Once upon a time, in a castle overlooking a lush valley, there lived a young king and queen. They were a handsome and kind couple, and the queen had long flowing hair with a lovely curl at the bottom. They were very happy together, but they longed for a child of their own.
One day, when the queen was taking a walk in the sunny meadow, carrying her umbrella to protect her tender skin from the sun, she caught a glimpse of shining gold amongst the wildflowers. She bent down and picked up a beautiful heart-shaped locket on a golden chain. As she held it in her hand, a wise old fairy woman appeared.
“I see you have found my magic locket,” said the wise old woman. “Your greatest wish shall come true. You shall give birth to a beautiful daughter. Place this locket around her neck, and as long as she wears it, she shall be safe from all harm.”
Then the old woman disappeared as quickly as she come, and the queen walked back to the castle, full of wonder and joy.
A year later, true to the fairy woman’s word, the queen gave birth to a beautiful daughter. The queen slipped the locket around the tiny princess’s neck. As the girl grew, the locket remained around her neck, growing with her so that it always fit just perfectly.
One day, when the princess had grown to be a lovely young lady, she stood gazing out at the valley from her balcony, and as she looked, a white dove flew down and landed on the railing. In its mouth it carried the most beautiful flower the princess had ever seen. The dove laid it down as a gift for the princess, and then sang a most enchanting song. When the bird finished, it flew off, down into the valley.
The princess watched in vain, to see where the dove went. She felt that she could not have any peace until she could hear that enchanting song again. So she decided to set off into the valley to search for the dove.
Carefully, she wrapped the flower in a silk handkerchief, and slipped it into her pocket. She took a piece of bread and a sweet, ripe orange, and set off down into the valley far below.
After she had gone some distance, the princess came to a dark cave. She sat down on a large stone near the entrance of the cave and began to nibble on her bread. As she was eating, a little gnome suddenly appeared.
“Why are you sitting here on my favorite stone?” he demanded crossly.
“Oh, please forgive me,” begged the princess. “I have been walking ever so long, and I just needed a place to rest. I will only be here for a moment, if you will only let me stay.”
“Well... all right,” said the gnome in a friendlier voice, “And just where are you going, princess? Why have you walked so far?”
“I am going to find the white dove with the most beautiful voice in the world. Can you help me?” she asked.
“Yes, I can help you, ”said the gnome. “But what will you give me?”
“I will give you this sweet, ripe orange,” said the girl, and she handed the fruit to the little man. The old gnome eagerly grabbed the orange, and after inspecting it and smelling its sweetness, he told her where to go.
“Follow the path deep into the forest. Walk until you think you cannot walk any more, and there you will find a tree covered with fairy blossoms. In the trunk of this tree is a hole. Look into the hole,” he said, “and there you shall find what you seek.”
“Oh, thank you!” the princess cried, with a glad heart. And she leapt up with renewed strength, and followed the path into the forest. She walked on and on, deep into the forest where it was dark, and the trees were so close together she could scarcely see the sun shining far above. At last she came to a small clearing. In the middle was a tree with flowers so beautiful it nearly took her breath away.
“Those must be fairy blossoms,” she said to herself, and she ran up to the tree and peered into the hole in the trunk. There she saw a tiny golden key. She reached in and picked it up.
“But this is not the dove!” she cried, “What could this key be for?” And she sat down on the soft grass by the tree, to examine the key in her hand. Suddenly, the white dove appeared. It flew down and landed in the grass in front of her. Again it sang to the princess, and again its song was so beautiful it made the girl weep with joy. A large tear rolled down her cheek and dropped into the locket around her neck.
As the princess reached up to brush away the tear, she realized that the key in her hand was just the right size to open the tiny hole in the locket she had worn around her neck all her life. She slipped the key into the locket, and it opened instantly. A tiny packet of seeds fell out onto the princess’s hand, and as she gazed at them, the dove flew down and landed beside her.
“Would you like some of these seeds, dear dove?” asked the princess tenderly. The dove bent down and swallowed a seed. All at once, it turned into a handsome prince, with kind, loving eyes.
“I am forever in your debt, gentle princess,” said the young man. “Many years ago, a wicked witch cast a spell on me – a spell that only the bearer of the magic locket could break; and only if her heart was kind and generous.” Then the prince sang to the princess in a voice even more moving than the voice of the dove.
The princess brought the prince back to her father’s castle, and with the king’s blessing, they were married the next day. A huge wedding feast was celebrated throughout the land, and they lived happily ever after.
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