The Magic Tree Trunks
LONG AGO, A KING AND QUEEN RULED a large and powerful land, now Iceland. There was only a year between their beloved children, Princess Sophia and Prince Siguard, and the two children loved each other so much there was little they would do without the other.
For many years all was well. Then one day their mother, the Queen, fell ill and died.
For quite a long time, the King was so laden with grief that he barely sat on the throne. At last his Prime Minister shared with him that the people were starting to grumble. They needed their King to rule as a King should, to settle matters and to make peace.
"Without my dear wife at my side, it will not be easy," said the King.
"Sire, if I may," said the Prime Minister, "there's something else. People are saying it would be best for Your Majesty to remarry as soon as possible. For the good of the kingdom, that is."
"Sire, if I may," said the Prime Minister, "there's something else."
"I know," sighed the King. "Very well. Go seek a fine lady to share my throne. For my part it little matters who she may be, as my heart will always belong to my dear wife."
The Prime Minister assembled a group of the King's attendants to visit the royal courts of the world and to seek such a lady. But the ship that carried them had been gone only a few days when a thick fog came on. For a whole month, the ship drifted about in darkness. At last the fog lifted and before them appeared a rocky island. The crew did not know where they were but at any rate were grateful to see land. Perhaps there was fruit and fresh water to be found.
Taking a small rowboat, the Prime Minister rowed to shore to explore, and find out if the island was safe.
He had just stepped onto sand when he heard music. Turning toward the sound, he saw an enchanting woman and a girl beside her, who was playing a harp and singing a sad tune. The minister greeted the lady politely, and nodded to the girl.
Turning toward the sound, he saw an enchanting woman and a girl beside her.
The lady replied in a friendly way and asked why he had come to such an out-of-the-way place. He told her about the King and how he had lost his wife.
"Indeed, I have the same situation as your master," said the lady. "I was once married to a mighty King who ruled over this land until the sad day when pirates came. They killed my husband and put all of our people to death. My daughter and I were able to escape and hide, and that's how we survived."
The daughter whispered, "Mother, why are you saying such things?"
"Hush!" the mother angrily whispered back. She twisted the girl's cheek in a quick gesture that the Prime Minister did not see.
"What is your name, madam?" asked the Prime Minister.
"Helga," replied the enchanting lady, turning to face him with a smile. "And this is Agna, my daughter."
"Helga," replied the enchanting lady, turning to face him with a smile
After this, the lady and the Prime Minister talked of many things. He was so impressed by her charm and appeal that he soon persuaded her to return with him on his ship to meet the King for a very possible marriage match.
As the Prime Minister looked back from the ship to the shoreline, he could tell the rocky island was completely barren and deserted, not fit for anyone to live in. But of that he did not care, nor did anyone else on the ship if they happened to look back, too. At least, they all felt, their mission was accomplished and they could return home at last.
The winds were favorable and the crew enjoyed a speedy voyage.
When His Majesty's eyes fell on the mother and daughter, both clad in dresses of silver and gold, it struck him that a new marriage might suit him after all. Before long, he and Helga were married.
After the marriage, things were different. The King's new wife had to be consulted on all matters. She attended all council meetings, and her opinion was the one that mattered in deciding issues of peace or war.
After the marriage, things were different.
The King did not notice something that other members at court, with alarm, had started to see. Whenever anyone disagreed with the new Queen, that person soon disappeared without a trace. Soon, members of the court kept a careful distance from the new Queen. The King's two children, Sigurd and Sophia, saw all of this, too. They also kept a safe distance from their new stepmother.
One day, the Queen insisted to her husband that his two children must move out of the castle. The King felt he must go along with her wish, though he arranged that their new house was comfortable and luxurious, with servants and carriages and anything they could possibly want.
Soon afterward, his wife said to the King that it was time for him to tour his kingdom and see that his governors were not cheating him of the money that was his due. "And you need not worry about leaving the castle," she added, "for I will rule the country while you are away as carefully as you would yourself."
The King felt uneasy, nevertheless he set about his preparations. The night before he was to leave, he went to his children's home to say good-bye to his son and daughter.
The King felt uneasy, nevertheless he set about his preparations.
They rushed into his arms, for they loved him dearly. After catching up with news and stories of the day, he said, "Listen to me carefully. There is something important I must tell you. If I should never come back from this journey, I fear it may not be safe for you to stay here."
The children were surprised to hear their father say such a thing. Yet with what they had seen going on, they felt it was best to keep quiet and listen.
"If you learn that I have died," the father continued in a warning tone, "you must leave here right away. Take the road going east till it leads you to a mountain. Cross over the mountain, circle around a bay, and then look carefully for a grove of trees and two special trees in particular. One is entirely blue and the other is red, so you cannot miss them. These trees are magical. Each of you can hide inside the trunks of the trees. The trees will keep you safe, warm, and fed, until the danger has passed."
With these words, their father kissed them goodbye. He boarded ship and after a few days, the wind suddenly picked up. Soon came a fearful storm of thunder and lightning. In spite of the efforts of the frightened sailors, the ship was driven onto the rocks. Not a man on board was saved.
Soon came a fearful storm of thunder and lightning.
That same night, Prince Sigurd and Princess Sophia awoke from the same dream. They dreamed their father appeared before them in clothes dripping wet. Taking the crown from his head, his father set it down on the ground, then disappeared.
The brother and sister agreed the dream must mean that their father had died at sea. They must lose no time in obeying his orders and fleeing to safety. They collected their jewels and a few clothes, and rushed out of their house.
They took the road east until they arrived at the mountain their father had described. Prince Sigurd glanced around. Behind him, he saw their stepmother was following them in pursuit, with an expression on her face that made her more fearsome than the scariest old witch.
Sigurd and his sister hurried on over the mountain, then around a bay. They reached a grove and immediately saw the two unusual trees - one red and the other blue. Quickly, each jumped into one of the tree trunks, and once inside, felt safe and protected. Unable to find the children, Queen Helga returned to the castle.
They reached a grove and immediately saw the two unusual trees - one red and the other blue.
Now at the same time, there ruled in the faraway country of Greece a King and Queen who were very rich and powerful. They had one son, young Prince Leo, who wastheir pride and joy.
Now Prince Leo heard reports of the charms and many accomplishments of Princess Sophia from Iceland. "I must go there," he decided, "and meet her."
By her black arts, Queen Helga learned of the voyage of Prince Leo of Greece to her land. When the young Prince arrived at port, the Queen dressed her daughter Agna in a splendid gown and prepared the court to greet the visiting Prince.
When he arrived at the palace and was brought before the Queen, after the usual greetings Prince Leo asked to see the famous Princess Sophia, admired for her grace and skills. The Queen brought forward her daughter, Agna.
When the Prince looked at her, he felt a bit puzzled. There seemed to be a certain intelligence missing in her expression, compared to what he expected.
When the Prince looked at her, he felt a bit puzzled.
"Oh, you must not wonder at her pale face and heavy eyes," said the Queen hastily, for she saw what was passing in his mind. "She has never gotten over the loss of two fathers - first her own father, and now, my husband."
"That shows a good heart," thought the Prince. "No doubt when she is happy again, her natural zest and brightness will come back." He begged the Queen to allow Princess Sophia - actually Agna, as you know - to journey with him back to Greece. He would show her his homeland and they would explore if theirs was a connection of love.
The Queen was delighted. She had hardly expected to succeed so soon. At once, she set about preparing Agna for her journey.
Prince Leo and Agna set sail in a splendid ship headed back to Greece. In a short time, however, a dense fog settled over the ship. In the dark, the captain somehow steered to a bay. As the fog lifted, the Prince noticed two beautiful and strange trees, one red and the other blue. They were quite different from any trees that grew back home in Greece.
Eager to bring back such rare treasures, the Prince bade his sailors to cut down the two trees and carry them on board. And so Sigurd and Sophia, hidden inside the two tree trunks, were carried onto the ship. The ship sailed on to Greece.
The Prince bade his sailors to cut down the two trees and carry them on board.
The King and Queen of Greece met their son and his guest at their palace. The Queen took aside her son. "So this is the famous Princess Sophia," she said. "You must supply her with the finest yarns of our land. If you ask her to weave a fine gown, I imagine that will help her to feel at home."
The son instructed the court attendants to lead the young woman to where she would stay. He ordered that the two unusual blue and red trees should be brought into the drawing room of his castle.
The next morning, Prince Leo called for his attendants to bring Agna to the drawing room. When she came, he said, "All the world knows of your exceptional skill at weaving, Princess Sophia. Look! This is the finest blue silk in that Greece. I know you will enjoy weaving the kind of fine gown that only you can accomplish." With that, he bowed and took his leave.
"Look! This is the finest blue silk in that Greece."
Left alone, Agna burst into tears. She thought that everything would be discovered, for Princess Sophia's skill in weaving was known far and wide, and she didn't know the first thing about weaving. Who knows what they would do to her if they found out she was an imposter?
As Agna sat with her face hidden and with sobs overtaking her, Prince Sigurd, hidden inside his tree trunk, heard her wails.
"Sophie, my sister," he called out softly, "Agna is weeping. Help her."
"Why?" said Sophia from inside her tree trunk. "Have you forgotten the wrongs her mother, the Queen did to us? Thanks to them, we were thrown out of our own castle and we had to flee for our lives!"
But she was not really so unforgiving, and so Sophia slid quietly out of the tree trunk. Agna gasped in surprise and Sophia bid her to hush. Taking the blue skeins of silk to the loom, to Agna's astonishment Sophia sat and began to weave. Soon the blue silk gown was not only woven but embroidered, too. When it was done, Sophia slipped back safe inside her tree trunk just moments before the Prince returned.
But she was not really so unforgiving, and so Sophia slid quietly out of the tree trunk.
"Why, this is the most beautiful work I have ever seen!" said he. "And guess what? Here I brought you our finest red silk yarn. I can't wait to see the red gown you'll weave with it. After that, no doubt, you'll want to explore the land with me." Agna smiled weakly. The Prince gave a short bow, and left.
Agna sank into a chair and tears overcame her once again. She desperately needed Sofia to rescue her again, but she remembered all the unkind things that she and her mother had done. Why did she say nothing when her mother had forced Sophia and her brother to move out the castle? After all, the only reason she was in Greece with the Prince was because he believed that she was Princess Sophia.
For her part, Sophia was thinking that already helped Agna. This time she might let her get on as best she could by herself. Yet her brother Sigurd begged his sister to help just one more time, and the tears of poor Agna pulled at Sophia's heart.
So Sophia again slid out of her tree trunk and set to work, to Agna's great relief. Sophia wove that shining red silk into a pattern such as no one had ever seen before. But it took a long time. Just as she was putting the last stitches into the last flower, the door opened.
Jus as she was putting the last stitches into the last flower, the door opened.
Quickly, Sophia jumped up. She tried to slip back into her tree trunk in time, but the folds of the silk were wrapped around her and she tripped. She would have fallen to the floor if the Prince of Greece had not caught her in his arms.
"What's this?" he said, as the real Princess Sophia pulled back and righted herself. Looking at both women, he said, "I wondered if something was amiss around here." To Sophia: "Who are you, anyway?"
So Sophia told the Prince who she really was, and the story of how it came about that she and her brother had to flee from their home. Before Prince Leo could ask the whereabouts of the missing brother, it struck him that he had been deceived by Agna.
"I don't know who you are or what you were trying to do," he railed, "but the court tribunals will not look favorably upon such a deception!"
Agna fell to her feet and begged for mercy. It was her mother's doing, she said, and not hers, who passed her off as Princess Sophia.
Agnes fell to her feet and begged for mercy.
"Look," said Princess Sophia to the Prince of Greece, "She is a stranger here and was trying to handle things as best she could."
Prince Leo was struck by her compassion and wisdom. At that moment Prince Sigurd stepped out of his tree trunk, too. He echoed the sentiments of his sister.
"No doubt," mused Prince Leo, "this was a simple misunderstanding."
Touched by all the compassion shown to her, Agna shared the whole truth about Helga. She was not her real mother, but an ogre who had stolen Agna from a neighboring palace where she had been working as a lady in waiting. And besides being an ogre, Helga was also a witch.
And besides being an ogre, Helga was also a witch.
Agna said she was terrified of all the terrible things her false mother might do if she didn't go along with what she wanted. Using her black arts, Helga had sunk the ship in which Sigurd and Sophia's father, the King, had set sail. Helga had pulled the Prime Minister's ship to their rocky island when he and his crew were seeking a bride for the King. And it was Helga who had caused the strange disappearances of the palace attendants who disagreed with her, for which no one could account, by eating them during the night.
Worst of all, Agna said the evil woman hoped to get rid of all the people in the country and then fill the land with ogres like herself. "And there's nothing I could have done about it!"
"Why not?" said Prince Leo.
"Because it is only through the black arts that Helga can be defeated," said Agna gloomily. "And I was alone."
"Because it is only through the black arts that Helga can be defeated," said Agna gloomily.
"You are not alone any more!" said Prince Leo. Princess Sophia and Prince Sigurd heartily agreed.
The Prince of Greece summoned a wizard skilled in artful magic. He gathered an army. Prince Leo, Prince Siguard, the wizard and the army all set sail to Iceland, where they marched on the town where the false Queen Helga ruled. The army came so suddenly that Helga was easily captured. The wizard saw to it that Helga's powers and strength were stripped away. She was set sail to a distant island, and no one ever heard from her again.
The army came so suddenly that Helga was easily captured.
Prince Sigurd chose to stay in his homeland to rule. Princess Sophia and Agna, by then close friends, preferred to return to Greece. Prince Leo offered them the hospitality of his palace for as long as they would like to stay.
And so Prince Leo, Princess Sofia, Agna, the wizard and the army returned to Greece. Over the years the brother and sister stayed close in touch, visiting each another as often as they could. Princess Sophia and Prince Leo fell in love, were married, and Agna became Sophia's most trusted lady in waiting. Prince Sigurd also found love and married back in Iceland. And they all lived happily ever after.
I love this story and don’t care reading it a thousand times
My dad read this story as bedtime story it is very very very very very very very very very nice