A king, full of desire for his kingdom to be united in a single heir, devised a secret plan. Concerned for the arrival of a thirteenth child, if it were to be a girl, he quietly instructed the construction of twelve coffins, each lined tenderly with shavings and a little pillow, sealed in a locked room. He entrusted the key to his queen, commanding her silence. The richness of his palace concealed these grim preparations, as the queen bore the heavy burden of her husband’s callous decision. The kingdom remained unaware, but inside the walls of the castle, a foreboding tension brewed, shadowed by the ominous presence of the coffins.
In the solitude of her chambers, the queen's heart was in despair, burdened by a secret too grave to bear alone. Her youngest son, Benjamin, the only one allowed her solace, noticed her distress. Tenderly, he asked, ‘Dear mother, why art thou so sorrowful?’ Trust broke silence as she revealed the dreadful coffins, whispering, ‘Dearest Benjamin, the coffins your father ordered are for you and your brothers, should I bear a daughter.’ His eyes widened in horror, but courage sparked, ‘Weep not, dear mother, we shall save ourselves and depart from this doom.’ Her sorrow echoed in the silent halls, but a flicker of hope danced in their hearts.
Guided by the queen's sobering advice, the twelve brothers departed the castle, their footsteps silent shadows in the forest's embrace. One by one, they climbed the towering oaks, eyes fixed on the distant tower. They lived beneath nature’s canopy, sheltered by its whispering leaves, always on guard. From the treetops, Benjamin spotted the king's decision - a blood-red flag flapping in the breeze, sealing their fate. Grief turned to defiance as the brothers vowed at once, ‘Are we to die for a mere girl? We swear revenge - no girl shall escape without tasting her own crimson blood!’ The forest closed around their echoed oath, their destinies altered forever.
Enraged and exiled by fate’s cruel hand, the brothers delved deeper into the forest, swearing to take vengeance. They pledged an oath bound as deeply as the roots of the ancient trees surrounding them. Their hearts hardened, yet a new resolve formed to survive amid the wild whispers and haunting shadows of their forest sanctuary. 'Should we ever encounter a maiden,' they declared, 'she shall know her fate sealed by our iron promise.' There, among the gnarled trees and dappling shadows, they sketched the laws of their survival - until one day, they'd find the red flag’s bearer, and fate would guide their next steps in the dance of destiny.
Amidst the deep thickets and beneath ancient trees, the brothers discovered their haven - a bewitched hut hiding in the forest's heart. Within its enchanted walls, life resumed as Benjamin tended the household while his brothers hunted the plentiful game. Seasons danced around them, each leaving its mark in turn. Their sister's birth, unbeknownst, went unremarked in their rustic clock of night and dawn. Ten years veiled their solitude in this hidden bower, harmony thrived as the forest’s spell enveloped them away from the kingdom's plight, whispering stories of resilience in the twined roots and rustling leaves of their enchanted refuge.
Time, the quiet weaver, shaped the queen's young daughter into a kind-hearted maiden adorned with a golden star upon her brow. One day, discovering a set of small shirts among the linens, her curiosity piqued. ‘Mother, to whom do these belong?’ she asked, unaware of the weight of her question. The queen, burdened by years of unshed tears, revealed the fate of her twelve brothers, lost to a forest shrouded in mystery. Determination sparked in the princess’s heart. 'I will find them,' she declared. The thrum of her destiny echoed along the gardens as she set forth, clad not in silk but in steadfast resolve.
Through wild paths and under the expansive blue sky, the princess journeyed, guided by hope twined with fate. When twilight shadowed the forest, she arrived at the bewitched hut, greeted by Benjamin’s astonishment. ‘From whence comest thou, and why does royalty adorn this place?’ She replied with her quest for her lost brothers. Recognition and joy burst in Benjamin’s heart, ‘I am your brother Benjamin!’ A reunion unfolded amid tearful embraces, yet uncertainty loomed as the brothers’ oath threatened her newfound joy. Trusting in sibling bonds, she waited beneath the hut’s sheltering walls, holding steadfast as the forest embraced them once more.
Evening's arrival carried the brothers, weary from the hunt and ignorant of secrets unfolding within their home. At dinner, concealed revelations awaited. As they shared their meal, Benjamin’s request for mercy piqued their curiosity. 'Dear brothers, promise the next maiden shall be spared,' he urged. Confusion turned to joy when their sister emerged radiant, regal garments brightened by her star-marked brow. Tears of recognition washed away past vows, as their embrace sealed a bond once lost, now renewed. Harmony graced the bewitched hut as sister and brothers, reunited, added new warmth to their woodland sanctuary, reborn beneath familiar stars.
In the freshness of a new dawn, the sister’s presence dovetailed into the rhythms of their forest life. She joined Benjamin in tending the home, while her brothers bound the forest to them anew through hunts and harmonies. Yet fate's quiet hand moved, as one sunny morning she gathered lilies for their table. In a moment, the air wove their destiny - the blossoms plucked turned into a curse, her brothers transformed into ravens by the twining magic of flower and spell. The enchanted home vanished; the forest’s silent whispers carried her brothers skyward, leaving her lost and alone amidst the heart’s deep echoes and unspoken promises of those lilies.
Alone among the trees, the princess faced her despair, when an old woman emerged, her words a cauldron of prophecy. ‘Why didst thou pluck the lilies? Thy brothers are now ravens, their fate sealed save for a formidable task awaiting thee.’ Her words opened paths unseen - seven years of silence, laughter held hostage, or their lives bound forever in feathered chains. The maiden's heart knew its truth, resolving to set her brothers free. Time spun its thread as she climbed into a high oak, threading her silence into the forest's own, her heart a quiet forge of unyielding resolve, a guardian of vows yet unspoken.
In the forest's heart, a king roamed with his hounds, pausing beneath the princess’s silent vigil. Her radiant beauty pierced his heart, and despite her silence, he crowned her as his queen. Time wove their lives together, shadowed by his mother’s wicked whispers. ‘A maiden who speaks not must hide dark deeds,’ she seeded, urging the king toward cruel justice. Love wavered under suspicions as the court’s fate drew into fire and flame. Yet the silent queen’s heart pulsed with its own truth, her resolve a weave of patience and unyielding strength amid the flicker of fires cast by doubt and desire.
Bound for punishment on flames' cruel cusp, the princess stood as the tide of years ebbed to their final moment. A sudden flutter announced her brothers' whirring return, the air alive with raven cries. Unscathed by fire, they emerged human again, extinguishing all, their bond forged anew. Freed at last, her silence broken, the princess spoke and unwound her tale. Understanding illuminated the king's heart, his love rekindled in truth’s light. The stepmother’s own dark fate echoed as she faced justice's own cruel turn. Together, they all embraced a newfound dawn, braided by love, bonded in family, unfurling beneath the forest’s ancient gaze, eternal and unwavering.
