English · Beginner
A princess works in silence to free her brothers from an enchantment that turns them into swans.
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Scene 1 · Beginner
Far away, in a land where swallows spend the winter, a king lived with his eleven sons and his daughter, Eliza. The princes had diamond pencils and gold writing boards. Eliza had a beautiful picture book that had cost as much as half a kingdom. The children were very happy.
Then their father married a cruel queen. She became their stepmother, but she did not love them. The children understood this on the day after the wedding. During the great celebration, they played at having visitors. Usually they received cakes and apples for this game. The new queen gave them a cup of sand instead.
“Pretend that it’s cake,” she told them.
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