The Changling

The woodcutters son

On the third night when the Princess drank of her glass she began to choke and, as she fell from her chair, she was changed from a Princess into a beautiful bird, just as the fairy had foretold. The bird fluttered about the room and the Queen called for her servant to fetch the golden cage from the King's quarters. The bird was shut inside, the golden door was closed and the Queen breathed a sigh of relief. For the King had been clever and his cage, once closed could not be reopened.

"There now, my pretty," said the Queen

"You are safe and none shall ever take you from me."

And then the Queen hung the cage from the highest turret of the castle.

With the Princess trapped in the cage, all light went out of the kingdom, and the subjects of Fairyland were sunk into an eternal winter in which crops and fertile lands failed. All that kept the people from despair was the Princess's songs sad and beautiful which drifted from the turret window and spilled across the barren land.

Time passed, as must, and royal princes made brave by greed came from far and wide to release the trapped Princess. For it was said that in the arid kingdom of Fairyland there was a golden cage so precious it made their own fortunes seem humble, and a caged bird who's songs were so beautiful that gold pieces had been known to fall from the sky when she sang. But all who tried to open the cage dropped dead as soon as they touched it. The Queen, who sat day and night in her rocking chair, guarding the cage so that none might steal her prize, laughed when she saw the princes slain, for fear and suspicion had finally conspired to drive her mad.

Some years after, the youngest son of a woodcutter came to the forest from a distant land. While he was working, there arrived upon the breeze a melody so glorious that he stopped midstride and remained as still as if he had been turned to stone, listening to every note. Unable to help himself, he laid down his ax and went in search of the bird that could sing so sadly and so splendidly. As he made his way through the overgrown forest, birds and beasts appeared to help him and the woodcutters son made sure to thank them, for he was a gentile soul who could communicate with all in nature. He climbed through brambles, ran across fields, scaled mountains, slept at night in hallow trees, ate only fruits and nuts, until finally he arrived at the castle walls.

"How came you to this forsaken land?" said the guard

"I fallowed the song of your beautiful bird."

"Turn back if you value your life," said the guard "For all in this kingdom is cursed, and whosoever touches the sad birds cage shall be lost."

"I have nothing to love nor lose," said the woodcutters son "And I must see for myself the source of such glorious singing."

It so happened that, just at that instant, the Princess bird attained her eighteenth year and she began to sing the saddest most beautiful song of all, lamenting the loss of her youth and her freedom. The guard stood aside and the young man crossed into the castle and climbed the stairs  to the highest turret.

When the woodcutters son saw the trapped bird, his heart was full of care, for he liked to see neither bird nor beast imprisoned. He looked beyond the gold cage and saw only the beautiful bird inside, he reached for the cage door and, it sprang open and the bird was set free.