Once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden who lived in a tall tower in her father’s castle. Sabrina spent her days alone in the tower spinning, weaving, playing music, writing poetry and reading. Much to her family’s dismay, Sabrina had decided to go into the tower and live in seclusion after her true love had chosen another to be his wife. She felt betrayed and her heart was so broken that she never again wanted to set eyes on any young man. Her heart was growing hard and her parents worried about her. She was a lovely girl with long, golden hair and clear, blue eyes. There were many young men in the land who would wed her, if she would only consent. Her parents tried to introduce her to suitors, but always Sabrina would refuse to meet them, preferring instead to be alone. Every evening, Sabrina would read the poetry she had written that day. From the window high up in the tower, she rather liked reading to the treetops, and the birds and squirrels were a captive audience.

The entire kingdom knew about the beautiful Sabrina in her tower and there were many young men who tried to meet her, but she was not interested. Quite by chance, a young man from the West Country, who was on a journey to the sea, happened to pass through the kingdom where Sabrina lived. At sundown, he was walking past the castle when he heard a woman’s voice coming from a small window high up in the tower. It was the sweetest voice Devon had ever heard and he was irresistibly drawn to the sound of it. When he came to the tower, he sat down to rest. The poetry he heard was enchanting and he thought to himself, “I must meet this maiden. Her poems speak to my heart.” Being very weary from walking all day, the traveller soon fell asleep, with the sound of poetry in his ears and in his heart, dreaming of meeting the maiden in the morning.

At the first light of dawn, Devon awoke to the sound of birds and squirrels playing in the trees overhead. He arose and quickly found the door to the tower. It was locked, so he knocked loudly upon it. Because she was so high up in the tower, Sabrina could not hear his knocking, and even if she had heard it, she would not have answered. However, the wise old woman who lived in the nearby woods came up to Devon as he pounded on the door. “What do you think you are doing?” she asked him. “The maiden who dwells within the tower will not hear you or see you. You are wasting your time here, young man. Best be on your way!”

“Wise woman,” said Devon, “Why is she locked up in this tower when her heart longs to be free? Has some evil sorcerer cast a spell that keeps her locked in the tower?”

“Alas, no,” explained the old woman. “She is there by choice. Her heart was broken by a young man and she refuses to see anyone. Why do you wish to meet her?”

“I have heard her words and feel what is in her heart,” Devon replied. “I feel I can offer her a love that she has never known.”

“Well, those are fancy words, indeed,” chuckled the old woman. “What makes you so special that you feel you can give her such a grand love as this?”

“Because her heart has spoken to my heart,” Devon answered simply.

“Hmmmm,” mused the wise one. “We shall see. I know the place where the key to the tower lies hidden. It is made of pure gold. But you must first cross the Great River and travel the length of the Dark Woods. Then you shall have the Golden Key.” With that, the wise old woman pointed Devon in the right direction and blended back into the trees. His heart was pounding as he set off on his quest.

The sun was directly overhead as Devon came to the Great River. He had often heard stories of this massive, snaking body of water that zig-zagged through the land to the east of his own country, but he was not prepared for the actual sight of it. The water ran so hard and fast that there were white caps on the surface. “How will I ever cross this raging torrent?” worried the lad. “It would take a great bridge to cross such a vast expanse of water! I see no bridge here, nor any boat with which to make the journey. Perhaps if I walk along the bank for awhile, I will find something.” After a distance, Devon found that the water was calmer and the river didn’t seem quite as wide. Looking around, he saw a tall dead pine tree, near the bank. He took out his axe and swiftly chopped down the tree, so that it fell across the river like a bridge. He stepped onto the trunk rather carelessly, began walking too quickly, and promptly tumbled right into the water. Being a good swimmer, Devon was able to make it back to shore safety. He felt rather foolish and was annoyed that he was now soaked from head to foot and was still on the side of the river where he had started. Just then, the dead tree was drawn into the strong current of the river and Devon was glad he hadn’t been on it when it was swept away. He would surely have been killed as the tree smashed against the rocks with great force, splintering into a thousand pieces. “What to do now?” he wondered. “Perhaps if I walk a bit farther down the river, I will see a way to cross.”

A little way downstream, Devon saw some boulders in the river that gave him an idea. “Perhaps I can hop from rock to rock and reach the other side!” It seemed like a good idea, as the boulders were placed close enough together to jump from one to the next. The first three were very close and it was quite easy to make the leap. However, near the middle of the river, the stones were farther apart and the jump was more difficult. As he leapt from the third to the fourth boulder, his foot slipped and he nearly fell. He sat atop the fourth rock to catch his breath before attempting the next leap. Just then, to his amazement, the “rock” he was sitting on began to move! In a flash, he was floating downstream on the back of a gigantic turtle! It was so huge and moved so fast in the rapid current that Devon was afraid he might fall off. He had no choice but to go along for the wild ride! Eventually the turtle went ashore on the same side where Devon had started, and the young man hopped off, shaken and drenched. The turtle turned slowly around to face the lad and, looking him in the eye, said, “Why are you riding upon my back in the Great River?”

“I am on a quest to find the Golden Key to open the door to the tower where my true love has locked herself away,” replied Devon. “I must cross the Great River and travel the length of the Dark Woods to find the Golden Key.”

“If she has locked herself away, then perhaps she does not want to be bothered,” said the large creature. “Supposing you do manage to cross the river and survive the Dark Woods to find the Golden Key, what makes you so sure the young lady wants you to unlock the door?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Devon answered steadily, “but I know that I love her. If I can just meet her once, she will know what is in my heart.”

“Hmmm,” pondered the turtle, “you are a courageous lad and you have a good heart. Perhaps I can help you cross the river. Climb on my back again and we’ll swim to the other side.” With great happiness, Devon hopped upon the huge back of the turtle and together they managed to get across the great expanse of water. At the farther shore the turtle said, “Farewell, lad, and good luck.”

“Thank you, Turtle, for helping me on my quest,” said the young man. “Your kindness won’t be forgotten.” And off he went to meet what lay before him in the Dark Woods.

Devon had heard many horrible tales from people who had accidentally strayed into the Dark Woods and were lucky enough to return to tell the tales, but he bravely strode along. The farther he went, the darker it got. The trees seemed to be all grown together at the top, and didn’t allow even a shaft of sunlight through. The trees were very old and some of them were gnarled and twisted so that they looked like monsters. “The sun must have gone down by now,” Devon thought to himself, “I think I will go to sleep and get an early start in the morning.” He wondered if there were any wild animals in the woods and decided to sleep up in a tree, just in case. Finding a good, solid branch that was forked to fit his body perfectly, he climbed up and went quickly to sleep.

Sometime during the night, forgetting he was up in a tree in the Dark Woods, he rolled over and came crashing down on the ground with a thud. Just as he was determining that he hadn’t broken anything, he heard a loud screech and a flapping of wings. He felt sharp talons dig into the back of his tunic and suddenly he was being carried through the air by a huge bird. Immediately he was dropped into an enormous nest, high up in the trees. As he looked around, he could barely make out five baby birds in the nest who were waiting for their mother to feed them. He had an uncomfortable feeling that he was soon to become their food! He could see the huge mother bird circling around and coming back to land in the nest.

“Please, Mrs. Bird!” begged Devon, “don’t feed me to your babies!”

“And why not?” asked Mrs. Bird.

“Because,” the lad thought quickly, “I, I am but a small, skinny boy and would not provide much in the way of food. Surely a plump fish would be much more to your liking.”

“There are no fish in the Dark Woods,” squawked the large bird, “you are the only living thing besides us that I have seen in many days. And now you are to be our food.” She started to come towards him, her huge beak about to tear into his flesh, when he held up his hand.

“Stop!” he commanded. “I know where there are plenty of plump fish, which I’m sure you would find more to your liking than skinny little me! I’ll take you there right now, and you will have more than enough to feed your young ones.”

The mother bird thought for a moment and said, “If you are telling the truth, then I will let you go, for I would much prefer a juicy fish to the likes of you. But if you are trying to trick me, I will kill you and feed you to my babies.”

“If you will take me to the ground,” Devon promised, “I will show you where the fish live.” So down they went. When he reached the ground, the lad ran quickly to the Great River and showed the large bird where she could find as many fish as she wanted. They caught a few, and returned to the nest to feed the young birds, who were squawking hungrily in their tree top nest. The mother bird was so grateful that she agreed to take Devon all the way to the clearing, where the wise old woman had told him he would find the Golden Key.

As they neared the clearing, the giant bird said good-bye and thanked Devon for helping her feed her young ones, and then she dropped him gently into a pile of soft leaves. The clearing was a welcome sight, for Devon had not seen the sun the whole time he had been in the Dark Woods. This spot was a beautiful, green meadow, with colorful wildflowers everywhere. There, at the far side, stood the wise old woman he had met back by Sabrina’s tower. He wondered how she had gotten here so quickly. As he watched her, she seemed to be floating above the ground, rather than walking. Then he noticed that she held in her hand the beautiful Golden Key.

“Devon,” greeted the old woman, “you have done well. I didn’t expect you for several more days! You must have had the help of the Ancient Ones, who still inhabit these areas. They sometimes appear in the form of an animal to test you. If you prove unworthy, they will lead you astray, but if you prove honorable, they will help you. I am very pleased and I now present you with the Golden Key.” With that, she handed the special key to Devon, saying, “Now you have the means to unlock the tower wherein lives the lovely Sabrina. However, you must make your way back through the Dark Woods and over the Great River, facing other challenges along the way. If you succeed, you will very likely win the heart of the maiden in the tower. Good luck!” She turned and floated back to the edge of the meadow clearing and disappeared in the thick trees. Devon hung the Golden Key around his neck with the ribbon that was attached to it and started back the way he had come.

Now that he knew the way, he felt confident his return trip would be easy and uneventful. He walked along cheerfully, thinking of the maiden and wondering what she looked like. “Maybe she has raven hair and eyes,” thought the lad. “Or perhaps she has hair like cinnamon, eyes of green, and skin as white as a pearl. She might even have golden hair and eyes the color of the sky,” he fantasized as he walked along. It was really not important to him what she looked like. He knew that she had an inner beauty and that was enough for him.

It was not long before he came to the Great River, near a stretch where the water was gentle and clear like a stream. Swimming in the river were three young women. As he approached, he noticed that one had hair and eyes like a raven, another had red hair and green eyes and the third had hair like spun gold and eyes of blue. They were all very beautiful and when they saw Devon, they called for him to join them. He was mesmerized by their beauty. It was getting late in the day, and Devon really wanted to reach the tower before nightfall, but he decided that a short swim would be fine. They enjoyed splashing each other, having races across the river and diving from a rock into the cool, emerald pool. They must have been there a long time, because suddenly Devon noticed the sun was setting and he got out to leave. “Oh, Devon,” pleaded the three sisters, “don’t go just yet. You must have tea with us – Mother makes the most delicious cookies in the whole world!” It was a hard decision. He thought he really should be going, but they were so beautiful, and tea and cookies really did sound good. He realized he was quite hungry, so he agreed to go to their cottage.

The young women lived in a small clearing near the river. Their mother welcomed Devon warmly. All their lives, she had told her daughters that they must each find a handsome young man to marry, or else they would never be happy. Since Devon was just such a man, they were all trying to impress him with the wonderful things they could do. One could work a needle and thread into a beautiful tapestry. Another could spin fine yarn and weave warm clothing for the winter. The third was a very good cook and soon had a delicious meal ready for everyone. He was quite taken with the girls and wondered to himself if he should pick one of them for a wife. After all, they were each very beautiful and also talented. When they talked, however, he soon grew bored and wished to be going. But the cunning mother had put a sleeping herb in the tea she served after dinner. Devon became too tired to travel further, so he asked if he might spend the night in the barn. A bed had already been prepared for him and he was soon fast asleep. While Devon slept, the girls and their mother were plotting how to keep him there for a very long time.

The next morning, it was hard for him to awaken. He had slept far longer than usual. His dreams had been troubled, and he imagined he was trapped in a snare, like a rabbit, with the hunger coming to find him. As he lay with the sleep still heavy on him, he tried to remember why he was in such a rush and what his journey was about. Why should he not stay in this beautiful place, with these lovely, talented young women – and perhaps even choose one of them as his bride?

Then, into his mind and heart came the lovely sound of Sabrina’s voice and the words of her beautiful poems that had meant so much to him; and the memories of his journey came pouring back. Instantly he awakened, alert and ready to fly on his way.

He was so anxious to get back to the tower and Sabrina that he set off without even saying goodbye. Swimming across the Great River was easy this time, and it was not long before he arrived at the tower. The sun was high overhead as he turned the Golden Key in the lock on the tower door.

He called out as he climbed the winding stairs that led to the top. “Sabrina, it is I, Devon, of the West Country. I have come far to meet you.”

When she heard his voice for the first time, something stirred in her heart and she responded, “Devon of the West Country, I will meet you. Come in.” As they gazed into each other’s eyes, they both knew that they had at last found true love.

Devon and Sabrina were married as soon as the arrangements could be made. They made their home in the West Country and had a good long life together.

Table of Contents