AN: Hey faithful readers and new readers, sorry for the long wait for this chapter but many people were not responding whether they wanted to read an adaptation version of the previous tale ('Twelve Brothers'), as well as; university stress. I have decided to tell the tale none the less... hope you enjoy!
The Six Swans/The Wild Swans (you can watch them on YouTube)
In a kingdom far, far away their lived jolly King Abe and his seven children; six sons and one beautiful daughter. They lived happily together but the King couldn't help but notice something was missing in his children's lives. Although he was doing his best to raise his children properly to become his heirs to his kingdom and fortune; he felt his children needed a special kind of love and affection only a mother could provide.
Unfortunately his Queen Janine died giving birth to their youngest son, Mason. Therefore he decided to marry another; Tatiana Ivashkov, a member of one of the most prominent families at his court. The children attempted to get to know their new mother better to earn the approval of their beloved father; but Tatiana rejected all advances the children made towards her.
Her soul was blacked with jealously and resentment towards the children. She wanted the power and dominance that came with being the Queen rather than the soft and tender side her husband portrayed.
The daughter of the King, Rosemarie; was a beautiful girl aged eleven; she was like a mother to her brothers who were all younger than her. From Jesse (the eldest) who was ten years old, Ralf who was nine, the twins Christian and Adrian who were eight, Mikhail who was seven to Mason who was six. She played all sorts of games with the boys and sung them lullabies to help them sleep; she was the 'special one' of her father who favoured her more than her brothers.
One evening, she put the boys to bed and retired to her chambers to sleep. The evil Queen Tatiana entered her rooms; using dark magic she created six toads with the intention of marring her beauty and making her the ugliest in the entire kingdom. But Rose's pure heart that transcended into her beautiful features instantly turned the toads into roses. Vexed Tatiana left the room for that of the brothers and there she laid a curse:
"Young princes you shall be but only at night for the rest of eternity, Crows you shall be during the day forever flying on your way." (AN: so proud of that – wrote it myself)
Instantly the prince's cried out as they were transformed into beautiful, regal swans much to the disgust of Tatiana's shrivelled heart. Even more furious she chased the swans from the room as she cast a spell on the castle preventing them from ever returning; she then ordered her personal guards to shoot every swan that ever came near the castle.
The poor princes flew away past the village surrounding the castle and into the woods. The next morning, Rose woke up warily looking around her room but only seeing six roses on her bed; she smiled to herself and put them in a vase before dressing quickly and heading to dinner.
"Good morrow father!" She called out to King Abe with a bright smile on her face.
"Guards!" he bellowed in response, "Arrest this intruder and throw her into the dungeons!" he ordered.
"But father!" she called out desperately to him with tears in her eyes whilst Tatiana looked on happily smirking to herself. "It is me, your beloved Rosemarie, your daughter who you raised and cherished from birth; eldest of your seven children."
"I have no children." Abe denied stubbornly looking at Rose with distain; he had been cursed previously that morning to never recognise his children; to the point that he forgot their existence.
Tearfully Rose looked into the eyes of her father where she realised that he truly had no recollection of her or her brothers. She then ran from the room and down the hallways to the exit of the castle where she escaped into the woods. Rose ran for hours not really paying any attention to her surroundings but knowing in her heart she needed to find her brothers.
She eventually collapsed at the edge of a mystical lake tired and out of energy but very thirsty. She cupped some water into her hand to take a drink then she splashed some water onto her face; before realising the helplessness of the situation: "Oh if only I could find my brothers; then this situation wouldn't be so dire."
She looked up to see the sun setting down when she heard the flapping of wings to see six swans approaching her. When they touched the ground before her they changed into her brothers who all dashed at her to give her a huge hug of joy at being reunited.
"Beloved sister you are safe, blessed be!" exclaimed Jesse.
"Yes brave brothers I am safe and sound, but father has been bewitched to forget our existence!" she sobbed. "And you brothers, transformed into swans."
"It is not all bad sister," Mason gave a small smile to her; "at least you are alive and well."
"Oh brothers, what I wouldn't do to break this curse upon you!" she cried passionately.
The brothers all looked at each other and shook their heads; "sister the price is too high for us to ask you to pay." Jesse explained.
"Whatever it is, I shall do it!"
"You have to remain silent for six years, never speaking nor laughing; and during that time you must weave six shirts for each of your beloved brothers out of nettles." Mason explained.
Rose in response nodded solemnly at her brothers and left their miniature camp to look for some nettles; they all looked on with sadness in their eyes at the heavy burden placed upon their sister. Five years passed in the forest with Rose approaching her sixteenth birthday when the prince of a nearby kingdom came to the woods for a hunt. That day Rosemarie was collecting more nettles as per her usual routine; she had collected so many nettles that she now used to the initial sharp bite of them as she picked them before she boiled them and left them out to dry before attempting to weave them.
That day the King Dimitri of the neighbouring kingdom of Belikova was following his loyal hunting hounds on his horse when he lost sight of them for a moment. He stretched his neck to look around for his hounds when he noticed them surrounding something; rubbing themselves against it in a friendly manner. As he got closer he noticed a beautiful maiden petting the hounds with a tender smile on her face.
As he looked over at her form he felt a kind of tenderness rarely displayed embrace him. "I hope my hounds didn't give you a fright, milady."
She looked up at him startled but simply shook her head with a small smile on her face. Although he had only just met her, he felt a surge of irrational need to make her his in every way.
"Will you leave this place with me and be my wife?" he asked with hope shining in his eyes.
She looked up at him startled before searching his eyes for the proof of his honest and good character as she stared into his eyes. She thought only briefly about her brother's reactions before simply nodding her consent with a small smile and tears of joy.
King Dimitri took Rose back to his kingdom where in a few short days they were married and the Kingdom of Belikova had a new Queen.
One day Dimitri entered Rose's rooms to see her doing her usual activity of weaving nettles together to make a fabric which she then sewed into shirts; she already had five of the six shirts required made.
"Why do you continue to make these shirts of nettle?" he asked, "there is no need to; we are rich and you could have clothing made from any material your heart desires."
She looked up hopelessly at his handsome face wishing she could explain her actions but for fear of the repercussions she looked down sadly with a tear in her eyes. Feeling a tear in his heart for upsetting his beloved he knelt before her and reassured her: "my own sweet love, I only wondered for I fear this habit is unhealthy for you."
She looked up at him with a smile and kissed him gently on the cheek before returning to her work.
Nine months later the royal couple was blessed with a baby boy who was named Prince Ivan. The royal couple were overjoyed at the birth of their little one and so invited kingdoms from far and wide to bestow their blessings on the young prince.
Rose's task of the six nettle shirts was almost completed; as she reached down into her basket she found no boiled nettles, so with a frown she put on her cloak and went to get some more nettle; leaving the care of her infant son to his nurse. When she returned she had little time to prepare any of the nettles for weaving before she had to attend to some guests who had come to bless her son.
After receiving many golden trinkets for her son; the representative of the final kingdom entered: Queen Tatiana. Rose looked on in horror as she entered; then went to retrieve her son from his cot so that she could hold him closely to her in an attempt to protect him from Tatiana's wickedness. But Tatiana approached her and said; "you may have got away from me once my pretty, but why don't you break your silly silence." She simply smirked and then added: "Oh...and your father is dead!"
Rose was on the brink of tears as she looked into Tatiana's cold eyes but turned away from facing her simply shaking her head repeatedly. In that moment she vowed to protect her son with all her power.
A few weeks later the young prince suddenly disappeared; at that moment rumours began to emerge vocally of the Queen eating her child. But, Rose paid no mind to the rumours; she stayed mourning for her young son. It was at this moment of weakness that Tatiana struck whilst doubt lingered in Dimitri's mind; "she's a witch! She must be destroyed along with her sorcery!" she cried
Tatiana ordered the terrified guards to arrest Rose and put her in prison with her nettle shirts. In the days before her scheduled execution Rose tried to finish the final shirt but found she was a few nettles short of finishing the sleeve.
The day of her execution approached until she found herself on the pyre ready to burn with the basket of her nettle shirts at her feet. She closed her eyes as she felt the heat surrounding her, creeping ever closer as it licked the straw at the base of the pyre. Suddenly she heard the call of six swans; she looked up to see them approaching her so she kicked the basked into the air as five of the swans flew into the shirts.
Instantly the eldest five brothers transformed back into humans to extinguish the pyre and set their sister free; Rose looked up to see a bundle being dropped gently into her arm before Mason transformed back as well. Inside the bundle was the young beloved prince.
"Listen to me and listen well," commanded Jesse as he pointed to Tatiana; "this woman is a witch who bewitched me, my brothers and our dear father with her evil magic."
"Yes, it was her who threw the babe into the forest to be eaten by wolves; but we saved him and kept him alive." Mason said.
It was then that evil spirit that lingered in Tatiana emerged and danced around the still burning fire before catching fire and returning to the pits of hell.
"It is all over my sister," said Jesse.
"So I may speak and no harm will come to any of you?" she asked beaming.
The brothers all smiled at her and gave her a single nod.
King Dimitri ran over and embraced his wife and child before giving Rose a passionate kiss.
And they all lived happily ever after...
THE END
AN: Thanks for reading this tale – hope you enjoyed it!
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