The Wild Swans - Bedtime Story

In a faraway kingdom, there lived a widowed king who had eleven talented sons and one beautiful daughter, Alyssa. Let me read the story to you. How about the story of Sleeping Beauty? Yeah, it's great. I would love you to read that story. That's nice. They lived together happily and peacefully until the king married a wicked queen. She was a witch who didn't love the poor children at all. She sent Alyssa to live with a poor peasant and his wife in the country. Then one day, she said to the princes, Go out into the world and make your own living. Fly away like big birds without a voice. But the queen couldn't make them ugly as she wished, for they were turned into eleven magnificent white swans. With a strange cry, they flew out of the palace window, across the park, and into the woods. You! What are you doing? Abracadabra! Abracadabra! Go out into the world and get your own living. Fly like great birds without a voice! At fifteen, Alyssa was allowed to return home. As soon as the queen saw how beautiful she was, she became full of spite and hatred towards her. She took three toads and put them in Alyssa's bathtub. The queen ordered one toad to sit on Alyssa's head to make her stupid, one on her forehead to make her ugly, and one on her heart to make her cursed. Amazingly, when they touched Alyssa, they immediately turned into three red poppies floating on the water. She was too kind and too innocent for witchcraft to have any effect on her. The queen then rubbed Alyssa's face with walnut juice and tangled her beautiful hair to make her terribly ugly. When the king saw her, he was very shocked and declared she wasn't his daughter. How will your father recognize an ugly daughter like you? Sorrowfully, Alyssa stole away from the palace and wandered all day long in search of her brothers until she came to a great forest. One morning, she met an old woman who had a basket of strawberries. Then Alyssa asked if she had seen eleven princes riding through the forest. No, replied the old woman, but yesterday I saw eleven swans with gold crowns on their heads. They were swimming on a river close by. Thank you very much. Have you seen eleven princes riding through this forest? No, I haven't, but yesterday I saw eleven swans with gold crowns on their heads. They were swimming in a river close by. Alyssa set off along the bank of the river until it flowed into the deep, wide ocean. Just at sunset, she saw eleven white swans with golden crowns on their heads flying toward the shore. The swans came down near her. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the feathers of the swans fell off, and eleven handsome princes, Alyssa's brothers, stood near her. Alyssa was overjoyed as she found her brothers. She rushed into their arms, calling them each by name. Oh, it's you, my dear brothers. Alyssa, is it you? Is it you? Eliza, it's you, our beloved sister. The princes were so happy to see their little sister. They laughed and they cried, and they soon realized how cruelly their stepmother had treated them all. Then the eldest brother said, We only turn back into humans when the sun sets. We have to make sure there's somewhere to land before sunset, or we would fall to earth or drown in the sea. We live in a land beyond the sea. It is as fair as this. We're allowed to come back home once a year and stay for eleven days. But we have to cross for a long distance, and it takes us two days to reach it. Along our course, there is no island, but only a little rock rising from the sea that we can land on. We have to fly away tomorrow. Will you go with us? Of course I will, replied Eliza. Take me with you. We are going to fly away. Will you go with us? Yes, take me with you. They spent the whole night making a net of pine and willow and rushes. When the sun rose, the princes again became swans. They took the net in their beaks and flew up to the clouds with Elisa, who still slept. When Elisa woke up, they were far from the land. Suddenly, black clouds gathered, strong wind blew, and the lightning burst forth flash after flash. In terror, Elisa watched the sinking sun, but the rock was nowhere in sight. Being exhausted, the swans skimmed over the sea. Fortunately, they landed on the rock by the time the sun disappeared. Wow! It's amazing! The next morning, they continued their journey. Before sunset, they came to a large cave, covered in delicate green plants. They fell asleep because they were so tired. Even in her sleep, Elisa kept on praying for her brothers. She dreamed she met Morgana, a fairy who looked much like the old woman with a basket of strawberries in the woods. Your brothers can be set free, the fairy said, but you will need to be brave and patient. You must pick the nettles that grow by the cave or on the graves in churchyards and crush them into flax. Weave the flax into eleven coats, then throw the coats over the swans. Only then will the spell be broken. But remember that from the moment you start your task until the moment it is done, you must not speak a single word. Just one word will strike your brothers' hearts like a deadly knife. Crush the nettles into flax and weave the flax into eleven coats. Remember not to speak any word until your task is finished. Elisa got up and started picking the nettles around the cave. Despite getting great blisters on her hands, she determined to bear it gladly. She bruised the nettles with her bare feet and spun the flax. When her brothers returned at sunset and saw her hands, they wept. How miraculous it was! Their tears fell on Elisa's burning hands and soothed the pain away. Oh, Elisa! Your hands are oozing blood! Elisa toiled throughout the night. As she began the second coat, she heard the blast of a hunting horn and dogs barking loudly. A moment later, the king of the land appeared. Never before had the king seen a girl so beautiful. He asked Elisa to come back to the castle with him and even proposed to crown her as his queen. Daring not to speak, she only wept and wrung her hands. My only wish is to make you happy. Someday you will thank me for doing this, the king said. What are you doing here? Come back to my castle with me. Elisa was dressed in royal garments, looking more gorgeous. The king chose her for his bride, although the archbishop whispered that she was only a witch who had blinded his eyes and bewitched his heart. The king even gave Elisa a room that was adorned with green embroideries and looked just like the cave. On the floor lay the bundle of flax she had spun from the nettles, and on the wall hung the coat. The archbishop kept on whispering wicked words in the king's ear, but they didn't reach his heart. Meanwhile, Elisa loved the king with all her heart, and her eyes beamed with the love she dared not speak. At night, she came to the room and quickly wove one coat after another. But when she began the seventh, she ran out of flax. She had to go to the churchyard and gather the nettles herself. I brought all your things to help you feel at home here. Oh, my coats and flax! Your majesty, she is a witch. She'll harm you and this land. Terrified, as if she were doing some evil thing, Elisa went to the churchyard where old witches were sitting in a circle on the large gravestone. But Elisa didn't know that the archbishop followed her and secretly told the king what he had seen. I'm not scared. I'll definitely save my brothers. Ha! Caught you! We know you are a witch and you will pay the price. The king became gloomy with suspicion in his heart. But poor Elisa didn't know why, which made her anxious. When Elisa almost completed her task and only one coat was lacking, again she ran out of flax. Once more she had to go to the churchyard. When Elisa went, the king and the archbishop followed her. Seeing the witches on the tombstones, the king thought she was among them. Let the people judge her, he said. Just touch this item and you will fall into a sleep for a hundred years. That's normal. Just bite my apple and you will die. Shut your mouths! I can even suck the blood of many people without those things. It's not a birthday party, but a feast in memory of her death anniversary. What a stupid idiot! Look, your majesty. She's none other than a witch. Let the people judge her. The people condemned Elisa to die by fire. Even in the dark cell and on her way to the stake, she kept working on the last coat. The crowd became angry and wanted to destroy all her work. But when the executioner made ready for the burning, eleven white swans flew over Elisa. She hastily threw the eleven coats over them. The swans immediately became eleven princes. But the youngest had a swan's wing, for Elisa hadn't been able to finish the last sleeve of the coat. Now I may speak, she exclaimed. I am innocent. Look, she still keeps weaving the coats. Punish her! Punish her! See the witch? She sits there with her magic coats. Let us tear them into a thousand pieces. Now I may speak. I am innocent. All the people bowed down to Elisa as they would before a saint. But she sank into her brother's arms with exhaustion and relief. At this time, from the stake grew a hedge of beautiful roses. The king plucked a rose and put it on Elisa's breast. She awoke with peace and happiness in her heart. All the church bells rang and the birds came in great flocks. Back to the palace went a bridal procession such as no king had ever enjoyed before. Elisa finally broke the spell and saved her brothers. The brave little princess was really a shining example for us to follow, wasn't she? You should be good, kind-hearted, patient and brave like Elisa in the story. Goodbye and see you again soon. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Elisa. From now on, we'll live together happily forever. Yes, your majesty. Your majesty, please forgive me. I see my mistake.