Once upon a time, long ago in a great castle, there lived an evil queen, Zelda the Witch. Queen Zelda had all kinds of magic, and that is why she ruled the whole castle. Everyone was afraid of her magic. They were afraid of her power, afraid that she could turn them into something, so they all obeyed her. Every army was defeated by the Queen’s power, so no one dared to oppose her. Her magic was powerful.
The queen had a daughter, the beautiful Princess Julia, who had her heart in the right place. Beautiful Julia grew not only more beautiful every year, but she also gained the ability to cast spells. She was a good little girl, always helping everyone and always smiling. Everyone in the castle loved the little princess, except her mother Zelda, who envied her beauty and power. Little Julia learned magic and turned every garden in the castle into a beautiful meadow full of flowers. Zelda the witch was very afraid of the day when her daughter Julia would gain the power she had, so she decided she had to stop it. And she did just that!
One day, the little princess disappeared. It was rumoured around the castle and the surrounding area that it was Queen Zelda who had bewitched her beautiful daughter, Julia, because she was more beautiful and perhaps even more powerful than she was. But the young, beautiful Julia hadn’t been seen for years. The princess’s flower-filled meadows quickly turned to dry grass. Everything in the castle was dark and sad since Julia was gone.
The Queen’s maid named Anna had raised little Julia since she was a little girl and she searched the whole castle, but she could not find the brown-haired Julia anywhere. The witch was the only one who knew where she had hidden her daughter.
Zelda enchanted her daughter into a dove and hid her high in the tower so that no one would ever find her. The villagers hoped that their princess would one day return and stop her mother’s misrule. Years passed and passed and our Princess Julia was still trapped high in the tower. She hoped that one day someone would rescue her and she would regain her power and be the beautiful princess she once was.
Beyond the mountains and valleys, in a nearby castle, lived young Prince Christian. He was brave and strong and admired by all. One morning a letter reached the prince saying that the enchanted Princess Julia lived in a nearby kingdom and that he was the one who could save her. The prince didn’t believe it at first, but when he heard from his royal father that it was the castle of Zelda the witch, he realised that it might be true. Prince Christian decided to save the young princess. He mounted his horse and rode across the valley in search of the princess.
And did Prince Christian save the young Princess Julia? Did the princess turn from a dove into a girl again? That, dear children, we will find out in the next fairy tale.
