Once upon a time, there lived a king and his eight children. The queen had died, and the king was beside himself with grief. He knew he must marry again, but he couldn't get his beloved wife out of his head.
One day, as he was hunting in the woods, the king became separated from his men. No matter which way he turned, the forest seemed to swallow him up, and it seemed he might never return home to his children. Suddenly, the king saw a light. It was a strange, penetrating light that seemed to seek him out. The king followed the light until he came upon a cottage carved out of the base of an old tree. The king strode inside, forgetting to knock. (He was the king after all.) Sitting inside the cottage was a beautiful young woman. She didn't seem to be doing anything in particular. Just waiting. The king was captivated by her looks. A voice came from behind, and the king spun around to see, what else, but a hideous witch. The witch beseeched the king to marry her daughter, and the king, under some strange spell, agreed. The following morning he took the young woman home with him to his castle, which suddenly wasn't so very hard to find at all. Announcing the marriage to his horrified people, the king noticed how his new bride glared at his seven sons and daughter, and he knew he must keep his children safely locked away.
The king asked his baker to look after the children, and the baker took them to an abandoned tower on the old castle grounds. The king would come to visit his children once a week. He groaned for his stupidity at falling into the trap of the witch, but knew that if he ended the marriage, things would get even worse. Eventually, his new bride grew curious as to where the children had gone. The king wouldn't answer her questions. So the queen followed him to the old tower and saw where he met his sons and daughter. Jealous that perhaps he would never love her own children so well, the new queen came up with a plan to get rid of the little princes and princess.
The next day, the new queen rode to the tower. The children had been playing hide-and-go-seek, and the princes were still trying to find the princess when the new queen strode in. Raising her arms she cast a spell on the sons of the king. The air rose and swirled around the room, until the boys were lifted up on the currents, arms outstretched towards the ceiling. They twisted and screamed until their screams no longer sounded human, and their movements looked deliberate as though they could fly. The new queen lowered her arms. The princes had turned to swans. The princess let out a gasp. The queen turned, cursing for forgetting one of the children. The princess ran from the room, down the stairs and out the door, heading for the woods. As she ran she heard the cries of the queen behind her. A great rush of wind knocked her to the ground. The princess looked up to see seven swans flying overhead, making their way towards the sea. Her brothers were leaving her.
