The Tale of the Three Sisters

A long, long time ago there were three beautiful sisters who lived on a farm surrounded by lemon trees with their mother. Each sister had eyes the colors of gemstones. Julietta, the eldest, had Sapphire eyes. Teodora, the middle sister, had eyes the color of Emeralds. The youngest and the loveliest was Mirabella with rare amethyst colored eyes. When they went into the small village near their farm, everyone would remark how beautiful her eyes were and it was such a shame she had a hideous birthmark on her forehead. For it looked like smeared mud was painted onto her.

The kingdom they lived in was ruled by an evil queen. She had tax collectors at her beck and call, who went out to collect gold coins from the farmers, shopkeepers and all those who worked and lived in the kingdom. She had come to power when Mirabella was just a babe in her mother’s arms during a war that had claimed the life of their father.

One day, the three sisters took their baskets of lemons into the village while their mother stayed at home to tend to the farm chores. It was twilight as the girls made their way home with their empty baskets and pockets full of coins. The first sign that something was wrong was the fact no fire burned from the chimney. The second was the fact a note was nailed to the door. Hurrying, the girls read the sign and began to cry. Their mother had been taken by the tax collector for being short on her last payment.

The three sisters knew that those who couldn’t pay were sent to work at the Evil Queen’s Castle. They decided to journey through the enchanted forest to the castle and plead for their mother’s release. Mirabella made a private vow with herself that she would take her mother’s place if their plea didn’t work.

At dawn the next day, wearing identical cloaks and carrying bags, they began their day's journey through the forest. The trees reached high enough to kiss the clouds and flowers of every shade of the rainbow grew in the spaces of the forest where the sunlight drenched the earth. The sisters were growing tired as they heard the whisper of a waterfall. Mirabella became entranced by the melodious sound of the falling water and directed her sisters towards it.

Peeking behind a large tree big enough for all three sisters to hug at the same time, they found a tall waterfall leading to a pool of aquamarine water. Stunned by its beauty, the girls took seats on a smooth rock at the pool’s edge. Mirabella gasped when she spotted a green light darting through the water. Julietta and Teodora shook their heads when she asked them if they had seen the light as well. On her hands and knees now, Mirabella stared into the water.

The green light floated it’s way back over to Mirabella and began to grow until it burst through the water. A small fairy with a radiant smile and jade colored wings hovered above the water’s surface in a suspended water droplet. “Hello sweet Mirabella. I know that you are traveling to save your mother from the evil queen. May I offer you a gift?”

Mirabella glanced behind her to her open-mouthed sisters and turned back to the lovely fairy. “May my sisters receive a gift as well”

The fairy inclined her head and said “As you wish” as her jade wings began to glow more brightly. “Will you each pull something out of your bags?”

Mirabella was puzzled. The fairy realized this and said “My gifts are attached to your personal items.”

Julietta stepped forward first with her small gold mirror she had planned to present as payment. The fairy sent water droplets over the mirror as it turned a brilliant shade of green before fading. “Whoever looks in this mirror will be compelled to reveal a secret about themselves”

Teodora had a velvet coin purse in her hand, that contained all the gold from the sale of the lemons. Droplets of verdant green landed upon it and the bag seemed to grow heavy. “This bag will always be full of gold. It will never overflow nor be empty”

The fairy waited patiently for Mirabella to present her item. She pulled out the quilt her mother had lovingly made to fit over the wooden bed the three sisters shared and she had packed to selfishly keep if she had to live and work in the evil queen’s castle.

Her other sisters scoffed at what she presented to the fairy but her smile grew and it’s warmth settled on Mirabella’s heart. “Whoever places this quilt around their shoulders will have what they need most in the world granted to them”

The three sisters thanked the fairy for their gifts and the fairy wished them luck.

They began their journey again and arrived at the Evil Queen’s castle. Teodora, with her always full coin purse, paid off the debt and the three sisters and their mother returned to their normal life at the farm.

Julietta began to use her mirror to find out secrets about the villagers. She started using those secrets as substitutes for money and favors. She was so absorbed with gathering the secrets of others that she began to neglect her farm chores. She soon had all the dresses she could want from the dressmaker, many hats from the hat maker and the baker was always baking her decadent cakes. Julietta soon convinced the richest merchant in town to marry her and build her a huge stone house. She never noticed the fear in the villager’s face or the unhappiness in her husband’s face.

Teodora, with her never ending gold pouch, soon became dedicated to shopping. She was always in town and enjoyed her newfound ability to look better than others. She always had the latest fashions, jewels and never went hungry. Teodora also neglected the farm’s chores and soon made plans to leave the farm for good. With her money, she built a brick estate and hired workers to work her land.

Mirabella soon became the only one helping mother with her chores. After her sisters began to pay for hired help, she found herself with more free time. Even though the villagers teased her for her birthmark, she began going to the village to use the enchanted quilt on those in need. The villagers got money to pay their debts, food to fill their bellies, roofs over their heads and even potions to chase away their ills. After some time, they stopped mentioning her birthmark and called her Miraculous Mirabella.

Julietta and Teodora’s enchanted mirror and coin purse soon reached the ears of the evil queen. The evil queen arrived at Julietta’s stone manor to claim the enchanted mirror. Julietta howled as the evil queen rode off in her pearl carriage with her beloved mirror.

Teodora’s brick estate was next. The Evil Queen came to claim her enchanted coin purse. Teodora wept as she handed the purse over. She watched from her portcullis as the Evil Queen’s convoy headed towards the small village where she knew that Mirabella would be next. She sent one of her workers to warn Mirabella.

Word reached the village before the Evil Queen did. They heard that the enchanted quilt that Mirabella lovingly shared with all of them was wanted by the Evil Queen. They gathered their horses and donkeys, all planning to travel to the lemon tree farm to save the enchanted quilt.

“Mirabella! Mirabella!” They called as they rode through the lemon tree grove coming to a stop outside of their cottage. Mirabella had been cooking, she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and gathered her mother from where she was knitting by the fire. They headed outside to see all the villagers gathering.

“My heavens, what could the trouble be?” She called out to the gathering crowd. The baker’s son stepped forward and removed his hat. He told Mirabella how the Evil Queen had come for the enchanted items. Bowing her head, she realized what needed to be done.

Dusk had settled on the farm when the Evil Queen’s convoy appeared on the horizon. Mirabella had been sitting on the rocking chair outside the door for over an hour now, her dinner long since forgotten. The carriage glittered in the fading light as it came to a stop.

The Evil Queen’s door was opened by her immaculately dressed doormen. She stepped out and wrinkled her nose as she looked around the farm. Wearing a long silk gown of sky blue, the Evil Queen’s ruby lips smirked at Mirabella. “Fairies always give gifts in threes. If you are the third sister, you must indeed have the third enchanted gift. Now” The queen outstretched her hand as her voice seemed to chill the air around Mirabella.

“May I first show you how to use the enchanted gift?” Mirabella curtsied low and kept her head turned down as she spoke in a cordial tone.

“Amuse me” Fighting against the shiver that the Evil Queen’s chilled voice delivered, she approached the queen with the magical quilt. Not meeting the queen’s eyes, she spread the quilt wide and wrapped it around the surprised queen.

The Queen’s face collapsed and she knelt on the ground. The convoy drew their swords and pointed them towards Mirabella, the strange girl with the birthmark on her face. The Evil Queen said “Lower your weapons, please” Her voice was no longer cold as she spoke and the guards were astounded as she rose with a big smile on her face. The queen turned to Mirabella and to everyone’s surprise embraced her! The Evil Queen thanked Mirabella for taking away all of her bad memories, all the bad thoughts she had about herself and her thirst for revenge. The Evil Queen looked younger and more lovely than she had looked a moment before. She had been given what she needed most in the world and that was serenity.

The Evil Queen asked Mirabella how she could repay her for what she had done. Mirabella replied no payment was needed, it’s just what she did, she shared her gift. She did ask that the queen return the items back to her sister which she happily obliged. The evil queen soon became the serene queen of the kingdom. Mirabella and her enchanted quilt continued to help others for the rest of her days as she lived happily ever after.