rose wanted to put some more decoration upon the table to brighten the room. Therefore she went out into the garden of the bewitched cabin where she saw twelve golden lilies which she plucked for each of her brothers at dinner. But as she plucked the lilies her brothers were transformed into ravens and flew away deeper into the woods. Instantly the cabin and garden vanished from sight.

When she looked around, she was in a wild wood all alone except for an old woman who suddenly appeared with sadness in her face.

"My child, what hast thou done? Why didst thou not leave the golden lilies alone? They were thy twelve brothers who are now eternally transformed into ravens." The old woman explained.

"Is there not a way of breaking this spell upon them?" A weeping Rose asked the old woman.

"There is a way, but it is by no means easy. Thou must be dumb for seven years. You must not make a sound in all of those seven years; for if you make even the tiniest laugh or the smallest word, your brothers will be struck down dead."

Princess Rose simply nodded to the old woman that she would do it from that moment; then she made the vow to her heart that she wouldn't utter a sound until she had set her brothers free.

She found a strong oak tree and decided to sit there each day where she would sit and sew shirts for her brothers when she would eventually reunite with them; there she stayed for six years not making a sound.

One day a young King was hunting in the woods when his greyhounds scented the young princess who was sitting in the tree. The young King looked up in the tree and felt an instant love for the beautiful maiden who had blossomed into an enchanting young woman. He called up to the tree and to her: "My name is Dimitri and I am the King of a neighbouring kingdom; would thou consent to be my wife?"

She simply nodded in response with a small smile with a tinge of sadness to it. He climbed the tree himself and carried the princess down, he placed her on his horse and then he took her back to his kingdom. There they had one of the grandest weddings ever to grace the kingdom and they had a happy marriage.

However, the King's step-mother (AN: Sorry I can't slander Olena!) Queen Ellen Ivashkov nee Kirova; was a power-hungry woman who couldn't help but spread rumours about the Princess. "The girl was a mere common beggar girl; the fact that she was dumb means she may have practiced trickery secretly. She has never even laughed or shown the joy of laughing; the one who doesn't laugh has a bad conscience."

At first Dimitri didn't believe her words but she urged it for quite some time and accused her of committing the most heinous of all crimes until he was persuaded into sentencing her to death.

A great fire was lit in the courtyard where she was to be burnt; the young King looked on tearfully from the window where his love was to die after a year of marriage. He still loved her greatly but succumbed to the influence of his step mother. Rose was tied to the stake; it wasn't until the fire began to lick her clothes that her seven years of silence were up; twelve ravens descended from the sky into the courtyard where they transformed into her twelve brothers.

The brothers quickly put out the fire and released their sister; they kissed and embraced her in happiness and thanks. Only then did the princess then dare speak to explain herself; "My own love and husband, I apologise for not being able to address you but it was a curse upon my brothers that forbade me from uttering a sound."

He looked upon her honest face and smiled giving her a long kiss; "forgive me love for I was deceived by one whom I trusted greatly. I will love you eternally my ever-enduring Queen."

The wicked step-mother was cast as a traitor and punished to be placed in a barrel with boiling oil and venomous snakes then rolled into the woods. It was an evil death to match an evil soul.

King Dimitri and Queen Rose lived happily together with twelve daughters and one son. They lived happily ever after.

THE END

AN: Please follow, favourite and most importantly review! (It keeps me writing )

Important part of AN: I wanted to know if you would be interested in me doing an alternative interpretation of this story with a slightly different story line from 2 productions I have seen and watched. Anyways let me know!