Princess Belle-Etoile

At dawn, the twins were able to creep up the stair into the secluded room of the castle. There, James took out the enchanted book and quickly opened it.

"Hello again, my children," said the familiar voice of Queen Bourbon from the enchanted book. "Tonight, I have something to show you that will unveil the truth."

Suddenly, James and Catherine were standing near a small hut. As they peered inside, the room suddenly came to life and the Queen began to explain the happenings before them.

Isabelle had three beautiful daughters, the eldest Roussette, the second Brunette and the youngest Blondine. One day, an old woman entered their little hut and asked Isabelle for a meal. The old woman said she had nothing to pay in return for her services but just wanted a good meal in her final days. Isabelle had a very giving heart and immediately called in her three daughters to help her make one of the finest meals she had ever prepared. The old woman was so grateful for the charity of Isabelle and her daughters that she promised the daughters that their greatest heart's desire, would be granted. Then, she vanished.

Months passed and the three daughters began to think what the old woman had said was untrue. One day as the daughters were gathering wood, they noticed the king and his entourage. Roussette said she would do anything to marry the king's admiral; Brunette, likewise, wished to marry the king's brother; but Blondine said she would give the king two beautiful sons and a daughter who would bear golden stars on their foreheads and jewels would fall from their hair if she married the king. Just then, the king and his entourage noticed the three beautiful woman standing in the distance and for some reason felt compelled to greet them. The king, noticing Blondine's beauty, spontaneoulsy asked for her hand in marriage. The king's brother did the same for Brunette and the admiral with Roussette. That's when the daughters realized the old woman had not lied.

One year after the three daughters were married, Roussette grew jealous of her sisters, for they had married into royalty, while she had not. The queen-mother disapproved of her sons' marriages and Roussette knew she would easily help to sabotage the marriages. Blondine had just given birth to two beautiful sons and a daughter, who did indeed bear stars on their foreheads and jewels fell from their hair. Brunette also bore a son, then suddenly died. Roussette and the queen-mother quickly kidnapped the children and ordered a servant to dispose of them. When Blondine heard the horrific news, she died from grief.

The queen-mother's servant took pity on the children and placed them in a basket and sent them down the river. A pirate noticed the siblings and their cousin floating down the river and decided to take the abandoned children home to his wife, Corsine. It didn't take long for the couple to notice the golden star upon three of the children's foreheads and the jewels that fell from their hair. However, the fourth child, who they assumed was the brother of the other children, did not posses any of these features, but he was the most beautiful of all. Corsine decided to name the girl Belle-Etoile; the middle brother, Petit-Soleil; the younger brother, Heureux; and their cousin, Chéri.

Sixteen years passed and Chéri and Belle-Etoile seemed inseparable. They both began to develop feelings for one another, though both kept their feelings hidden because they were ashamedat being brother and sister, as their foster parents assumed they were. That is until one day when Belle-Etoile overheard the pirate and Corsine discussing whether they should tell the children of their origin. Up until this point, the four siblings believed the pirate and Corsine were their birth parents. Belle-Etoile knew she had to tell her brother of what she had just witnessed. After hearing the news, the four were determined to find out just where they came from. So, to the dismay of the pirate and Corsine, the four set sail for a land unknown.

After five days at sea, they arrived at an unknown kingdom. Word spread of these strangers with stars upon their foreheads and jewels that fell from their hair. The king decided he must meet these strangers. As soon as he saw them, he immediately recognized them as his children and nephew. This news of Belle-Etoile and Chéri not being siblings nearly brought both of them to tears. That night, while dining with the king, the four began to tell the king their story of how they arrived here. Their story both irritated and saddened the king since he did not know who was the cause of this mess. That's when the queen-mother's servant stepped forward and begged for forgiveness for her role in their exodus. Immediately Roussette and the queen-mother cursed the servant, instantly giving away their roles in the crime. The king, enraged, demanded they be imprisoned for the rest of their life. Chéri approached the king and said he had been in love with Belle-Etoile since childhood and wanted her hand in marriage. The king said it would be an honor to give his daughter away to him and the two were married at once.

"But the story does not end there children," said the voice of Queen Bourbon.

Catherine and James looked at each in confusion.

"You see, Chéri and Belle-Etoile became king and queen, and they had two children of their own, twins, in fact," said the voice. "But sadly Belle-Etoile died of a fever shortly after their birth and Chéri died of a broken heart. Shortly before their deaths, the king and queen took pity on their aunt Roussette and freed her from prison. Soon after, Roussette bore a son, and when the king and queen died, she was named to care for the twins. However, her jealously once again turn the tide. She sent the twins into a life of servitude, spreading a lie that the twins had died and her son was named the new king.

"So are the twins you speak of... are they us?" asked Catherine.

"I see you have finally uncovered the truth. For youe appearance might have fooled some, but soon they will all know your true identity," said Queen Bourbon.

Suddenly the book flipped to the last page. It was a letter, from their mother and father, King Chéri and Queen Belle-Etoile, willing them a successful life and advising them as they take the throne at such a young age.

"Do you know what this means, Catherine?" exclaimed James. "It means were are heirs to the throne."

"And we have proof," Catherine shouted in joy. "Thank you, your majesty."

James and Catherine ran down the steps and into the royal court, where they immediately showed the royal advisers the letter. There was now no choice but to strip the king of his crown and name James and Catherine the rightful royal heirs.

Author's note: So much had to be changed in this story. This was truly my own raw interpretation. At the beginning, the daughter's mother Isabelle is a famous cook in the land as well as a former princess. However, she has been reduced to live the life of a peasant. Also, once the daughters meet the king and their entourage, they have a large enchanted meal courtesy of the old woman who turns out to be a fairy. The king and his men knew immediately there was something special about these woman. Later, after the birth of Blondine's children, Rousette replaces them with three puppies with stars on their heads and the queen-mother gives them to her servant to kill them. Blondine does not die in the story; instead she goes back to live with her mother in their hut because she is basically embarrassed at giving birth to dogs. Another change is at the end when the children arrive back to the kingdom. The queen-mother is basically distracting everyone and sends Chéri on all these quests where he saves a dove, who tells him how to accomplish the first quest. Then, on his last quest he has to get a green bird. In the story, the green bird is actually the way the king finds out these are his children and nephew. It is a very long story, like most of Marie-Catherine's stories. However, I noticed this one has a ton of characters who either randomly just die or are not mentioned again, like the admiral and the king's brother.

Bibliographic Information:
"Princess Belle-Etoile" in The Fairy Tales of Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy by Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy 1892
Image information:
Peasant Children with Donkeys by Edgar Bundy. Websource: Bridgeman art on demand
Princess Belle-Etoile 2 - illustration by Walter Crane. Websource: wikimedia
William II Prince of Orange and Princess Henrietta Mary Stuart daughter of Charles I of England: 1641. by Anthony Van Dyck Websource: hoocher