Today, we are going to tell a fairy tale full of magic and courage – The Six Swans. This is a story of love, perseverance and justice for all ages. Through this story, we can learn how to overcome difficulties with kindness and wisdom.
Chapter 1: The King’s Deal with the Witch
Once upon a time, there was a king who was lost in the forest. He walked and walked and could never find the exit, and finally met a witch. The witch promised to help him get out of the forest, but on the condition that the king must marry her daughter as his queen. Although the witch’s daughter was very beautiful, the king always felt that she had a frightening aura about her. What worried him even more was that this new queen might harm the seven children he had with his first wife.
To protect the children, the king sent six princes and a young princess to live in a hidden castle deep in the forest. He thought this would keep them out of danger. However, there are no impermeable walls in the world, and the new queen soon discovers the secret. She went to the forest, took out seven enchanted shirts, and threw them at the king’s children. When these shirts were draped over the children, six of the princes instantly turned into swans and flew into the sky, leaving only the youngest princess to be spared because she wasn’t draped by the shirts.
The youngest princess watched her brothers turn into swans and fly away, her heart was both sad and determined. She decided to embark on a journey to find her brothers, no matter how hard it was, she would find them and help them regain their human form.
Chapter 2: The Little Princess’s Determination
The little princess traveled through the forest alone, experiencing countless difficulties and challenges. Finally, one day, she found her brothers who had turned into swans. She asked them, “What can I do to turn you back into people?”
The brothers told her that the only way they could return to their original form was to wear clothes made of star flowers (a special plant). But there was one condition: the little princess had to remain for six years without smiling or speaking, or the magic would fail.
Despite the enormity of the task, the little princess accepted the challenge without hesitation. She went deep into the forest and began to gather star flowers. During the day, she was busy picking flowers; at night, she climbed up a tree and sewed clothes by moonlight. Day after day, year after year, she never gave up on her goal.
Chapter 3: A Beautiful Encounter
One day, a young king passed through this forest. He happened to see the little princess who was sewing clothes on a tree and was deeply attracted by her beauty. He immediately fell in love with this quiet and mysterious girl and invited her back to his kingdom. Soon after, the two were married and the little princess became the new queen.
However, the happy days did not last long. The king’s stepmother was an evil witch who was jealous and hostile to the new queen. When the queen gave birth to her first child, the stepmother secretly carried off the baby and then falsely accused the queen of killing her own child. The kind-hearted king did not believe such accusations at first, but with the disappearance of his second and third children in quick succession, he was pressured by his ministers and stepmother to order the queen’s trial.
Eventually, the queen was sentenced to death by fire. Instead of despairing in the face of her impending death, the queen worked harder to finish the last of the starflower dresses. She knew that this was the only chance to save her brothers.
Chapter 4: A Miracle Happens
On the day of the execution, the Queen hid the six starflower dresses on her body and brought them to the execution ground. As the flames were about to engulf her, she looked anxiously to the sky, praying that her brothers would arrive in time.
Just in the nick of time, six swans descended from the sky! With all her strength, the Queen threw the starflower dress at them. In an instant, the six swans shed their feathers and transformed back into handsome princes. They rushed forward to save their sister and stop the execution by fire.
The seven siblings then came together before the king. The queen finally spoke and told the truth about why she had not spoken or smiled for six years and how her stepmother had stolen the child and slandered her. Hearing this, the king came to his senses, and angrily arrested the stepmother and sentenced her to be burned at the stake.
Chapter 5: A Happy Ending
After the truth was revealed, the queen and the king were reunited and the seven siblings were reunited. From then on, they lived a peaceful and happy life. This story tells us that as long as we carry love and faith in our hearts, no difficulties can stop us from pursuing happiness.
For children
Dear children, the story “The Six Swans” teaches us several important lessons:
- Persistence is Victory: The little princess endured six years of silence and loneliness in order to save her brothers and finally accomplished her mission. This shows that any difficulty can be overcome with perseverance.
- Kindness is always rewarded: Even when faced with misunderstanding and injustice, the queen remained kind and forgiving. Her virtue eventually won her justice.
- Unity is strength: The deep bond between the siblings helped them overcome evil and usher in a bright future.
I hope you enjoy this story and learn courage and wisdom from it!
